All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

What’s behind your bird’s bald spots?

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

There’s no one-size-fits-all answers to feather loss in birds, as I explained to this reader:

Q: My African grey parrot is losing his feathers, and my veterinarian wants to run lab tests. I thought feather-plucking was a behavioral problem. What can lab tests tell us?

A: Feather-destructive disorder is a common and complex problem in birds. Among the species in which we typically see it are cockatoos, African greys, macaws, conures, cockatiels and lovebirds.

It’s normal for birds to preen, or groom, their feathers to remove dirt or parasites, but when they start chewing the feathers, pulling them out altogether or even mutilating their bodies, the cause can be medical, behavioral or a combination of the two.

Underlying medical causes of feather-plucking can include inflammatory skin disease, low levels of thyroid hormones, liver or kidney disorders or tumors, to name just a few. Among the possible environmental causes are low humidity, poor lighting or changes in the bird’s routine. Behavioral causes include boredom, anxiety and frustration. Sometimes the condition can have multiple causes. Because of this, diagnosing it can be a challenge.

A thorough medical history and, ideally, an environmental and behavioral evaluation are the foundation of a diagnosis, but a complete blood count, chemistry profile, screening for infectious disease, bacterial and fungal cultures, fecal exam and skin and feather follicle biopsies can all provide valuable information.

Treatment takes time and patience, and it may not lead to a complete cure. Depending on the cause, medication can help to reduce inflammation, itchiness and anxiety. Even if the cause is medical, enriching the bird’s environment with interesting toys, opportunities to climb or fly and foods that require the bird to work to get at them is a valuable component of treatment.

Read more, including about people who met and fell in love because of their pets, in the Pet Connection!

This is why veterinary diagnostics aren’t a waste of money

Veterinary Medicine,

I think every veterinarian who is in the public eye gets these types of emails all the time: the ones that ask for our help, but when we give our expert opinion that the pet needs some tests run, respond that we’re just trying to rip them off.

How exactly I can be ripping them off by suggesting they get tests done by their own veterinarian is a mystery to me, but it happens all the time.

How, I understand some pet owners who write to me are willing to get diagnostic tests but can’t afford them. I try my best to connect them with resources to assist, and I never judge those owners, who often don’t have enough to keep themselves warm in the winter, let alone to pay for expensive veterinary care. If I can help (which I can’t always), I do.

But some people are just bound and determined to resist getting diagnostic tests done, and seem to think we should be able to diagnose their pets with x-ray vision and psychic superpowers — preferably for free. This post is for you, even though it’s not about one of you!

No, this is about the third and largest category of pet owner who writes to me, who is confused by the information they’ve received about their pet, and not sure what to do next. Sometimes they’ve lost faith in their veterinarian, sometimes their veterinarian has confessed herself stumped. Whatever the reason, they turn to me for information.

I can’t even begin to answer all such emails I get, but I try to help when I can. And usually, I send my replies off into the universe and never know if they helped, or how the pet did. It can be a little demoralizing!

And then comes an email like the one I got a couple of months ago.

It all began when the owner of a senior miniature Poodle wrote because he was experiencing digestive problems and refusing to drink — so much so he was suffering from dehydration.

I asked what exams and tests had been done, and learned he’d had regular care, but this seemed to be a case where her vet waws stumped. I also found out her dog was currently in the local veterinary emergency hospital. His owner wanted to know what to do next.

I suggested she contact a nearby veterinary teaching hospital, which she said she’d do.

And then I heard nothing for 11 months, until at the very end of last year, I got this email (used here with her permission, and all identifying information removed):

It has been nearly a year since I first contacted you with concerns about my miniature Poodle. I wanted to give you an update as it has been a pretty eventful year.

I finally had an ultrasound done at my regular vet in May and they discovered a mass on his adrenal gland. They referred me to NC State Veterinary school. They were surprised at how active he was for being 13 years old. They determined that the mass was an invasive one and an adrenalectomy was his best chance.

The first week of June he went in for the surgery. The mass was a Pheochromacytoma that had completely taken over his left adrenal gland. During surgery they found another mass, which they removed but determined it was just a benign fatty tumor. He stayed two days and did so well in recovery he was able to come home!

Since then he has been fantastic. He learned to like his water fountain and no longer drinks from the tub. He has only had two colitis flare ups in the past 6 months, much fewer than any other time. He is an active, healthy, happy little guy and I am much less stressed. He is still on z/d food and I bake his wet food to make treats. I use the dry food in a couple of puzzle balls that keep him busy while I am at work. I am so happy that he is doing so well.

Thank you for your advice and well wishes!

There are two takeaways I hope you, well, take away from this!

One, if you can, seek help from a veterinary teaching hospital sooner rather than later, and don’t dismiss the value of diagnostic testing.

Two, if you ask me for help and I offer it, please let me know how your pet did? This email made my month!

