Fido has been having difficulty standing up after lying down, and he hesitates to climb stairs. He limps or walks with a swaying motion, and he has developed an awkward, hopping gait when running. After your veterinarian examines your dog and does X-rays, you get the diagnosis: canine hip dysplasia.

What is hip dysplasia?

Hip dysplasia is a degenerative condition affecting the hip joints. While cats and humans can also develop it, the condition is more common in dogs. Large dog breeds in particular are susceptible to hip dysplasia.

Normally, the femur (thighbone) head fits snugly into the hip socket. When hip dysplasia occurs, the femur fits loosely because of loose ligaments, poor muscle condition, or a malformed ball or socket. More than one factor may contribute to the condition, which can range from minor looseness to hip dislocation. One or both hips may be affected during the dog’s development. The abnormal joint erosion causes pain and arthritis in the affected hip(s).

While dogs as young as four months may begin to have symptoms, the condition might not manifest itself until middle age or later.

Why do some dogs get hip dysplasia?

Genetics are a major factor, and more than one gene is involved. If either parent has the genetic susceptibility toward hip dysplasia, the offspring will have this predisposition too. If both parents have it, the offspring are more likely to develop the condition.

Environmental factors appear to play a role in influencing which dogs develop hip dysplasia and when:

• Growth rate (particularly with large dog breeds)
• Amount of exercise
• Nutrition levels
• Obesity

Dogs prone to hip dysplasia but raised in optimal conditions may not develop the condition until middle age or older — or they may not develop it at all.

Preventing hip dysplasia in dogs

While we can’t predict which dogs that are carriers of the disease will develop it, we can greatly lessen the chances of their getting it by taking these precautions:

Restrict the amount of protein in the dog’s diet. Dogs that are fed unrestricted amounts of high-protein food have a higher tendency toward hip dysplasia. Study results don’t suggest that dogs be fed low-protein diets, but that the total amount of protein shouldn’t exceed recommended daily levels.

Don’t let your dog become overweight. Excess weight adds more stress to the bones.

Restrict the amount and types of exercise for puppies. Moderate exercise and the development of muscle mass is essential for good health. But for dogs with a tendency toward hip dysplasia, exercise that puts extra stress on the joints, such as jumping, may contribute to these dogs developing the condition.

Treating hip dysplasia in dogs

If your dog has developed hip dysplasia, a number of treatments can help slow or stop the progression of the disease and relieve your dog’s pain.

Keep your dog warm. Give your dog a place to sleep that’s warm and draft-free. When the weather is cold, a dog sweater can help.

Provide a comfortable bed for your dog. A well-padded bed helps reduce pressure on a dog’s joints and protects the dog from cold coming from the floor.

Give your dog medication and supplements.

• Adequan Canine is an anti-inflammatory, injectable prescription drug for dogs with arthritis. It reduces joint friction and helps rebuild cartilage in damaged joints, making it more than just a painkiller.
• Your veterinarian may recommend an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as Aspirin.
• Omega-3 fatty acid supplements also help reduce inflammation.
• Glucosamine aids in reducing pain and rebuilding damaged cartilage.

Be sure to discuss any medications with your veterinarian before administering them to your dog.

Do stretching exercises with your dog. To alleviate the pain and compensate for decreased joint movement, dogs with hip dysplasia shift the balance of their weight when they walk. This can cause spinal problems and lead to some muscles atrophying from lack of use. A veterinarian or a chiropractor can demonstrate range-of-motion stretching exercises to help the muscles and the spine.

Consider surgery. Depending on the degree of hip dysplasia, different types of surgery are done to help animals with this condition:

• In the early stages of hip dysplasia, a triple pelvic osteotomy can stabilize the femur in the hip socket by cutting the pelvis in three pieces and repositioning the pieces. This procedure is done more with younger animals.
• Dogs that are under 30 pounds, fully grown, and in good health may be able to get a total hip replacement — the femur head and the hip socket are replaced with an artificial joint.
• If the condition has progressed and the joint has degenerated considerably, the head and neck of the femur can be removed surgically. This procedure is called a femoral head and neck osteotomy. Animals that have had this surgery can’t run as well as dogs that have never had hip dysplasia, but the hind leg muscles compensate in a way that allow dogs to walk without this joint.

You vaccinate your dog or cat for rabies. Distemper. Feline leukemia. Or do you? If you do, how often? If you don’t, why not? The answers to these questions are less clear-cut than they were a decade ago.

