All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

Do dogs really need special shampoo?

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

A reader was looking for mild alternatives to canine-formula shampoos for her dog. Here’s what I had to say.

Q: Is it OK to use Dawn dishwashing detergent to bathe my dog? What about baby shampoo? I want to use something mild.

A: We turned to a couple of coat and skin experts to find the answer. Amelia White is a veterinary dermatologist at Alabama’s Auburn University, and Julie Ellingson is a professional dog groomer in Sacramento, California.

Dawn has a reputation for being effective because we often hear about it being used to remove crude oil from water birds after oil spills. But there’s a big difference between crude oil and the oil and dirt on your dog’s skin. Dawn isn’t made for use on dogs, and it’s too harsh for their skin — which is thinner than our own, Ellingson says. Besides being harsh, it can cause other problems, she adds.

“I have seen more than a few ulcerated eyes in dogs from people using Dawn to strip out greasy ears. The dog shakes and the soap gets in the eyes and burns them. It’s not worth the risk.”

Baby shampoo, while gentle for babies, isn’t made for a dog’s skin, either. “The pH, or acidity, of baby skin is different than dogs’,” Dr. White says. “If you bathe dogs with human-grade shampoos, that can make them have increased scaling, or what people call dandruff.”

That’s because baby shampoo changes the pH in canine skin and makes their skin cells slough off faster than they’re supposed to, which looks like dandruff. Then you think, “Oh, no, they’re dirty,” and you bathe them more frequently, exacerbating the problem.

What should you use? There are many good, mild and effective shampoos made specifically for dogs. “Choose a dog shampoo, something that is gentle and cleansing, preferably something that is oatmeal-based,” Dr. White says.

There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.

Human pain meds for pets?

Veterinary Medicine

You can create a lot of problems giving human medications to your pets, even one as simple as an aspirin. Here’s the risk as I explained it to a reader who asked about her pet’s arthritis pain.

Q: My pet is a little achy from arthritis. Is it OK to give her aspirin?

A: Back in the day, veterinarians might sometimes recommend giving an arthritic pet a small dose of aspirin. But that was a long time ago, and now we have a number of pain medications, nutraceuticals and other ways of managing pain that are much better suited to the needs of our dogs and cats.

But why can’t you just give aspirin if that’s what you have on hand? For the skinny, I asked my colleague, pet pain expert Michael Petty, DVM.

While aspirin might seem to help with pet pain, it can cause problems in both dogs and cats and should not be given. One of those problems is stomach ulcers.

“Stomach ulcers are the largest concern we have, and should your pet get an ulcer, it may cost thousands of dollars to treat this life-threatening concern,” Dr. Petty says. “One dog study using an endoscope to look at the stomach lining after aspirin administration showed that there was inflammation present just one hour after a single dose of aspirin. Another study showed that aspirin given to dogs actually hastened the degradation of cartilage.” In other words, it may have helped with the pain initially, but in the long run, it made the pain worse.

Instead of giving aspirin, talk to your veterinarian about the best ways to manage your pet’s pain. Losing weight can be a start. Just relieving the pressure on those joints can do a lot for a pet’s well-being.

Dogs and cats can benefit from injections of a joint supplement called Adequan. Acupuncture, cold laser, hydrotherapy and massage are other options. And there are pet-specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications your veterinarian can prescribe to help relieve arthritis pain.

There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.

Kitten wrapped in a towel after a bath

Why you should bathe your kitten – even if she doesn’t ‘need’ it

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

Whether cats “need” to be routinely bathed or not is an open question, but because a bath may be medically necessary at some point in their lives, every cat should be accustomed to bathing. Here’s how I explained it to a reader asking about her new kitten.

Q: I just got a kitten, and she’s allowed on my furniture and bed. She stays indoors, but should I be bathing her regularly to help keep down fur and dander?

A: It depends on who you ask. Many veterinarians, including veterinary dermatologist Amelia White at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in Alabama, believe that cats do a fine job of grooming themselves. “As long as your cat is grooming a normal amount, and the haircoat is staying clean and not getting matted, and there’s no fecal material or urine in it, then the cat should not need to be bathed,” she says. Exceptions are hairless cats such as Sphynx, who require regular baths to remove excess oil from their skin, she adds.

