Dear Lilly,

I have a problem that I am embarrassed to talk about, but my life sometimes becomes unbearable because of this problem. Normally, I am a big tough macho kind of dog, but thunderstorms and fireworks turn me into a quivering, out of control dog. My heart races and I cannot stop panting and pacing. My owners try to comfort me but that just makes it worse. Since my owners think the storms are so dangerous that they have to pay me so much extra attention then I must be right to be so upset. Apparently, I can also predict the weather. I have found that some days I get really anxious and cannot seem to settle down even though it is a beautiful sunny day. Then, later that same day we suddenly have storms move in. I know I need to have some help before I get so out of control of myself that I get hurt. I have heard about dogs that have jumped through plate glass windows or bolted out of their yards and gotten lost because they are so frightened. Please, my anxiety problem is becoming more frequent and more intense and I am not the happy, carefree dog I used to be. Can you help me?

Signed,
Becoming Anxious and Miserable All the time

Dear Becoming Anxious and Miserable All the Time,

First, I want to commend you for your bravery in addressing this problem and I want to assure you that many dogs suffer like you do from storm and firework phobias. Sometimes, I make fun of you dogs and your problems, but this is a deadly serious issue. It is true that some dogs have been seriously injured or become lost or surrendered to shelters as a result of their panic behaviors. Your overall health can also be harmed by the effects of the stress hormones your body produces in response to fear and anxiety. It is also not unusual that your problem is becoming more severe and more frequent. The very unpredictability of storms or sudden, loud noises such as fireworks keeps you on edge. And you may be predicting the weather very accurately. Your reaction may not even be related to the thunder but to other triggers, such as, changes in barometric pressure, ozone changes, wind or rain noises or changes in human behavior. The good news is that there are ways to treat these phobias. There are new medications available to relieve anxiety. Owners can be reluctant to use medications because they think you will be tranquilized or groggy, etc. But the newer medications are called “anxiolytics” which is a fancy way of saying they relieve anxiety. With the proper dosage, you become more relaxed but not sedated. Some actually stop “panic attacks”. Some can be used regularly during thunderstorm season or on the days around July 4th.

There are some additional ways along with medication that your owners can help you when you are anxious. If you have already found a safe place such as a closet or under a bed, we will tell them to make sure those areas are available for you to use anytime. Some dogs like to be covered with a blanket when anxious. I do not know any dog who has actually tried it, but I have heard that some dogs are calmed by the pressure of something like a tight t-shirt around the body.

We will also tell your owners that by comforting you when you are anxious during storms that they are actually sending you mixed signals and reinforcing your anxiety. Your owners are truly upset when you are upset and are trying to make you feel better by telling you that everything is okay while they pet you but you and I both know that everything is not okay with you. We are going to have your owners go about life as usual. Some play time can help relax you and let you know you are safe. If you do not feel like playing, we will ask your owners to take the time to just lie next to you without petting you to help you relax and feel secure. We will urge your owners to establish a plan ahead of time on how to help you during storms.

I know that in the midst of your fear it is hard to remember that you really are safe, but with the right medication and help from your owners, you can weather the storm (get it?) and live a much more relaxed, happy life.

Signed,
The Pet Elders

Dear Elders,

You are so wise to come to me – I have picked up a lot over the years about training puppies and kittens and humans. Trust me, training the humans is hard work. They get lots of information from many sources (many of them questionable) and have developed some odd myths about how to raise our youngsters.

First, some general information about puppies and kittens is in order. Unfortunately, what we cats and dogs consider perfectly natural behavior is often at odds with what humans accept as appropriate behavior. So, we need to be taught in a gentle, positive way how humans want us behave. If we are set up to succeed, we will learn more quickly. As we are learning, we make mistakes and, if we are corrected as the mistakes happen, we can make the connection that that behavior is not acceptable. However, we live in the moment, so if our humans punish us for behavior that happened at another time, we have no idea what is wrong. We are by nature curious about all the new things around us and one of the main ways we have of exploring is chewing, so help out by keeping forbidden items where we cannot get them. Establishing a routine and giving us safe places to call our own are two of the most important things our humans can do for us. And most of all, BE CONSISTENT – everyone in the household needs to know the rules and follow them all of the time to avoid confusing puppies and kittens as they try to learn.