How vaccinations work

Vaccines contain small amounts of bacteria, viruses, or other organisms from the disease they protect against, but which have been modified so that they won’t cause that disease. After an animal is vaccinated, the vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies to fight against it. With these antibodies present, the immune system should be able to protect the animal against the disease if the animal is later exposed to it.

The protection created by the reaction to the vaccine is reduced over time, which is why booster vaccinations are needed.

The risks versus the benefits

Anyone who has had a pet die from a preventable disease can tell you about the benefits of vaccinating your dog or cat. Unfortunately, vaccinating your pet can sometimes be harmful. Vaccines can cause side effects, such as a lump at the injection site, reduced appetite, fever, vomiting, or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Some cats develop cancerous tumors at the sites of rabies or feline leukemia vaccinations.

With animals that have had reactions to vaccines, it’s best not to give the animal more than one vaccine at a time. The reaction may be less with only one vaccine to deal with. If there is still a reaction, you’ll be able to see which vaccine your pet is reacting to.

In addition, animals should be vaccinated only when they are healthy. Animals that aren’t well may not have a strong enough immune system to be able to handle the vaccine.

Vaccines do not provide complete immunity to the diseases they’re made to protect against. Even when your pets have been vaccinated, it may still be possible for them to contract the diseases that the vaccines were for. Sometimes vaccines protect, and sometimes they don’t — and we don’t know which animals they’ll protect when we vaccinate our pets. The statistics concerning how effective vaccines are depend on who you talk to.

Vaccines and disease risk factors

How is the disease that the vaccine is for spread? How likely is your pet to come into contact with animals that have that disease?

We can reduce the risks associated with vaccines by considering which vaccinations our pets need and which ones they don’t need. Indoor cats, for example, don’t need to be vaccinated against diseases that are passed through direct contact. Most animals don’t need to be vaccinated against conditions that don’t exist in their area. An exception may be show animals, which travel and are in contact with animals from other areas.

Vaccination frequency

Between the options of vaccinating our pets annually and not vaccinating them at all lie other choices.

A yearly booster shot for many diseases is not considered necessary any more. Many vaccines last much longer than one year. Vaccination intervals of about every three years are now recommended for some vaccines, or a blood test can be done to assess the level of the pet’s antibodies. A problem with this test is that it can’t test the effectiveness of the animal’s immune system. On the other hand, yearly vaccinations haven’t been proven to be necessary.

Another approach is to vaccinate puppies and kittens when they’re young (but not younger than three months), perhaps give them one or two booster shots, and then stop. The vaccines may continue to be effective for many years, and you’re sparing your pet the risk of repeated vaccinations.

When you discuss vaccinations with your pet’s veterinarian, consider the risks your pet faces in your area. Consider also your pet’s health and living situation. Whatever you decide, your pet should still have annual examinations to help identify and prevent health problems.

You and your dog are out on your daily walk, or perhaps your dog is in your back yard. Suddenly, he dashes toward the bushes or the garbage cans, and just as suddenly, he yelps. You almost yelp too when you realize that your dog has been sprayed by a skulking skunk.

Now what?

Check your dog

Skunks can carry rabies. If your dog has been vaccinated for rabies, you don’t need to be concerned, but if he hasn’t, check if your dog appears to have been bitten. If the skunk might have bitten your dog, talk to your veterinarian right away.

If skunk spray got in your dog’s eyes, they’ll appear red. Your dog may be temporarily blinded. Eye drops for humans or a saline solution can help relieve the eye irritation. If the irritation persists or if it’s more than mild, take your dog to your veterinarian.

Bathe your dog

You want to get rid of that skunk oder before your dog comes into your house again. Treatment will also be more effective if it’s done before your dog’s coat dries with the skunk spray on it.

Shampoo the affected area as soon as possible. Wear rubber gloves and old clothing while bathing your dog — the spray may rub off on the clothes you’re wearing. To keep the odor from spreading more on your dog, clean only the area that the skunk sprayed at first.

The traditional tomato juice remedy masks skunk odor rather than removing it. However, this remedy by Illinois chemist Paul Krebaum has been touted as successful at eliminating skunk odor. Mix together these ingredients in a large open container:

• One quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
• One-quarter cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• One teaspoon strong liquid soap

The ingredients will fizz when mixed together. Use the mixture while it’s still foaming.

Wet down the affected area of the dog and lather in the mixture. Be careful to keep it out of the dog’s eyes, nose, and mouth. If the dog was sprayed in the face, apply the mixture to the dog’s face very carefully with a cloth. Leave the lather in for up to 10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly with tap water.

