But moving is tough on families, pets included. Animals always know when something’s amiss, even if they can’t understand exactly what’s changing, or why.

The key to moving pets is to keep them secure before and during the move, and to settle them safely and quickly into a routine afterward.

Cats are a particular worry at moving time because they form a bond not only with the people in a home, but also with the home itself. Because of their mobility, cats can be difficult to keep around the new home long enough for them to realize that this is where the people they love will now stay.

The family dog is a bit easier to deal with: Put his leash on and drive him to his new address. Show him his new, warm home and the securely fenced back yard. Unless the dog is a high-jumper of Olympic caliber, he’ll stay put while he adjusts.

Not so with free-roaming cats. The cases of cats returning to their previous homes are common for people who move short distances, and the instances of cats disappearing forever are just as common for families moving a great distance.

Find out how to keep everyone safe here.

And from Dr. Marty Becker, the scoop on dogs and broken teeth:

Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim and dogs gotta chew. But sometimes, that chewing can prompt a painful problem.

Broken teeth are a common problem with dogs. Aggressive chewing on hard objects such as rocks or fencing, or on hard treats such as cow hooves, bones or hard nylon toys, are the primary cause. (Veterinarian’s rule of thumb: Don’t give your pet any chew toy that’s hard enough that you wouldn’t want it to hit you in the knee.)

To prevent broken teeth, dental experts recommend regular exercise of your pet to help prevent destructive chewing and having several veterinarian-recommended toys to chew so as to distract them from the bad ones. For extremely aggressive chewers, get a large toy the pet can’t get his mouth around, or offer softer chews.

A broken tooth exposes the delicate pulp and nerve endings, making life extremely painful for the pet. Food and other debris can get impacted in the fracture and attract bacteria, leading to infection, the loss of a tooth or worse.

The most common signs of dental problems are: excessive drooling (especially in a pet who doesn’t normally salivate much), not eating, or favoring one side of the mouth.

Just as the human family gets regular dental examinations and cleanings, you should take your pet to the veterinarian at least yearly for a comprehensive physical examination that will include a look at your pet’s entire mouth. If your pet is having problems sooner, don’t wait for the well-pet exam — dental problems really hurt!

Dental cleanings under anesthesia are a regular part of a preventive-care regimen for many dogs, as is at-home care such as brushing. Ask your veterinarian what’s best for your pet’s teeth and gums, both to prevent problems and to fix them.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week!

Choosing to end a pet’s life is the hardest decision we make when it comes to our pets, and we can tell you from decades of experience that it’s a decision that never gets any easier. Your veterinarian will offer you advice and support, and friends and family can offer you sympathy, but no one can make the decision for you. When you live with an elderly or terminally ill pet, you look in your pet’s eyes every morning and wonder if you’re doing what’s best.

Everyone makes the decision a little differently. Some pet lovers do not wait until their pet’s discomfort becomes chronic, untreatable pain, and they choose euthanasia much sooner than others would. Some owners use an animal’s appetite as the guide — when an old or ill animal cannot be tempted into eating, they reason, he has lost most interest in life. And some owners wait until there’s no doubt the time is at hand — and later wonder if they delayed a bit too long.

Also from Dr. Becker, reassuring news about the safety of pet microchips:

Veterinary experts say there is no evidence that cancer is a problem in microchipped pets. More than 14 million-plus microchips have been implanted with only four cases in question.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week! You can also download it just the way we send it to our client newspapers right here (PDF).

We’re on the verge of kitten season now, which means we’ll soon be getting questions about feline pregnancy from people who often had no idea they’d be midwife to pets who are often not much more than kittens themselves.

Typical questions include: How long does a cat’s pregnancy last? (On average, 66 days.) Do I need to help my pregnant cat with delivery? (Yes, usually by leaving her alone.) How do I know if she’s close to delivering? (Watch for enlarged nipples and the secretion of a tiny amount of milk.)

The question we’re asked least often is the most important of all: How soon after my cat gives birth can she be spayed? (As soon as the babies are weaned — the sooner the better!)

Eighty percent of the cats in the United States are spayed or neutered. If yours isn’t one of them, check out the rest!

From Dr. Becker and Mikkel Shannon Becker, news about a new cancer vaccine for dogs:

Dogs with cancerous growths in their mouths have the chance at an increased life expectancy after tumor removal with the help of a new therapeutic canine melanoma vaccine, Oncept. The vaccine contains a substance produced by human DNA that is similar enough to dog’s genetic material that it targets canine melanoma cells, but is different enough to be considered foreign by the dog’s immune system, resulting in a potent immune response against canine melanoma cells. Dogs with stage II or III melanoma typically survive six months or less after tumor removal, but dogs vaccinated with Oncept had a longer survival time than those not vaccinated, according to DVM360.com.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week! You can also download it just the way we send it to our client newspapers right here (PDF).

In the minds of many, if not most, rabbits are a pet distantly remembered from childhood, a lonely animal kept outside in small and often filthy elevated “hutch.” A starter pet for children, and certainly not suited for life outside a cage, most believe.That impression is wrong. While rabbits remain good pets for respectful older children — the animals are too fragile for young ones — they’re really better suited to life indoors with a grown-up So-called “house-rabbits” bloom with proper care and gentle attention, providing endless amounts of quiet companionship punctuated by short periods of delightful silliness. .

