Pet Patients Infantilization in pet keeping…and its unintended consequences for animal health

Yes, it’s true. We modern humans are a confused lot. Though most of us adore our pets and reward them with familiar integration, some of us get a little freaky about how we do this. Along with the so called “pets-as-children” phenomenon comes its unwelcome extreme: infantilization.

In case you’re not sure what I mean by this, the above photo should say it all. If you’re still fuzzy, here’s the...

April 29th, 2008 26 Comments

Pet Patients Chronic pain and adverse behavior in one big, black monster kitty

Mordecai had been getting fouler tempered over the years. It had become a family joke to quip that no one should approach him barehanded while he’s sleeping. And absolutely no one is to scratch him anywhere except behind his ears and under his chin—which he still loves. 

This big black behemoth of a cat had never been so ornery. Before the age of ten he’d been the sweetest-natured of beasts,...

April 27th, 2008 14 Comments

Pet Patients Sign-overs of pets in veterinary hospital settings: Most vets now just say NO!

Every vet hospital has plenty opportunity to turn its unused cages into Adoption Central. I mean, why not give back to the community by using surplus space, material and staff time to place as many pets as possible?

It’s a goodwill gesture that makes staff happy, gives your clients cause to know how much you really care about animals and puts a huge smile on your face when your matchmaking...

April 26th, 2008 23 Comments

Pet Patients Hairballs from hell: What to do when Fluffy hurls ‘em

Yeah, they’re disgusting. Nothing beats a pile of twisted, slimy fur for its gross-out factor. But we get used to it, don’t we? Picking up the chunks with Bounty quicker-picker-uppers by the bagload. Getting treated to early morning wake-up calls by the sweet strains of “gaaaaak.”

Geez!—will it never end?

Not as long as there’s fur on Fluffy’s back will it ever cease, it seems. And that’s a...

April 21st, 2008 18 Comments

Pet Patients The Slentrol challenge: How four obese dogs lost big weight last month

You may think four dogs is not a very big sample size. Nonetheless, my experience has to count for something. Last month I put four middle-aged, morbidly obese dogs on a strict diet, explaining that if they didn’t lose a significant amount of weight (5 lbs for all 75 to 115-pounders in the group) we’d be forced to give 23 Comments

Pet Patients Automatic cat feeders: A way to displace all that ‘feed-me’ kitty anxiety (and the fat, too)?

A couple of years ago my boyfriend and Dolittler consultant extraordinaire, Dr. Marc Wosar decided to experiment with his own cats when one of the two, sweet-faced Desdamona, began looking heftier by the month.

Something had to be done to stem the tide of fat that graced Desie’s ample mid-section. More so because she’d begun to favor her elbows in subtle ways, slowing down in her leaps and...

April 5th, 2008 37 Comments

Pet Patients Cats out of doors: On the emerging importance of outdoor enclosures for felines

After last week’s post on cats and cars, one of your comments reminded me of a great solution for cats who need some stimulating sunshiny living: outdoor enclosures.

Excited by the prospect of pushing this point, I Googled “outdoor cat enclosure: and was rewarded with a bounty of web pages devoted to feline-ready fencing and playpens designed to provide safe and responsible out-of-doors...

March 15th, 2008 10 Comments

Pet Patients Cars and cats: An unholy (and avoidable) alliance

It’s been a hit-by-car kind of week for kitties…

It started on Monday when I went for a lunchtime run and came across a neighbor’s cat who had sustained a gruesome and fatal traffic injury. Suffice it to say he’d succumbed instantly—this was no head trauma anyone recovers from under any circumstances. I’d had to peel him off the pavement in pieces—and for that I was grateful it was the...

March 6th, 2008 10 Comments

Pet Patients Taking it off…taking it ALL off (amputations in vet medicine)

Last week’s client came crying (justifiably) over her dog’s bone cancer (the too-common osteosarcoma, in this case). After the requisite diagnostic biopsy, her previous vet had told her there was nothing to do unless she elected in favor of amputation and chemotherapy. Unsatisfied with this ultimatum, she’d come looking for a second opinion.

This owner was miserable over the ordeal but loath to...

February 29th, 2008 16 Comments

Pet Patients Cat condom nation: A case of feline friskiness gone too far

When it rains it pours, they say. In my case, it purrs. The last few days have brought me wild feline cases—and the one I’m about to relate was the wackiest I’ve seen in weeks. Yes, it involves a condom—really.

Now, normally all my condom cases are reserved for canines with poor taste in their comestibles. Dogs are far more likely to consume discarded objects with a distinctly human flavor....

February 18th, 2008 5 Comments