Warning: do not store or cover the solution after it’s mixed together — it will explode. Discard unused portions when you’re finished.

Treat the area

If the skunk spraying occurred on your property, you need to treat more than your dog to eliminate the odor. Petrotech Odor Eliminator direct spray and mist spray are effective in eliminating skunk odors and other odors. They can be used on wood, concrete, metal, plastic, tile, fabric, and other surfaces.

Prevent recurrences

If your dog encounters skunks during walks, shorten his leash when you’re near areas or objects where skunks could be — bushes, parked cars, garbage cans and other objects big enough for skunks to be behind. If skunks come into your yard at night, turn an outside light on and make a noise a few minutes before letting your dog outside. Skunks will then most likely leave the yard before your dog can encounter them.

To help keep skunks out of your yard, use only garbage cans with tight-fitting lids, and don’t leave any pet food outside.

Your dog doesn’t chew only his dog toys — he chews your shoes, the bedding, the furniture, and even power cords. How can you stop your dog from chewing? You can’t. Instead, you can respond to your dog’s reasons for chewing, reduce his access and interest, and give him appealing chewable options.

Why do dogs chew?

Dogs instinctively put things in their mouths. They may chew because they’re bored, anxious, lonely, or hungry, or because they have energy to burn. For puppies, add teething and curiosity to the reasons that they chew.

Dental problems are another cause of chewing. Your dog may be chewing on whatever he can to try to relieve gum pain. Symptoms of dental problems in dogs include bad breath, chewing on one side of the mouth, pain when eating or drinking, and hesitation to eat even when they’re hungry. Yellow and brown accumulations of tartar may appear on your dog’s teeth, and his gums may be an inflamed red rather than a healthy pink.

Stop your dog from destructive chewing

First, look at the possible reasons for your dog’s chewing behavior. Give him plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to reduce boredom. If he chews on things only when he’s home alone, look at separation anxiety as a likely cause. The Odor Destroyer article Separation Anxiety in Dogs provides tips on helping your dog overcome this problem.

Puppies going through teething problems find some relief if they have dog chew toys to chew on. Avoid giving your puppy objects to chew on that are similar to objects you don’t want him to chew on, such as pieces of old clothing. Your puppy won’t understand the difference. Puppies with teething problems will welcome these chew toys:

• Hard rubber balls
• Puppy teething rings
• Frozen dog treats
• Nylon or rawhide bones

If you suspect that your dog has dental disease, take him to a veterinarian.

Second, chew-proof your home as much as possible. To do this, look at your home from your dog’s point of view — objects on the floor, open doors (including closet and cupboard doors), and furniture. Keep doors to off-limits areas closed, and keep movable chewable objects out of his reach. If your dog is tempted to chew on power cords, look in lighting stores for power cord covers.

When your dog is home without human supervision, you may want to keep him in a restricted area of the house. Choose an area without wooden furniture legs or other tempting chewable items, such as the laundry room. Make sure that nothing is dangling that he could pull on and chew.

Third, consider applying bitter-tasting coatings to color-safe chewable surfaces such as wooden furniture. The taste and smell of these substances repel some (but not necessarily all) dogs from chewing:

• Bitter Apple Sprays
• White vinegar
• Rubbing alcohol

Give your dog chewable alternatives

Reprimanding your dog for chewing doesn’t work. In addition to the above steps, though, you can give your dog objects to chew on that you approve of. When he chews on something that you don’t want him to chew on, take it away and offer him your approved alternative. Give him lots of praise when he chews on these toys.

Chewy toys and toys filled with treats are especially helpful for dogs with chewing problems — these toys keep them occupied for a long time. To keep the toys interesting to your dog, give him different toys to play with on different days.

Fluffy or Fido has developed a lump. You observe your cat or dog having difficulty when chewing. Your pet doesn’t want to play any more. The diagnosis: cancer.Dog, cats, and other mammals are susceptible to many of the diseases that humans get, cancer included. With advances in veterinary medicine, our pets are living longer, which increases their chances of getting cancer and other diseases. The good news is that cancer treatment for pets has advanced at the same pace as cancer treatment for people.

