Dear Dr. Forsythe:
I have a wonderful, but slightly cranky 10-year-old indoor cat. She is in good health. I have the opportunity to adopt an 8-week-old kitten. My older cat, Sophie, has not met many other cats, and is fairly unsociable to the ones that we have had in our house – friends that have visited brought their kitty a few times. Do you think this would be a problem to introduce a young kitten into our household? I do have a choice of male or female – does this make a difference?
Considering a kitten
Dear Considering: Consider this: My daughter Sigrid has a wonderful, oh, make that purr-fect, 10-year-old slightly-cranky female cat who is indoors. Six months ago I let my son get a little kitten who was born here at the hospital. I thought “Bon Bon” would be good company for Emily and the two would play and get along magically.
Unfortunately, I was wrong. Emily and Bon Bon hate each other. More accurately, Emily just hates that Bon Bon came into the picture. Before the “new addition,” Emily had free run of the house, ate, drank, and slept at leisure. She acted like the “Oprah” of Sonoma, the self-appointed mayor, a mover and a shaker. Each day was a glorious depiction of feline perfection. Then, when Bon Bon hit the scene, things changed. Emily had no peace. Bon Bon attacked her from the front, from the rear. Pounced on her and munched on her tail. Leapt on her while she dozed. Bon Bon, who is now affectionately known as “Satan’s child” in our home, has made it her one and only goal to cause a brain infarct in Emily by this year’s end. Poor, sweet, old cranky Emily – there once was peace, and now there is Bon. I’m not sure this narrative helped, but at least you know that I think letting your kitty cat live alone may be a wise decision. Or, if you are possessed to get her a kitten, consider a little boy, a gentle, sweet, lethargic little boy. Thanks for your question.
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe:
My 7-year-old Labrador has bad breath! My veterinarian says I need to have his teeth cleaned. He chews on bones – does this help? I’ve been told that he needs to be put under anesthesia to have this done. My dog is a great dog and will hold still – can I just “pick” off the junk on his teeth? I really respect your advice in your column, and would love an explanation of the entire dental procedure. Thank you so much for your time.
Picker
Dear Picker: Like my mother used to tell me when I was 13 and had acne, please don’t pick. Probably the worst thing you can do in my opinion is try to hold your sweet pet down and scrape calculus off his teeth manually. It hurts the pet; it scrapes up the tooth surfaces and makes them rougher so they actually accumulate more plaque more quickly. All you really accomplish is a short-lived cosmetic improvement without the real medical benefits. Having the pet under anesthesia is the only way to allow your veterinarian to thoroughly clean under the gum line where the majority of the dental disease resides. All the surfaces of the teeth, including the inner surfaces of the pre-molars and molars need to be completely cleaned – few dogs, if any, will hold still while these teeth are cleaned thoroughly. Also, teeth need to be probed for gingival pocket depth and potentially extracted if there is a problem with the root or an abscess. No dog will hold still for this, not even Lassie, the dog from “Frasier,” Spuds McKenzie, Scooby Doo, or my own beloved local celebrity, Dooney.
A proper dental begins with pre-operative blood work to check and make sure your pet is healthy enough to sustain general anesthesia. After blood work is run, the pet would receive a sedative to stay calm within the hospital environment. After receiving an IV catheter, a safe solution is placed into his vein to make him gently fall to sleep, and he is intubated with a tube in his windpipe to keep him connected to gas anesthesia. This is when the pet is considered under “general anesthesia” and two nurses generally monitor a pet while a veterinarian and nurse provide dental care, including charting of all the teeth, ultrasonic scaling, and complete polishing of all surfaces. During the procedure your pet is given fluids and preventative antibiotics to combat any germs that may get into his bloodstream during the scaling and polishing of his teeth. Often dental x-rays are taken, at the doctor’s discretion, if any teeth are cracked or worn or loose and further diagnostics can be made based on these x-rays. At that time, you may be notified if an extraction or oral surgery needs to be performed on your pet. I hope this description of a dental procedure gives you an idea of the myriad of items that are involved in a quality dental cleaning by a licensed veterinarian. Good luck with your pet!
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe:
My older dog, Buffy, who will be turning 5, next month, has been having accidents in the house! I can’t believe that she’s resorting back to puppy behavior and having housetraining issues. When she wakes up in the morning, there’s a little puddle of pee on her dog bed. Also, when she’s lying down chewing on a bone or playing with a toy, sometimes urine dribbles out of her. She urinates a fine amount outside. Please help!
Piddle problem
Dear Piddle: Older female dogs often develop sphincter hypo tonus. This is a problem where the muscles that control the bladder become weak and don’t allow pets do “hold it” as well as when they were younger. People often run to the market and purchase “depends” to wear at night. Thank goodness there is a good medication phenylpropylalanine, which causes the smooth muscles surround this part of the bladder to tighten up and help dogs gain back the control of their bladder again. Most veterinarians will check first to make sure your pet isn’t suffering from a bladder infection or other bladder problem such as bladder stones or a tumor. Once these have been ruled out, this medication is potentially a great way to help control this problem. I hope this gets it cleared up and she is piddle free real soon.
Dr. F.
