Dogma and Cattitude

Jack the cat found, falcon force, and more animal news

2011-10-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

The big news of the day is that Jack the cat, misplaced in JFK airport a couple of months ago, has been found, according to a report on VetStreet. He'll soon be winging his way home to California--and we'll hope he isn't mislaid again along the way.

You've no doubt heard of Border Collies being hired to drive geese and other birds off airport runways. Now NATO has recruited a few good falcons to prevent birds from fouling up jet engines, according to a story in the November issue of Wired. The falcons and their handlers, employees of Falcon Environmental Services, patrol airports from before sunrise to after sunset, on a search and, if necessary, destroy mission for geese and gulls, which often get sucked into jet engines and can potentially damage or even down an aircraft. Outfitted with microtransmitters so they can be tracked, the raptors are released to run off the troublemaking fowl. Usually they come back at day's end, lured by food if necessary. But at least one, swept up high and far by a thermal column, is now a self-employed predator.

As we enter the season of thanksgiving and gift-giving, especially in this economic downturn, it's good to know that there are organizations like Pets of the Homeless, which helps to provide food and veterinary care for pets belonging to people who live on the streets. A story by Eleanor Gilman in the October 2011 AARP Bulletin says that 10 percent of the nation's 3.5 million homeless people have at least one pet. Pets of the Homeless was founded by Genevieve Frederick after she realized that a pet may be the only companion a street person has. The website lists a number of ways people can help, from distributing food to starting a reading contest in schools.

If you write about pets and want to bone up in your field or claw your way to the top of the pet writer heap, make plans now to attend the 2011 Cat Writers Association conference in White Plains, New York, November 18 and 19. You don't have to write about cats to attend; the sessions are geared to writers of all stripes, tabby or brindle. Among the offerings are a presentation by incoming AVMA president Douglas Aspros, DVM, on the latest in pet health care; writing for children, with agent Ann Tobias and editor/writer Thea Feldman; writing nonfiction book proposals, presented by literary agent Rita Rosenkranz; how to break into new genres; tips on improving and maintaining your website; editor and agent panels; and more. That's just on Friday! There's more on Saturday. I'll be there. Find out more here.

Breed spotlight: the Afghan Hound

2011-10-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Afghans are the most glamourous of the sighthounds. They have long, beautiful coats and a somewhat standoffish attitude--at least until they come to accept you as family. Then they show their silly side.

I'm not going to say a lot about Afghans here because the Afghan Hound Club of America website does a pretty good job of telling people about the breed. I'm not wild about the design, but it's reasonably easy to navigate. If you're new to the breed, start with the Questions and Answers section, which describes the breed's personality and what Afghans are like to live with. In response to the question Are they good with kids? it gives exactly the right answer: some are and some aren't.

There's a good section on coat care, which is essential for this breed. Skip the Personality Plus heading unless you just want to see some funny cartoons featuring an Afghan. There's a rescue page with information on adopting an Afghan and good tips on ways to make sure that dogs don't get lost or need to be rehomed.

The disappointing section was the one on health (listed as Animal Health). It gives generic advice on health and veterinary care--"Good health will show through Afghan Hound's attitude, sparkling eyes and in his coat." It mentions that the AHCA is a member of the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC), but it doesn't discuss any health problems to which Afghans might be prone. It does point out that CHIC numbers do not imply normal test results and do not certify animals for breeding purposes, which is a plus. To earn a CHIC number, Afghans must have hip, eye and thyroid clearances.

What I liked best was the Newcomer page. For anyone who's interested in buying an Afghan puppy or adopting an adult Afghan, this is the place to go to get answers from real people. Contact information is listed for people who are willing to answer questions about the breed. That's a great resource. There's also a breeder referral page.

The AHCA doesn't have the very best website, and I'd love to see it beef up the health section, but for the most part it offers solid information.

Weekend reading: a mystery for dog lovers and a powerful piece on puppy mills

2011-10-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

A rainy day and a slow work week allowed me to catch up on my reading for pleasure on Wednesday. I picked up First Degree, by David Rosenfelt, which has been sitting in the "to read" pile for at least a couple of months now. Jerry had already read it and gave it thumbs up--and it featured a dog lover--so I was eager to get started.