Warning signs of cancer in pets

The warning signs listed here could be caused by other conditions, not just by cancer. Whatever their cause, early treatment increases the odds of success. Take your pet to your veterinarian if you see any of these signs:

Pet appearance and smell

• A lump or sore that won’t heal or go away
• An abnormal swelling that grows
• Difference in testicle size
• Bleeding or discharge from a body opening
• Weight loss despite eating
• Lameness or stiffness
• An odor

Pet behavior

• Difficulty chewing or swallowing
• Not eating for more than a day or two
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty urinating or defecating
• Fatigue — tiring easily and lacking energy
• Depression
• Appetite loss
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Coughing

Pet cancer diagnosis

If your cat or dog has a tumor or other visibly affected area, your veterinarian will aspirate a few cells from the area and examine them under a microscope. The presence of any abnormal cells means that the next step in diagnosis is a biopsy — removal of a tissue sample for microscopic examination. After the tissue has been examined under a microscope, the tumor can be classified as high-grade (fast-growing), intermediate, or low-grade (slow-growing).

To find tumors that might not be visible, diagnostic imaging tools can be used, such as X-rays, ultrasound, radiography, scans, and endoscopy. With endoscopy, a small scope is inserted into the body so that internal cancerous masses can be viewed and biopsied. The animal is sedated, but the procedure is less invasive than surgery.

Blood tests are used to look for changes in white blood cells as well as other changes that could point to cancer. In addition, blood tests can detect problems that the treatment itself may be causing.

After a diagnosis of cancer is made, further tests may be necessary to monitor the treatment of the disease.

Cancer treatment for pets

Animals respond differently to cancer treatment than people do. Often a combination of these treatment types is used:

• Surgery is the most effective treatment for most tumors. When tumors can’t be completely removed surgically, other treatments are used in combination with surgery.
• Radiotherapy kills cancerous cells via high-energy X-rays. It’s done as a series of treatments over a few weeks. The most common side effect is hair loss and a sunburn effect around the area of the tumor; severe side effects are rare. Sometimes radiotherapy destroys all the cancer cells. Other times, it just reduces their size enough to allow the animal good health for a long time before the tumor grows again.
• Chemotherapy rarely cures tumors, but it often puts the cancer in remission. It’s typically used for cancer that has spread to other areas and for inoperable tumors. Side effects are less severe than with people.

Special attention to your pet’s nutritional needs helps support your pet’s health. For dogs, Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine n/d has been created specifically to counter the effects of cancer and cancer treatment. The article Nutrition and the Small Animal Cancer Patient has more information on the nutritional needs of cats and dogs with cancer.

Alternative pet cancer treatment

Alternative treatment for cancer in pets may be used to help support the animal’s health while your pet is undergoing conventional treatment, or as a treatment in itself.

• Homeopathic treatments can help stimulate the immune system, prevent and fight cancer, control pain, and prevent side effects from chemotherapy and radiation.
• Nutritional and herbal supplements help your pet’s body fight cancer.

Pet cancer treatment and recovery

Cancer is the leading cause of death in older cats and dogs. However, cancer is sometimes curable, and it is usually treatable. When cancer treatment can’t cure the disease, it can slow its progression and reduce tumor size and related discomfort.

Dogs, cats, and most other pets have much shorter life spans than people do. Treatment that extends the animal’s life by even a year gives a significant increase for an animal with a life expectancy of perhaps 10 to 15 years.

When we provide quality of life along with an increased length of life, we’ve done a lot for our pets.

You’re expecting a baby, and you already have a cat in the family. Your friends and relatives are telling you that you can’t keep your cat when the baby arrives. Do cats smother or suck the breath out of babies? Is it safe for cats and babies to live together?No, the old tales are not true, and yes, it is usually safe for babies and cats to share a home.

Do cats harm babies?

Before Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had a name, babies were sometimes found suddenly dead without an explanation, and a cat might have been in the vicinity. With nothing else to blame, the rumor that cats smother babies circulated. There is no evidence to support this theory, though.

Some cats like to sleep with people, including babies. It’s best not to leave babies or small children alone with cats. The child may unknowingly hurt the cat, and the cat may react with her claws.

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that people can get from the feces of infected animals, is a risk for pregnant women. Chances are that anyone who has lived with cats for some time has already been exposed to it. If you’re pregnant, it’s best to have your partner clean the litter box to reduce your risk of exposure to toxoplasmosis.

Babies from a cat’s point of view

Think of the situation the way your cat sees it. She’s been your baby and may have been getting all the attention, and then this noisy creature that smells funny comes into the home and diverts attention from you. She may feel sibling rivalry, and she may want to cover up those foreign smells.

On the other hand, if your cat continues to get some attention from you or your partner, she’ll feel less deprived. She might regard the baby as a family member that needs her protection.

