Answer: There are several possible reasons: Cats with bad teeth or gums can have oral pain; if he is overweight, he might lose his ability to reach around sufficiently; also there could be spinal problems such as nerve inflammation, a bad intervertebral disc or arthritis. A veterinary exam and possibly X-rays would be the first step in diagnosing his problem.

Question: For the past several weeks, our 2-year-old Yorkie has been chasing his tail and scooting on the carpet. We have checked him for fleas and have seen none. He will sometimes chew on his tail or back, although we can’t find any reason. There are no sores there, but he has pulled out some of his hair.

Answer: Young, active puppies and dogs might chase their tails for fun or as a form of play, but if your dog is chewing out his hair or dragging his rectum on the carpet, there may be a more serious problem. Have your dog’s anal sacs checked for impaction. It might be that these anal sacs are becoming infected. You should also have his rectal area checked for tapeworm segments that may have dried on the coat.

Other possibilities are dried feces that have clung to the coat, topical parasites, such as fleas or mites, or a skin infection caused by a wound or trauma. Dogs with flea-bite allergy dermatitis will chew on their lower backs and tail base, even though the flea might bite elsewhere on the body.

A simple extraction involves breaking down the ligament that attaches a tooth’s root to the bone and removing the tooth with forceps. This is generally done when there is already bone loss due to existing periodontal disease. With a tooth that needs to be surgically removed, an incision is made on the gums over the tooth, a flap is created, healthy bone is taken from the tooth’s side and then the tooth is removed. Following a tooth extraction, dogs should be fed soft foods and given pain medications for three to five days.

A root canal (endodontic therapy) involves removing the tooth’s contents—nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue—and then sealing the tooth. This is frequently done with fractured teeth.
What is most commonly seen is a buildup of plaque (hardened bacteria), which causes an infection of the gums leading to bone loss.

A dental cleaning takes about an hour, requires general anesthesia and involves the removal of all plaque on the teeth and under the gum line, polishing and a fluoride treatment. This plaque buildup can help be prevented by giving dry concentrate (vs. wet), special dental chew toys and daily teeth brushing with special, poultry-flavored toothpaste. 

When you take your dog into the veterinarian for annual vaccinations, please be sure that his teeth are checked and recommendations for dental care are given.

The canine species mirrors the rest of the animal kingdom with smaller breeds like Chihuahuas and Toy Poodles usually living 14 to 16 years. Larger breeds like the Great Dane and Saint Bernard do well to reach eight to nine years. Following this pattern a Rottweiler would be expected to have a life span of between nine to ten years.

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s black Scottish terrier, Fala, is credited with helping re-elect him for a fourth term. Fala had accompanied Roosevelt on a trip to Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, where he was accidentally left behind. Roosevelt immediately dispatched a Navy destroyer to pick him up. The Republicans made a stink about the waste of taxpayers’ dollars. Roosevelt responded to the criticism in a speech to the Teamster’s Union in 1944, saying that he expected ridicule of himself and his family but Fala’s “Scotch soul was furious.” Everyone laughed, and the speech became known as the Fala Speech.

Richard Nixon had a similar experience when he was the vice presidential candidate on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s ticket. Accused of keeping a secret slush fund, Nixon gave the televised Checkers Speech, named after his cocker spaniel. In the speech, Nixon said no matter what Democrats said, he was going to keep his dog, which had been a gift for his daughters. The outpouring of support for Nixon after the speech was overwhelming and is credited with his not being removed from the ticket.

During a 1964 photo session on the White House lawn, Lyndon B. Johnson picked up one of his beagles by the ears. The image appeared in newspapers across the country, sparking outrage among animal lovers.

Abraham Lincoln’s children had a menagerie of cats, dogs, goats, ponies, pigs and rabbits. Even a turkey that was intended for Christmas dinner was mercifully spared, starting the White House tradition of granting one gobbler a last-minute reprieve from death.

Theodore Roosevelt had 12 horses, five dogs, five guinea pigs, two cats, garter snakes, a horned toad, a pony, two kangaroo rats, a flock of ducks, a flying squirrel, a badger, a pig and a blue macaw named Eli Yale, lizards, rats, roosters and raccoons.  He also received many gifts from visiting dignitaries which were housed in the National Zoo. These included: a lion, hyena, wildcat, coyote, five bears, two parrots, a zebra and a barn owl.

John F. Kennedy relieved stress by visiting an animal play yard near the West Wing that was stocked with lambs, ponies, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, parakeets, a canary, a cat, a rabbit, a horse and Pushinka, the pup of a Soviet space dog.

