Dear Dr. Forsythe: My husband came home from a business trip last week with a little Jack Russell puppy for our son. I was fine with it until I found out the puppy came from a pet store in a shopping mall. I have heard horror stories about puppy mills that produce shopping-mall dogs, so I am really worried that our new puppy came from a really bad place. So far he seems to be doing really well, but he is only 12 weeks old, so I’m just waiting for bad stuff to crop up. My husband thinks I’m being a worry wart, but pet shops have such a bad reputation – I can’t imagine ever getting a dog from one.
Still in shock
Dear Still in shock: I agree that shopping mall pet shops which stock a variety of purebreds in cages is not a good place to go for a puppy. I do not support those stores and think they are doing a disservice by sustaining a demand to the puppy mills in the country. I suspect your husband had his heart in the right place when he went into the pet store and did what so many people do – made an impulse purchase after “falling in love” with a wooly little Jack Russell Terrier puppy. Now that you have the puppy and things seem to be going well, count your blessings that it seems like a happy and healthy pet.
When I was 7 years old, I remember hearing my parents talk about my 18-year-old brother Doyle who fighting in the Vietnam War. During an ambush in the jungle he had almost been killed when a poisonous arrow shot through his leg. Upon his return from Saigon a few weeks later, he stopped off at a pet shop near our home in Los Altos, California, and bought me a “homecoming gift.” When he got to the door, he presented me with beautiful little tri-colored Bassett Hound puppy named Bounder. I’ll never forget how he came up to the porch with his uniform on, handed me my puppy, said “howdy little brother,” then lifted up his pant leg and showed me how he’d almost been killed by a poison arrow. I’m not sure whether I was more excited to have my brother home, to see the real Purple Heart he’d been awarded or to get a puppy dog. One thing was sure, though, this “pet store” puppy turned out to be a wonderful, loving, and beloved soul mate of mine for the next 13 years. Despite Bounder’s humble beginnings in a cage at the Mayfield Mall in Los Altos and being a “cash-and-carry” purchase by a young returning Vietnam Veteran who only wanted to see a smile on his littlest brother’s face, the puppy proved to be a remarkable and wonderful family member. And so too may your little terrier be for your son and your family, despite the way he got there. It sounds like you may have actually hit the Jack Russell Jackpot, so if you’ve been keeping your husband in the dog house, or having him sleep on the couch over the puppy issue, it’s time to thank him, be OK with the puppy’s background, and start enjoying this new little four-legged blessing.
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe : Our cat has started drinking more water than usual. I put a bowl out and she drinks it down, and then does figure eights between my legs until I fill it up again. After a few laps on the new bowl, she stops, but five minutes later I know she must go back because the next time I check the bowl it is dry. Should I be prepared that she has something serious? She is almost 10 years old, and nothing else seems wrong with her besides this thirstiness.
Drought in the house
Dear Drought: No, I would not assume anything dreadful is going on. But it is always a concern when a pet is drinking excessively that she could be a diabetic or have kidney disease. However, there are some other things that can make a pet drink more as well, such as a severe infection, hormonal imbalances, cancer, and others. I think your smartest bet would be to have the vet check out your thirsty cat, as I’m sure you’ll feel better once a diagnosis is made. FYI, our beloved nurse Dooney began drinking us out of house and home about a month ago, and I mean like a gallon of water a day. All of his basic tests were normal, and we eventually discovered that he had an unusual type of diabetes called diabetes insipidus – not sugar diabetes. This is a disease where you simply can’t concentrate your urine because of a lack of antidiuretic hormone. Once we began giving him drops of vasopressin into his eyes a couple of times a week, the problem improved. So sometimes you never really know what you’re dealing with until you look at it carefully. Good luck with your “Drought.”
Dr. F
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