All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

Help make the Fourth of July less scary for shelter and rescue dogs!

Companies That Help Animals

Our friends at ThunderWorks want to help dogs in shelters and rescue groups have an “insanely calm” Fourth of July.

Many dogs suffer from fear of loud noises, and for them, Independence Day fireworks are terrifying. Many of my patients and the dogs of people I’ve worked with get a lot of comfort from wearing ThunderShirts, compression garments that create gentle pressure that can have a calming effect.

While ThunderWorks has always supported homeless pets, but this year they’re giving away a massive 5,000 ThunderShirts to shelters and rescue groups before the Fourth of July — including a generous gift to a group I support, the Grey Muzzle Organization, which helps senior shelter dogs.

ThunderShirtGrayMuzzle

They’ll do the same for your favorite shelter or rescue group, too. Just send @ThunderShirt a Tweet, or message ThunderShirt on Facebook. Include the name of the shelter or rescue group you support and, while quantities last, they’ll send them a donation.

From their release:

“It’s our privilege to be able to help with the great work of shelters and rescue groups across the country. This year we wanted to involve more people in getting ThunderShirts into the right hands.  We are thrilled with the response we are getting,” states ThunderWorks CEO and founder Phil Blizzard.

[….]

“Fear and anxiety are incredibly harmful to pets,” said Dr. Marty Becker, a member of Core Team Oz on “The Dr. Oz Show” and founder of the Fear Free movement. “In my practice, we use ThunderShirts as a tool to help with all kinds of anxiety, whether caused by separation, loud noises, or visits to the vet. We even have a ThunderShirt ‘lending library.’ I’m very pleased to support this campaign to get this valuable tool to the pets in shelters and rescue groups this summer.

Here’s hoping for a calm and happy Fourth of July for you and your pets!

Note: I have no commercial relationship with ThunderWorks. I’m promoting this event because I believe in it.

When pets down dangerous substances: Some nontoxic food for thought

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine,

Your pet comes in licking his chops well before mealtime. Uh-oh. What has he gotten into?

Chances are, it’s something that’s not good for him. Last year, the Top 10 toxins ingested by pets were over-the-counter medications, medications prescribed for humans, insecticides, human foods that are toxic to pets, household items, veterinary medications, chocolate, plants, rodenticides and lawn and garden products.

If you find evidence or even suspect that your pet has swallowed something that could disagree with him in a serious or fatal way, the first thing to do is take a deep breath and remain calm. Then look for empty packaging or other clues as to what he might have eaten and how much.

Call the veterinarian to say that you’re on your way with your pet, and why. Bring the empty or partially eaten containers, plant material or any type of label. It will help your veterinarian to know if that chocolate bar your dog ate is milk chocolate or 77 percent cocoa Belgian chocolate.

Maybe it’s the middle of the night and you don’t have a 24-hour veterinary hospital in your area. Call a pet poison hotline. Be prepared to describe packaging, labels or plant type and whether your dog or cat is conscious, alert, breathing normally and able to stand and walk.

Don’t induce vomiting. It’s not the best way to remove toxic substances from a pet’s stomach, so toss out that old bottle of ipecac. Nobody recommends it anymore, for pets or kids. Instead, keep activated charcoal on hand. It acts like a sponge, absorbing what’s in the stomach. Stick with plain activated charcoal, available from your drugstore or grocery store.

Read more here…

New technology could mean no dogs will die to train the world’s veterinarians anymore

Companies That Help Animals

You may not know this, but some veterinary colleges around the world still train students to do surgery by having them operate on live, anesthetized dogs who are euthanized after the surgery is done. Many also train them using the bodies of euthanized shelter pets. Would you like to see that end forever?

So would SynDaver, the world’s largest maker of synthetic human cadavers. They’ve just launched a $24 million crowdfunding campaign to put 20 of their synthetic dog cadavers into every accredited veterinary college in the world, saving the lives of thousands of animals each year.

If this campaign is successful, they plan to produce synthetic cat cadavers next, and then horses and cows.

In their release, SynDaver said:

According to experts, this technology will save thousands of lives and revolutionize veterinary medicine education.

The SynDaver Synthetic Canine is similar to their human products. The canine models are anatomically accurate, with fat, fascia planes, all bones, muscles, ligaments, fully articulating joints, and each of the bodily systems. The product has been acclaimed by experts in the veterinary industry and has even garnered the support of Dr. Michael Blackwell, a member of the board of directors of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.

“A significant number of students do not care to be involved in terminal surgery procedures or the use of live animals when there is an alternative,” said Blackwell. “I am so happy to have this change because that is where we need to be today.”

