Sequim This Week

Animal Doctor

Animal Doctor

Posted on:

May

24th

2010

Dr. Michael W. Fox is a veterinarian, former vice president of The 
Humane Society of the United States and former vice president of Humane Society International. He is the author of more than 40 books on animal care and behavior. E-mail questions to Dr. Fox at ipan@erols.com.

How to get a therapy cat
Dear Dr. Fox,
I have a question concerning therapy cats.
My friend lives in a condo that does not allow animals.
However, she baby-sat a cat for a woman who was going out of town.
This cat belonged to her husband who was an invalid.
It is a therapy cat, and the condo allowed them to have the feline in their apartment.
My friend would like to “qualify” to get a therapy cat.
I assume one must get a note from an MD stating that this is necessary for a patient’s quality of health.
How does one qualify to be eligible for a therapy cat?
— C.C., Newport Beach, Fla.

Dear C.C.,
Most people qualify because we all derive health benefits from animal companionship, unless they are allergic to animals or are terrified of them! Any good primary-care physician worth his or her salt would write an official letter supporting a patient’s medical need for a companion animal and that it would be against the best interests of the patient to be denied the benefits of animal companionship, the therapeutic value of which is a medical fact. People should not be separated from their beloved animals simply because it is a condo or assisted-living or retirement-home rule.
Every effort should be made to keep the elderly and infirm/handicapped with their animal companions because, with rare exception, they provide therapeutic benefit (most often emotional) to their owner caregivers.

Do dogs know we’ll return?
Dear Dr. Fox,
I was wondering if you believe dogs have a sense of time. When we leave the house for 10 minutes, we get the same reaction as when we come home after leaving him at a kennel for three days. Also, I was told that every time we leave, the dog thinks that we will not return. Is this correct? It would seem to me this would put much stress on the animal.
— D.F., New York, N.Y.

Dear D.F.,
Your two questions are challenging because the science of ethology, which entails observing an animal’s behavior until you can predict what he or she most likely will do next, has its limitations. Educated guesses in the interpretation of animal behavior are excusable and could lead to further noninvasive research observation and hypothesis testing to advance our understanding and appreciation of animals. Separation (being apart from his pack — you and your family) is timeless. It is all or nothing, so he greets you with the same intensity regardless of how long you were gone. That does not mean to say that the duration of separation doesn’t count.
The longer duration is worse for some pining and anxious dogs who can even die if their condition is not recognized. My wife Deanna and I had a beloved dog Tanza whom she rescued and brought home from Tanzania. Tanza would ignore us for a day or two (after a tiny hello) if we were away from home for any length of time. I do not believe there is any evidence pro or con regarding whether dogs think we will not return once they have had a few experiences of being alone for a period of time. But some dogs may be more cognitively challenged than others.

What causes dog’s problem?
Dear Dr. Fox,
I have a 15-year-old miniature dachshund who has suffered for more than a year with chronic sneezing and gagging. Many times when she sneezes, white mucus will come out of her nose.
Lately, she has labored breathing, as if she is congested. I have had her examined by two different vets, both of whom have run several tests and put her on various antibiotics. No one has been able to determine the cause of her problem, and none of the antibiotics has helped. She has been on Hill’s Science Diet, both wet and dry, all her life. I also add some green beans to her evening meal. In the past few months, she has begun to walk with a shuffling gait. Other than that, she appears well and fairly lively for a dog her age. Last week, she had her teeth cleaned, and several small teeth were removed. Could she have developed an allergy that is aggravating this situation?I would appreciate your thoughts.
— L.K., Arlington, Va.

Dear L.K.,
Chronic sneezing and gagging could mean an upper-respiratory infection, which in some dogs is associated with congestive heart failure. The veterinarians probably ruled this out; otherwise, dental surgery would probably not have been done. In bad cases of periodontal disease, bacteria from the mouth can be inhaled or the infected saliva can be gagged up into the nasal passages, leading respectively to chronic bronchitis or sinus- or nasal-cavity infection. Her shuffling gait may spell arthritis. I would give your dog a daily massage (as per my book The Healing Touch for Dogs), and supplements such as chondroitin, glucosamine, coenzyme Q10 and New Chapter’s Zyflamend with food may help.

