Ask the Vet: Sore Sockets: Hip Dysplasia
Treating a common canine dilemma
Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) is a significant health problem among all dogs. It has been estimated by many veterinarian organizations that up to 30 percent of the canine population are afflicted with this painful hip-socket condition. As a result of the widespread nature of this problem, a non-surgical alternative solution is now available. Read more
Pets Get Breast Cancer, Too
Many people don’t realize that pets can also suffer from breast cancer. Mammary gland tumors are common in dogs and cats that aren’t spayed or were spayed late.
Cats generally have eight mammary glands (four pairs). Dogs vary, but usually have 10 glands. Around 90 percent of feline mammary tumors are malignant; in dogs, less than 50 percent are malignant. Read more
Ask The Vet: Cold Feet
New Yorkers love shoes and I am no exception. In fact, I would probably define it as an unhealthy addiction. It is no wonder my dog has a closet full of footwear to rival Carrie Bradshaw’s.
Alvin is a 14-pound Boston terrier who does not share my affection for shoes. Needless to say, it took a while to find a pair that he would be seen in public with. But step foot out on a snow or salt covered sidewalk? He won’t have any part of that either.
Never in a million years did this native New Hampshire-ite think she would write a column advocating the use of canine booties. But I am a true convert. Read more
Ask the Vet: Calling the Shots For Your Pet
We vaccinate our pets for the same reason we vaccinate our children: to protect them against serious diseases that can potentially be fatal. Also, some of these diseases are transmissible to people (i.e., zoonotic). As with people, vaccination may not entirely prevent the disease, but it will reduce the severity of infection. In general, dog diseases do not affect cats, and cat diseases do not affect dogs.
Puppies and kittens should receive a series of vaccinations every three weeks from the time they are six to eight weeks old until they are between three and four months old. The first vaccine for a kitten is called either a “3 in 1” or a “4 in 1,” or FVRCP, and it gives protection from viruses that cause serious upper respiratory symptoms that can become much more severe than just a “kitty cold.” Read more
Puppy in the Window
To the Editor:
Kudos to “Ask the Vet” contributor Dr. Robin Brennen for her “On Pets as Presents” column (Dec. 24), in which she explained the importance of thinking long and hard before getting a pet, and promoted adopting from a shelter.
Dr. Brennen briefly mentioned “that puppy or kitten in the window.” The great majority of (if not all) puppies sold in pet shops come from commercial breeding facilities, otherwise known as “puppy mills.” Read more
Ask The Vet: Pets as Presents
Remember that neat gadget gift you got last year from your friend? I’ll bet by now it has lost it appeal and is either collecting dust on a shelf or has been re-gifted.
Imagine if that “gadget” were living, breathing and had four legs and a tail? Now what? Read more
Ask The Vet: Super-Sized Pets
America is home to the most obese people in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a staggering 33 percent of American adults are obese, and obesity-related deaths have climbed to more than 300,000 a year, second only to tobacco-related deaths. So it is no surprise pets may walk in their owner’s footsteps.
The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention reports that nearly half of the nation’s pets are classified as overweight or obese by a veterinary healthcare provider, including 43 percent of dogs and 53 percent of cats. Read more
TV and Internet Pet Pharmacies: Fact Check
Anyone who has a pet (or a TV, for that matter) is probably familiar with the ads for online pharmacies that offer discounted pet medicines. Betty White and others speak of the great savings, the convenience and the guilty pleasure of skipping a trip to your veterinarian if you order from an online store. While many of these firms deliver the goods and services advertised, many do not. The financial success of these Internet firms (and they are hugely profitable, with more than $1 billion in annual sales) rests on two claims usually made in their advertising: that they provide the same products as your veterinarian at a huge savings, and that they offer the convenience of online ordering without a costly trip to the vet. Read more
Feline Introductions
Q:What is the best way to introduce a new cat into a house with an already existing feline? I’ve read that one should have a friend visit with the new animal and put it in a restricted, safe area, and then sometimes, especially if a third party has introduced the animal, the original cat will feel like they adopted the pet themselves. Is that right? Read more
