One of the more common skin problems seen in the feline veterinary clinic is when cats pull out their hair. This can manifest as excessive grooming anywhere on the body, but especially the lower back or abdomen and can often lead to extensive areas of hair loss. Sometimes secondary sores and infections can develop, increasing the incidence of vomiting of hairballs. Any cat that has such a problem should have a full skin workup at a vet, including an exam of the hair shafts to see if the hair loss is from self grooming. In addition, the cat should also have a thorough evaluation and skin scrape for external parasites.
Many times this problem is due to a seasonal allergy in cats that come in contact with dander, mold, house dust, grass, etc. While in other cases this can be a manifestation of a food allergy in a cat. In addition to making sure the cat is on a total preventative flea program, I will also instruct clients to try an antihistamine trial. My favorite for cats is Chlorpheniramine which is often dosed at 2 mg twice daily. It also will sometimes help to add a fatty acid to the diet such as Be Well or Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil, which can sometimes help allergic animals when used long term.
I have also found the supplements Vetri-DMG Liquid and Proanthozone helpful in some cats as well. If the problem is year round, than a dietary trial with a natural novel protein diet, preferably one like the Instincts diet, which closely resembles what a cat evolved naturally to eat in the wild. If none of these suggestions work and/or the condition worsens, then sometimes a cortisone shot is the only treatment that I find works in some of these felines. On occasion we will find what are called psychogenic hair pullers, which is a nervous habit that some cats develop, just like people who twirl their hair or bite their nails. In those cases and once allergies have been ruled out, it’s possible for medications such as Amitriptyline are prescribed by a veterinarian to help.
One of the more common questions we get from dog owners involves an odd breathing spasm that many dogs will exhibit at some point in their life, where their mouth remains closed and the dog goes through a series of inward snorts, which sounds like the pet is having a throat spasm. These spasms can last for up to a few minutes and can be triggered by various stressors including emotional stress/excitement and environmental allergens. In some cases they can occur during sleep or these spasms will occur spontaneously on their own.
The term for this common condition seen in any breed is known as “reverse sneeze” syndrome of dogs. While we don’t know the cause of this disturbing, yet harmless syndrome, most of the time no treatment is needed, animal guardians can simply rub their pet’s throats to help them come out of this spasm sooner. Other times I have found natural calming agents like Rescue Remedy or Be Serene to be helpful in shortening the episodes. On occasion, for those pets who do it frequently throughout the day, I will sometimes prescribe antihistamines to help if there is any allergic component to what is best described as a dog’s version of post nasal drip.
Many animal guardians often become frustrated with their canine companions who dig deep holes in their yards. While this can be simply a playful or nervous habit of many dogs, digging behavior is normal in wild carnivores, because they often bury their prey in order to protect it from predators, and so they can return later and eat it when others are not around.
Many companion animal dogs will also bury bones given to them in the backyard for likely similar reasons. The simplest solution I have found to this problem in my experience is purchasing a small sand pit or child’s play area full of dirt or sand, which a dog will often move towards in digging, rather than digging holes in the garden or grass. By providing such an area, animal guardians will often protect their yards from unwanted damage and holes.
One of the most common questions asked in the clinic is why a spayed or neutered pet still sometimes appears to have sexual desire. This can often appear as mounting of people’s legs, other animals, furniture, or sometimes fluffy toys. And while sex hormones clearly play a role in sexual desire, there are many other factors in surgically sterilized pets that can lead to such behaviors.
There are adrenal and other glandular sources of sex hormones in the body, which can play a role in such behaviors. Also, mounting can often indicate a dominance gesture in dog society, with the mounting dog expressing a dominance behavior by sexually mounting. Finally, I have seen some pets that have had chronic reactions to rabies vaccinations and become more sexually aroused. In fact, in the veterinary texts, one of the symptoms of rabies is actually increased sexual desire. And while pets that start excessively mounting in the months following a rabies vaccination are not actually rabid, they are expressing symptoms of what is actually seen in the natural disease.
The best solution to this common and frustrating behavior is to simply interrupt the behavior with a noxious stimulus such as shaking a coffee can full of coins or spraying the pet with a water pistol during the unwanted behavior, so that the pet couples this stimulus with the behavior and thus learns not to mount inappropriately.
I make my two young sons figure out my iPhone apps on their own. I decided that being able to decode a handheld game is important for a child’s development. So, why is it that when it comes to my dog I am a complete pushover? When we first got the Buster Food Cube I assumed Greta would get the hang of it pretty quickly. I was so wrong. It’s taken a long time for Greta to understand this toy. I spent several weeks kicking it around, filling it to the brim with food so she could get food more quickly with little effort, but I soon found that I was the only one of us working at it. Greta was just waiting until food fell out and she was getting rewarded for nothing except outsmarting me, which apparently takes less effort than I thought. I was running around out of breath, kicking a cube while she sat and waited for treats. I changed tactics and I began using the cube to feed her dinner.
I could tell at first she felt cheated. Dinner I have to work for? But I learned that when Greta is hungry enough she drops her lazy affect and gets to being a little more persistent. Now, she is able to pick the whole cube up in her jaw and will bring it to me when she wants to play. The Buster Food Cube is one of my favorite toys because she can successfully entertain herself without my help, and it only took me two weeks to figure it out.
One of the common questions I’m presented with by feline guardians is why their cat snores so much when it sits quietly or sleeps. While cats typically do not suffer from sleep apnea like humans, they can suffer from various causes of noisy breathing. One of the first things to consider is whether the cat has an upper respiratory viral or bacterial infection, which can usually be determined by a proper veterinary exam.