And while dogs and rabbits aren’t always the best combination, cats and rabbits usually get along famously — albeit with different litter boxes.

Yes, litter boxes. Because while rabbits usually aren’t perfect about their use — a pellet here and there will testify to that, but it’s easily cleaned up — they can and do use a box for most of their messes.

Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon take a look at the practices of ear cropping and tail docking:

Of the more than 150 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club, 13 commonly get ear crops, 48 have docked tails, and 11 have both cropping and docking. Ear crops seem more likely to disappear as a common practice sooner, as fewer pet owners choose to have their puppies’ ears sliced into an upright posture, and fewer veterinarians will perform the procedure. The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes ear cropping and tail docking when done solely for cosmetic purposes and has encouraged the elimination of these procedures from breed standards.

It’s all right here in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature, thanks to a grant from Pfizer Animal Health, sponsor of our searchable PetConnection article library.

Let’s help shelter pets rise up, lie down and move out.

Turns out the people at the Kuranda company of Annapolis, Md., are already on this. These cot-style beds are popular with shelters (and pet owners, too, of course) because they’re easy to assemble, durable, chew-resistant and easy to keep clean. The company has a program where people buy beds and have them sent directly to any of hundreds of shelters. The cost for a donated bed is discounted 30 percent off the regular price.

In just a few days of sending the word out through our PetConnection.com Web blog, and my Facebook and Twitter accounts, the 100 beds OCAS had requested had been donated.

It’s a great start, and now I’m reaching out even more, to help pets in other shelters.

Can you donate a bed for a shelter pet? It’s easy! Go to Kuranda’s Web site and click on “Donate a Bed.” You can then choose from dozens of shelters, sorted alphabetically and also searchable by state. When you’ve chosen your shelter, the site will display what kind of beds the shelter has requested. Buy a bed, and the company will send it to the shelter you’ve chosen. It’ll take you just a couple of minutes and a credit card.

Dr. Becker also warns that yarn is dangerous around cats, and Gina explains how to fill a litter box for a rabbit. It’s all right here, now and forever, thanks to a grant from Pfizer Animal Health, sponsor of our searchable PetConnection article library.

Image: Happy pets, happy staff at the shelter in Orange County, Fla., where the pet bed drive began.

Keeping your pet well-groomed not only gives you a clean-smelling companion, it also helps keep your dog more comfortable and allows you to spot health problems before they become serious, even life-threatening.How important is grooming to your pet’s comfort? Consider a simple mat, so easy to overlook. Have you ever had your hair in a ponytail that was just a little too tight? A mat can feel the same way to your dog, a constant pull on the skin. Try to imagine those all over your body, and you have a good idea how uncomfortable an ungroomed coat can be.

Your dog need never know what a mat feels like if you keep him brushed and combed — but that’s just the start of the health benefits. Regular grooming allows you to look for lumps, bumps and injuries, while clearing such things as mats and ticks from his coat. Follow up with your veterinarian on any questionable masses you find, and you may detect cancer early enough to save your pet’s life.

Discover the rest of the benefits of grooming here.

And from Dr. Becker, a warning about a deadly threat to pets:

Pet lovers have two ways to protect their animal companions from lapping away at deadly antifreeze — one relatively foolproof, the other not.

• Not foolproof: Use a safer antifreeze made from a different formulation than the more popular variety, store chemicals properly, and wipe up spills promptly. While this should eliminate most of the risk for dogs, these strategies are not foolproof for free-roaming cats because you cannot control what your neighbors will do when it comes to using or storing deadly chemicals.

• Foolproof: Keep cats inside. Free-roaming cats have relatively short life spans because the outside world is full of deadly hazards. To antifreeze, add cars, coyotes (even in cities!) and cat-hating neighbors to the list of things that can kill a free-roaming cat.

If you even suspect that your pet has gotten into some antifreeze, get him to the veterinary clinic immediately. There’s no “wait and see” period with this stuff.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or see it exactly as we send it to our client newspapers here (PDF).

Every year more of my yard gets turned over to sustainable projects, from my pet chickens and their fresh eggs to an ever-growing collection of raised beds and containers planted with the veggies I love — and some flowers, too.

This year, I’m taking back a huge swath of lawn, fencing it off and having a contractor really go to town, doubling the size of my garden and putting in drip irrigation and mulched paths to save on weeding and water. The way I’m planning it, my yard will be beautiful and productive — and I’m doing this while continuing to share my life with my dogs.

And you can, too. That’s because dogs and lush gardens — whether productive or decorative — aren’t mutually exclusive.

You can’t just plant whatever you want where you want it and throw a bored, unsupervised dog into the mix. Instead, plan your yard to take your dog into account, and mind your dog’s needs to get him to leave the plants alone.

Gina’s gardening secrets are here!

From Dr. Marty Becker, a reminder that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to mean a death sentence for your pet:

The word “cancer” used to be pretty much synonymous with “euthanasia” in veterinary medicine.