For both puppies and kittens, the very first thing that you should do for us it to take us to the vet. It is important to make sure we are healthy and to get us started on our vaccinations. This is the most vulnerable time of our lives for contracting many diseases so building our immunity is crucial. We may also be harboring internal parasites as well as external parasites and it is important for both our health and our humans’ health to get rid of them.

Puppies and kittens are constantly being exposed to new people, sounds, smells, etc. There is a short period of time – 9 weeks for kittens and 12 weeks for puppies – that is critical when socializing puppies and kittens to all kinds of people, other animals, sounds, smells, etc. After that, adapting to new situations can be more difficult. By exposing us when we are young to many different situations, we learn to be confident, relaxed pets.

For kittens there are many ways you can help us learn what we need to know. We naturally want to bury our urine and feces so we are easily litterbox trained at a very early age. Just make sure we know where our litter box is and that we can easily get in and out of it. A new home can be a big place, so confining us in a smaller area with our litter box and letting us gradually explore the whole place will help us keep from getting lost and forgetting how to get to the box. We do like privacy and quiet when we use the box, so please don’t put it in a busy, noisy area where we might be startled or find it hard to reach. Kittens cannot resist chasing moving objects and that includes hands and feet. Those little teeth and claws may not seem too bad now, but they will get bigger and stronger. Now is the time to teach us that hands and feet are off limits by not letting us play with fingers and toes. We have lots of energy to burn. Toys that we can chase and pounce on and fling up in the air keep us busy and active. Chasing the light spot from a laser pointer is great fun. Birdfeeders outside a window where we can sit can provide long periods of entertainment and stimulation. If you want us to be a part of your life for many years, the most important lifestyle decision you can choose is to make us inside cats. Free roaming cats are victims of cars, other cats, dogs, wild animals, disease and malicious humans and have a lifespan roughly one half as long as an indoor cat.

Puppies need lots of guidance to learn the human standards of behavior. The first item on most people’s list is housetraining. Understanding that a puppy will usually need to eliminate right after waking up, after eating and after playing helps establish a routine. Make it a point to take the puppy out at these times. Establishing regular mealtimes helps develop a routine schedule of elimination. When loose in the house, watch the puppy all the time to learn the signals the puppy gives you to go out. If you cannot be watching the puppy, use confinement. If the puppy has an accident in the house and you are not watching, you cannot punish the behavior after the fact. If the puppy starts to eliminate while you are watching, you can startle the puppy, calmly take the puppy outside to finish and then give lots of praise. Clean up the spot with a product that removes pet odors and move on. You cannot punish a puppy for any act after the fact. You may think the puppy looks guilty when you find the results of unwanted behavior later, but the puppy is really reacting to your body language that shows you are about to yell at the puppy for some unknown reason. The puppy just learns that you are unpredictable in your interactions. Jumping up on people is one of the major behavioral reasons dogs are sent to shelters. Begin training early by teaching the “sit” command. This command becomes the puppy’s way of asking “Please.” Teach your puppy to sit on command and before you give food or attention. This becomes a way of controlling unacceptable behaviors. Play biting is never acceptable in a puppy. Do not use your hands or feet as toys. Remember, many behaviors that are cute in a little puppy quickly lose their cuteness as the puppy grows up. Now is the time to develop the standards. Puppy classes that the whole family can attend are great for puppies. They get a chance to be around other dogs and people while the puppy and owner both learn about obedience skills.

Perfect puppies and kittens don’t just happen - actually, we cats would dispute the part about the kittens – but with help from their humans they can grow into perfect companions that are members of the family for many happy years. So, welcome to all the new youngsters that are joining our households. Just remember little puppies, CATS RULE.