As long as your cat gets enough attention and is allowed to feel connected with the baby, she will more than likely accept the baby into the family.

Your baby’s room and your cat

If you allow your cat in your baby’s room, consider getting a crib tent, which is a tent-like netting structure that fits over the crib. It prevents babies from climbing or falling out of cribs — and cats from climbing in.

To keep your cat out of the baby’s room entirely, any of these methods stop the cat from entering the baby’s room:

• Always keep the door to the baby’s room closed when the baby is in the room.
• Put a screen door on the baby’s room so that your cat can see what’s happening without being able to go in.
• Place CatScram silent electronic cat repellent at the door to the baby’s room.

In addition, if the baby’s room is on the ground floor and your cat goes outdoors, put a screen on the window so that your cat can’t enter the room through the window if it’s open.

Preparing cats for a baby in the household

Start preparing your cat for a newborn baby before the baby arrives.

• When you’re getting the baby’s room ready for the baby, allow the cat to explore the room. She’ll be less curious about it after the baby arrives if she’s allowed to investigate it beforehand.
• Bring any flea problems under control, and check with your veterinarian to make sure that the flea treatments are safe in a household with a baby. Have your cat dewormed if she has worms.
• Before the mother and baby come home from the hospital, get the newborn baby’s scent on a towel or cloth to be taken home for the cat to smell. Your cat will then recognize the baby’s scent right away when the baby joins the household.

After the baby comes home

Your cat will probably be curious about the new human in her home. Allow her to sniff the baby or at least the blanket that the baby is wrapped in.

You will naturally have less time to spend with your cat when you have a baby to take care of. Ask your partner to give the cat more attention if possible. When you have visitors, encourage them to pet and play with your cat too.

When the baby starts to crawl, keep cat food dishes and the cat’s litter box out of your baby’s sampling reach.

Always supervise the time that your baby and your cat spend together. With the right preparations, though, babies and cats can become friends.

Fido or Fluffy may be lethargic. Or hyperactive. Eating less and gaining weight, or eating more and losing weight. Feeling cold. Feeling hot.The thyroid gland, which sits against the windpipe, could be responsible. Dogs aged two and up are at risk for developing hypothyroidism, a condition resulting from not enough thyroid hormone. Middle-aged and older cats may develop hyperthyroidism, which happens when too much thyroid hormone is produced. An overactive thyroid (hyper-) speeds up the metabolism and body processes, while an under active thyroid (hypo-) forces everything to slow down.

Hyperthyroidism in particular can be fatal if untreated. Treatment for hyperthyroidism reduces the amount of thyroid hormone, and for hypothyroidism, the treatment is to supplement thyroid hormone.

Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism

Thyroid disease can look like some other health problems. Blood tests and a list of your pet’s symptoms will help your veterinarian diagnose the condition. Only a few of these symptoms may be present.

* Interpreting blood test results

T4 (thyroxine, or tetraiodothyronine) and T3 (triiodothyronine) are the main thyroid hormones. The level of one or both of these hormones is low in hypothyroidism and high in hyperthyroidism. Normal ranges for dogs are breed-specific. The normal level of T4 goes down for cats as they age, so a T4 level in the upper part of the normal range may be fine for a younger cat, but too high for an older cat.

TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, drives the thyroid gland to produce more T4 and T3. When it’s high, it’s working overtime to stimulate the thyroid, which indicates hypothyroidism. Often, though, it isn’t high even when hypothyroidism is present. A too-low TSH level means that the thyroid is producing more than enough hormone, and indicates hyperthyroidism.

Hypothyroidism in dogs is often caused by antibodies. Positive levels of antibodies may be present in hypothyroidism.

Your veterinarian will have preferred tests to do for dogs and cats. Sometimes further testing beyond the standard tests is necessary.

Treatment of canine hypothyroidism

Synthetic T4 hormone, given twice daily, is the standard treatment. Common brand names for dogs are Soloxine, Thyro-Tab, and Synthroid. Some dogs may do better on natural, desiccated thyroid containing both the T4 and T3 hormones; a common brand name is Armour.

After treatment is started for hypothyroidism, blood tests should be redone in about six weeks. Watch for symptoms to change. You may see the beginnings of improvement within in a week, while some problems may take months to improve. Treatment is for life.

Treatment of feline hyperthyroidism

Your veterinarian can help you choose between the three standard types of treatment. If your cat has kidney disease, the only option is medication, since the other two treatments may worsen kidney failure and are irreversible.

Look for changes in one to three weeks, and ask your veterinarian when to return for follow-up blood tests.