New Jersey lawyer Andy Carpenter has come into a large inheritance so he can pick and choose among the cases that come his way. (We should all be so lucky.) Nothing of interest has presented itself, so he and his Golden Retriever, Tara, are at a dog park, where Andy is preening among a group of women who are gushing over him because he adopted Tara from a shelter, where she was on "death row." Unfortunately for Andy's ego, his girlfriend, Laurie, shows up and announces that her nemesis, a corrupt police officer, has been murdered.

An arrest is made and Andy is manipulated into defending the accused killer, much to Laurie's annoyance. Then new evidence comes along, and the stakes become much higher.

Tara and the other dog in the book, Cash (rescued from the streets by one of Andy's former clients (who has also come into millions), don't talk and don't help to solve the mystery--although they do find a damning piece of evidence--but their pasts contribute to a decision at the end that will have no-kill advocates smiling.

Luck and coincidence are major characters in this book. Two multimillion-dollar windfalls? An employee who just happens to have a connection who can and will provide the answers they need? But it's still a fun read, and when it comes to dogs, Andy's--and Rosenfelt's--hearts are clearly in the right place.

I was about to post this just as soon as I wrote the headline when I ran across Lucy Postin's response to a Pet Age editorial that advocated puppy sales in pet stores. It's well worth a read, and I hope you'll share it far and wide.

In other news, the New York Times reports that Pet Airways and PetJets make flying safer for brachycephalic pets, who are banned from many airlines. Read the story here.

Breed spotlight: learning about the Affenpinscher

2011-10-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

I write a lot about breeds: profiles for magazines and websites, books, and peripheral pieces on finding a breeder or choosing a puppy. For a while now, I've been wanting to pull together information on breeds not as a one-stop resource--that would take forever--but as a guide to where to find information about the breed and how to evaluate it. I'm going to start alphabetically with AKC breeds, although it's pretty likely that rare breeds and cats will make their way in sooner rather than later. So, let's check out the Affenpinscher.

He's nicknamed the monkey-face dog because of his bright, inquisitive expression and shaggy coat, especially around the face. Or because he hung out with organ grinders who couldn't afford actual monkeys. Take your pick. His coat comes in black, gray, silver, red, black and tan, or belge, a mixture of black, brown and (sometimes) white with red. Even though he's classified as a Toy breed, he has a terrierlike personality, not surprising since he descends from small dogs used as ratters on farms or in stables, shops and homes. This dog is active, smart and an independent thinker. One of his nicknames is mustachio'd little devil, an apt moniker. You can just see him twirling his mustache as he plots his next mischievous move. He weighs 8 to 10 pounds and sometimes up to 20 pounds, but in his head he thinks he's much bigger.

When I'm researching breeds, interviews with breeders are a primary source of information, but I also turn to the breed club website. A rare few are top-notch, but many could use some help with organization, and they are often lacking in the type of information that is really useful to the potential buyer or new owner. I look to see how easy it is to find a description of the breed's personality, whether health problems are discussed, and how easy it is to find a list of breeders and a link to information about rescue.

The Affenpinscher Club of America website has tabs on the left for information about the breed and the club, but it doesn't appear to be in any kind of order, other than starting with club and breed history. The Breeder Referral section has good information on choosing a breeder, links to a list of ACA-affiliated breeders, and a link to the criteria breeders must meet to be on that list. All of that is a big plus.

The section on the Affen personality isn't bad. It refers to them as a "big dog in a small body" and warns of their willingness to take on big dogs. Most of it is very positive, which is fine, but I would like to see a more balanced picture that includes the breed's drawbacks--and all breeds have them. What is the Affen like to train? How easily is he housetrained? That's often a problem in Toy breeds. Does he bark a lot? What does he think about living with other pets? Kids? None of that is covered. Training is discussed in the sections on Obedience and Agility, but not everyone would think to look there for that type of information. A good FAQ would cover all of this information in one place.

