pet connection

Grooming isn’t just about how your pet looks. It can keep him healthy, and strengthen the bond between you, too. From Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

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).

Think you can’t have dogs and a great garden, too? Think again. From  Gina Spadafori in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

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).

The economy’s been stuck in low gear for quite a while now, and it’s getting harder to find ways to cut costs. Can you trim the expenses of keeping pets without compromising their health and well-being?  Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori tell you how in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

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!

From Dr. Marty Becker, Gina Spadafori and Christie Keith, an update on a 2007 feature on animal pain control in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

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!

Winter weather can change cats’ litter box habits. From Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

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!