Signed,
Lost My Pep

Dear Lost My Pep,

It sounds to me like you have dental and maybe periodontal disease. I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but it is time to see your vet for an exam as soon as possible. You are probably feeling rundown because dental infection affects many organs, including your heart, kidneys and liver. The first thing your vet will want to do is check some lab work to see what that reveals about your general health. The next recommendation will be a dental prophy. This involves scaling your teeth to remove plaque and tartar – both on the visible surface of your teeth and under your gums. Then your teeth will be polished to smooth the surface before a dental sealant is applied. If you have deep periodontal pockets and the affected teeth still have their periodontal attachments in the socket, the pockets will be treated with an antibiotic gel. If you have teeth that have lost their periodontal attachments, those teeth will need to be extracted. By the way, you will be sound asleep for the whole procedure.

I know that you probably have some questions, such as, “How will I eat if I have teeth extracted?” Be honest, how much do you really chew your food? Cats’ and dogs’ teeth are not made for chewing the way humans’ teeth are - if you get a chance when your owner is yawning check out the difference in their tooth surfaces. Extractions are only done if there is no way to save the infected tooth. As long as you have infected teeth in your mouth, the bacteria from that infection is released into your bloodstream every time you chew and this affects many organ systems and your general health.

You probably also wonder if having teeth extracted will be painful. Without pain medication it would be, but there are pain medications that you will be given while you are still asleep and when you get home to control pain. And after your dental problems are treated, you won’t have to live with the chronic pain you are having now.

When you get a chance, go to your owner’s computer and pull up the Pet Ed Dentistry section and leave that on the computer screen for your owner to read. This information will help them help you.

The pets that have had dental disease treated tell me when they come back in that they feel better than they have for a long time. Even I can see the renewed spring in their step and interest in what is going on around them. It is especially gratifying to see our older patients acting like youngsters again.

Signed,
Big-boned Bessie and Lots of me to love Lester

Dear Bessie and Lester,

Actually, your owner is not being mean to you. The truth is just the opposite.

Obesity is the result of taking in more calories than you need to maintain a healthy weight. Bessie, even if you are “big-boned”, apparently you are still carrying more weight than those big bones need. And, Lester, what are you going to do if Bessie isn’t around to roll you over when it is time for you to take your 10:00 A.M. nap in your favorite sunny window or your 4:00 P.M. staring at the wall session?

Obesity is the number one nutritional disease in pets, so you guys are not alone in needing to lose weight. That extra weight makes you more prone to developing diabetes, a serious, lifelong disease. Every bit of extra weight puts abnormal stress on your backs and joints and, if you should develop arthritis, increased pain and lameness will result. Lester, your extra weight makes it more dangerous for you if you don’t feel well and stop eating because you may develop hepatic lipidosis, a very serious and even potentially fatal liver disease. If either of you needs surgery, being overweight increases your anesthetic risk. Bessie, did you notice this summer that the heat seemed really hard to bear? That extra weight decreases your tolerance to heat.

How was it determined that you are both overweight? Your ribs should be easy to feel as hands are run down your sides. When looked at from above, you should have a definite waistline behind your ribs and when looked at from the side, you should have a tucked abdomen.

So, now what do you and your owners need to do to get you both back into shape?

Bessie, testing your thyroid levels will likely be one of the first steps. If you are hypothyroid, weight gain (along with many other health issues) can result. Hypothyroidism is easily treated with daily medication.

There are two components to weight gain: too many calories and too little activity.

The first step is to decrease the amount of calories you take in each day. Stop whining – this won’t be as bad as you are imagining. We gave your owner a measuring cup so we will know just how much food you are actually eating each day. Then, the amount can be gradually reduced. There are also lower calorie foods that are designed to help you lose weight without feeling hungry. Lester, it is crucial that your weight loss is gradual because of your risk of hepatic lipidosis so your food consumption will be closely monitored.

You can both still have treats, but they need to be low calorie. I’ll bet you don’t know that one treat can equal the calories in one cup of food depending on what type of treat you eat. Bessie, most dogs actually like vegetables, especially, raw carrots, so make like Bugs Bunny!

