All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

The real reason cats’ eyes shine in the darkness

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

Among the many mysteries of the cat is that their eyes gleam in the darkness. A reader asks why that is. Here’s what I answered.

Q: Why do my cat’s eyes glow in the dark?

A: The ancient Egyptians had a theory about that. They believed that a cat’s eyes reflected the sun, even at night when the solar orb was out of sight. I love that inspiring theory, but modern science has given it a thumbs-down. What we do know is pretty fascinating, though.

Cats have some neat evolutionary adaptations, especially when it comes to their eyesight. They can see in conditions that are more than five times dimmer than what even the sharpest-eyed human needs to spot something in the dark.

A layer of specialized tissue called the tapetum lucidum (Latin for “bright tapestry”) is what sparks that glow. Located behind the retina (the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye), it converts light into electrical impulses that then travel to the brain. The job of the tapetum lucidum is to capture all the light that doesn’t enter the retina directly and reflect it back in, so that even tiny amounts of light are processed. When light strikes your cat’s eyes in a darkened room, you see that glow, also known as “eyeshine.”

The tapetum lucidum puts night-vision goggles to shame and is what makes cats such brilliant twilight hunters. Two other factors contribute to the cat’s night eyesight. One is his ability to dilate his pupils (they can become three times the size of the pupil of a human eye!). The other is his large cornea, which is the eye’s outermost lens — that clear, curved part of the eyeball in front of the pupil. It’s easy to see why a night-roaming mouse had better beware.

Interestingly, cats with green or yellow eyes tend to have a greenish glow, while cats with blue eyes tend to have a reddish glow.

Read more, including a caution about medical marijuana for pets, in this week’s Pet Connection!

The Tale of Ol’ One Nut: The life of a cryptorchid dog

Veterinary Medicine

I’m a huge fan of asking people the genesis of a pet’s name. A few of my favorites over the years:

Brother. The three girls in the family adopted a male puppy from the shelter. Having always wanted a brother, now they had one.

F.L.E.A. Not named for the blood sucking back biter but for the important role this dog played in a vulnerable college girl’s life. Stands for Faithful, Loving, Exceptional Animal.

11:30. A cat not quite dark enough to be called “Midnight.”

While the three names above required an explanation, I don’t think the male hound dog named “One Nut” really requires the brightest bulb to crack the code. A male dog who has one or both testicles that are not in the scrotum is called a cryptorchid. Other descriptions include retained testicles or undescended testicles. Humor aside, this condition is serious, and a cause for concern and action.

When a puppy is born, the testicles are in the North 40 or the dog’s abdomen, clear up by the kidneys. As the pup ages, the testicles follow a path to the empty scrotum, unless there is a genetic or developmental disorder and one of both end up in the abdomen or just under the skin before the scrotum (called an inguinal cryptorchid). For the medical record, “One Nut’s” nut was out of sight in the abdomen and could not be palpated (felt).

You might think, what does the dog need two testicles for anyway? Isn’t one enough, or is it going to be too expensive to do a cryptorchid surgery and we’ll just leave the little ball of fun that took a detour?

An undescended testicle can cause a range of conditions ranging from testicular torsion (the testicle free floats in the abdomen and can twist on itself; think of a water balloon that you keep spinning, wrapping the cord tighter and tighter; need I say more…ouch!) which is rare, or worst of all, a dramatically increased risk for testicular cancer (normal testicles are in a sack outside of the abdomen so that they stay at a lower temperature; the higher abdominal temperatue is believed to increase the cancer risk).

Because of the health risks and because cryptorchidism is usually a genetic condition and could be passed on, veterinarians recommend the removal of both testicles, which obviously means he’ll be removed from the breeding population.

Yes, dogs still get distemper

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

A reader wondered if distemper is still a threat to dogs. It killed three of our QT Pi Becker’s littermates, and nearly killed him. Here’s what I told her.

Q: Does my dog really need a distemper vaccination? Dogs don’t really get that anymore, do they?

A: Distemper used to be the No. 1 killer of dogs. It may not be as common as it was in the bad old days before a vaccine was developed, but it definitely still exists. So far this year, there have been distemper outbreaks in shelters in California, Tennessee, Maryland and Missouri. My own little QT Pi is a distemper survivor from a shelter.