Dear Dr. Forsythe:
My veterinarian said that all my dogs should be vaccinated for Lymes, Leptospirosis, and the Rattlesnake vaccine. I have an active 3-year-old German Shorthair Pointer, which occasionally goes hunting with my husband during duck season. We also hike with her regularly out in open space. I also have a 7-year-old Pug, which pretty much lives on my couch! He goes out on leashed-only walks out on the bike path, but only two to three times a week for about 15 minutes. He spends almost all of his outdoor time in my backyard in the shade. And then, there is Muffy – my 14-year-old toy poodle, who only goes out to do her business. She is currently taking heart medication. Could you explain the need for my dogs to get all these vaccines?
Carrie C., Sonoma
Dear Carrie: Thanks for addressing a really important and timely issue, customizing vaccines according to lifestyle. The young and active German Shorthair would probably be well served by a more aggressive vaccine protocol that includes Lymes, Leptospirosis and Rattlesnake vaccine technology because of his exposure to water, open spaces, and open areas in this region where rattlesnakes are common and potent. Skunks are known to spread Leptospirosis, dangerous and zoonotic bacteria that can cause renal failure in dogs and is spread by feces. It is possible that repeated water exposure and frequent baths could reduce the effectiveness of topical flea and tick medications, so I would recommend vaccinating the hunting dog for Lymes disease as well. As for the couch “Pug-tato,” I would be more conservative with that little creature. I would limit the Pug to a three year Distemper vaccine and Rabies and also include a Bordetella vaccine, but avoid other vaccines for him. Muffy, the 14-year-old Poodle with the heart condition would probably best served by having a vaccine titer done to see if she even needs to have a distemper vaccination. I’d be the most conservative with her, opting only for a rabies vaccine and a Bordetella and concentrating instead on keeping her heart healthy and limiting the number of foreign proteins that are injected into her body. I hope this information helps. The veterinary profession is advancing very rapidly, and vaccine technology and safety is one topic people are very interested in knowing more about. In my opinion each and every pet should receive the vaccines that suit his or her individual exposure risks and lifestyle. This can ensure minimal risk of your pets having an adverse reaction while still maximizing their health and safety. Thanks for asking about an interesting topic.
Dr. F.
Dear Dr. Forsythe:
Please help us with a family debate. My son, who is 13 years old, wants to buy a reptile, preferably a snake or a gecko, as a pet. I don’t especially like reptiles, especially snakes. He’s done a fair amount of research on reptiles and I believe that he would be responsible and take care of a pet. We have two cats, which he loves and helps to take care of. What do you think of reptiles as pets? Do you think this is a good idea?
Hates creepy crawlies
Dear Hates: Sorry to burst your serpent bubble, but I love reptiles as pets. My son Magnus has a Ball Python, Lenny, who is a wonderful part of the family. True, he doesn’t actually “do” a whole lot; in fact, he only really comes out while we are watching “Survivor” on television. That is his one hour a week when he seems to want to slither around and get petted. But reptiles are rather clean and not slimy at all. They can be wonderful pets and spark children’s imaginations and even teach them about geography and science. For instance, Pythons are only found in the “old world” such as Africa, while Boa Constrictors are “new world” snakes found in Mexico and South America. I recommend you give some thought to a reptile and do a little research. You may actually see that these animals can make good house pets and add wonder and magic to a child’s life. Thanks for being an open-minded parent!
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe:
I have two cats, which are 12 years old, and littermates. One just got diagnosed with renal disease – is it really necessary to buy her prescription food that I can only buy at my vets? Can’t I just look at the labels of cat food for the best food for him at a pet food store? Also, can you explain what renal disease is, and how it progresses? Is this something that can be cured?
Kidney concerned
Dear Kidney: It is really important that you buy the low protein food at the veterinary office to make sure it is low protein. Pets in renal failure should eat food that contains approximately 14 percent protein and this is considerably lower than the content in virtually any of the commercial store-bought foods. The rationale for feeding low protein food is that protein is broken down by the body in the liver to nitrogen waste. This waste (BUN) needs to be filtered out by the kidneys, which aren’t working well when your pet has renal disease. By feeding a lower protein diet, less BUN is formed through the digestive process and the kidneys have less work to do. If you look at the labels and buy a store-bought food that is lower than some of the other brands, it will still be higher than your veterinarian’s KD, NF or Royal Canin LP which are specifically designed to keep a pet’s kidneys healthy. I highly recommend adhering to a strict medically designed veterinary plan in order to keep a pet with kidney disease as comfortable as long as possible.
I often tell my clients with a renal kitty that failing kidneys are a little like having a car with failing brakes going down the curvy part of Lombard Street – when you get to the bottom, the cat’s life will be over. Our goal is to slow down the speed and prolong the trip down Lombard Street by giving fluids frequently and feeding a low protein diet.
There are also some medications that help filter the blood and act like a dialysis “powder” that you can feed the cat as well. These supportive remedies are designed to keep a pet’s quality of life high and to slow down the progression of this treatable, but non-curable condition. I hope your cat does very well and lives a long time with this condition in a stable, comfortable way. Good luck.
Dr. F.
Dear Dr. Forsythe:
My dog, Simpson, has been having rear-end problems. He has to get his anal glands expressed by the vet every six weeks. I’ve tried switching foods, with no luck. He’s had infected anal glands twice in the past year, and has had to be put on antibiotics. Is there anything that you can suggest to help out? A friend said there might be some kind of surgery to alleviate the situation? Is this safe, or should I just keep doing the monthly butt squeeze?
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