Radioactive iodine (I-131) treatment

When radioactive iodine is injected into a hyperthyroid cat, it destroys abnormal thyroid tissue, but it doesn’t harm the rest of the body.

Advantages:

• It cures feline hyperthyroidism in 90 percent or more of cases.
• It’s permanent.
• No surgery is required.

Disadvantages:

• Cats must be isolated at a special clinic for about one to two weeks after treatment.
• Cats must be kept away from small children and pregnant women for up to two weeks after they return home, and their litter box contents require special disposal during this period.
• Possible side effects are decreased renal function in cats with kidney disease, and hypothyroidism.
• It’s expensive.

Surgery to remove affected thyroid gland tissue (a thyroidectomy)

Advantages:

• It requires hospitalization for only one day, and not much follow-up care.
• It’s permanent.
• No isolation is required.

Disadvantages:

• It risks damage to the neighboring parathyroid glands.
• Hyperthyroidism may recur even after surgery.
• It’s expensive.

Antithyroid medication

Methimazole (brand name Tapazole) is the usual medication.

Advantages:

• Surgery or separation from your cat isn’t necessary.
• The initial cost isn’t high.
• It comes in pill, liquid, and gel form, so the dose is easy to titrate.

Disadvantages:

• It must be given two or three times daily for the rest of the cat’s life.
• It costs hundreds of dollars a year.
• If the cat has a thyroid tumor (the most common cause of feline hyperthyroidism), the tumor may continue to grow.
• Tapazole occasionally has (sometimes temporary) side effects, such as vomiting and appetite loss. Less common side effects include lethargy, hair loss, liver damage, anemia, bone marrow suppression, and decreased white blood cell counts.

Your role in treating your dog’s or cat’s thyroid condition

Your pets can’t describe how they’re feeling, so you’ll need to do this for them. Know the signs of both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism so that you’ll recognize them if your dog or cat is overtreated or undertreated. Regular blood tests will also help monitor your dog’s or cat’s thyroid condition.

With adequate treatment, you can expect your hypothyroid or hyperthyroid pets to live a normal, healthy life.

It happens on your linoleum floor. Or worse, on your carpet. Your cat has done her litter-box business somewhere other than in the litter box.Why? And what can you do?

Cleanliness

Make sure the litter box is kept clean. Cats are fastidious about cleanliness, and if they have to get dirty to use the litter box, they may choose to relieve themselves elsewhere. Long-haired cats are known to be particularly picky as dirty litter may cling to their hair.

A thick layer of litter makes a litter box harder to clean, and therefore less likely to be cleaned. Provide just enough litter for your cats to bury their urine and feces — no more than an inch or so thick, and less for kittens. Liners may contribute to an odor problem, since cats can puncture liners with their claws, leaving moisture trapped below the liners.

A litter box cover has advantages and disadvantages. As long as the cat can be upright inside the litter box, a cover is usually okay for the cat, and it may give your cat a sense of security and privacy. It also keeps a dirty litter box out of sight. On the other hand, if you don’t see a dirty litter box, you’re less likely to clean it. In addition, the extra task of removing the cover each time to clean the box lengthens the time required for a simple chore.

If you don’t have time to clean the litter box as often as your cat would like, provide your cat with two litter boxes.

Location, location, location

Just as most people don’t like to eat in the bathroom, cats don’t like to eat near their litter boxes. It isn’t sanitary. Also, because the smell or urine can attract enemies in the wild, cats generally avoid urinating too close to where they sleep and play.

Cats like privacy when relieving themselves, and some may avoid a litter box if it’s in a noisy or high-traffic area. Then again, if the litter box is too far out of the way, your cat may not use it for that reason. Cats are territorial, and they might not leave their territory to use a litter box.

Cats with arthritis or other mobility problems may have difficulty walking far when nature calls. Older cats may have a failing bladder that simply doesn’t hold its urine long enough any more. These cats will benefit from having more than one litter box, placed in different locations around the home. It may also help to confine these cats to one area of the home.

Who’s been using that litter box?

Some cats don’t like to share their toilet facilities with other cats. In a multi-cat household, it may be necessary to have one litter box per cat. Some experts recommend having one more litter box than the number of cats in the household.

Type of litter

Litter comes in a variety of types: cedar, clay, recycled newspaper, silica, and others. Your cat may prefer one type of litter over another. Experiment if necessary. Mix the old and new types of litter when changing the type so that your cat can get used to the new litter gradually.