SynDaver has been working closely with the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine throughout the development of the SynDaver Synthetic Canine to create the most lifelike and realistic synthetic canine possible.

If you, like me, think this is an idea long overdue, you can fund their efforts on their Indiegogo site, where you can also find more information.

Update: SynDaver posted this on my Facebook page in response to many outraged comments from my followers who are veterinary students or veterinarians that most U.S. veterinary schools have discontinued terminal surgeries:

We at SynDaver Labs have never implied that all veterinary colleges do this. However, it is indisputable that some universities and veterinary colleges still perform terminal surgeries on animals, which can include cats, dogs, cows, horses, sheep and pigs. Additionally, many that have shifted to cadavers, are in fact still using shelter animals that were euthanized for this purpose. And, according to one university’s website, they purchased purpose-bred dogs for terminal surgical laboratories. If you watch our video at endterminallabs.com you’ll see accredited professionals discussing how our synthetic canine will help end terminal labs. As you can imagine, most schools that still participate in terminal surgery labs are not exactly eager to share this information, due to the sensitivity involved. However, we would like to point out that this technology is a direct result of a request from a major university, that had recently ended terminal surgery procedures, as a solution to improve veterinary education. At the end of the day, we share the same goal that veterinarians do, which is saving animal lives, and we strongly encourage spaying and neutering to reduce the number of unwanted pets.

Additional update: In response to a few questions about my own relationship with this company, I have none.

Cat scratch behavior: What you need to know

Pet Connection, ,

I love it when people reach out for help with their puppies and kittens before problems develop! That’s the case with one reader — here’s how I answered her question about training her new kitten not to scratch.

Q: I just got a kitten, and I want to make sure she doesn’t ruin my furniture or carpet by scratching it. Do you have advice on how to trim her nails and keep her from scratching?

A: You are so smart to be thinking about this early in your kitten’s life. Now is the best time to help her learn how to accept grooming with a minimum of fuss and teach her where it’s OK to scratch.

One of the ways cats communicate is by scratching. They have special glands in their paws (and elsewhere on the body) that release scent when the cat scratches or rubs against objects or people. Encouraging your cat to scratch a post or other acceptable items will help her to feel secure in her surroundings and reduce the likelihood that she will mark with urine. Scratching is also an important way that cats stretch their muscles.

Experts recommend providing a tall scratching post in a prominent area so your cat can get attention for her scratching skills. Put it somewhere the family spends a lot of time. Choose a post that’s at least three feet high so your cat can stretch out to her full length. It can be vertical or horizontal as long as it’s sturdy and not wobbly. Most cats like a post covered in sisal, a ropelike material.

In combination with scratching, trimming nails reduces damage to your furniture, clothing and skin. Trim nails every week or two, ideally when your cat is feeling relaxed or sleepy. Put a little pressure on the toe to pop the claw out, and trim above the curve. If your cat is resistant, clip one or two claws a day and give a treat afterward. Your cat will soon welcome the attention.

Read more, including what to do if your dog is stung by a bee, in this week’s Pet Connection!

Pug with toy

Do dogs do things out of spite?

Pet Connection, ,

Do dogs misbehave out of spite or anger? That’s a question I get asked a lot, including recently by a reader. I turned to my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, for an answer.

Q: My boyfriend was two hours late getting home to feed his corgis, and one of them pooped on the kitchen floor. They had access to the yard, and it was a nice day. I think the dog knew that pooping in the house was wrong (he even looked guilty) and was being spiteful because he didn’t get dinner on time, but my boyfriend insists that dogs aren’t spiteful. Who’s right?

A: We are so close to our dogs, and so often they communicate with us so perfectly that it’s easy to think that they share not only our great qualities but also our less admirable motivations, like “getting even” or “being spiteful.” Those are complex emotions, though, and as wonderful as our dogs are, they aren’t capable of those sentiments.

That guilty expression isn’t an actual acknowledgment of wrongdoing, but what psychologists call an “appeasement behavior.” Our dogs can tell when we’re upset with them, even though they have no idea what might have caused our angry expression or tone of voice. In response to what they perceive as intimidating or threatening body language, they do their best to try to diffuse the situation by offering behaviors that signal submission or peaceful intentions. To us, though, it looks as if they’re saying, “Yes, I did it, and I’m sorry.”

In reality, dogs have no idea why we’re angry. They can’t connect the act of pooping in the house two hours previously with your current dismay over the mess. A dog who poops in the house while his humans are away isn’t trying to get back at them for leaving him alone or for being late with dinner. It’s more likely that he is anxious because his routine has been disrupted. – Mikkel Becker

Read more, including an update on feline mammary cancer, in this week’s Pet Connection!