Now, it is time to get moving. You will want to start slowly and gradually increase your activity level. Bessie, going on walks will help you lose weight as well as give you some mental stimulation as you read the neighborhood p-mail. You can also terrorize the squirrels in your fenced yard by chasing them. A game of fetch or chasing a soccer ball around the yard seems to be a source of great joy for dogs. Lester, you are not off the hook. There are lots of indoor activities for you. (Just remember that sometimes you have to act really cool and pretend you are not enjoying yourself too much. I do that around here all the time.) Catnip is one of my favorite ways to get moving. A bit of nip and I am running and jumping like a kitten. I also cannot resist chasing that little red laser dot. Batting around fuzzy balls or mice and wads of paper are great fun too and you can engage in this activity all by yourself. Of course, the two of you can also play games of hide and seek, ambush and chase together.

So get to it and good luck. You will feel better, have more energy and most importantly, you will be much less likely to develop several serious diseases. You will live longer and healthier lives. Pretty soon, we’ll be calling you Bombshell Bessie and Lanky Lester.

Signed,
Not enough air freshener in the world.

Dear Needs Air Freshener,

It sounds like it is time for dental checkups at your veterinarian’s office. Our humans see their dentist on a regular basis, but they sometimes forget that we need dental care regularly, too. By the way, about your sweet breath, you might want to ask your buddies about that. Your description of mouth pain may indicate that you are suffering from one or more neck lesions. These are found only in cats (we are special and unique you know). Neck lesions (odontoclastic resorptive lesions as we like to say in the clinic) cause the tooth to start dissolving at the gum line. Our cat dental patients have told me that the tooth becomes very painful as the nerve is exposed and they just don’t feel like eating or really doing anything except sleeping. Extraction of the affected tooth is the only treatment. I know that sounds horrible, but you will feel so much better afterwards. The halitosis (which is never normal) you describe is much more serious than just an air quality issue. It signals that there is dental infection and periodontal disease present. Every time you each chew, the bacteria from your dental infection sends bacteria into your bloodstream. The bacteria then target the kidneys, liver and heart. Much of the kidney, liver and heart valve disease in pets is a result of chronic dental infections. The bacteria also damage and destroy the periodontal ligaments and bone that anchor your teeth leading to tooth loss. None of us wants to lose our teeth, but extraction is the only way to treat seriously infected teeth. Once everybody’s teeth have been cleaned, their periodontal disease has been treated and the gum infection heals, you will feel like climbing the drapes again and the dog will feel like playing fetch and chasing squirrels again. So, you should all go and breathe right in your owner’s face until appointments are made for dental checkups. After your dental problems have been taken care of in the clinic, home care plans will be made for each of you to help prevent these dental problems in the future and you can throw away the air freshener.

Signed,
Perplexed Pooper

Dear P.P.

Your food supply should be safe. Your humans are actually quite sane. They are just following the guidelines of the Companion Animal Practice Council (CAPC) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding pets, people and parasites. (You may be special, but trust me, your stools are not.)

My servants – oops, humans – can be found raiding my litter box about once a year. The purpose of picking up our stools is to have them tested for parasites. Through no fault of our own (yes, even cats) can become infected with intestinal parasites like roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms. Your vet will run special tests on your specimen to check your parasite status.

There are important reasons for doing this at least once a year. The first is because, by definition, parasites take from their hosts without giving back any benefits. So, you may lose weight, have diarrhea, pass bloody stools, have gut pain and even respiratory problems.

The second really important reason is to keep your food bowl filled by keeping your humans healthy. Some parasites are zoonotic, that is, your humans can become infected from your contaminated stools. The consequences for your humans can range from skin infections to blindness.