Health and litter box use

Cat bladder and urinary tract conditions have similar symptoms:

• The cat strains to urinate, often producing only a small amount of urine at a time.
• Urination is painful, and the cat may also react in pain from pressure to the abdomen.
• The cat doesn’t always use the litter box to urinate and instead leaves small puddles of urine around the home.
• There may be blood in the cat’s urine.

Both male and female cats can develop these conditions, but they can be more serious for male cats. Urine blockage causes toxins to accumulate in the cat’s bloodstream and is life-threatening. If you suspect a health problem behind your cat’s litter box behavior, take your cat to a veterinarian right away. Immediate medical attention is especially crucial if your cat is unable to pass any urine.

Behavior concerns

If your cat isn’t using the litter box to urinate but otherwise appears to be in good health, the reason for the behavior may be personal — or not. Some people see a cat’s leaving messes around the home as a message to the owner. Has there been a change in the household, such as a new pet or a new person? Has the cat felt neglected? Another line of thought is that cats wouldn’t deliberately mess in their own territory to make a statement, but that the stress of the situation aggravated the health problem that caused the accident.

Either way, punishment is not the answer. Cats don’t associate punishment with past actions. If the action was deliberate, extra attention will help, and if it wasn’t, the health concerns need your attention.

Cleaning up the act

After a cat has urinated on your carpet, floor, or furniture, she’ll associate the smell of urine with the place to urinate. Completely eliminating the smell will remove this association. Petrotech Odor Eliminator removes urine and fecal odors immediately, and it’s environmentally friendly. For particularly strong or stubborn odors, Odor Destroyer (liquid or dry formula) is recommended.

Preventing future litter box incidents

• Keep the litter box clean.
• Provide more than one litter box if necessary.
• Experiment with types of cat litter and with litter box locations.
• Have your veterinarian check and treat your cat for any health problems.
• Remove messes and odors thoroughly.

They didn’t have — or need — toothbrushes. For the ancestors of our dogs and cats, chewing through bone and skin of wild prey accomplished the same purpose. Unlike their wild ancestors, though, domesticated dogs and cats generally eat food that’s gentle on their teeth and gums. Without the workout that the teeth and gums need, dental problems typically develop after the first few years of life.

What causes dental problems in dogs and cats?

As with human teeth, plaque is the enemy. Plaque hardens and becomes tartar, which builds up and creeps below the gum line. It can cause tooth decay and loss, abscesses, and infection.

The dangers are not limited to the teeth and gums. If the condition is left untreated, infection can spread via the bloodstream throughout your pet’s body. Kidney, liver, lung, and heart problems, for example, may originate in your pet’s diseased gums.

Signs that your pet has dental problems

Your dog or cat:

• Has bad breath (often a sign of gingivitis or gum disease) *
• Chews on one side of the mouth
• Appears to be in pain when eating or drinking
• Hesitates to eat even when hungry

* Other health conditions can also cause bad breath, such as kidney disease, which can result from untreated gum disease.

Preventive dental care for dogs and cats

Diet

Dry food may help scrub away developing plaque, but dry food itself won’t prevent or remove plaque. Some commercially-available tartar control diets may help more, as well as tartar control biscuits for dogs and dental chew biscuits for cats. These products necessitate more vigorous chewing action for your pets, similar to how their ancestors chewed when they caught their prey.

The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) has a list of food products that help control dog and cat periodontal disease at the VOHC website.

Teeth cleaning

Toothbrushes and toothpaste for dogs and cats? Yes — but the toothpaste flavor is more likely to be poultry than mint.

Some pet toothbrushes fit over your fingers, while others have handles and bristles like toothbrushes for people. Pet toothpaste is safe for your dog or cat to swallow. (Do not use toothpaste intended for humans for your pet.)

Cleaning your dog’s or cat’s teeth twice a week or more may help extend your pet’s life. For instructions on how to brush your pet’s teeth, see these articles at placervillevet.com:

• How to Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
• How to Brush Your Cat’s Teeth

Dental examinations

Your veterinarian will examine your pet’s teeth during annual checkups, but you can check your dog’s or cat’s teeth yourself between checkups.

• Teeth: look for yellow and brown accumulations of tartar.
• Gums: see if the gums are a healthy pink, or red, which indicates inflammation.

Tartar removal

Even with regular tooth brushing, your dog or cat will probably still have some tartar build-up, especially in hard-to-reach areas. Your veterinarian can do a thorough dental cleaning with your pet under anesthetic. With regular brushing, your pet’s teeth will need veterinary care less often, but professional teeth cleaning will still probably still be necessary at least every few years.