The Puppy's First Year tab is promising, but while it has some good advice, it is mostly generic information about vet visits, crate training, going to puppy kindergarten class, and socialization. How old should an Affen puppy be before going to his new home, and how quickly do Affen puppies mature? How much do they eat? How much and what type of exercise/play do they need? That type of breed-specific information is nowhere to be found. Of course, you can get that information from breeders, but it's nice to have an idea upfront if you are deciding whether this is the breed for you.

Health is not among any of the headings, but if you were to click on Breeder's Guidelines, you would find that Affenpinschers should be tested for hip dysplasia, luxating patellas, eye problems and Legg-Calve-Perthes disease before being bred. In her book Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds, author D. Caroline Coile says that Affens don't have any major health concerns and that minor health concerns are patellar luxation and corneal ulcers. Their typical life span is 12 to 14 years. That would be great information for buyers and owners to be able to find on the ACA website, as would be information about other problems that occasionally affect the breed, such as patent ductus arteriosus (a congenital heart condition), open fontanel (a soft spot on the head) and respiratory difficulties.

While the Affen Personality section says they need a minimum amount of grooming, the Grooming the Affen page tells another story. It gives excellent, highly detailed instructions on how to brush, comb and trim the dog, which, without regular grooming, will pick up all kinds of debris in his shaggy coat and develop mats or tangles that can be painful and difficult to remove. It's one of the most useful sections on the ACA website.

As is often the case, the very best, most useful information about the breed is on the webpage for Affenpinscher Rescue. Here is where you will learn that Affens aren't especially fond of children, are liable to bite if provoked, are difficult to housetrain, and much more. There's no doubt that the Affen is charming, but he can be a handful to live with. The rescue page also discusses health concerns in much more detail than the ACA website. Even if you are planning to get a puppy of any breed, I always recommend that you find a breed's rescue group site and read it thoroughly. It's how you find out why people give the dogs up and what can be difficult about living with them.

The Affen isn't especially common, so finding a breeder who has puppies or at least is planning a litter can take some time. The ACA breeder referral list has a total of nine for the whole country. Communicate with as many of them as possible via phone or email, meet them at dog shows if possible, or visit their kennel and meet their dogs if you happen to live nearby one of them. This is a funny little dog with a lot of great qualities, but just because he's small and cute doesn't mean he will be easy to live with in all circumstances.

Sick bird? Late at night? These tips may help save his life

2011-10-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Birds, like most animals, are pros at hiding illness. By the time you realize they're sick, it can be right on the edge of too late. Even worse is when it occurs after regular veterinary hours. Who's going to take a bird to a veterinary ER?

You are, if you want your bird to have a better chance of surviving until his avian vet can see him. What are the signs that your bird might be sick? Subtle clues are fluffed feathers, inactivity, talking or vocalizing less than usual, or sitting on the bottom of the cage. If your bird is shivering, sniffling, seems off balance, or is having trouble breathing, he needs help. Fast.

Emergency clinics may say that they don't specialize in birds, but even if they are reluctant to care for your bird, there are two things you can ask them to do that will help, says bird doc Scott Weldy of Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in Lake Forest, California:

"The two things you can never screw up on a bird is you can give him oxygen and and a quiet place, and you can give him subcutaneous fluids. Those two things never hurt them, and even if they don't give them aggressively enough, it still helps. They don't have to feed them, they don't have to give them antibiotics, they don't have to pull blood, but if the bird is so sick that he needs to be seen by a veterinarian, putting him in a place with some oxygen, a quiet covered cage, birds will just shut down and sit there and survive. They'll do a whole lot better there than they will at home with the people pacing and worrying about them."

You can also ask the hospital to contact your bird's regular veterinarian at home. There's a good chance that the ER clinic will have his or her contact information.

"In our area, all of the emergency clinics can call any one of us, and you can have them call us," Weldy says. "They have our home numbers."

New DNA blood test for Cavaliers

2011-09-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's not the blood test I was hoping for, but it's not bad. Two conditions that can affect Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are episodic falling syndrome and curly coat/dry eye syndrome. A test developed at the Animal Health Trust in the United Kingdom will identify carriers of both conditions.