With help from your humans, you can be protected from parasite infection and thus keep them safe, too. The first important step your owners can take is to give you your heartworm prevention year round. They may not realize that it protects you not only from heartworms, but also controls and eliminates several intestinal parasites. Secondly, your humans should clean up your stools and dispose of them properly on a regular basis. The eggs parasites lay can live in the environment for long periods of time – even years – no matter what the weather does. The larvae that hatch from these eggs can penetrate the skin on both four-legged and two-legged animals. The eggs can also be accidentally ingested through grooming behaviors like cleaning between our toes. If the eggs get on your humans’ hands while playing or maintaining the yard, they can contaminate the food the humans are eating.

The next step is what prompted your question. Fecal tests should be run at least once a year on us pets. No medication if 100% effective, so it is important even if you are given heartworm prevention year round that you be tested annually.

Signed,
Just Doing What Comes Naturally

Dear Baby Dog,

Unfortunately, humans don’t remember their babyhoods when they wore diapers until they had enough control over their urges to relieve themselves so they could be potty trained. Thankfully, I have never seen a human rub a baby’s face in a dirty diaper or whack the baby on the nose with a newspaper. Humans tend to forget that puppies need to be taught proper potty manners and that means remembering to show you where they want you to go and taking you there at the appropriate times. Sometimes they will remind you why you’re outside by saying things like "hurry up" or "go potty." I hope your owners remember to tell you what a good puppy you are, and maybe even give you a treat, after you relieve yourself in the proper place.

Signed,
We Want To Be Dry Dogs Again

Dear Wanting To Be Dry Pooches,

The first thing that needs to happen is getting your owner to take both of you to your veterinarian for an exam. Relax, there’s no need to panic. First, the vet will do a physical exam. Then the vet will want to draw a sample of blood and obtain a urine specimen. The results of your lab tests determine the next step. Your vet is looking for causes such as a bladder infection, kidney disease or hormonal incontinence. There are different treatments for the different diagnoses so don’t lose hope. Almost all of these problems are treated successfully. And, remember, the accidents are not your fault.

Signed,
Am I Asking For Too Much?

Dear Asking,
No. What you are asking for is perfectly reasonable. Everyone knows that we cats like things just so. We always clean behind our ears and between our toes. So, it should come as no surprise to our owners that we want to be able to put our feet into clean litter and have clean litter to cover our waste products. Everyone knows that we cats like to have some alone time—after all, we can meditate on a blank wall for hours. And our owners often know we’ve been playing in a rather undignified manner with our catnip mouse because they can hear us, but we’ll stop playing if they look at us. So, it should come as no surprise that we would like to answer nature’s call without an audience or interruptions. My advice, print this out and leave it in their private sanctuary with their other reading material.

Dear Lilly,
I used to be quite the party animal but I never even get invited anymore. When there’s a party happening, I get put outside or into the basement. I don’t understand it. I always thought I was behaving quite humanlike. There is lots of handshaking and hugging and kissing when partygoers come in, so naturally, I would jump up and try to give hugs and kisses to each new arrival but people acted annoyed. Everyone would engage in conversation, but when I tried to be social and add my two woofs, everyone just yelled at me to be quiet. When the guests would eat and drink and compliment the goodies my owner put out, it seemed only polite for me to also eat and drink them so my owners’ feelings would not be hurt, but apparently nobody wanted my opinion on the refreshments and I got yelled at some more. What am I doing wrong?

Signed,
Former Party Animal

Lilly's Answer:

Dear Former,
I hate to say this but I wouldn’t invite you to my parties either. You have no manners at all. It’s not really your fault—you are a dog—but no one has taught you good social graces. First off, you need to learn to keep all four feet and your rump on the floor when greeting humans. When you are sitting patiently, you’ll find the guests will greet you with something like an ear scratching and a friendly hello. Second, interrupting conversations is very rude. I t is okay to join the group and listen attentively but do not offer your own opinions until you are asked. Third, helping yourself to food and drink is definitely a no-no. Think about it. Would you want someone taking food from your bowl? I think not. Also, you dogs just don’t have discriminating tastes. Many of the foods and drinks humans consume can make you very sick—even kill you. You will need your humans to help you learn proper party etiquette and it might be hard but just think how great it will be when those party invitations start flowing in again.

Sincerely,
Lilly