Lots of people like to cook for their pets, but most people don't do it every single day. Of those who do, most do so because they have to, a pet with kidney disease who also has food allergies and diabetes, that sort of thing. Occasionally there is the person who just likes to do it, like the chef who makes seared sea bass for his two incredibly spoiled schnauzers every day. I admire that dedication, which is significant. More common are people like me, those who do it every once in a while ... Read more »
Cats
Ask Dr V: Nutrition, rotation diets, and high protein
Today I'm showing Part 2 of the Ask Dr V series. I believe, though I haven't checked it against the itinerary, that I should be on my way to the Ngorongoro Crater as we speak. Unless a chimp shoved me off the mountain earlier in the week, in which case these pre-published videos will be on a whole new level of macabre. Which, by the way, my shade would find utterly hysterical. ... Read more »
It’s National Holistic Pet Day!
I finished a comprehensive course in veterinary acupuncture in 2006. It was intense. Thinking about health from a Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine standpoint as opposed to our standard Western approach is just such a different mindset, but once you think about it, it makes sense. Our bodies are not a collection of closed systems that function independently of one another, yet we're trained to treat them that way. Once you step back and see the entire organism as a collective effort, your ... Read more »
Guest post: 5 Reasons to love a kitty with the wobbles
Today I'm happy to feature a guest post from Amanda Maurer, discussing one of my favorite topics: the joys of adopting a special needs pet. Cerebellar hypoplasia is a common condition that- well, wait, I'll just let her tell you. Enjoy! Special needs pet owners view their pets as just that: special. They're an extraordinary group of pets that are often overlooked because they're different and consquently may have more needs than "normies." But here's a secret: They make great pets -- ... Read more »
The Litterbox Chronicles, Part 3: A Nightmare on V Street
Apollo is 13 years old now. He had never marked the house as a kitten, not with the introduction of a new dog, or even a new cat to the home. When I moved after vet school, he would very occasionally mark, but only when my mother-in-law brought a package over that must have smelled like one of the cats in her household. No big deal. It wasn't until we moved into our current home that his marking behavior picked up significantly. I've ruled out medical problems for him- multiple times, so I'm ... Read more »
The Litterbox Chronicles, Part 3: The Box Buffet
While the world has been in chaos and disarray, I haven't had a whole lot of time to spend pondering the smaller issues in our household: namely, Apollo and his marking. But I have been passively conducting an experiment with the litterbox, otherwise known as the Litterbox Buffet. When you are trying to make your cat's bathroom the Happy Place, one of the key questions you need to ask is "What kind of toilet do you like?" It would certainly make it easier if you could simply present the cat ... Read more »
The real yogi reveals himself
I've already made my thoughts on dog yoga pretty clear: they'll do it, but not willingly. Certainly not with the spirit of relaxation and meditation one is supposed to bring to the practice, anyway. Cats, on the other hand, are natural yogis. They can inherently go from a million miles an hour to dead body pose in 2 seconds flat. They meditate, as anyone who has watched them stare intently out the window for an hour and a half will attest to. Their spines bend and twist into conformations ... Read more »
Litterbox Chronicles, Part 2: Setting the Stage
Today, poor Apollo is getting a dental cleaning and his full yearly workup. It was due anyway, and it will make me feel better to know he is still doing well at 12 years old. (12? Wow, how time flies.) And while he is a little overglazed on meds, I'll be setting the stage for his triumphant recovery from his marking behavior. At the Western lecture, Dr. Yin referenced a study from Dr. Patricia Pryor that I remember them undertaking while I was in school. The study followed marking cats, both ... Read more »
Cat in a Box: The Litterbox Chronicles, Part 1
I have pages of notes from the Western Veterinary Conference, which I will be sifting through over the next week or so to bring you the most valuable bits. For me, the most personally useful seminars were those on kitty problem potty behaviors, which as you know is something we are dealing with here at the casa. Dr. Sophia Yin is a veterinary behaviorist and wonderful lecturer who I was fortunate enough to learn from this go round at the conference. She broke down this confusing and ... Read more »
Why I never get invited to block parties
Apollo's been looking exceptionally mangy lately. It happens whenever he's been getting into the foods he shouldn't have, which is pretty much all of them. I do the best I can, but with the household we have, it is pretty much impossible to keep all foods out of reach of all animals at all times. There are dogs eating, kids snacking, people munching at all hours of the day, and all it takes is one forgotten nugget for Apollo to go temporarily bald. This despite the fact that he feasts on ... Read more »
Talking Chomp
As you may or may not know, February is National Pet Dental Health Month. This is the month we beg and plead owners to do just one little trick- flip your pet's lip up and check out those back molars, where the worst tartar tends to hang out. Confronted with the yellow, malodorous reality of what's really going on behind those fuzzy jowls, most people are quick to realize that canine and feline dental disease is more widespread than they realized. Virbac has a very nice visual of the ... Read more »
I want a happy litterbox! Please?
When I was in veterinary school, I rotated through the behavior service. It's an elective, and interestingly enough not a particularly popular one; more's the pity for that. What percentage of relinquishments come on the tail end of a behavior issue that wasn't properly handled? (Answer: A whole lot.) Vets tend to avoid behavior stuff for a multitude of reasons: It's time consuming to work through a behavioral issue. It's complicated. Changing behavior isn't nearly as simple as ... Read more »
Pets and arthritis
A while back, I was invited by Petfinder to write a guest post on arthritis in pets. I happily accepted- even though I tend to the more chatty around here, I can write something useful when necessary. Jane just let me know the post is live today! How to help pets with arthritis stay comfortable during cold winter months This makes me feel better about the fact that I did not write a single medical post during the blogathon. :) ... Read more »
National Drag Your Cat to the Vet Week
We now interrupt my special vacation guest postings for a regularly scheduled posting- but it's for a good reason. August 16th-22nd marksNational Take your Cat to the Vet Week, a reminder to all us cat owners that despite what your cat may tell you, they really should get a vet checkup at least once a year. Cats are masters of disguise, which is something I repeat regularly to owners who just can't figure out how the cat who was acting normal last month now has raging diabetes or a thyroid ... Read more »
Fleas and novel control ideas not to try
Fleas stink. No doubt about it. They make your pet miserable, you miserable, they carry parasites, and they're gross. Worse still, once they take up residence in your home, they can be very difficult to get rid of. Why is that? ... Read more »
Bad for me, good for you
My childhood dog was a Lhasa Apso named Taffy. For the first 8 months of life on the East Coast, she was an adorable ragamuffin of flopsy adorableness. Then- we moved to California. In the warm Southern California climate, flea season is year round. And over the next few months, Taffy became Scrappy. Her long lustrous fur fell out, to be replaced with that hyperlichenified elephant skin indicative of massive irritation. Her skin was one raw welt. The only way to keep her comfortable was to ... Read more »
Flip the lip Part 2: Dental care at home
I will tell you, and I will stand by it until the day I die, that dental cleanings are an extremely important and helpful measure in keeping your pet healthy. My teeth are white. My gums aren't red. My teeth aren't falling out of my head. And I still get cleanings twice a year. Visible disease is not the only sign your mouth needs care. Every once in a while, someone will come in a few months after a cleaning and point out the fact that there is, again, some visible plaque. "How come?" they ... Read more »
Flip the lip!
As many of you already know, February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Do your pet a favor and take a few seconds to take a peek at his or her teeth- a GOOD peek. You might be surprised at what you find. According to many veterinarians (including this one), periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed disease in dogs and cats. According to Dr. Brook Niemiec, "By the age of just two, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of periodontal disease." As a board certified veterinary ... Read more »