Neither condition is common in the breed, but EFS, which typically begins during puppyhood, can be distressing to owners and dogs, and the curly coat/dry eye condition is painful and untreatable, which means most dogs diagnosed with it are euthanized, according to Cavalier breeder Stephanie Abraham, in her breed column for the AKC Gazette.

Does that mean that dogs identified as carriers should never be bred? Not necessarily, according to my interview with Tufts geneticist and veterinarian Jerold Bell. He says the ability to identify undesirable genes in particular dogs is good news, but it can be misused, leading to unwarranted culling and restriction of a breed's gene pool by reducing the incidence of one disease and increasing the incidence of another by repeated use of males known to be clear of the gene that causes the first condition.

That creates bottlenecks and decreases diversity by eliminating all carriers of a gene from the breeding pool instead of breeding and replacing them.

"When entire lines of dogs are eliminated to attempt to control a genetic disease, the gene pool shifts in different directions due to the increased influence of other dogs and family lines. This is not a rare situation in dog breeding, as only a small percentage of dogs in each generation are ever used for breeding to create the next generation. Depending on the genetic background difference between the population and the breeding dogs, gene pools continually shift and gene frequencies change."

Rather than eliminating carriers from breeding programs, Bell recommends breeding testable carriers to normal-testing mates and then replacing them with normal-testing offspring.

"As each breeder tests and replaces carrier animals with normal-testing animals, the problem for the breed as a whole diminishes."

The more serious concern in Cavaliers, of course, is the more complexly inherited and so far untestable diseases: mitral valve disease (aka chronic valvular disease) and syringomyelia. Not every Cavalier with MVD or syringo is affected to the same degree and only phenotypic tests (auscultation or MRI) are currently available to identify affected dogs, but knowing the affected or normal status of a breeding dog's full siblings can help breeders perform relative risk analysis. Dogs whose siblings are normal and whose parents' siblings are normal have the best chance of carrying a low genetic load for this type of polygenic condition.

Open health registries such as the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and the Canine Health Information Center are the only ways that breeders are going to be able to find that type of information and use it effectively. Breeders who don't or won't list test results in open health registries should be shunned. In this case, it's fair to say that they are guilty--of having dogs that are affected or carriers--until proven innocent.

Real men rock little dogs

2011-09-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

So, I took that Labor Day holiday a little too seriously and it turned into Labor, um, Week. A week of not laboring, that is. I did get caught up on some of my important reading, like the September issue of Los Angeles magazine with LA's best breakfast places on the cover, and what do you know--it turned out to be dog-related. On page 74, Ann Herold has a piece about "real men" embracing their inner purse dog. Mickey Rourke has a Chihuahua and former stuntman Keith Vallot proudly takes his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel everywhere. (Great choice, by the way!) Anyone who knows a Chihuahua, Yorkie, Pekingese or Shih Tzu knows that these dogs have outsize personalities, and it's not surprising that most men who are smart enough to give them a chance quickly fall under their spell. Read the rest here.

Celebrate Boykin Spaniel Day

2011-09-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing that Boykins are out in full force in South Carolina today, not just because it's Boykin Spaniel Day in the breed's home state; more likely because it's also the opening day of dove hunting season. The Boykin is one of the top breeds I'm considering for my next dog, so it seemed fitting today to blog about the "little brown dog." (Pictured above are Bud and Mattie from the Carolina Boykin Spaniel Retriever Club.)

Boykins were developed in the early 20th century to hunt ducks, wild turkeys and upland game birds such as pheasants in South Carolina's swamps and riverlands. At 14 to 18 inches at the shoulder and 25 to 40 pounds, the Boykin is just the right size to ride in a boat with a hunter, giving rise to his nickname "the little dog that doesn't rock the boat." He has a liver, brown or dark chocolate-colored coat that can be straight or moderately curly. He's a typical spaniel: enthusiastic when it comes to flushing and retrieving anything feathered. Don't hunt but love the water? The Boykin's your dog. Take him kayaking, canoeing, standup paddleboarding or sailing. If it involves getting wet, the highly active Boykin is all for it.

