pet connection

Want to make your rabbit’s life wonderful? Forget what you think you know; Gina Spadafori shares the real secrets to bunny love in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature.

If you haven’t met a rabbit kept in the house as a pet, I guarantee that you have no idea how engaging, entertaining and affectionate these pets can be. I know, because I’ve long been a fan of house-rabbits and have kept them off and on for several years now.

What do most people not know about rabbits? That these animals who are a popular pet for children are an even better pet for adults. Once liberated from the confinement of a backyard “hutch” and provided with a safe and secure indoor environment, bunnies really shine. They’re playful and adorably willful, trainable and even amenable to using a litter box. They’re quiet pets that fit perfectly into quiet households.

And, yes, they’re very cute.

Even better, there’s always a good selection of bunnies available from shelters or rescue groups. If you really want to make a bunny happy, adopt a pair of them, since rabbits love company.

Forget small wire-floored cages and boring diets. Here’s how to keep your rabbit healthy: (Read more here…)

And from Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon:

Dog owners walk an average of 23,000 miles with their pet during the animal’s lifetime. A study commissioned by the U.K. insurance company Esure reports that the average owner walks his or her dog for eight hours and 54 minutes per week, going 36 miles per week, which adds up to more than 1,800 miles per year and nearly equals the circumference of the Earth in the average canine life span of 12.8 years. They don’t go far racking up the miles: 41 percent of dog owners walk with their pets around the neighborhood, while 42 percent choose a local park to walk their dogs. And they don’t all go willingly, with 15 percent of owners saying walking the dog was the worst part of owning one.

All this and more in this week’s Pet Connection!

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Take your cat’s lack of appetite as a serious warning sign of possible illness, cautions Dr. Marty Becker in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature.

Eating problems in cats too often get dismissed — thrown under the general heading of, “What do you expect? Cats are finicky.”

But cats are prone to a variety of eating issues that can make simple feeding a permanent or even life-threatening issue.

If your cat is simply off food for a day, there’s no reason to worry. A simple upset stomach or a stressful change in his environment could be the culprit. And she might not be off food at all: If your cat has access to the outdoors, she could have eaten somewhere else — off a neighbor’s porch or at an all-you-can-catch rodent buffet.

But a persistent lack of appetite needs to be taken seriously. You can outlast any dog in a food duel — sooner or later, a healthy but fussy dog will eat just about anything. A cat, however, can stop eating completely, a situation that may trigger hepatic lipidosis, an acute liver problem that can turn fatal.

If you have a finicky cat, it’s essential to work with your veterinarian and to know these tricks to get your cat eating.

Check out Dr. Becker’s tips here.

And from Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon:

Colorado State University has a program that combines pre-veterinary students with elderly and disabled pet owners who need help keeping their pets at home. Students are responsible for walking dogs, scooping litter boxes and driving the home-bound owners’ pets to the vet’s office. The program, called Pets Forever, was created in 2008 and helps train students in the care of dogs in a home setting, while allowing the challenged pet owners to keep their pets when they otherwise may not have been able to do so.

All this and more in this week’s Pet Connection!

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Money can’t buy you love, and it can’t buy your pet’s happiness and well-being, either. Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori tell you what can in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

We’re certainly not arguing against buying that perfect dog collar or cat toy, but we do want you to know that you don’t have to buy a lot of things for your pets to care for them well.

In fact, some of the best gifts you can give your pet don’t cost any money at all and require only your attention. In this week’s Valentine’s Day spirit of giving the best to those we love, we offer a few suggestions that will make you and your pet happier and healthier — and may even save you money in the long run.

The gift of health. Preventive veterinary care can spare your pet from suffering and may also catch little problems before they become life-threatening (and expensive). Develop a healthy relationship with your pet’s veterinarian, starting with regular “well-pet” examinations. These visits are no longer about “shots” — most vaccinations are no longer recommended on an annual basis — but rather about catching and correcting problems as they develop. A dental examination is part of that well-pet visit, and follow-up preventive care may require a dental cleaning under anesthesia. A healthy mouth not only keeps your pet free of pain — imagine eating with rotting teeth and infected gums — but also spares your pet’s internal organs from struggling to combat the shower of bacteria from an infected mouth.