More Animal Doctor

Animal Doctor

Puppy-mill dogs aren’t all lost causes in today’s world
Dear Dr. Fox,
I have a little Yorkie who is 10 years old.
She is a former puppy-mill dog whom my… »

Animal Doctor

Cat exhibits OCD behavior
Dear Dr. Fox,
Iggy is our 2-year-old shorthair cat. He was a stray and trapped at 6 weeks old.
We got him from our local humane… »

Animal Doctor

Help for hypersensitive cat
Dear Dr. Fox,
My cat Ellen is 14 years old and was adopted as a stray kitten.
She is an indoor cat and in excellent health.… »

Animal Doctor

What cat food is best?
Dear Dr. Fox,
In one of your syndicated articles, you recommended some high-quality dry foods for cats.
You mentioned the brand Evo, which has no… »

What causes mucus issues?
Dear Dr. Fox,
I have a 6-year-old Portuguese water dog, Gingee.
She loves the beach: In winters, we are in Florida, where the only beach available… »

Animal Doctor

Problem with flea drops
Dear Dr. Fox,
I used flea-medicine drops on our little dog, Minnie Pearl, last December.
I applied them at about 5 p.m., and by 11 p.m.… »

Animal Doctor

Problem with flea drops
Dear Dr. Fox,
I used flea-medicine drops on our little dog, Minnie Pearl, last December.
I applied them at about 5 p.m., and by 11 p.m.… »

Animal Doctor

Groaning in pain, not for your attention
Dear Dr. Fox,
Our 15-year-old male German shorthair has begun to show signs of age — arthritis, hypothyroidism, fatty tumors and subcutaneous cysts… »

Animal Doctor

Behavioral challenges
Dear Dr. Fox,
We have a neutered, 7-year-old, male American Eskimo dog.
We’ve had him since he was an 8-week-old pup.
Behaviorally, he is challenging.
He barks excessively… »

Animal Doctor

For injured dog, time and rest will tell the tale
Dear Dr. Fox,
Our 3½-year-old Havanese recently jumped off my bed, landed peculiarly on her hind leg, and started limping… »

Master Gardeners

This Week’s Garden: September gardening calendar

September is a busy month as gardeners begin preparing the garden for winter.
General: Because the weather is cooler and rain usually returns to the North Olympic Peninsula, it is… »

The bzzzzzz about wasps

Pests or beneficial insects?
You decide.
Some people believe yellowjackets, paper wasps and hornets are pests and make no beneficial contribution to the environment. In reality, they are voracious consumers… »

News of the Weird

News of the Weird

Crisis continues
A team of anglers from Hatteras, N.C., had first place wrapped up in the prestigious Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in June, salivating over their $1,231,575 prize money… »

News of the Weird

Inexplicable
Colin Hall, Lord Mayor of Leicester, England, visiting the Southfields library for its Summer Showcase on global understanding in June, apparently at some point experienced his pants falling down.… »

People's Pharmacy

People’s Pharmacy: Getting a handle on your health

Communication could be the riskiest procedure in medicine.
Researchers estimate that nearly 8 million drug side effects could be prevented or resolved each year if doctors and patients communicated better… »

People’s Pharmacy: Questioning conventional wisdom

Americans like simple solutions to complicated problems. This is especially true in medicine.
Two fundamental “truths” of health advice are 1) calcium builds strong bones and 2) saturated fat clogs… »

People's Pharmacy Q&A

People’s Pharmacy: Q&A

Q: I would like you to know about medical marijuana for cancer.
In her late 30s, my wife was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,
stage 4a.
It was a 6 centimeter… »

People’s Pharmacy: Q&A

Q: My husband complained about my noisy breathing during the night because it sometimes kept him up. On your website there is a tip from a man who used the… »

Savvy Senior

Savvy Senior: Alternative travel accommodations for seniors on the go

Dear Savvy Senior,
My wife and I love to travel, but hotel costs eat up our budget so fast we can’t stay as long, or go as often as we’d… »

Savvy Senior: Changes to Medicare Advantage

Dear Savvy Senior,
How much will the new health care reform law affect Medicare Advantage?
My wife and I have used an Advantage plan for the past three years and… »

