Weekly Vet Pet Tips
Humorous and Knowledgable Pet Tips from Dr. Justine Lee
Each week, Dr. Justine Lee, a veterinary emergency critical care specialist, the associate director of Veterinary Services at Pet Poison Helpline, and an author of two popular books on pets, addresses some of the quirkier issues that puzzle pet owners.
Why Do Dogs Shed More at the Vet?
Even the courageous underdog gets nervous at the veterinary clinic, and you may notice that he starts shedding massive amounts of hair — this is the “flight or fight” instinct kicking in. Not only does the heart rate increase from stress, but so does the respiratory system; this is why he starts panting or breathing harder in an attempt to get more oxygen into his lungs. Your dog’s body is preparing for escape mode (“Help me! I sense a mean vet joke coming on!”). At the same time, all the blood vessels and hair follicles are dilating to allow blood to flow to the escape muscles (“Run, Ubu, run!”), and for this reason, hair may start to shed like mad. Don’t worry too much (or your own hair may start to come out too); signs should resolve shortly after you bring Ubu home. And hopefully your dog remembers that there are no mean vets in existence — or so we like to think!
Are There Doggy Dentists Out There?
Veterinary medicine has become more specialized, and now there are veterinarians specializing in oral surgery and dentistry (typically, the abbreviations AVDC — Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College, follows their name). These are veterinarians who have finished veterinary school and completed a residency in dentistry. Most general practitioners do routine teeth cleaning, extractions, or minor dental surgery, but options exist for referral to a veterinary dentist if your dog requires a root canal, major jaw surgery, or a silver cap (makes a Rottie or pit bull look even tougher!). Click here to find your local veterinary dental specialist; that way you can make sure those canine canines come correct.
Do I Really Have to Brush My Dog’s Teeth?
Veterinarians and dentists recommend that you brush your dog’s teeth as often as possible — some say once a day, some say two to three times a week. Brushing as frequently as possible is the most effective way of preventing tooth decay and helping to preserve oral health, particularly if you have a dog prone to bad teeth (like greyhounds or miniature poodles!).
For dogs, the most important factor in brushing is the abrasiveness of the tooth brush — you don’t want a brush so rigid that they’ll hurt your dog’s gums — so choose bristles that are soft and will fit in your dog’s mouth appropriately. This mechanical scrubbing helps remove the plaque which builds up constantly. What you are trying to prevent by brushing is the build up of plaque before it mineralizes and hardens into tartar (or calculus). Tartar can only be removed with dental cleanings under general anesthesia, so ideally, you want to prevent tartar build up instead of putting your dog under anethesia.
Another option is to use an old pair of panty hose or a 4X4 gauze wrapped around your finger to gently scrub away at the plaque — surprisingly, your dog will tolerate this quite well. This may be a good “starter” method before you try to jam a 6” piece of plastic into his mouth. Just make sure he doesn’t bite your finger! Oh, the things we do for love.
Do Cats Get Cavities?
Because cats don’t typically want to eat chocolate, sweets, or acidic foods, they’re less likely to have sacchrolytic acid-producing bacteria (in other words, the bacteria that cause cavities) in their mouth. Also, cats are lucky because their teeth don’t have to last a century, since they unfortunately don’t live as long as humans. Cats also rarely get cavities because their teeth are just physically shaped differently from ours; cats have fewer nooks and crannies in their teeth in which to develop cavities.
In fact, their sharp and razorlike teeth are designed to help rip and tear away at meat. This differs from the flat, “occlusal” surfaces on the teeth of omnivores (which are flat and designed to grind and chew). But, as you’ll soon discover when you get cat’s dental bill, cats develop feline oral resorptive lesions (FORLs) or cervical line lesions that require a lot of veterinary dental visits and teeth brushing at home.
Similarly to some people, cats can be predisposed to a mouth full of cavities; unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to prevent this aside from routine oral care. While these FORLs aren’t the same thing as cavities, they’re similar — these lesions eat away at the gum, enamel, and dentin of the outside tooth, and make the pulp (the inside of the tooth where the nerves and blood vessels are) exposed and painful, causing your cat to get more finicky.
If you notice redness of the gums, not eating, or severe halitosis, bring your cat to a vet to see if your cat needs dental work or extractions. Unfortunately for your wallet, you can only fix these by having your vet extract ‘em, I’m afraid, no matter how much you brush or floss your cat’s teeth.
Is One Dog Year Really Equivalent to Seven Human Years?
Unfortunately, there’s no hard fast rule on this 1:7 age ratio. In fact, there isn’t even any accurate scientific data on this topic. Keep in mind that different species or breeds age at different rates, as weight, obesity, nutrition, genetics, and environmental factors may play a role. Furthermore, the 1:7 ratio is likely to be inaccurate in the age extremes: very young or very old dogs. For example, a 1-year-old dog may have reached “puberty,” but this doesn’t correlate to a 7-year-old girl. In general, one dog year is equivalent to seven human years in the “middle-aged” years only.
