Newsletter

Holiday season adornments are attractive to all creatures. The ornaments, foods, gifts, wrappings, ribbons, lights and plants are all curiosities for pets. Pets investigate new items by sniffing, tossing, chasing, and finally by tasting. A few precautions are necessary to avoid the holiday crowds at the veterinary hospital.

The most common problems this time of year are stomach or intestinal disturbances caused by pets eating the holiday feast or other novelties. Scraps from the table can cause gastrointestinal upset and even predispose pets to life-threatening pancreatitis. Bones can get stuck in the mouth or perforate the intestines and should be avoided. Chocolate is poisonous to cats, dogs, and birds. Plastic wrap and aluminum foil (coated with good-tasting juices) are enticing but can cause intestinal damage (and even blockage) if eaten by the pet.

Other sweet treats, like gum and hard candies, can also make your pet ill. Sugar-free candies and gum are made with xylitol, a sugar substitute that can cause a drop in blood sugar, depression, loss of coordination and seizures in your pet. Xylitol is also linked to liver failure in dogs. Be sure to keep all candies, chocolate and other sweets out of your pet's reach. If you believe your pet may have ingested chocolate or candy, call your veterinarian immediately.

Chocolate with Wrappers

Be sure to properly dispose of leftovers and wrappers. Feed pets their usual diet. Treats formulated similarly to the pet's regular diet are generally healthy and safe. Also keep in mind (while cooking) that pets may not know about hot stoves or to stay out from underfoot. Keep pets away from the stove so they don't get burned or get hot foods spilled on them.

Several decorative plants are poisonous. Mistletoe and holly can cause stomach upset with vomiting and diarrhea. The berries of these plants are attractive, easily swallowed, and potentially fatal if consumed. Poinsettias, like the leaves of most any plant, can also cause stomach upset. Use artificial mistletoe and holly; keep other plants out of your pet's reach.

Mistletoe and Holly

Be sure Christmas trees are secured so that pets cannot pull them over. Omit preservatives from the tree-stand water and cover the water so pets don't drink it. Don't spray snow on the tree unless it is labeled for pet consumption. Angel hair is spun glass and is irritating to both the inside and outside of your pet. Even glass ornaments and ornament hooks have been chewed and swallowed. These objects can cause problems from stomach upset to damaged intestines. Low-hanging ornaments are a real temptation, as are tinsel and electric lights. Decorative lights and electrical wiring can cause shock or burns when chewed, soremember to unplug holiday lights when pets are unattended.

Holidays have lots of activity going on. Be sure doors are not left open as guests come and go. Indoor pets inadvertently left outside could be injured by frostbite, cars, or other animals. Ice-melting chemicals and salt on sidewalks and roads can severely burn foot pads and should be washed off right away. Also, watch that guests don't leave interesting objects, such as chocolate, ribbons, stocking stuffers, or other illicit treats, within your pet's reach.

Holidays can also be as stressful for your pet as they are for you. Large gatherings of unfamiliar people may cause your dog or cat unnecessary stress and worry. If your pet does not interact well with strangers, keeping him or her in a separate room during the festivities may help keep your pet relaxed and worry-free.

Don't leave food items under the tree with an unsupervised pet; the wrapping, ribbon and enclosed gift are probably not compatible with your pet's digestive system. Ask Santa to put gifts out of your pet's reach so your pet won't beat you to them on Christmas morning.

When choosing a gift for your pet, consider the pet as an individual. Cats enjoy lightweight toys they can bat around, catnip toys, scratching posts, and kitty perches. Dogs like balls, chew toys, and things they can carry around. However, beware of toys with parts, such as bells, buttons, string, yarn, or squeaky parts, that can be detached and swallowed. Watch how your pet handles a new toy until you are sure it is safe. Some dogs treat a stuffed toy like a friend and carry it around and sleep with it. Others will tear them up and eat the stuffing and get into trouble. Also, if there is more than one pet in the household, consider all the pets before buying for any one of them. A one-inch diameter toy for a cat is fine, but a puppy in the household may swallow it and possibly require surgery to remove it.

