Frequently Asked Questions

I have a two year old, female Rottweiller mix, that is not fixed yet.  She is a sweet, obedient animal, and I am concerned about the behavioral changes that occur when an animal has its sexual organs removed. What are the effects on their health and temperament after surgery?

Answer

There are no predictable behavior changes in the female dog or cat after ovariohysterectomy. Male dogs, however, often become less dominant and aggressive with other dogs and roam less after neutering. Male cats generally do less territorial fighting and roam less, which dramatically increases their life span.

There are many solid health reasons for spaying and neutering our pets. Early spaying prevents mammary cancer and a uterine disease called pyometra. Both of these conditions can be fatal in the female dog. Neutering male dogs reduces the incidence of prostate and testicular disease.

Preventing unwanted litters is another common reason veterinarians recommend spaying both cats and dogs at six to 12 months of age, preferably before the first heat.

Keeping our pets at home and healthy will provide a longer and more pleasurable companionship!

Why is my dog's skin rash back?

My Rhodesian Ridgeback mix has had a severe skin rash for a while. My veterinarian suggested it may be a food allergy to beef products and recommended avoiding beef dog food or beef rawhides. I changed to lamb and rice dog food. He was on three different medicines. I also purchased a skin lotion for him. His rash cleared up, but then it came back. Can you recommend any plain dog food or natural medications that I could purchase at my local pet store? Possibly, an all vegetarian dog food? I would appreciate any suggestions or recommendations.

Answer

Skin diseases in dogs can be frustrating and can take a bit of detective work to both diagnose accurately and treat successfully. In addition to a thorough physical examination it is common to have blood work, skin scrapings, fungal cultures, allergy testing, and skin biopsies done before treatment can be started. Some skin conditions require four to six weeks of treatment while others need life-long management. It is not unusual to find combinations of problems acting together, such as allergies and infection. Getting an accurate diagnosis as soon as possible is the best help you can offer your pet. If a problem clears up and then reoccurs, let your veterinarian know as soon as possible so that there can be appropriate follow-up.

My dog was diagnosed with diabetes…

I'm looking for current references on the treatment of canine diabetes. My dog was diagnosed about six months ago. My veterinarian and I seem to have her blood sugar under control with two shots per day, but I want to know more.

Answer

Diabetes is a serious disease in both dogs and cats. It requires life-long treatment which includes insulin regulation, diet control on high fiber foods, and regular exercise. Because every patient is a little different to regulate, it is very important to keep excellent records at home of daily insulin dosages given as well as daily urine sugar and ketone levels. Regular check ups and blood sugar measurements by your veterinarian are mandatory to periodically fine tune regulation to prevent associated diseases. With daily commitment to a strict regimen, your dog can live a long, full life.

What is asthma in cats?

Question
Why is veterinary care for my pet(s) so expensive these days? Sometimes I believe I'm spending more on my pet's health care than on my own.

Answer

Relatively speaking, veterinary care is a great deal. The cost of veterinary care has actually risen very little during the last 20 to 30 years. When compared to the rising cost of human health care, pet care is not at all unreasonable.

Bear in mind that your veterinarian is not only your pet's general physician, but also its surgeon, radiologist, dentist, dermatologist, neurologist, ophthalmologist, psychiatrist, ears/nose/throat doctor, and pharmacist.

Your veterinary bill is a reflection of the costs of maintaining suitable facilities, equipment, and support personnel to provide the level of care that is expected in animal medicine today. Remember too that the original cost of the animal has no bearing on the cost of services rendered.

Although it may feel as if you are paying more for your pet's health care than your own, chances are that you probably have adequate health care insurance for your own needs. Consequently, you may never see the total bottom-line figure for your own doctor bills. When human health care costs are added up-including insurance, deductibles, and pharmaceutical costs-there is no comparison to the much lower veterinary care costs.

Question
Isn't the cost of veterinary medicine ridiculously high? It's just animal health care, not human health care. I thought my doctor really cared and would go the extra mile for me and help me out with this.