Allergies to molds, dander, house dust, and other airborne allergens can also cause noisy or snoring breathing. One of the more common causes, especially in younger animals is some sort of airway obstruction of the nose or sinuses, which can often involve what are known as nasopharyngeal polyps. Cats afflicted with polyps usually need to be sedated in order to diagnose these small growths, which are easily treated through surgical removal.
Finally in older cats, there is always the possibility of a tumor in the nasal passages or throat, which can sometimes need an endoscopic exam and biopsy to diagnose. As one can see, there are lots of potential causes for “snoring cats”, and these should be worked up properly by a trained veterinarian so that the most appropriate treatment plan can be implemented.
“Why does my pet bite his nails or toes so much?” is a very common question presented to veterinarians. Often clients mistakenly think that it is a nervous habit or that their pet’s nails are too long. In the vast majority of cases, however, this annoying symptom (which can sometimes lead to secondary redness, inflammation and bacterial or yeast infection of the feet) is usually due to some sort of underlying allergy in their pet.
The most common class of allergens include inhalant/contact allergens such as grass, trees, mold, pollen, ragweed, house dust, food allergies, and less likely flea bite allergies. Mange mites are less common a cause of this symptom. As an initial treatment at home, one can try an oral antihistamine such as Chlorpheniramine or Diphenhydramine, as well as adding an omega 3 fatty acid to the diet such as Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet and reassess if there is any improvement over a few weeks. If the problem is year round, changing to a restricted novel protein diet such as duck, rabbit, or venison-based diets can be tried for a few months to see if there is any relief.
Finally if symptoms persist, or worsen, your pet may need prescription medication such as oral antihistamines, antibiotics, or possibly oral cortisone to alleviate feet/nail chewing and biting and the secondary infections. It’s also possible a skin scrape may need to be performed at a veterinary office to make sure there are no mange mites causing the licking and itching. For those clients who truly want to uncover and treat the underlying allergies, often a referral to a veterinary dermatologist is needed who can perform the necessary skin and/or blood tests. However, even with this approach, much time and patience, sometimes up to one year or more, is needed by the animal guardian, as allergy desentization is attempted by the veterinary dermatologist.
Another common question presented by canine guardians is why does their dog eat grass? This common behavior can have many potential causes. Some dogs will graze on grass when their stomachs are upset. By ingesting chlorophyll and other purging nutrients in grass, this will often allow dogs to vomit, which makes them feel better. In other situations, dogs will graze on grass when their diet is deficient, although this is much less common. Always try and feed as natural a diet as possible, preferably one minimally processed with no byproducts and preserved naturally. If at all possible I would refer clients to books outlining how to make a proper homemade diet.
My clients that have made the transition over to proper homemade diets have seen amazing results in their animals in a wide variety of symptoms, including some pets no longer eating grass. Many of these homemade recipes will include many green leafy veggies which contain very important phytonutrients and antioxidants that have wonderful health benefits.
And finally there are pets who simply are what I call “lawn mowers,” in that they just have a habit of eating grass. As long as the grass has not recently been treated with pesticides or contains toxic mushrooms, most dogs tolerate eating grass just fine. It is important to keep in mind that the diets of the prey of wild dogs do contain grasses and grains, which dogs will consume indirectly when killing and eating an animal in the wild.
Recently a client came in and asked why their dog eats their own feces all of the time. This common presenting complaint is often nothing more than a bad habit that many dogs develop (coprophagia). While in some cases it can indicate a digestive tract disease such as problems with the pancreas or a disease known as inflammatory bowel disease, in most cases there are no detectable underlying diseases leading to this unwanted behavior. And while there are many products out there such as For Bid, which supposedly decrease this behavior when added to meals, I have not found these products reliable in many cases.
Given the potential role of digestive or pancreatic imbalances in some pets who consume their own feces, I always recommend natural minimally processed commercial pet foods such as Eat Great Be Well, as well as adding digestive tract enzymes like NaturVet Enyzmes & Probiotics or Fast Balance to meals. As long as a pet has normal energy and has no digestive tract symptoms and is not losing weight, I don’t worry most of the time about pets with what is simply, and in most cases, just an annoying and unexplained behavior.
Another common question I have been asked by canine guardians over the years as the PetMeds Ask the Vet is, what is going on with their pets who have a history of making an odd respiratory noise often with a rapid and spasmodic inward snorting that seems to be coming from their throats. Many guardians become extremely concerned as these episodes can sometimes go on for several minutes, and even awaken a pet at night from their sleep. Many pets will express this symptom when overly excited or nervous, such as when people come to the house, or when making trips to the veterinary office.
The fear many guardians has is that their pet is having some sort of asthma or choking attack. What they are actually seeing in most cases is a phenomenon known as “reverse sneeze” syndrome of dogs. While in most cases we don’t know what causes some pets to develop this syndrome at varying frequencies, canine guardians feel comforted to know that such an issue is not health threatening to their canine companion in most cases. Some have used an analogy that this is sort of a dog’s version of responding to a post nasal drip. Other times allergens can trigger it. Some holistic veterinarians feel that the “reverse sneeze” syndrome is an example of a chronic effect seen as a side effect of rabies vaccination.
No matter what the cause, simply comforting your pet by rubbing their throat for several minutes usually helps during an acute flare-up. I have used natural calming agents like 1800PetMeds’ Be Serene as well as Rescue Remedy from the health food store, which sometimes shortens the duration of the episode. If the symptoms seem triggered by allergens outside, than sometimes a trial dose of an antihistamine may be worthwhile such as Diphenhydramine (Generic Benadryl), Clemastine, or Chlorpheniramine may be helpful as well, in addition to the immune booster Vetri-DMG liquid. If in doubt about whether your pet is suffering from this common and harmless syndrome, it is always best to have a complete veterinary exam to rule out other less common conditions.