I do think that it’s a good idea for cats to be familiar with being bathed, because at some point in their nine lives, they may need regular baths.

For instance, cats with skin conditions may require medicated baths. A bath is also important if a cat has been exposed to a toxic substance. Often, a bath is the most effective way to remove harmful chemicals from the coat. And cats who go outdoors may get into sticky stuff, such as chewing gum, tree sap or tar.

Senior cats may have put on some pounds over the years or developed arthritis, both of which can make it difficult for them to groom themselves thoroughly.

“If cats are not grooming themselves, that could indicate that they’re not feeling well, and they should be examined by a veterinarian,” Dr. White says.

I always recommend that people with new kittens accustom them to baths from the beginning. If you get them used to it at an early age, you’ll have a sweeter-smelling cat and a cleaner home.

There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.

Young Latina woman with cat

Allergic to cats? New food may help

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

Is there really a pet food that can reduce human allergies to cats? How would it work if there is? And is it available? That’s what a reader wanted to know; here’s my response.

Q: I heard about a new food for cats that will reduce human allergies to them. Is that really available?

A: The short answer is that a product like that is in the works and may be available within the year. That’s huge for people who love cats but are allergic to them, as well as for cats in shelters who need homes.

Cats are the most common cause of animal-origin allergies in humans. What causes the allergy is a protein called Fel d1 that’s produced by cats and found in their saliva; anal and sebaceous glands; skin; and fur. It’s often said that certain cat breeds are hypoallergenic, but the truth is that all cats produce Fel d1 to varying degrees. The amount they produce depends on hormonal status and has nothing to do with breed or fur color or length.

The Purina Institute sought to find ways to manage cat allergens and reduce the numbers of cats given up to shelters by allergic people. Researchers didn’t want to knock out Fel d1 because right now, its purpose is unknown. It could turn out to be important to feline health.

Instead, they looked at ways to prevent the allergen from interacting with Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies produced by the human immune system when it reacts to an allergen. The solution was an antibody in food that would bind Fel d1 in cat saliva and neutralize the allergen at the source.

The product has been tested for safety in cats and efficacy in humans in double-blinded crossover studies with good results.

Most people with allergies are allergic to multiple things. Even if the food doesn’t completely eliminate their allergy to cats, it may reduce it enough to help them stay below the threshold that causes their allergies to flare.

There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.

Here are the best ingredients for cat foods

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

There’s a lot of confusion about how best to feed your cat. Here’s what I told a reader.

Q: What are the best ingredients for cat foods? I’ve read different opinions, and I’m confused. All protein — or some grains?

A: Good question. I asked cat nutrition expert Tony Buffington, DVM, to weigh in. Cats are what biologists call “obligate carnivores” or “hypercarnivores.” That means that to survive, they need to get nutrients from animal tissue or synthetic sources in their diet, thanks to a lack of some enzymes needed to produce them. Cats can’t make the essential amino acids arginine and taurine; vitamins A, D and niacin; or certain essential fatty acids.

But cats can’t survive on “all protein” diets. According to a recent study, when fed diets of similar palatability, cats seemed to prefer diets containing about 30% of calories as protein, 27% as fat and 43% as carbohydrates.

Cats can digest and absorb carbohydrates from grains that are properly processed and cooked, and they may get some benefits from them. The body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which provides energy to the brain, red blood cells and other tissues and organs. Fiber from plant carbohydrates can help to give a feeling of fullness and help the gastrointestinal tract work more effectively.

The bottom line is that there’s a lot of debate about the appropriate amount of carbohydrates in cat food, and we don’t really know how much is optimal. Factors that may affect the appropriate level of carbohydrate intake for an individual cat include age, whether the cat is spayed or neutered or lives indoors or outdoors.

The best thing you can do is to choose a commercial food with a statement on the label saying that the diet is complete and balanced for a particular life stage — such as kitten or adult — and has passed animal feeding trials for cats. If you prefer a homemade diet, be sure it has been appropriately formulated by a boarded veterinary nutritionist and that you prepare it carefully in accordance with the recipe.

There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.