Wag Reflex

Slow Down Your Dog's Eating

A dog eating their food too fast is a common behavior, especially in multi-dog households. Eating too quickly can lead to vomiting, regurgitation, chocking, and bloat (dilation and twisting of the stomach in large breed dogs). In order to slow the dogs down we used to recommend putting one or two large rocks in the food bowl. The thought being that the dog would have to move the rocks around to get to the food, therefore forcing them to eat at a slower pace. The problem with the rock idea is that some dogs can figure out how to use their nose to push the rock out of the bowl. It is also hard to clean and sanitize because of its porous structure.

Luckily we now have better options. There are special dog bowls that are made with different size knobs at the bottom of the bowl. This is that same idea as the rock, but a dog cannot push the knobs out of the bowl because they are attached. The bowls come in different sizes based upon the size of dog that you are feeding. This is the type of bowl that I use for my beagle mix at home. It works to slow her down because she has to fish around the knobs to get at the kibble instead of just shoveling the food into her mouth. It is also really easy to clean.

The other product that is helpful is the Portion Pacer ball that is placed in the food dish. Same as the rock idea again, this just allows for easy cleaning (it is dishwasher safe) and they come in different sizes. The dog has to move the ball around to get to the food. If you get the appropriate sized ball for the size dog that you have they don’t seem to be able to push the ball out of the dish. This ball can also be used in the water bowl if you have a dog that drinks too fast. Both products are easy to use, keep clean, and seem to do their job at slowing those fast eaters down.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Cat Urination Blues

There are many reasons why cats will urinate outside of the litter box. This post is not going to talk about the reasons so much as trying to address the importance of seeking help early in the process.

The likelihood of a cat inappropriately urinating is about 10% for each cat that you own. So that means if you have three cats there is a 30% chance, five cats 50% chance and 10 cats 100% chance that someone will not be using the litter box. The duration of the problem also has a lot to do with the chance of being able to fix the problem. If the problem has been going on one month or less there is a good chance that we can fix the inappropriate elimination. If the problem has been taking place for 3 months, it is possible to help. If the problem has been persisting for 6 months or more, it is almost impossible to resolve the problem 100%.

When you go see the veterinarian, your visit will include a complete history--so plan on answering a lot of questions--and a physical exam. This is so that the veterinarian has a better chance of determining the triggering event. To help decide if the problem is medical or behavioral your veterinarian may recommend a complete diagnostic work-up that can include blood work, urinalysis with a urine culture (to look for infection), x-rays, and possibly an ultrasound of the bladder. Once the work up is complete the veterinarian will be able to make a treatment plan for your cat. This is not something that will get better overnight. Our goal is always to stop the inappropriate behavior as soon as possible. In order to do that you may go home with a long list of things to do to start the process.

To help your cat your veterinarian may prescribe/recommend several different things for you to do at once. He/she will address any medical problems as well as give you tips on how to change the litter box, household issues, and behavior problems. One litter box tip to try and prevent inappropriate urination in a multi-cat household is to make sure that you have one litter box for every cat that you own plus an extra one and keep all of them very clean. Most importantly, if you are having a problem with your cat’s urination behavior see your vet right away! The longer you wait the less likely that the problem will be able to be resolved.

Photo of a litterbox loving cat from Laruen Paulsen's photostream.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Stem Cell Therapy for Pets

As a veterinarian and a pet owner I think the most frustrating disease to manage is chronic pain secondary to arthritis. Many dogs owners come to me with the complaint of chronic debilitating arthritic pain involving one or several joints. Even with all the drugs, supplements, and alternative therapies that are available to us these days to treat arthritis and chronic pain, it is sometimes still not enough.

My own dog at home is 12 years old and has had surgery on both of her knees during her life. She now has arthritis in her hips and elbows as well as both of her knee joints. It is a chore to just keep her comfortable. Currently she takes an anti-inflammatory, fish oils, and glucosamine daily and tramadol on bad days. We have tried acupuncture but it didn’t seem to work on her. At this point I am willing to try just about anything to make her more comfortable.