The Ethicist

The Ethicist

Library volunteers
Community members have responded to our town’s tight budget by volunteering at the library, so much so that the library laid off several long-term full-time employees, people who… »

The Ethicist

Degree of disclosure
I attended a top-tier acting program at a large state university, completing all my theater classes but not acquiring enough credits for my B.F.A.
I left after… »

Features

Celebrating the past: Museum Field Day encourages area residents to take a step back in time by viewing antique farm equipment, touring the museum’s archive facility and listening to old-time fiddle tunes

Museum Field Day at the DeWitt Building encourages residents to take a look back at the tractors and equipment that helped shape the agricultural history of the Dungeness Valley.
The… »

Creative combinations: Collages of all shapes and sizes will decorate the walls of the Museum & Arts Center in Sequim this August

The Museum & Arts Center will host the 2010 summer members’ juried show for the Northwest Collage Society Aug. 3 through Aug. 30 at the Museum Exhibit Center, 175 W.… »

Fire and water: “What a splendid thing watercolor is to express atmosphere and distance, so that the figure is surrounded by air and can breathe in it,” painter Vincent van Gogh once said.

The watercolor painting "Bob's Pelican" by Saundra Cutsinger is just one of the works of art on display at the Museum & Arts Center's "Fire and Water" exhibit.
“This exciting… »

A day for the young ones

The third annual Dungeness Kids Fair promises to entertain children with free arts and crafts activities, clowns, face painters, balloon makers and more. Parents, grandparents and parents-to-be can learn more… »

Postcards from the past – Take a step back in time during a presentation based on a postcard collection of resorts and lodges within the boundaries of Olympic National Park before the park was established

Olympic Hot Springs Resort was once a popular destination for family vacations. An upcoming class sponsored by the Museum & Arts Center tells its story and tales of other historic… »

The magic of glass

Have you dreamed of creating a colorful and delicate glass float or an amazing piece of glass jewelry? Have you ever wondered how artists create stained glass windows? The Glass… »

Learn how to landscape with native plants during free workshops

SEQUIM — Clallam Conservation District officials are currently accepting reservations for free workshops on landscaping with native plants.
A one-hour workshop will be held in conjunction with the Dungeness River… »

Growing dahlias topic of free lecture

SEQUIM — Lee Bowen will demonstrate how to care for dahlias at the Olympic Peninsula Demonstration Garden, located at the Water Reuse Site north of Carrie Blake Park, 202 N.… »

ART IN THE PARK: Dungeness River Audubon Center hosts August exhibit, demonstrations in Railroad Bridge Park to highlight connections between art and nature

SEQUIM — The natural beauty of the North Olympic Peninsula will provide the perfect setting for Art in the Park, a five-day event, held Friday, Aug. 13 through Tuesday, Aug.… »

Senior Center Benefit Sale nears

SEQUIM — The Sequim Senior Activity Center Benefit Sale will take place between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 5, 6 and 7.
The main sale… »

Briefs

Natural landscaping course offered

SEQUIM — Clallam Conservation District, in partnership with WSU Extension and the Dungeness River Audubon Center, will offer a fall edition of its natural landscaping short course.
The course involves… »

Auditions set for theatre production

SEQUIM — Auditions for the off-Broadway musical hit “Nunsense” will be held in the main stage area at Olympic Theatre Arts Center, 414 N. Sequim Ave., from 7 p.m. to… »

Olympic Driftwood Sculptors gain nonprofit status

SEQUIM — The Olympic Driftwood Sculptors have received designation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Accountant Jeanne Martian aided the group with the process.
The club meets the first Wednesday of… »

New Sequim police chief named

SEQUIM — Bill Dickinson was hired Aug. 23 as Sequim’s new police chief.
Sequim City Manager Steve Burkett announced that Dickinson, a 39-year lawman, was his choice for chief over… »

Sequim girl finalist in pageant

SEQUIM — Morgan King, 11, has been chosen as a state finalist in the National American Miss Washington Pageant to be held Sept. 2-4 at the Bellevue Hilton in Bellevue.… »

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