Here is a much better guide to comparing the age range of the two species: the first year of a puppy’s life is equivalent to a human teenager (approximately a 15 year old), while a two year old pet is equivalent to a young adult (approximately a 24 year old). After that, each year is equivalent to approximately four human years. I like to group ages into broader categories: infant, toddler, child, adolescent, young adult, adult, middle-aged, elderly, and geriatric. Because this is again, factor dependent, the most important thing to remember is that as your dog ages, so will his body.
Are There Lemon Laws for Puppies?
Various states have puppy lemon laws that look out for the two-legged consumer; after all, you never know if some shady puppy dealer is pulling the wool over your Shetland’s eyes (“Dermatitis? Neva heard of it.”). Depending on your state, lemon laws apply to people who sell pets for profit or pay state tax on the sale of a pet, like pet stores and backyard breeders, so it often exempts humane societies and animal shelters.
Within these laws, you usually have legal rights for a full refund of the purchase price during a certain time frame (usually 10 to 14 days), or reimbursement for veterinary costs up to the purchase price. Some states will extend the warranty for up to a year for inherited defects, so check with your local state rules.
If you find a backyard breeder who isn’t responsible or is not willing to guarantee the health of your new puppy, find a better breeder. You don’t want to be putting money in these dealer’s pockets, anyway. If your state or county doesn’t have any lemon laws, rally your pet-loving friends and have your council member, senator, or representative pass pet-protecting laws to look out for our pets. At our clinic, we strongly support puppy lemon laws, as we want everyone to have access to healthy, happy pets.
What’s Doggy Daycare All About?
Doggy daycare is just like kiddie daycare — it’s a place where you can take your dog for a few hours to socialize and play with other dogs instead of keeping her cooped up all day while you work. And just like kiddie daycare, there are some cautions you should be aware of. You know how kids are more predisposed to snotty noses and dirty germs when they run around in groups? So are puppies. Find a reputable doggy daycare that requires current vaccines along with the kennel cough vaccine. Make sure your dog’s vaccines are up to date and haven’t been given within the past one to two days (it hasn’t had enough time to kick in yet!).
Another caution about doggy daycare centers is that there is a natural canine hierarchy, and if you have a dominant or aggressive dog, you should consult with your vet before taking her to a dog park or doggy daycare. In general, I do not recommend taking dog-aggressive, toy-aggressive, or dominant dogs to dog parks or daycare, as they are prone to start fights, and you may then be financially responsible for bite wound repair at a veterinarian, which will run you several hundreds to thousands of dollars. On the other hand, if you have a very small, submissive dog, he may get “beaten up” at dog parks or doggy daycare.
Find a doggy daycare that is clean, has multiple people supervising the daycare, provides multiple water bowls, and is strict about their vaccine and health policy. Check it out a few times before you actually bring your dog there. Do they have size-appropriate play times? Find out their injury policy, and who their emergency veterinarian is. In general, doggy daycare is a wonderful opportunity for easy-going dogs to have some play time with their friends on the block in a safe environment. Just make sure it meets all your strict parental requirements!
Is One Cat Year Really Equivalent to Seven Human Years?
While people think that one dog year equals seven human years, that’s not exactly true, and it doesn’t hold for cats either. There’s no rule on this 1:7 age ratio, nor is there accurate scientific data on this topic. Remember that different species or breeds age at different rates, as weight, obesity, nutrition, genetics, and environmental factors may play a role.
While this formula acts as a good general guideline, it is more likely to be inaccurate in the age extremes: very young or very old pets. For example, a one-year-old cat may have reached “puberty,” but this doesn’t correlate to a seven-year-old girl. Likewise, many cats can commonly live until fifteen to twenty years of age. This correlates to a 105- to 140-year-old human, and there aren’t many humans that live to age 140. In general, one cat year is most equivalent to seven human years in the “middle-aged” years only.
The first year of life is equivalent to a youth (approximately a fifteen-year-old), while a two-year-old cat is equivalent to a young adult (approximately a twenty-four-year-old). After that, each year is equivalent to approximately four human years. I like to group ages into broader categories: infant, toddler, child, adolescent, young adult, adult, middle-aged, elderly, geriatric, and uh, dead. Because this is factor dependent, the most important thing to remember is that as your cat ages, so will its body, so make sure to keep up with those geriatric checkups at your veterinary clinic.
Tips excerpted with permission from "It's a Dog’s Life… But It’s Your Carpet: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Four-legged Friend" and "It's a Cat's World...You Just Live in It: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Furry Feline" by Dr. Justine Lee. Published by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of Random House USA.