All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

Tip for helping pets with extreme fireworks and thunderstorm fear

Fear Free, , ,

Do you have pets with a real terror of fireworks, thunder, and other loud noises? Here’s a tip from Grace Carrin, which she posted on QT Pi Becker’s Facebook page, that is so good I asked her if we could share it. She graciously said yes, in the hope it might help other pets with such severe fear that extreme measures are needed:

Before I moved to my present house, my cats would be scared to death because Caesars Palace was 2 doors down from my house. They were always with the fireworks so I turned a closet in the middle of my house into a hidey room.

It had thick carpeting on the floor so I added some halfway up the walls, put a small litter box in there just in case, put a food and water dish in there also. They also got a cd player in there that played rain and forest sounds. Next time I looked in they were sound asleep.

She also had a tip on preventing the problem from arising in the first place:

I had a friend who trained dogs. He told me he kept a supply of dog treats all over his house so that when there was a thunderclap or a firework, he would call the dogs and say “Yay, yay!” The dogs would come to him to get a treat. After a while, he didn’t have to call them. Right after the first loud noise they’d come running for their treat.

Grace, thanks for the suggestions and sharing your experience!

What to do when your cat keeps throwing up (and no, it’s not normal!)

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

Do you have a cat who throws up a lot? Many people think that’s normal, but we now know it’s not. Here’s what I told a reader:

Q: My 3-year-old female cat gets a quarter of a can of wet and 1 tablespoon dry food for dinner. She gets the same thing for breakfast, but she frequently throws it up. She’s on a diet, so we switched to meat in the morning. She used to get 1 tablespoon every 10 minutes, for a total of three, because she’d throw up if we gave it all at once. I know that she eats too fast. She eats grain-free, holistic foods. Is there anything else we can try?

A: Cats have a reputation for upchucking, and their anatomy allows them to vomit easily, but it’s really not normal for them to do so. If your cat is throwing up on a regular basis — more than once a week — it’s a good sign that she needs to see the veterinarian to rule out a physical cause for the problem. Throwing up too often can have a cat suffering dehydration quicker than he can twitch a whisker.

Some of the common reasons cats vomit are hairballs and intestinal worms. They may also throw up after nibbling on grass or plants, eating too quickly or from digestive upset after being switched too quickly to a new diet. Some cats are allergic to certain ingredients in their food. More serious causes of vomiting include hyperthyroidism and diseases of the digestive tract. If your cat is a senior, frequent vomiting may suggest kidney disease.

Be prepared to tell your veterinarian what food your cat eats, how often she vomits (keep a record for a week or so), how soon after eating she vomits, whether she goes outside or has access to indoor plants and what the vomit looks like. If you can bring a sample, so much the better. If your veterinarian rules out a health problem, try one of the “slow food” dishes to prevent her from gobbling.

Read more, including all about Olympic pets, in this week’s Pet Connection!

How to know if your large-breed puppy is too skinny

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine,

What do you do if your dog’s breeder, someone in the dog park, a family member, or a friend think your growing puppy needs to put on some weight? Here’s what I told a reader who had that exact question!

Q: My vet says my 9-month-old Rottweiler is in good shape and not too skinny, but the breeder wants me to put more weight on him. What should I do?

A: I’m with your veterinarian. Large-breed dogs such as Rottweilers need to grow slowly to help prevent development of orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia. Forcing the still-developing musculoskeletal system to carry too much weight can cause serious problems.

There are a couple of different feeding options for puppies who will be super-size at maturity. You can feed a puppy or adult food formulated specifically for large dogs. These diets tend to be lower in energy and calcium, allowing for slower growth. You can also feed a regular puppy food, but give a little bit less of it.

My colleague, Dr. Tony Buffington, a veterinary nutrition expert, recommends feeding growing dogs to a body condition score of 2, which is lean. When you put your hands on your dog, he should have good muscle mass, but you should be able to feel the skeleton easily without having to press through a heavy layer of fat. When you look at your dog from the side, his abdomen should be tucked up. When you look down at him, he should have a pin-up girl hourglass figure, with his body having an indentation behind the ribs and then flaring out again where the hips are.

Keeping a growing dog in this condition minimizes the risk of developmental orthopedic disease. The caveat here is that genetics and trauma can also contribute to development of orthopedic disease, so you’re not always in the clear, even if you feed your dog right.

It’s also important not to add vitamin or mineral supplements to your Rottweiler’s diet. That can throw off the balance of his food and cause orthopedic problems as well.

More, including dock dogs and pet goats, in this week’s Pet Connection!

Beautiful book about senior dogs awakens bittersweet memories

This and That,

There are some dogs you never forget – and never want to.

I get asked to write forwards and endorsements of books about pets all the time. I try to say “yes” when I can, but when photographer Nancy LeVine asked if I’d write the forward for her book “Senior Dogs Across America: Portraits of Man’s Best Old Friend,” I couldn’t agree fast enough. At the time we shared our home with three senior dogs and one almost-senior, and these beautiful old ones mean so much to me.

Not only did I write the forward, but Nancy chose our beloved then-15-year-old Shakira and our little “canine cocktail” seniors, Quora and Quixote, to appear in the book. (Sorry, Gracie and QT Pi! Age before beauty!)

While they’re the stars of the book as far as Teresa and I are concerned, it’s full of evocative, breathtaking images that convey the nobility of spirit of these wise, beautiful, loving old dogs.

ShakiraSeniorDogsAcrossAmericaThe reason this is bittersweet, of course, is that our dear Shakira left us this year at the age of 16. Seeing her face looking out from the pages of this book reminded me of the day the photos were taken, of the joy we knew at her enthusiasm for running, chasing balls, and being with us. We remembered her as a puppy, as a strong young dog, as a still-wild mature adult, and as she went into her long, mostly-healthy golden years. We will never stop missing her, and thanks to this gorgeous book, we’ll always have a very special way to keep her alive in our memory.

Thank you, Nancy, on our behalf and on that of anyone who has ever loved an old dog.

Please note: You can purchase this book on Amazon.com. I receive no financial gain from its sale, although I admit the fact that my dogs are featured in the book compromises my objectivity. I feel safe in standing by every word I wrote.

Puppy housetraining tips you can count on

Pet Connection

Have you ever housetrained a puppy? Having recently gone through that process with our little shelter puppy QT Pi Becker (now a year old and, as he’d be the first to assure you, very mature!), I thought I’d share some of my tips. You’ll find all of them at the link at the end, but I’ll tease you with this big one:

Certain events trigger a pup’s need to urinate or defecate. Take him out as soon as he wakes up in the morning or from a nap and immediately after eating or drinking. Excitement and stress can lead to potty accidents. Prevent them by taking your pup out to potty every few minutes if he is playing vigorously indoors. Finally, take him out just before bedtime. By 3 to 4 months of age, most pups can sleep through the night, but younger puppies may need to go out once or twice during the night.

Want more? It’s in this week’s Pet Connection!