Recently a California based company called Vet-Stem Inc. has been using stem cells derived from the animal’s own fat to help their joints feel young again. Stem cells are precursor cells that can divide and become many different types of specialty cells. What Vet-Stem is able to do is take fat that has been surgically harvested from an animal’s back and isolate the stem cells. The cells are then returned to the veterinarian two days later in the form of concentrated regenerative stem cells that can be injected back into the pet. Unfortunately this procedure doesn’t come cheap. It can cost between $2500-$3500 for the anesthesia, harvesting of the fat, sending it to Vet-Stem, and then injecting it back into the pet. If multiple injections are needed it usually costs less than half of the original price because there are usually stem cells left over.

This new option in therapy can give owners the ability to make their pets more comfortable and keep them around longer. If you would like to find a veterinarian in your area that performs this procedure go to www.vetstem.com and click on “locate a vet”.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Is Pet Insurance Worth the Cost?

I get questions all the time of owners asking if it is worth getting and how the insurance works. First, I think that you need to understand how much pet care costs. If you go out and get a new pet you will be spending about $1960 for the puppy and $1265 for the kitten on start up costs and wellness care for the first year of life--and this doesn’t include the price of the pet. You will obviously be spending more if your kitten gets an upper respiratory infection or your puppy eats a sock and needs surgery to go and retrieve it. For those of you with healthy adult pets already at home you can plan on spending between $500-$700 a year for routine health care.

Pet insurance is not exactly like our human insurance. The owner of the pet must pay for the veterinary services up front and then is reimbursed by the insurance company. Most companies have coverage that includes routine care, accidents, and illness. Companies vary based upon cost of premium, annual reimbursement amount, coverage of preexisting conditions, and issues related to breed (breed predispositions). You have to do a little bit of research to find the company and plan that is right for you and your pet.

To determine if insurance would be beneficial for your situation you should consider how much money you are able to budget on an annual basis for your pet, keeping in mind that $500-$700 that I mentioned earlier for healthy pets. The other question to ask yourself is if your pet were in an emergency situation would you be able to come up with at least $2000-$5000 to pay for your pet’s care? Depending upon your answers to the above questions pet insurance may be the right choice for you.

An example of a wellness plan from an insurance company includes an annual reimbursement for routine care of $400. That means you would only have to come up with $100-$300 out-of-pocket instead of $500-$700.

An example of how an insurance company might help out in an accident: A puppy eats a sock and needs surgery to remove the sock from his stomach. The cost of the surgery is about $1866 and the insurance company will reimburse you $1139 in covered expenses. That leaves $727 out-of-pocket costs.

For more information about pet insurance talk to the staff at your veterinary clinic or check online.

Recovering puppy photo from Alxxxxxxxxxxxx's photostream.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Ear Cropping and Tail Docking Opposed by the AVMA

For those of you that don’t agree with ear cropping or tail docking you will be happy to hear that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has updated their policy to read as follows:

“The AVMA opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes.”

The AVMA has essentially been issuing this same statement for the last 30 years, however this statement may be a little more direct in its wording. The AVMA is asking breed clubs within the AKC to eliminate ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards.

Dogs use their ears and tails in order to communicate with each other as well as their humans. When we step in and alter these things for cosmetic reasons we are also altering the effectiveness of the individual dog’s ability to communicate. The procedures themselves are both bloody and painful, not to mention carry other inherent risks associated with anesthesia.

The AKC calls these practices “integral to defining and preserving breed character and /or enhancing good health.” The truth is that these procedures are just for cosmetic purposes. Ear cropping and tail docking are procedures that are not commonly taught in veterinary school anymore. In fact I didn’t even learn how to do cat declaw in veterinary school. The AVMA is slowly making strides to do away with these procedures. Hopefully it won’t take another 30 years before these procedures are outlawed or the AKC decides to change the breed standards.