Find out the other gifts you can give your pet — free of charge — here.

And from Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker, in this week’s “The Buzz”:

Wildlife researchers are using dogs to improve wildlife surveys. Dogs are seen as a non-invasive alternative to wildlife surveys because they are able to search out scat of animals, which can be used to identify various species, and even individuals within the species. A female Labrador was trained to detect mountain lion, bobcat and domestic cat scat, and a pit bull was trained to detect red fox, gray fox and kit fox scat.

Read the rest of this week’s Pet Connection here.

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Although Pet Connection is no stranger to covering its controversies, the dog show world undeniably has its fascination. One of those is its annual “show of shows,” the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show held in New York City. If you’re new to dog shows and would like to understand what you’re watching next week, Gina Spadafori’s got you covered in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has long served as an unofficial national championship for the nation’s dog-show competitors. The two-day show is always held in New York’s Madison Square Garden, kicking off this year on Monday, Feb. 14.

Westminster is a special show where only champions can compete. At all other dog shows, most competitors are trying to earn their dogs’ championships. And that’s when following the action can get confusing.

Dog shows are supposed to be about evaluating breeding stock, with the goal of preserving and improving the dog breeds involved. But over the years, the sport has become a high-stakes and high-cost endeavor that’s perhaps the most difficult of all canine competitions for beginners to break into successfully.

Even if you have a “show quality” dog with no disqualifying or major problems in appearance, winning is tough. Getting a dog to look his best in the ring is a subtle art that’s difficult to master. In many breeds, the work of getting a dog groomed for the show ring takes years to learn.

Get the rest of the story here.

And from Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker, the facts on the effect of stress on cats:

Cats under stress from change can become physically ill, according to a study conducted by veterinarians at Ohio State University. Researchers found that healthy cats were just as likely as sick cats to refuse food, vomit frequently and miss their litter boxes in response to environmental changes. The findings highlighted the need for environmental enrichment for cats, as well as the importance of routine when it comes to feline care.

Read the rest of this week’s Pet Connection here.

Photo courtesy of the Westminster Kennel Club.

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Bigger portions and less active lives are causing an epidemic of obesity in people and in pets. But getting the extra weight off your dog or cat isn’t as hard as it is getting it off yourself. Dr. Marty Becker has the story in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

An overweight pet is prone to a host of related issues, including diabetes, joint, ligament and tendon difficulties, and breathing and heart challenges. Overweight cats can even develop skin problems from not being able to groom themselves properly. The overall impact on comfort and longevity can be dire.

But the truth is that it’s not as difficult to trim down pets as it might be to fight your own battles with the bulge. What pets eat depends on what we give them. And although we might groan at the thought of exercise, our pets are always up for a brisk walk, a game of fetch or some play with a toy on a string. They love to move, especially if we’re moving with them.

Simply put: There’s no excuse for an overweight pet. Especially not today, with veterinarians well-armed not only with advice but with special foods that can help you trim the excess from your pet. These products were well-represented at the North American Veterinary Conference, which recently wrapped up its 25th annual convention for veterinarians in Orlando, Fla.

Healthy pets have some padding on them, but a little padding is plenty. Rub your hands over the ribs of your dog or cat. The skin should move easily back and forth, and you should be able to feel the ribs. Your pet should have a definable “waist” at the bottom of the rib cage. Take a look from the side: If your pet looks pregnant, he’s fat.

One particularly important tip:

Crash diets aren’t good for pets, especially not for fat cats, who can develop a fatal liver problem if forced to reduce too quickly. A pet doesn’t get fat overnight, and he shouldn’t be forced to change course any more rapidly. What you’ll need to do is change your pet’s eating and exercise habits gradually. Your veterinarian is your partner and resource in this lifestyle change, so enlist her aid early.

Get the rest of the skinny on fat pets, and how to help them,  here!

And from Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker, the inside story on tabby cats, and tips on checking your dog’s pulse, in this week’s “The Buzz.“

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