Incessant licking can be a manifestation of canine compulsive disorder, which is a psychological syndrome characterized by repetitive activities. These activities can include fly-biting, tail-chasing, obsessive barking, circling and self-mutilation. Dogs that have this problem may be incapable of stopping their behavior, and it can interfere with normal eating, sleeping and play behavior.

Experts do not seem to know why these behaviors develop, but several possible factors have been theorized. Some breeds seem to be genetically disposed for certain behaviors, like flank-sucking in Doberman Pinschers or spinning in Bull Terriers. Sometimes the behavior starts as an attention-seeking tactic. Receiving the desired attention reinforces the behavior, which makes it more likely your dog will repeat it. Some dogs respond to local irritation or inflammation by licking themselves incessantly, which can cause hairless, inflamed patches of skin, usually on the lower legs, and other types of self-trauma. Some dogs, especially those left alone for long periods of time, can develop these types of behavior because they are bored or anxious.

First, your veterinarian needs to do an examination to rule out a specific medical problem, such as allergies, skin parasites, etc. After a thorough investigation, if it is felt that the dog is suffering from a compulsive disorder, the most effective treatment would be a combination of an antidepressant medication with behavioral techniques such as behavior modification, distraction, and stress and boredom relief. Punishment does not work and may actually worsen the problem by further stressing you dog.

Although the compulsive disorder cannot be completely “cured,” it can be effectively controlled with appropriate treatment, which will reduce or eliminate the unwanted behavior. Patience and persistence are important. It may take weeks or even months to see significant results.

Puppies in Purses

My daughter bought a Chihuahua puppy to “carry in her purse” as an accessory.  Apparently, it is one of the latest fads among teenagers. Is being carried around so much bad for the dog?

When dogs are puppies it is common to carry them around (especially with the small breeds) since they are not yet leash trained. But as a dog matures he must walk around and socialize by meeting other dogs, playing with children and visiting other homes and other safe locations. If you carry a dog all of the time, he doesn’t socialize properly, he can feel helpless and then react to other people by growling and snapping. When this happens the owner usually tries to comfort the dog, unaware that the soothing words come across as praise and thus makes the aggression worse. If your daughter’s dog is well socialized, then an occasional hour or two of riding around with his head sticking out of your daughter’s purse will not be a problem.

Discouraging “Counter Surfing”

It is important to remember that when making a place “off limits,” an alternate place should be provided. Many cats enjoy sitting on tall stools, which you can place nearby and reward your cat with treats and praise when she is sitting on the stool.

It is definitely a myth that dogs will eventually outgrow a fear of the sound of firecrackers, thunder or other loud noises. Phobias are intense fear responses that are out of proportion to the real threat of the situation. Although there is value in knowing what originally caused a particular phobia, fortunately this information is not necessary to treat it. Gradual exposure, desensitization and counter-conditioning have been used successfully.

Try to expose your dog to the stimulus without evoking fear. For example, first by hearing a single firecracker set off at a long distance, say 100 yards or so. You then progressively, but gradually, bring the one firecracker nearer without evoking fear. The next step is to start over at 100 yards with two firecrackers and to repeat the process with increasing numbers of firecrackers. Each time your pet hears the firecracker(s) without showing fear reaction, give him a food reward and praise him. Each session should be about 40 minutes long and can be repeated daily or even twice daily if all is going well. If a fear response is evoked at any level, back up and start again.

Answer: Healthy puppies should be plump and firm with pink mucous membranes. The heart rate is usually more than 200 beats per minute until 2 weeks of age. Respiration rate ranges from 15 to 35 times per minute. And the rectal temperature of the newborn is 96 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit, gradually increasing to 100 degrees at 7 days of age.

Puppies are unable to regulate body temperate for the first two weeks of life. Optimal temperature for a newborn less than 7 days old is 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, decreasing to 80 degrees for 1-4 weeks of age.
Babies that separate from littermates may get too warm and should be checked for panting, red gums and red skin. A dry, lackluster, roughened hair coat is another sign of illness and maternal neglect. Decreased muscle tone is a very bad sign. Any puppy (or kitten) which cries for more than 20 minutes should be checked to see if it is cold, hungry, neglected or ill.

If the puppy is cold, he is unable to digest the mother’s milk because his enzymes have become inactivated. Therefore, give him a sugar solution (two parts sugar or honey to one part water) which can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream without the need for digestion. Warm him gently with a towel-wrapped hot water bottle or electric pad. Mother’s milk can be reinstated when he is no longer cold. If you have to bottle feed the puppies, feeding should be every six hours to encourage adequate time for stomach emptying and rest.