If your pet does get sick, consult your veterinarian before giving any medications. Many of the over-the-counter drugs, such as acetaminophen - Tylenol(r) and Excedrin(r) and ibuprofin - Advil(r), Motrin(r), are toxic for animals even though they are safe for us. Don't wait to see if your pet gets better. If your pet is acting sick, consult your veterinarian.

Health care costs are rising rapidly - not just for you, but also for your pet. Veterinary medical costs are on the rise and many treatment options once available only for humans can now be used on pets. This is great news for the health of your pet, but it may not be so great for your wallet. Specialized treatments, emergency surgeries and consultations with specialists are expensive and working large veterinary bills into an already tight budget can be difficult for many pet owners. However, there are many options for pet owners looking to budget for the care of their faithful companion.

When it comes to tackling a large veterinary bill, health care credit cards are an easy option for pet owners. CareCredit, the Wells Fargo and Citibank all offer credit cards that can be used to pay for your pet's health care. CareCredit was the first company to offer financing exclusively for veterinary care. CareCredit works just like a regular credit card, except that it can be used only for veterinary (and human) medical care. More than 100,000 veterinarians in the country accept CareCredit and CareCredit's website features a searchable list of veterinarians who take payment through CareCredit.

To use CareCredit, apply online at www.carecredit.com. Once you're approved, make an appointment for your pet with your veterinarian. When it's time to pay the bill, you can set up a CareCredit payment plan with your veterinarian. Payment plans can last anywhere from three to 18 months, with no interest; for higher treatment fees, 24 to 60 month payment plans can be set up with a fixed 11.9 percent interest rate. The average credit limit is $4,000.

Chase also offers a specialized credit card for health care costs. The ChaseHealthAdvance allows pet owners to set up no-interest payment plans spread out from three to 24 months. Longer financing periods (for 24 to 48 months) are available with an interest rate ranging from 0 to 11.99 percent. The credit limit for ChaseHealthAdvance ranges from $5,000 to $20,000.

Wells Fargo and Citibank also offer credit card financing options for veterinary care. The Wells Fargo Health Advantage Card and the Citi Health Card work much like CareCredit and can be used for both veterinary and human medical procedures.

The Citi Health Card offers three different payment plans: zero interest for three to 18 months; a budgeted 48-month plan at 12.96 percent interest and a regular credit plan at 21.98 variable interest. Wells Fargo offers similar payment plans that can be customized by your veterinarian.

Not all veterinarians accept health care credit cards. Before applying for a card, ask your veterinarian which payment plans he or she uses. It is also a good idea to find out if veterinary emergency clinics in your area accept health care credit cards, as well. Adding another credit card to a growing stack of bills is a difficult choice - but far less difficult than choosing to forego an important procedure for your pet because of high costs.

1. Speak out for animals
2. Never tolerate animal cruelty
3. Adopt a shelter pet
4. Spay or neuter your pets
5. Keep pets' vaccinations current
6. Identify your pets with tags or microchip
7. Appreciate wildlife
8. Leave room for animal habitats
9. Interest others in the cause

During his 35 years as host of "The Price Is Right," Bob Barker sent thousands of contestants home with new cars, shiny appliances and other prizes. But Barker is chiefly remembered for closing every episode of the daytime game show with a smart salute and urging viewers to "Help control the pet population—have your pet spayed or neutered." Why did Barker, one of television's most recognizable personalities, take up the cause of pet population control? The answer lies partly in Barker's years growing up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and partly in his 36-year marriage to Dorothy Jo Gideon, his high school sweetheart.