Photo of the super-cute un-cropped Doberman from dog nut 74's photostream.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

No Dog is Truly Hypoallergenic

One of our blog readers has posted a good question that I will try and answer as well as use this opportunity to talk about hypoallergenic breeds. The question:

“My sister-in-law has a Pomeranian, I have a Golden and another sister has a black lab. My nephew has allergies, mainly a cough, runny nose. His mother says he can no longer visit us or my sister's home because of the presence of the dogs (hair, dander etc.) My understanding was that Goldens were a relative benign breed re allergies. And that a child with a dog in the home could spend a few hours in the same location with a Golden, or Lab for that matter, and be fine. What's the deal? End of the day it is the mother's call, I just want to understand the situation better.”

Allergies as funny things and can be very unpredictable. People with allergies can certainly have a dog, they just might have to narrow down their breeds of dog they can choose from and take their time meeting with each individual dog that may be a prospect. Humans can be allergic to dog saliva, dander, or urine. Dogs without hair or with continuously growing hair (the ones that need to go to the groomer) are thought to be low allergen dogs. The thought behind the long-haired dogs (continuously growing hair) is that they are better because they don’t shed their hair into the environment; the hair just sticks to the dog. However, if you don’t groom these dogs regularly they lose their low allergen status.

Please understand that people with severe allergies may still have trouble with these dogs as no dog is truly no-allergen. It is best to research the low allergen breeds to decide which breed would fit your lifestyle and then go and spend time with the actual dog that you are thinking of adopting to make sure that you are not going to have an allergic reaction.

Here are a few breeds that are considered hypoallergenic:
Bedlington Terrier, Bichon Frise, Chinese Crested, Coton de Tulear, Havanese, Irish Water Spaniel, Kerry Blue Terrier, Maltese, Poodle, Portuguese Water Dog, Puli, Schnauzer, Shih Tzu, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier

Dog breeds that are considered high dander breeds or have a high skin cell turn over rate should be avoided in houses with allergic humans. Here are a few of those breeds:
Afghan Hound, Basset Hound, Shar-Pei, Cocker Spaniel, German Shepard, Dachshund, Irish Setter, Springer Spaniel, West Highland White Terrier, Doberman Pinscher

To address the question above--poms, goldens, and labs are not considered hypoallergenic breeds given the fact that they have double-coats, continuously shed, and are prone to skin problems. It comes down to the individual dog and the degree of allergic reaction that the young boy has when in the presence of the dogs. If the boy has the sniffles whether he is at home with his pom or at his aunt’s house with the lab I guess I don’t see the difference. Like you said, at the end of the day it is the mother’s decision. I think that in this case a deeper family discussion is needed to come to an understanding.

Photo from w.waniaschefsky's photostream.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Misunderstanding the Birds and the Bees

Some people really don’t understand the birds and the bees or they underestimate the power of a female in heat. For those people that are not familiar with animal behavior--a female in heat is irresistible to an intact male.

I had one client visit me with her pregnant Pitbull mix. She had originally made the appointment to discuss spaying her young dog, but the appointment ended up being a talk about how to care for a pregnant bitch. She told me that one afternoon she had decided to leave her female, who was in heat, outside in her fenced yard for just a few hours while she went out to run some errands. While she was gone an intact male dog had jumped her six foot fence and gotten to her female. This is only one of the many stories that I get to hear about male dogs doing whatever it takes to seek out the irresistible female.

This next story involves a nice young couple who had purchased two Beagle puppies from the same litter. One pup was a female and one was a male. From day one at their new house these dogs were always kenneled together even as they got older and sexually mature. This young couple believed that because their pups were bother and sister that they wouldn’t have puppies together. As you probably already figured out, this story was being told to me as this young couple was sitting in my office wanted to know how their female had become pregnant.

My favorite story is about a family who had two young French bulldog puppies. This family had originally planned to breed these two puppies in the future when they were a couple of years old. However, one day the family walked into my clinic because she thought that her female Frenchie might be pregnant because she was getting fatter. The wife didn’t understand how this could be possible because she always kept them separated. Upon further questioning I always keep them separated, except at night when they were sleeping.

The moral of all these stories is to have your pet spayed or neutered and a young age to help prevent the overpopulation of animal shelters.