That has changed a great deal in recent years. Today, there’s a wide range of options, everything from hospice care aimed at pain-management to the most aggressive surgical, chemo and radiation therapies. The outcome? Cures for some pets, long-term remissions for others and, for the rest, a good quality of life for a little extra time.

The earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better. Know these signs, and have your pet checked out when you observe them:

• asymmetrical swelling
• lumps and bumps
• a wound that doesn’t heal
• unexplained weight loss
• lameness that can’t be attributed to injury
• an older pet who’s not thriving
• unexplained vomiting or diarrhea

Keeping pets at proper weight and limiting or avoiding a pet’s exposure to such risks as secondhand smoke is also recommended. For more information, talk to your pet’s veterinarian.

If you haven’t ever dealt with cancer in a pet, consider yourself lucky. And then consider donating to research for pet health, such as through the Morris Animal Foundation, Winn Feline or the AKC Canine Health Foundation. A good online reference site is the Pet Cancer Center.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or see it exactly as we send it to our client newspapers here (PDF).

Let’s not kid ourselves: Things are tight, and people are learning to make do with less. That’s the bad news.

The good news: You don’t have to shortchange your pets to save money. By focusing on prevention, smart buys and sharing, you can slash what you spend on your pets. Some tips:

• Work with your veterinarian to cut costs. Vaccinations are no longer recommended annually for most dogs and cats, but that’s not a good reason to skip your pet’s yearly vet check (twice-yearly for older pets). These “well-pet” examinations can spot little problems before they become expensive ones. Ask your veterinarian to give you prescriptions for medications to be filled elsewhere, or to match prices. Check for short-term promotions such as for Dental Health Month (which is coming in February), or for ongoing discounts such as for multipet families or senior citizens. Consider pet health insurance as a backup in case of emergency — it can help save your pet’s life when money is the issue.

Check out the rest of the tips here!

From Dr. Becker and Mikkel Shannon Becker, clues revealed by a cat’s body language:

Want to read a cat’s mood? Watch the tail. A tail held straight up indicates a cat who’s relaxed or in a mood to greet company. When the tail is moving side to side, however, it’s not a friendly sign: Wagging tails in cats indicate the increased agitation of a cat who is getting ready to pounce.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week!

Just as with human medicine, advancements in the way we think of and treat pain for animals is improving the quality of life for pets, with veterinarians now being able to choose from a wide array of products and strategies to ease the hurt.

“Animals can feel all the same aches and pains that we can because they share the same physiologic structures,” says Dr. Robin Downing, owner of Colorado’s The Downing Center for Animal Pain Management.

Treating pain doesn’t just make the hurting stop: It also promotes healthy healing. Untreated pain slows healing time, interferes with sleep and depresses the immune system. The treatment of pain improves respiration, shortens post-surgical hospitalization times, improves mobility, and can even decrease the spread of cancer after surgery.

Most veterinarians prescribe pain medication when needed, but some still believe a pet will move around less during recovery from surgery or injury if in pain — a belief no longer supported by studies. If an animal needs to be restrained, it’s better to use a leash or a crate.

Still, many owners don’t give pets pain medications — even if they are prescribed — because of concerns about side effects. All drugs can cause unwanted effects, but those risks need to be balanced against the problems caused by untreated pain. Side effects can also be minimized by using drugs appropriately.

Find out more here.

From Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Shannon Becker, related news that joint disease is often untreated in cats:

An article in Veterinary Practice News compared the written medical records of 100 cats older than 12 years to X-rays of the cats taken at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The study found that while only four records contained mention of degenerative joint disease (DJD) by veterinarian or owner, X-rays found DJD in 90 percent of the cats. The study concluded that DJD occurs in most geriatric cats and is overlooked and undertreated.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week!

While diseases such as diabetes (which increases urine production) often factor into litter box problems, when the weather is cold, it’s a cat’s arthritis that may be worsened. Veterinarians know that arthritis is underdiagnosed in cats, largely because owners write off the symptoms as “just old age.” And on the human side, we suspect that when the weather turns colder and houses close up for warmth, every little thing starts to annoy us — like the smell of the litter box, or (worse) the smell of a cat who’s not using the litter box at all.

No matter what, though: Don’t blame the cat for the problem. Put your detective hat on and get to problem-solving, with the help of your veterinarian. And don’t delay: The failure to use a litter box is the top behavior complaint of cat lovers, sending countless cats to shelters every year.

Find out how to avoid litter box problems here!

From Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Shannon Becker: exercise is for the dogs:

Dogs are the key to exercise motivation. A survey from the United Kingdom found that 3,000 dog owners spent an average of eight hours and 11 minutes weekly exercising their pets. The survey also looked at 2,000 pet-less people and found their average weekly exercise at only one hour and 20 minutes. Even more, 86 percent of pet owners said they enjoyed walking their dogs. Dog owners were also less likely to come up with excuses not to exercise than those who don’t own dogs. Only 16 percent of people said they enjoyed working out in the gym.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file here to see it just as we submit it to our client newspapers!