There’s good reason for distemper being one of the core vaccines all dogs should receive. More than half the adult dogs who get distemper die; in puppies who get the disease, the death rate can be as high as 80 percent. When we see distemper, it’s usually in dogs who haven’t been vaccinated.

Signs of distemper include fever, listlessness, eye and nasal discharge, a dry cough, vomiting, diarrhea and neurological signs. Even if a dog survives distemper, his nervous system and senses of sight, smell and hearing can be irreparably damaged. Some dogs survive distemper but are partially or totally paralyzed. A weakened immune system makes them more susceptible to pneumonia.

Another important reason for vaccinating dogs is that the distemper virus is highly contagious. It’s usually transmitted through contact with an infected dog’s mucus, watery secretions from the eyes or nose, urine or feces. It can also be airborne or carried on the bottoms of shoes. Wild canines such as coyotes or foxes can spread the distemper virus. A healthy but unvaccinated dog can contract distemper without ever coming in physical contact with an infected animal.

Puppies and young adult dogs are most susceptible to infection, but it’s not unheard of for older dogs to become infected. Most cases occur in young puppies who are 2 to 4 months old. The younger they are, the more severe the disease.

Read more, including the lowdown on pet insurance, in this week’s Pet Connection!

This little puppy tumbles as he travels – and he needs your help to find a home!

News

Who doesn’t love a puppy’s clumsy, tumbling attempts to learn how to walk and make his legs all work together? Could you love a little guy who will be like that forever?

Petey was found abandoned in a box when he was just a tiny baby. He came to the Sacramento SPCA in California as a very sick little puppy. He was cold, emaciated, and unable to walk.

Thanks to the lifesaving care he received from the shelter he survived, and went into a foster home to grow up until he was old enough to be adopted. He’s four months old now, has gotten bigger, and is healthy and strong. He’s loving and lovable, a delight to be around, always wanting to play and have his tummy rubbed.

But Petey has a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia, and he can only go a few crawling steps before he falls right over. This condition is not progressive, and dogs who have it live normal lifespans. While it’s not curable, with tender loving care his ability to get around will improve.

This little guy has bouts of zoomies sometimes, and tries to run and wiggle around, so a cart would go a long way toward letting him be a normal, happy dog. He is a sweet, sweet boy who loves to be hugged, and adores his foster mom’s little girl. He’s a champion napper, and is learning to potty outdoors — so in short, he’s pretty much a champion everything!

Petey is counting on you to share him, pray for him, and help him find the home he deserves.

Please contact his foster mom, Lizz at lwestphal@sspca.org if you can help, or have more questions. And spread the word in every way you can!

Thank you, my dear friends!

green-eyed cat lying on bed

A cat who won’t eat is an emergency

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine,

Lack of normal appetite is always a sign something’s wrong, whatever the species. But when it’s a cat who’s lost interest in food, it can be an emergency. Here’s what I told a reader.

Q: My cat doesn’t seem very hungry anymore. What could be causing her loss of appetite?

A: All of us worry when our pets don’t eat. That’s especially true if their normal habit is to chow down with gusto. Pets who don’t eat lose energy, don’t feel good and can develop serious metabolic problems if it goes on for very long.

A lack of appetite can have many causes. It’s often the first sign of illness or, in some cases, the only sign. Cats, as you probably know, are masters at hiding sickness, and not eating may be the only clue they give. So a noticeable change in appetite is one of the things you should let your veterinarian know about right away.

Appetite loss can also be a side effect of certain medications or pain from a condition such as dental disease, a mass in the mouth or inflammation of the jaw muscles that pets use to chew. Cats in renal failure often have decreased appetite. Sometimes pets simply don’t like the way their food tastes. Cats are notorious for developing aversions to certain foods.

A poor sense of smell can affect appetite. You’ve probably experienced that when you’ve had a bad cold. If your cat is getting on in years, her sense of smell may not be as good as it used to be. Or she may have an upper respiratory infection that is affecting her ability to smell.

Never assume that your cat will eat when she’s hungry. Just two or three days of not eating can cause your cat — especially if she is overweight or stressed for some reason — to develop a serious liver disease called hepatic lipidosis.

If your cat is experiencing decreased appetite, complete lack of appetite or changes in appetite, take her to your veterinarian for a checkup.

Read more, including what to do if you’re allergic to your pets (no, you don’t have to give them up!), in this week’s Pet Connection.