Photo from kells422's photostream.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Consider Alternatives to Declawing

Declawing your kitten is not something that should be taken lightly. I am thankful that in my practice more and more people are willing to pursue alternatives to declawing.

Scratching is a normal feline behavior that is done for claw maintenance and marking territory. This behavior becomes troublesome when the cat chooses to scratch furniture, carpet, etc. and ends up destroying that object. Most of these destructive behaviors done by young cats can be reconditioned through training. Kittens can be taught to use a scratching post instead of the couch, nails can be trimmed and kept short or plastic coverings, like soft paws, can be applied to the nails.

If all alternative options have been tried and surgery is being considered then be sure to discuss the procedure and any concerns you may have with your veterinarian. Surgery should only be considered for cats that will be indoor only, as they lose their ability to protect themselves. It is also better to do the procedure on young cats (3-12 months). The surgery consists of amputating the third phalanx of each digit. This removes the nail and the piece of bone that is attached to the nail. During the first 24-48 hours after surgery there is a significant amount of pain associated with the procedure. Make sure that your veterinarian plans to keep your kitty in the hospital during this time so plenty of pain medication can be given. Other post-op complications include hemorrhage, pad damage, lameness, swelling, infection, and claw regrowth. The use of a laser instead of a scalpel blade has been shown to be associated with less post-op pain.

For more tips on how to train your kitty to use the scratching posts or stop destructive behavior, make an appointment with your veterinarian or behaviorist so that they may help you with your situation.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

A Puppy for Christmas (with Parasitic Bonus)

During the holidays a lot of parents chose to bring home a new puppy for their little ones. How exciting would it be to watch your kids open their first present Christmas morning and out jumps the cutest, most lovable little puppy? Your kids will think that is the best present ever!

What we don’t think about is that we are potentially expsoing zoonotic parasites (transferred from pet to human) to our children. The most common zoonotic parasites are roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. All puppies carry roundworms and if not dewormed properly, can shed the parasite’s eggs in their feces and quickly contaminate your whole yard. Children are most at risk for contracting these parasites because they play outside and have a tendency to put objects or dirty hands in their mouths.

Humans are aberrant (abnormal) hosts for these parasites and they may migrate to areas other than the gastrointestinal tract and cause serious problems. Roundworms usually migrate to the eye and cause either permanent or partial loss of vision. Hookworms more commonly migrate through the skin and cause painful infections.

There are things that you can do to prevent these infections. Promptly pick-up and discard any fecal material in the yard, make sure children wash their hands frequently, especially after playing with the puppy, after playing outdoors, and before eating. Make sure to have your veterinarian run a fecal analysis on your pet at least once a year and most importantly make sure to get your puppy dewormed at an early age and talk to your veterinarian about keeping them on a monthly parasite preventative year round.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Chronic Constipation in Cats

One possible cause for constipation or difficult bowel movements in cats is “megacolon”. This means that the large intestine or colon is persistently dilated and has loss of functional movement. This problem is most commonly noted in middle-aged domestic short hair, domestic long hair, or Siamese male cats, however any cat can develop this problem.

The most common clinical signs seen with megacolon include decreased appetite, weight loss, vomiting, difficulty producing a bowel movement, or no bowel movement at all. You may also note the abdomen becoming firm or distended as the colon becomes full of fecal material. If your pet has any of these symptoms they should be seen by a vet right away!

There are several things that can be done to medically manage cases of megacolon. The treatment usually consists of enemas, increasing dietary fiber or changing to a low residue food, laxatives, fluids if the cat is dehydrated and medication to enhance colon motility. Treatment is usually life-long. If medical therapy doesn’t work for your cat, surgery or removal of the affected part of the colon may need to be considered. Your veterinarian will most likely want to do blood work and x-rays to help with diagnosis and guide your treatment options.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

How to Treat Your Pet's Motion Sickness

Does motion sickness stop you and your pet from traveling together? In my experience I have found that a lot of owners don’t tell their veterinarians that their dog or cat gets sick riding in the car. They seem to accept it as a way of life and only put their pet in the car that one time a year when they have to make the trip to the vet’s office.

