Community ClicksHow 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.