Barker, 84, has always had a lifelong love of animals. In a 1999 interview with The Pet Press, a Los Angeles-area publication for pet owners, Barker recalled how animals were always close by during his years living on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. "Wherever the dogs were, that's where I was. I always had a pack of dogs with me. I loved animals then, I love animals now - and I always shall." His mother, Tillie, was also a considerable influence on his love of animals.

It wasn't until the 1980s, though, that Barker began promoting animal rights in earnest. His wife, Dorothy Jo, had been a vegetarian for many years, and in 1979, Barker began making the transition to vegetarianism. When Dorothy Jo died in 1981, Barker took up the animal rights cause as a way to carry on his wife's work. Beginning in 1985, he ended every episode of "The Price Is Right" with his trademark phrase, "Help control the pet population - have your pet spayed or neutered." That same year, he was named the national spokesman for "Be Kind to Animals Week."

During his time as host of "The Price Is Right," Barker made the show more animal-friendly. Fur coats and leather products were eliminated as prizes on the game show, as were cars with leather interiors. Each week, Barker would showcase a pet up for adoption at a local shelter. In 1987, Barker caused a "fur flap" when he requested the removal of fur prizes at the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. That year, the contestants were scheduled to wear fur coats during the swimsuit portion of the contest. Barker asked producers to eliminate fur coats from the show and, when they refused, he stepped down as host. "It became a front page story and it was the best thing that ever happened to the anti-fur campaign," Barker told the St. Petersburg Times in 2003. "People who had never even thought about the mistreatment of animals were suddenly reading about it in the newspaper."

Barker has also publicly supported animal-related legislation, both in California and at the national level. He advocated for a bill in Congress that would ban the use of elephants in circuses, and has backed efforts in California to pass laws mandating pet owners spay/neuter their animals. In 1995, he established the DJ & T Foundation, a non-profit group that subsidizes spay/neuter clinics and voucher programs across the United States. The foundation is named for his wife, Dorothy Jo, and his mother, Tillie. Though Barker retired from television in 2007, he remains active in animal causes. As he told the St. Petersburg times, "It's been one of the most rewarding things of my entire life to see the huge difference we've made in the protection of animals and the treatment of animals."

Domestic cats are descendants of the African wildcat, and many of the characteristic behaviors of these ancestors are still exhibited by cats today. An understanding of the origin and purpose of such behaviors can help cat owners appreciate their feline companions more fully and lead to an enhanced human-animal relationship.

Social Behavior: Once thought to be asocial animals, it is now recognized that domestic cats can form complex social groupings. Studies have repeatedly shown that they form territories or ranges in which they live and defend these from intruders. In stable situations, cat territories can overlap without overt antagonistic interactions.

Communication: The cat has three primary methods of communication: vocal, visual, and olfactory. Vocal communication involves a variety of sounds that convey different messages. Visual communication involves the body posture and facial expressions. For example, the position of the ears, hair, and tail can offer important information about the emotional state of the cat. Olfactory communication plays a very important role in communication. The deposition of scents via facial marking, anal secretions, and urine marking is an important communication tool for the feline.

Sexual Behavior: Female cats are seasonally polyestrus, with peaks in the Northern Hemisphere occurring from January to March and again from May to June. If they are not bred, estrus will last about 10 days and the female will cycle every three weeks for several months. During estrus, the female will engage in increased activity, vocalizations, and marking with urine and other glandular secretions. Crouching with rear end elevated and rolling are common body postures that a female may exhibit during estrus.

Eating Behavior: In the wild the cat developed as a solitary hunter that targeted various small prey. This led to an eating pattern of multiple small meals with considerable variety in the diet. Many domesticated cats fed ad libitum continue this pattern and exhibit a preference for a variety of foods.

Elimination Behavior: Kittens start to eliminate independently at about four weeks of age. They instinctively prefer to eliminate in fine particulate material with good drainage. Most cats will investigate a potential spot, dig a hole, and pass urine or feces in the squatting position. Cats usually will then cover the elimination.