Luckily, there are treatment options for your pet. This problem is much easier to treat when it is diagnosed early before it becomes a pattern for your dog or cat. They may start to associate the car ride with getting sick which could require retraining as well as medicating. 

Most of the time, by using simple over the counter medications like meclizine (Bonine) or dyemenhyedrinate (Dramamine), vomiting in the car can be prevented. Another trick is to not feed your pet 2-4 hours prior to your car ride. If these tricks don’t work for your pet, there is a prescription medication available called Cerenia that works very well to prevent vomiting. Just make sure to talk to your veterinarian about this problem so that he or she can help choose the right medication.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Vet Care Every Pet Should Have Done Annually

Wellness Exam
Just like we should see our doctor once a year for a wellness exam, our pets need to see their veterinarian once a year too! Since pets age much faster than we do it is extremely important that an exam be done once a year for young dogs and cats and every six months for senior pets (>7 years). Even if you think you cat or dog is healthy, a veterinarian should look over your pet. He or she is specially trained to notice even subtle changes to your pet’s body.

Fecal Exam
A fecal test should be done annually along with the wellness exam to check for internal parasites. These parasites can not only cause problems for your pet, but some parasites can be zoonotic (contagious to humans) and can cause serious health problems for yourself or your children.

Blood Test
For those pets and are over the age of 7, annual screening blood work is recommended. Blood work allows your veterinarian to check for problems inside the body that may not be causing outward clinical signs. A complete blood count is done to look for things like anemia, inflammation or possible infection somewhere in the body. A complete chemistry profile is done to look for things like kidney and liver disease, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism to just name a few.

Dental Cleaning
Ideally you should brush your dog’s or cat’s teeth 3-5 times a week and have a dental cleaning done yearly. A complete cleaning and polishing consists of putting your pet under general anesthesia and using an ultrasonic scaler to remove calculus from the teeth and then polishing done just like we would at the dentist’s office. A full oral exam is also done to evaluate the health of the teeth and gums and to decide if any extractions are needed. If an annual cleaning is done it can reduce the need for extractions.

Vaccines
The types of vaccines your pet gets and protocols your veterinarian follows will determine how often your pet needs to be vaccinated. According to AAHA and AAFP guidelines, DAPP, FVRCP, and Rabies can be given every 3 years after the initial puppy or kitten series. Vaccines like Bordetella or Leptosporosis need to be given at least yearly.

Make sure to consult your veterinarian to determine what else may be needed to keep your pet healthy.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

How Make Trips to the Vet Easier for Your Cat

Most cat patients’ problems start at home before they ever get anywhere near the vet’s office. Getting in the cat carrier and then going for a ride in the car will usually stress the cat out enough that, by the time they actually make it to the vet’s office, they are way past being cooperative. Try getting the cat carrier out from time to time even when you are not going to be taking the cat anywhere. Allow the cat to investigate the cage and even climb inside. Some cats will begin to like the carrier so much that they want to have it out all the time as a safe, comfy spot to take a nap.

The other thing you can do is to take your cat on short car rides that have treats and praise involved. By eliminating some of these stressful factors you increase your cat’s chances of having an acceptable trip to your veterinarian’s office.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

How Make Trips to the Vet Easier for Your Dog

If your pooch is leery about going to the vet’s office there are a few things that you can do to help your companion feel more at ease.

Happy Visits
Plan short “happy” visits. These are visits where you and your pet don’t actually do anything vet related, but come in to the office for some cookies and affection from the staff. You don’t have to make an appointment for these visits. They can just be a quick stop-in on your way to the park. This way, your dog will learn that “bad” things don’t always happen when they walk into that funny smelling building.

Pre-Visit Run
If you have a very active or excitable dog it is always a good idea to go for a long walk or run before your appointment. Allowing your dog to burn off extra energy before you get to the vet’s office may make handling your pet easier and therefore your time in the office shorter.

Stay Calm
The most important thing that you can do to help your pet is to have the right attitude. If you get upset or you believe that your pet gets upset by the visit, your dog will sense your uneasiness and what you are thinking in your head will become reality. It is important that you take on a confident attitude like a true leader of the pack. If you can make your dog believe there is nothing to be upset about, he won’t be.