Fluffy and Fido are scratching, shaking, and rubbing their heads and ears. It looks like ear mites…or ear infections. Both are common with cats and dogs, but how can you tell the difference, and what can you do about the problem?

Identifying your dog’s or cat’s ear problem

Commons signs of an ear problem:

• Ear scratching and rubbing
• Redness or scabs around the ears
• Frequent head shaking or tilting
• Pain when you touch the dog’s or cat’s ears
• A bad odor coming from the ears

Ear mites are more common with cats, particularly young cats and kittens, but mites live on dogs too. Ear mites produce dark-colored wax and dried blood — look for dark specks resembling coffee grounds in your pet’s ears. Mites can also live on other parts of an animal’s body. When mites feed on the skin surface, inflammation results. This can cause infections and possibly even ruptured eardrums and hearing loss if left untreated.

Bacteria, yeast, allergic reactions, wax build-up, foreign objects, and matted ear hair are other causes of ear infections. Less commonly, a polyp (tumor) or drainage problem may be the cause. Ear infections from causes other than ear mites are more common in dogs than in cats. Wax from infections and allergies is often a lighter color; head tilting and balance difficulties may indicate a middle ear infection.

Dogs with long, floppy ears are more prone to ear mites and ear infections than are dogs with straight ears. Floppy ears decrease ventilation.

When you suspect ear mites or an ear infection, have your veterinarian examine your pet to diagnose the problem. Your veterinarian will observe the type of ear discharge and check to see if a middle or inner ear infection is present.

Treating ear mites

Your veterinarian will clean out the debris in your cat’s or dog’s ears. The usual treatment after the ear cleaning is with ear drops that kill the mites and prevent secondary infections. Treatment needs to be continued for at least three to four weeks to kill developing as well as adult mites. Even if you see evidence of mites in only one ear, treat both ears — mites can travel.

Ear mites can live on other parts of your pet’s body, not just in the ears. In addition, ear mites can spread to other cats and dogs in your household, as well as to rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, and other mammals. While they don’t live on humans, you may find them on your skin after handling your pet, or they may hitch a ride on you on the way to another animal. If one animal in your household has ear mites, it’s a good idea to assume that others do too, and to treat the pets and living areas accordingly.

Many commercial flea and tick products kill mites. In addition, some commercial products are designed specifically to eliminate ear mites. However, these ingredients may contain insecticides.See “Are Topical Flea Treatments Safe?” for concerns about using insecticides on pets. The alternative methods suggested in that article will help eliminate your home’s mite population as well as any fleas.

The ear drops that your veterinarian provides may also contain insecticides. However, oil-based home remedies can kill mites by covering their breathing pores, and most of them are non-toxic. Dr. William Pollak, DVM, recommends a mixture of one-half ounce of almond oil or olive oil and 400 IU of Vitamin E to start, followed by diluted tincture of yellow dock (a herb). See Dr. Pollack’s article “Natural Treatment for Ear Mites” (in PDF format) for specifics on this treatment. Avoid tea tree oil — it can be toxic for humans, dogs, and especially cats. Some animals appear to be more sensitive to it than others. If you do use it, dilute it with other oils.

Home remedies can eliminate ear mites, but antibiotics are needed to treat any secondary ear infections. Corticosteroid drugs can help relieve the itching until the mites are gone.

Treating ear infections

Your veterinarian will clean the debris from your pet’s ears. Sedation may be required for this step, and in severe cases, surgery. Medication may be necessary, and you may need to clean your pet’s ears daily until the infection is gone. Your veterinarian can show you how to clean your pet’s ears properly. During this time, you should prevent water from going in the pet’s ears.

Regular disinfecting ear washes can help dogs with chronic ear infections. Avoid vinegar, which can irritate the ears, and cotton swabs, which can push ear discharge and infection into the ear canal.

If the infection persists despite treatment, or recurs, look for causes of infection. A blood test, for example, can determine if your dog or cat has any allergies. Animals with diabetes, a suppressed immune system, an autoimmune disease, or thyroid disease are more susceptible to infections.

A final word

Have your veterinarian diagnose your dog or cat at the first indication of ear problems. Even if you use home-based remedies, you want to be sure that you’re treating the right condition. An untreated infection can lead to more serious problems, and some symptoms of ear mites and ear infections can also be symptoms of other conditions. Detecting the problem and starting treatment early gives your cat or dog the best chance of a fast and easy recovery.