All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

How to give pills to the world’s most suspicious dogs

Veterinary Medicine

Is your dog the equivalent of a champion bomb sniffing dog when it comes to sniffing out pills hidden in pill pockets, cheese, peanut butter, hot dogs, or other treats?

I have one of those dogs, our 16-pound “canine cocktail” Quixote. Here are some of the tricks this veterinarian has used to outsmart this super-suspicious, super-finicky dog when it comes to time to give him a pill:

1. Sleight of nose. Put a pill into a pill pocket or other wrap, like peanut butter, a piece of hot dog, or soft cheese, with the fingers of one hand, and then close the pill pocket with the fingers of the other hand.  That way there is no  medication smell on the outside of the pill pocket.

2. The pet med version of Three-Card Monte. This is a medication game of deception. Which of the three pill pockets/soft wraps contains the medicine? Start with a pill pocket or treat ball that has no pills inside. This one is called “The Promise.” Down the hatch! The second one contains the meds, and is referred to as “The Deed.” A little more tentatively, but it’s swallowed. Then, as fast as possible, give your dog “The Chaser,” also free of medication. Boom. Gone! And trust restored.

3. Keep ’em guessing. To make the Three-Pill Monte trick even better, occasionally mix up the order of which pill pocket or treat ball contains the pill. Occasionally just give a pill pocket at random times during the day, and occasionally just give one that has the pills, but do so in a different place than where you normally offer them.

And don’t feel bad about “tricking” them — it’s better than the alternatives!

When you can’t look in your pet’s mouth

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

What does it mean when your pet doesn’t want you to look in his mouth? And what should you do about it?

My Pet Connection writing partner, Kim Thornton, had this serious problem with her dog Keeper recently:

Keeper did not want me to even lift his lip to look at his teeth, and his breath was terrible. It had been only six months since his last dental exam and cleaning, but clearly something was wrong.

Turns out that not only did he have an abscessed tooth, but dental X-rays also showed a large amount of bone resorption, a bone remodeling process that invades the tooth structure. It’s normal when it involves the loss of baby or puppy teeth, but veterinarians are seeing it more often in the permanent teeth of dogs. Keeper had to have three teeth removed.

Keeper’s experience is just one of the reasons that veterinarians are adding dental X-rays to the professional cleaning process. His veterinarian, Gershon L. Alaluf, DVM, explains: “When you look at a dog’s teeth and see tartar, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It doesn’t tell you what’s going on underneath the gumline. Usually there’s infection, and on dental X-rays we can see pockets of infection, plus root resorption and bone resorption.”

Read the rest of the story, more about pet dental health, getting senior pets in and out of the car, and more, in this week’s Pet Connection!

Helping the dogs of the lonely hearts club

This and That

Dog faceDoes your dog grieve or freak out when you leave him alone?

It would be great if our dogs could go everywhere with us, but the reality is we all have a million things that demand our attention in places they can’t go.  For dogs who have separation anxiety, this can mean the lonely pup barks all day or chews and destroys your house.

You can help your dog handle the time by himself with a few strategies that will teach him that being alone isn’t the end of the world!

  • Dogs sleep after they eat, so feed him his largest meal of the day before you leave the house.
  • Give him a special chew toy packed with some goodies that he only gets to use during his alone time.
  • Don’t overdo your hellos and goodbyes — he’ll never learn that the in-and-out is no big deal if you make a production out of every time you’re away from house.

Remember, if your dog does destroy something when you’re out, don’t punish him!  He won’t connect his behavior with his punishment and will only become more stressed and anxious.

How to feed your pet’s brain

Veterinary Medicine

Can a special diet improve your dog or cat’s brain function as he ages?

According to studies published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2010 and 2012, nutrients called medium-chain triglycerides as well as nutrient blends containing fish oil, B vitamins, antioxidants and arginine can provide an energy boost to the brain. The studies showed that adding them to foods helped support and maintain brain function in the areas of memory, social interaction, and learning ability.

To get a handle on how the researchers came to their conclusions, I spoke to lead author and senior research scientist Yuanlong Pan at Nestle Research Center in St. Louis, Missouri, and Janet Jackson, vice president and director at Nestle Purina PetCare Nutrition Research.

The brain needs a constant supply of energy to function effectively. Pan says the brain’s ability to use glucose — which it needs to power all those brain cells — declines with age. In humans and animals, learning and memory ability start to deteriorate around middle age. I can sure testify to that!

In dogs, the researchers found that medium-chain triglycerides, which are found in botanical oils such as coconut oil, were easily metabolized and used by the brain cells.

For cats, the nutrient blend used ingredients that were thought to reduce or eliminate the risk factors associated with brain aging and dementia. Arginine, an essential amino acid, helps with blood flow; omega-3s provide DHA and reduce inflammation; antioxidants contribute to healthy cell membranes; and B vitamins aid metabolism, Jackson says.

To test whether the substances really helped, dogs and cats were evaluated on such things as short-term memory and ability to use a landmark to find a treat. They found the dogs supplemented with MCTs and the cats supplemented with the nutrient blend had significantly better performance than those in the control group.

“We’ve done work with pet owners, and to see those visible changes that occur in [pets’] attention span, in their memory, their activity, that’s been very rewarding,” Jackson says.

If you’re concerned about cognitive decline as your pet enters middle age or the senior years, ask your veterinarian about foods formulated to support brain function. You may find yourself living with a pet who has a renewed love of life!

Tell me: Would you feed your dog or cat a food that would enhance his brain health?

How to stop those surprise cat attacks

Veterinary Medicine

Grey Tabby Cat Hiding Under QuiltDoes this sound familiar?  You think you’re having a nice, quiet moment with your cat when he suddenly turns and bites the hand that’s petting him.

Cat owners are all too familiar with fending off half-powered surprise attacks from our feline friends during cuddle sessions, but why do they pounce and what should you do about it?

If your kitty grabs you while you’re calmly petting him, he’s probably overstimulated.  He lashes out when he wants the attention to stop.  The best way to handle this is to stop the attack before it happens.

Be aware of your cat’s body language.  It might seem like he swats at you without warning, but watch his tail carefully.  If the tail is twitching in a jerky fashion, it’s time to stop petting him!  Give him space, and resume petting after he calms down.

Once he’s already gotten those sharp kitty claws around your hand, the best thing to do is freeze.  Don’t pull your hand back or struggle.  That might trigger your cat’s hunting instinct and provoke a real bite.  Usually, the cat will lose interest and release you in a moment.  You can also try smacking your free hand on a hard surface, like a tabletop.  The sound can startle him into breaking off the attack.

If you work within your cat’s tolerance levels and try to reduce triggers, you can keep your hands free from claw marks!