Answer

You would never expect your own physician to provide a diagnosis, care, and medication free of charge. You cannot ask your veterinarian to do this for your pet. The extent of care given to any animal is ultimately determined by its owner. As a responsible pet owner, you place a high value on your animal and will want to consider what's best for your pet.

Every pet owner has different ideas about what is acceptable pet care. Veterinarians can only make their clients aware of the services and products that are available and then provide guidance in their choices and decisions. The owner is given options; the owner makes the call.

It's important to understand that most veterinarians can and will go the extra mile for their clients, but they simply cannot jeopardize the quality of their business by waiving fees. Veterinarians must cover their employees' salaries, costly equipment, the expense of years of professional training, and the expense of continuing education for staying up-to-date on the latest research. When veterinarians subsidize clients' bills, they are endangering their practices.

(Excerpted from The Cost of Compassion: Frequently Asked Questions About the Cost of Veterinary Health Care, 1997, AAHA Press.)

At what point should a veterinarian recommend medication for separation anxiety?

Question
At what point should a veterinarian recommend medication for separation anxiety? I have three dogs, and one of them has destroyed over $2,000 in property. The other two are fine.

Answer

There are volumes of information on separation anxiety. Even "experts" do not agree on causes and treatments. This is probably because the abnormal behavior is considered one problem when actually there are probably many causes.

The fact that your other two dogs are normal, and one pet is doing the damage seems to indicate that she is the one with the problem. However, that does not mean that your actions haven't or don't inadvertently encourage it. All dogs have different personalities and do not end up exactly the same just because they have the same owner, just like children with the same parents.

Your specific question is regarding anxiety relieving medications. Antidepressants, anxiety relieving, or mood altering drugs are seldom the definitive treatment for behavioral problems. Most of the time they are used as part of an overall behavioral modification program. Separation anxiety is a problem that is commonly treated with medications at least on a temporary basis.

How can I stop my puppy from urinating when she gets excited?

Answer

The problem of submissive urination is a combination of a physical condition and a behavioral one. The physical component is a lack of tone in the sphincter of her bladder that holds the urine in. It's more common in females due to the shortness of their urethra (the connection between their bladder and the outside). This may improve with age.

The behavioral factor is a contraction of the muscles that empty the bladder when she is placed in a very submissive situation or is very excited. She is probably naturally submissive, which makes these experiences stronger stimulants to her.

There is little we can do about the physical part. There are medications which can increase the tone, but I would not recommend them for a puppy. The best control is dealing with the behavioral aspect. Maturity will lessen her submissiveness, but you must work to ensure she becomes more confident in herself.

Avoid situations where the urination occurs. When you come home, instead of greeting her at the door and making a big deal about the reunion, try to diffuse the situation by ignoring her. Just walk right by her, and let her outside before you acknowledge her. Eventually, she will learn not to become too excited about your returns.

Other situations can be dealt with the same way. When strangers approach her, give her a treat or get her attention some other way to diffuse the excitement or threat of the approach. Consult with your veterinarian on this topic as well.

What should I do about my cockatiel's egg?

Question
I have two, three-year-old female cockatiels. I know that they can lay eggs without a male bird being present. One of ours did recently, but we can't tell which one. What should I do about this egg? Will they lay more?

Answer

Cockatiels are proficient egg layers and generally start in early spring. They are stimulated to begin laying by the lengthening daylight hours. Taking away the eggs will most likely stimulated them to lay more. It's probably best to leave the eggs in the cage in a quiet box that they can use as a nest box. Whether the eggs are fertile or not, I'd let them "play house" with them as a means of keeping them focused and busy.

One very important consideration is nutrition. Birds that are heavy egg layers like cockatiels need diets that are adequate in calcium and other nutrients. Half or less of their food each day should be seed. The other half should be all of the table foods that you eat everyday with the exception of chocolate and avocados. Emphasize high calcium foods like cheese, tofu, kale, bok choy.  A separate tray of crushed oyster shells should always be available. With a well-balanced diet, you can help to avoid problems such as egg binding.

Don't be surprised if you see more eggs this spring and summer. The only way to prevent egg laying is to have your female birds surgically spayed. Another alternative that decreases egg production is to cover the cage early each evening to decrease the total daylight hours available.