Sleeping Patterns: Although cats have traditionally been described as nocturnal creatures, they are actually crepuscular by nature, which means that they are more active in the twilight and evening hours. The average adult cat spends 10 hours per day sleeping and an additional five hours resting.

The knee is a complex structure consisting of muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and bones. These components must align properly and interact harmoniously in order to function properly. Three bones are included in the knee: the femur, the tibia, and the patella (kneecap).

Normal Knee Joint of a Dog

Normal Exposed Knee Joint of a Dog

Patellar luxation (kneecap dislocation) is a condition where the kneecap does not align properly with the femur and tibia. The condition can be temporary or permanent and range from complete dislocation to mild patellar instability. The dislocation can occur laterally (toward the outside of the knee joint), medially (toward the inside), or in both directions.

There are 4 types of patella luxations.

Grade 1: The patella is positioned normally but can be luxated with slight manual pressure.

Grade 2: Spontaneous luxation occurs; however, it can reduces spontaneously or can be replaced manually.

Grade 3: The patella is luxated most of the time; however it can be replaced manually.

Grade 4: The patella cannot be reduced manually.

Most commonly, the disease is a medial luxation and occurs as a result of a congenital (existing at birth) condition in toy and miniature breeds of dogs. Dogs with medial patellar luxation exhibit a bow-legged stance. In older animals, the condition appears suddenly and is often the result of a traumatic injury.

Stance of a Normal Dog

Bow-Legged Stance of Dog with Medial Patellar Luxation

Mild to severe lameness is the major clinical symptom. Non-weight bearing lameness and pain on manipulation of the knee joint are often associated with traumatic patellar luxation.

Patellar luxation is occasionally seen in cats. The condition is generally a medial luxation associated with a non-painful lameness. Surgery is recommended if the lameness persists.

Treatment for patellar luxation varies from one animal to the next. Animals that show no sign of pain or lameness are treated conservatively. This treatment includes anti-inflammatory medication, restricted exercise, and rest. Animals that are affected more severely are generally candidates for surgery.

Below are photos taken of a dog who required surgery to correct a grade 4 patella luxation. Since most surgical corrections of patellar luxations consist of deepening the groove in which the patella rides, a trochlear wedge recession was performed on this dog. By deepening the groove in which the kneecap rides, this dog's patella would be less likely to move into an abnormal position. This surgical technique is usually combined with other techniques in order to maximize stability of the knee.

Exposed Trochlear Groove

Begin Trochlear Wedge Recession

Continuation of Surgery

Trochlear Groove is Deepened and Ready for Patella

The objective of any surgery aimed to correct patella luxation is to stabilize the kneecap anatomically (in the trochlea) while maintaining full range of pain-free motion. The outcome following surgery is generally satisfactory; however, it depends on the individual care and severity of arthritis prior to surgery. Unfortunately, recurrence rates are frequent and luxations may either be in the same direction or other direction but are usually of lower grade than the original luxation.

Stretching out, jumping up on two legs, rolling over for a belly rub - at first glance, those are all natural dog behaviors. But are they yoga poses, too? Some people and their canine companions think so. Yoga for dogs - also known as doga (pronounced DOH-ga) - is popping up everywhere, with yoga centers and fitness clubs across the United States and even in Japan offering yoga classes for people and their pooches.

The first doga class started in New York City in 2002. Yoga instructor Suzi Teitelman started incorporating her dog Coali into her regular yoga routine.

"As a yoga instructor and practitioner, I was often on my yoga mat, and Coali started to join me," Teitelman said. "Before long we were doing the poses together, and I was creating a new class. Coali and I started teaching Doga all over New York City in 2002, and now it is all over the world."

Teitelman now teaches doga in Florida and maintains a website to help spread the word about yoga for dogs. Since then, classes have sprung up from California and Texas to Maryland and New York. There's even a doga association in Japan.

Suzi Teitelman and Coali practice doga.

