Traffic cop impressed by poodle passenger

Dear Dr. Forsythe: I wanted to let you know my poodle helped me get out of a speeding ticket the other day. I was driving down Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco, a little bit too quickly, and a cop started to pull me over. He did a bit of a double take when he saw my beautiful standard poodle sitting in the passenger seat beside me, strapped into her seat belt with her shoulder harness in place. Ripley has a beautiful smile and the cop just waved us on and smiled with a shocked look on his face. I’m convinced he must have been a dog lover.

Paula,
Sonoma

Dear Paula: I’m not at all surprised, and I know if I saw a bubble-topped pom-pom head sitting tall in a car driving down the street, I’d do a double take as well. Perhaps the officer took leniency on you because he figured you may have been racing to the dog groomer for a pooch pampering session. Whatever the reason, it is clear that Ripley deserves an extra reward for getting you out of the ticket. Perhaps you should indulge her in a rose-petal bath the next time you have her in for grooming? Please give her mushroom cap a pat from me! Job well done!

Dr. F

Dear Dr. Forsythe: My beautiful Chocolate Lab Coco was diagnosed with a form of lupus which causes her toenails to become brittle and fall off. Is there anything I can do to help her with this battle?
KL,
Glen Ellen

Dear KL: Lupoid onchodystrophy is a painful disease which does cause the keratin layer of the toe nail to peel off. It can progress more quickly in some dogs than others and can be quite painful. A veterinary dermatologist will prescribe anti-inflammatory medication to such as niacinamide and tetracycline to try and slow the process down. It is helpful to keep the nails trimmed short so they will be less likely to break at the base. The cycle that leads to the nails crumbling off can take a couple of months to a year and varies from pet to pet. Pain medication and careful monitoring of your pet are warranted, and it would be a good idea for you to keep some cautery powder on hand in case a nail starts bleeding spontaneously.You can place the powder onto the bleeding nail while you are en route to your veterinarian for more in depth care. Good luck with Coco.

Dr. F