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Cavalier King Charles spaniel

What you need to know about seizures in dogs

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

Knowing what a seizure looks like, what to do if you think your dog has had one, and what other diseases can mimic seizures may save your dog’s life! Here’s what I told a reader:

Q: I found my 14-year-old dog trembling as if she were having a seizure. As far as I know, she doesn’t have epilepsy, but she does take medication for mitral valve disease. Should I be concerned?

A: Seizures, sometimes referred to as convulsions or fits, are a common reason that owners bring dogs and cats to the veterinarian. They result from uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, and they may cause signs such as loss of consciousness, trembling or shaking, drooling, vomiting, urination or defecation.

One cause of seizures is epilepsy, a chronic neurologic condition. It’s the most common chronic disorder of the nervous system veterinarians see in dogs and is often manageable with medication.

Dogs or cats with epilepsy have recurring seizures. Often, we don’t know why pets develop epilepsy. Some forms of the disease appear to be heritable in certain dog breeds, including Australian shepherds, beagles, Belgian Tervuren, Bernese mountain dogs, border collies, boxers, cocker spaniels, English springer spaniels, German shepherd dogs, golden retrievers, Irish setters, Irish wolfhounds, keeshonden, Labrador retrievers, Shetland sheepdogs, standard poodles and vizslas.

Not everything that looks like a seizure is a true seizure, though. Conditions that can cause signs resembling seizures include syncope, a temporary loss of consciousness — like a faint — that can have a number of causes; vestibular disease, a sudden disturbance of balance that’s not uncommon in older dogs; narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that’s seen in Doberman pinschers, Labrador retrievers, miniature poodles and other breeds; and certain behavioral disorders.

If you note a recurrence, a medical history, veterinary exam and certain lab tests can help to determine whether your dog is having a seizure or some other problem. Always take your pet to the veterinarian if a seizure lasts for more than five minutes: That’s a real emergency.

All this and more in this week’s Pet Connection!

Fluffy Cat Plays With A Toy.

15 easy ways to enrich your indoor cat’s life!

This and That

I was at a chain pet store the other day and watched people crowding around the cat treat and toy sections. It got me to thinking about all the ways you can enhance your cat’s life for minute or a month. Here are my top 15:

  1. Drop a few frozen ice cubes of tuna juice into the cat’s water bowl.
  2. Buy your cat a water fountain.
  3. Rub a piece of bacon or cheese along a baseboard.
  4. Keep the curtains open in a part of the house that offers a new view.
  5. Get a small aquarium (one with a secure lid!).
  6. Place a mirror on the floor.
  7. Get a new feather toy for the teaser wand.
  8. Go to a garage sale and get a used children’s mobile and place it where the cat can see but not touch.
  9. Take your cat’s food and place it on dishes or plastic lids around the house so they go on a treasure hunt.
  10. Get food puzzles or feed-dispensing devices and use to feed instead of just placing food in a bowl.
  11. Buy your cat a CD of calming music — I recommend Through A Cat’s Ear.
  12. Hide a new toy around the house every month.
  13. Grow some catnip in your garden so kitty always has fresh “Meowi Wowi!”
  14. Grow some wheatgrass in a window where kitty can graze.
  15. Give your cat the gift of physical touch. Spots that cats love include the base of the chin, ears and tail.

Now, how about your tips?

Holistic remedies using essential oils are a danger to your pets

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine,

Do you use essential oils? They can be damaging or outright deadly if they’re used around pets. Even inhaling essential oils can cause your pet to become seriously ill! Here’s how I responded to a reader’s question about essential oils:

Q: I’ve been using an essential oil diffuser in my home, and I’m wondering if the oils are safe for use around my pets. Can inhaling the scents harm them? What about topical use?

A: Essential oils are extracted from plants, usually by distilling flowers, leaves, wood, bark, roots, seeds or peel. Some people use them medicinally, by inhaling them or applying them to the skin.

Pet owners who are interested in holistic remedies sometimes use essential oils to fight flea infestations or soothe hot spots or other skin conditions. It’s important to use these oils cautiously around pets, however. They are powerful and can be toxic or even fatal if misused. Cats are especially at risk because their livers aren’t able to metabolize certain drugs and toxins, including essential oils such as melaleuca (tea tree oil), pennyroyal, D-limonene and linalool.

According to my colleague Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM, a toxicology specialist who spoke on this subject at a veterinary conference, the most common signs seen in pets who have essential oils applied to the skin are loss of coordination, muscle weakness, depression and behavior changes. Small dogs have become temporarily paralyzed when owners applied melaleuca oil down the spine as a topical flea treatment. Cats improperly exposed to the oils can develop liver failure. Pets who lick or ingest the oils may vomit or have diarrhea or suffer mouth burns. Inhaling the oils can not only irritate your pet’s sensitive nose, but can also cause aspiration pneumonia. Pet birds have an extremely delicate respiratory tract, and you should never use scent diffusers or scented candles in their presence.

In essence, it’s important to be careful when using these products. Never let pets lick them off your skin, and always check with your veterinarian before using essential oils on or around your pets.

All this and more in my weekly Pet Connection newspaper feature!