Dogs and yoga might seem at first an unlikely combination, but the two are a natural fit, in a way. One of the most basic yoga poses is "downward facing dog", after all. In doga, owners and their canine companions practice together; sometimes, an owner will help his or her pet get into a pose, while other times, the dog will become part of the owner's pose. For example, in the "chair pose", the dog stands on his or her hind legs with the front paws in the air while the owner supports the dog. In the "savasana relaxation" pose, a dog lies on his or her back and has his or her belly rubbed.

Okay, so that last one isn't very different than the usual tummy rub your dog gets while lying on the living room floor. But some doga classes also include light massage and acupressure for dogs, and the overall result is a lot of direct human-to-dog contact. Doga practitioners say it is more about bonding with your pet than exercising and increasing flexibility (though those are plusses). Sessions typically start with owner and dog sitting together, perfectly still, and breathing together. Doga teachers and practitioners have reported that a good doga session calms down hyper pets and greatly relaxes both pets and their people. Other benefits for dogs include better sleep and stronger muscles.

"You will find that both you and your pet become more peaceful, more loving, more connected to each other," Teitelman said. "The more you practice doga, the more you find that you need it and want to stretch and relax, and bond together with your pet. I find that many dogs become better behaved and listen more to their owners."

Suzi Teitelman and her dog Roxy bond through doga.

For novice dog yogis (dogis, perhaps?), Teitelman recommends starting out with a pose called the "sacred kneel." Teitelman describes it like this: "Sitting on your heels, have your dog sit and face you. Take a moment to connect with your dog through massage, positive words, and get into your long deep inhales and exhales. Allow the dog to feel you breathe and feel your calming energy. The dog picks up on your energy through your touch and breath, so stay peaceful through all the poses. Carefully move deeper into the pose by gently and lovingly lifting the paws of the dog into the air. Either hold their paws to help them balance, or place the dog's paws on your shoulders. Hold and breathe for 5-10 breaths."

Doga hasn't made to every yoga studio in the country yet, but for budding dogis and their people, there's the book "Doga: Yoga for Dogs", a handy introduction to dog yoga. Of course, you could always just watch what your dog does and follow his or her lead - they've been doing their own sort of yoga for years.

During its lifetime, a cat has two sets of teeth, a deciduous set and a permanent set. Kittens have 26 deciduous teeth (molars are absent); adult cats have a total of 30 teeth.

Deciduous, or "milk teeth", begin to appear when the kitten is about four weeks of age. At six weeks of age, all 26 deciduous teeth are present. From 11 to 30 weeks of age, kittens lose their deciduous teeth. During this time they may eat less due to sore gums.

When the deciduous teeth fall out, they are replaced by 30 permanent teeth. The permanent teeth should be in place by about six months of age.

A cat’s teeth are well-suited to rip and cut. Twelve tiny teeth (incisors) in the front of the mouth - six in the upper jaw, six in the lower jaw - do some scraping. They are flanked by two upper and lower canines, sometimes described as "fangs," designed to hold prey and to tear flesh. Ten sharp premolars and four molars act together to cut food.

A cat occasionally retains a deciduous tooth after the permanent tooth appears. This deciduous tooth should be removed as soon as possible to avoid displacing the permanent tooth.

Extra teeth are occasionally found in cats. They should be removed by a veterinarian if they cause crowding or injury to soft tissue or other teeth.

"To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs." - Aldous Huxley

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshiped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." - Anonymous

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about little puppies." - Gene Hill

"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow." - Jeff Valdez

"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear." - Dave Barry

"Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia" - Joseph Krutch

"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down." - Robert Benchley

"My husband said it was him or the cat...I miss him sometimes." - Unknown

"Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend, and inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

"Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God." - Anonymous

"I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers." — Unknown

Most people think that when a dog licks their face, the dog is giving kisses. In fact, dogs do not kiss. Although face licking can reasonably be interpreted as a compliment, it is not kissing as we understand it. Many dogs will lick whatever they can get their tongues on; hands, feet, faces, elbows and ears. In order to have a better understanding of the differences between what we consider kissing and our dogs consider licking, we need to know why dogs lick.