Here is an example of both puppy and owner behaving badly at the vet’s office. A young lady brought in a 6 month old Chihuahua puppy (not the one pictured) for an exam and his last set of vaccines. The owner placed the puppy on the examination table and the puppy immediately started growling and lunging at me. The owner got upset and concerned that something must be bothering the dog so she picked him up off the table and held him her arms saying, “It’s ok…calm down…good boy.”  If this situation were allowed to proceed any further, the dog would continue to misbehave not only at the vet’s office but in situations that were new and different to the dog. The way the owner should have handled the situation would be to give the dog a stern corrective measure (“no”, “bah”, “sst”, or whatever you use) and only give praise when the dog is relaxed and not showing signs of aggression or fear. Luckily there is a happy ending to this story. I gave both the owner and the dog a stern corrective measure and the Chihuahua puppy was a perfect angel for the rest of the exam.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

Household Items You Didn’t Know Were Pet Poisons

Most people know the basic household pet poisons--chocolate, onions, grapes, etc.--but there are a few common poisons that often get overlooked.

Xylitol
This is an artificial sweetener used in sugar-free products. In dogs it makes the pancreas dump insulin into the blood stream causing severe hypoglycemia. Clinical signs can develop in a fast as 30-60 minutes and last up to 24 hours. Signs that you may notice after ingestion include weakness, ataxia (lack of muscle control), collapse, and seizures. If you suspect your dog has consumed a xylitol-containing product, seek veterinary assistance immediately.

Lilies
If you keep lilies around the house, make sure to keep them out of reach of your cat. If your cat ingests any part of the plant it can cause kidney failure. If you know or suspect that your cat has consumed any part of a lily plant seek veterinary assistance immediately as ingestion is almost always fatal if left untreated.

Gorilla Glue
This is a product that many of us may have around the house to fix wood products. This type of glue is made to expand and dry very hard in a short period of time. When a dog ingests this material it expands rapidly in the stomach. The glue fills the stomach and causes a gastrointestinal blockage. If your dog has ingested this product DO NOT induce vomiting. The only way to treat a dog that has consumed gorilla glue is to perform abdominal surgery and remove the obstruction.

Over-the-Counter Anti-inflammatory Meds (Tylenol, Aleve, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, etc.)
In dogs the toxic dose of these products can vary based upon the size of the dog and the specific drug ingested. Ibuprofen and Aleve cause the most serious toxicoses. The most common life-threatening problems that we encounter with dogs are stomach ulcers and kidney failure. If your dog has ingested one of these products contact your veterinarian immediately so that vomiting may be induced and fluids given to help protect the kidneys. Cats are even more sensitive than dogs to these over-the-counter medications. Tylenol is the product that causes the most serious toxicoses. It causes something known as methemoglobinemia, which makes the blood unable to carry oxygen. Owners may notice their cat having difficultly breathing or turning blue. There is an antidote for this poisoning so the sooner that veterinary care is sought, the better the prognosis.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA (new clinic!) and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

How to Select a Weight Loss Food for Your Pet

Let's say your veterinarian tells you that your dog or cat needs to go on a diet. You rush to the store to buy that “reduced calorie” or “weight management” food. Done deal. Problem solved. Right? Wrong. You might be shocked to find out at the next weigh-in that your pet has not lost weight, but actually gained weight!

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is the organization that regulates pet food and determines the wording on pet food packaging. The only word regulated by law to actually be restricted in calories is “light” or “lite”. For a dog food to fit the definition of a light food, the AAFCO says it must contain less than 3100 kcal/kg on an as-fed basis, and a cat food must contain less than 3250 kcal/kg. You can find a comparison chart of some common “reduced calorie” diets vs. “light” diets at PetFit.com.

So don’t let yourself be fooled any longer! If your pet needs to lose a few pounds, make sure to choose a “light” diet. Always consult your veterinarian before starting a weight-loss program for your cat or dog so that he/she may help you choose the best diet for your pet.

Photo courtesy of flickr.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Kent, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information