Types of Licking

Licking is seen first in the mother-infant situation when a bitch grooms her pups after birth. This helps clean the pups and also stimulates their breathing. This continues into puppyhood; the mother's licking not only cleans the pups but encourages them to eliminate. Human mothers bathe their infants and change diapers because they care, but no one would confuse the act of bathing or changing diapers with kissing. Because dogs can manipulate things better with their mouths than with their paws, it makes sense for them to use their tongues when it comes to cleaning. As a veterinary behaviorist so eloquently put it, a tongue is a dog's toilet paper.

Pups eventually groom themselves and also engage in a certain amount of grooming other dogs. Called allogrooming, this is a care-giving behavior that enhances bonding between individuals. It's very satisfying for dogs to have a buddy help out with those hard-to-reach places, and reciprocation increases the likelihood of future interactions. Allogrooming appears to be a gesture of goodwill and appeasement. It could be classified, along with rolling over and urination, as a sign of submission. Humans and other primates also groom and massage each other by way of pleasurable exchange. The significance of this behavior is similar, denoting friendly intentions and serving as a mechanism for reducing stress.

Pups lick their mother's face around the time they are making the transition from milk to solid food. This face licking is part of a greeting ritual in the wild when a bitch returns from hunting with a belly full of food. The purpose of face licking in this context is to get mom to regurgitate partly-digested stomach contents for the pups' dining pleasure. This type of face licking still occurs in domestic dogs, sometimes with the same result.

Another form of licking that dogs display is licking their own lips. Initially, this behavior may have evolved for the purpose of cleaning their lips after eating, but it now serves as an indicator of stress. It is similar to lip-biting in humans. Lip licking decreases as pups gain in confidence and feel more comfortable with their surroundings, but it doesn't disappear entirely, even in adult dogs. You might see a dog nervously licking his lips as he ponders his fate in a veterinary office.

Many animal scientists characterize face licking as submissive behavior. This is because face licking, like lip licking, is exhibited by dogs in situations of stress or conflict. Face licking is likely to occur when a subordinate dog has summoned up enough courage to approach a more dominant one. This brings up a possible parallel between face licking by dogs and kissing in non-human primates. Apparently, kissing is a common greeting behavior expressed when a subordinate chimpanzee greets a more dominant one. The dominant chimp may, in return, also kiss the subordinate during such meetings, though kissing by the more dominant chimp is only about half as likely. Could it be that when your dog greets you at the door with wagging tail and licks your face as you kneel to say "Hi" that he is actually acknowledging you as his leader?

Prevention of Unwanted Licking Behavior

Although some face licking is tolerable, "no lick" is a useful command to master. It should be incorporated into the training of all dogs that lick their owners excessively, preferably from an early age. No punishment should be employed during training; in fact, punishment is totally inappropriate and will teach the dog nothing except how to avoid the punishment. It is far better to reward the behavior that you want to promote. This can be achieved using a voice cue, "no lick", patient, motionless waiting on the part of the owner, and a valued reward (a treat, perhaps), delivered instantaneously, for stopping licking. If the licking continues, a veterinary behaviorist can be contacted to help provide additional recommendations.

While many of us enjoy our dog's "kisses", it is important to remember that what humans define as a voluntary act of affection may not be a dog's intention. Licking, in general, is harmless and can be considered normal dog-to-owner behavior. If the licking becomes obsessive, training your dog to only lick on command is a reasonable way to curb the unwanted behavior. Once a dog has been taught when licking is appropriate and how much is tolerated, receiving "kisses" from your dog is more appreciated. Understanding the behavior behind your dog's actions can only help you strengthen the bond between both of you.