His moderate size and cheerful personality make the Boykin an attractive proposition as a companion or hunting dog, but like every breed and mix, he is predisposed to certain health problems, including eye disease, hip dysplasia, and some instances of exercise-induced collapse and heart problems. To its credit, the Boykin Spaniel Club and Breeders Association of America has established a Canine Health Information Center database that lists Boykins who have top-notch health certifications: annual Canine Eye Registration Foundation exams; an Orthopedic Foundation for Animals patella evaluation; and one of three available tests for hip dysplasia. Optional tests are OFA evaluations for congenital cardiac diseases and elbow dysplasia.

The Boykin was recently recognized by the American Kennel Club as a member of the Sporting Group, which may or may not bode well for its future. Find out more about the breed here and here. And be sure to check out Boykin Spaniel Rescue: they often have what look like some great dogs available for adoption. I cruise by there frequently. I wrote more about Boykins here.

New site, same great people

2011-09-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging over on Pet Connection for the past few years, but it went dark last night. That doesn't mean the Pet Connection bloggers have gone away weeping into the night. No way! We've all regrouped on Petted and Vetted.

Everyone's there: Pet Connection founder Gina Spadafori, science genius and bitchin' journalist Christie Keith, our resident newshound David Greene, funnyman and ER veterinarian extraordinaire Dr. Tony Johnson, pet sitting and social media guru Therese Kopiwoda, and super dog trainer and prolific writer Liz Palika. Your pain will be relieved to see Dr. Robin Downing there, and you'll also spot Dr. Nancy Kay, pet product leading light and animal lover Ericka Basile, the wry and writeful Phyllis DeGioia, Dr. Laurie Hess (our resident exotic pet specialist), cat queen Ingrid King, bunny expert Mary Cvetan, and top dog writer Arden Moore.

Head over to Petted and Vetted and give us a "like." It's the best place to keep up with what all of us are writing in both online and print venues. And, of course, you'll be seeing a lot more of me here at Dogma and Cattitude.

See you on Petted and Vetted!

Pee pad fail

2011-08-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

What part of peeing on the pad do dogs not get? Aren't the pads supposed to be treated so they attract dogs to use them? I have yet to have a dog who will use them unless the entire entryway is papered with them, giving the dog no choice.

I'm not complaining, mind you. If I'm not home or don't realize that she needs to go out, I'm thrilled that Twyla, who is on a diuretic and thus needs to pee numerous times daily, is smart enough and able enough to go downstairs and pee on the slate entryway instead of just squatting on the floor or one of the rugs upstairs. Interestingly, she doesn't have any qualms about peeing on throw rugs or towels put down in the entryway. I have a large assortment of machine-washable rugs for this very purpose, but I keep trying to train her to use the pee pads so that if she is ever so infirm that she can't negotiate the stairs, I can transfer her "in-case-of-emergency potty area" to our balcony instead.

Not that I really think that will ever happen. It appears to be firmly fixed in her mind that the balcony is part of the living area and thus not to be peed on. I've tried explaining how easy it would be to just hose it off, but she's not buying it.

Umm, okay, we're getting closer. I just heard scratching and ran to discover that she has had diarrhea--partially on the pee pad. It's a start.

Next stop: the garage, where I will be sorting through the Christmas ornaments for a door hanger with bells on it. Maybe I can teach her to ring that when she needs to go out.

Hope springs eternal.

Mind of the Raven

2011-08-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Did you miss me? I've been blogging with my friends over at PetConnection, but as it prepares to disappear into the ether, I decided it was time to resume my presence here. And what better way to start than with a taste of what I've been reading.

I can't remember where I saw this book mentioned recently, but like a raven to shiny things, I am attracted to books of natural history, and I immediately went to Amazon and ordered it. Subtitled "Investigations and Adventures With Wolf-Birds," it's a treatise on the social and, dare I say it, intellectual life of ravens, which have figured in the mythology of cultures ranging from Vikings to Native Americans. The Norse god Odin was accompanied by two ravens--Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory), who flew around the world and brought Odin information. In Native American folklore, ravens--like coyotes--are tricksters and sometimes creators.

The link between ravens and wolves is an interesting one. Many biologists have noted that ravens seem to follow wolves, show no fear of them, and even tease them by yanking on their tails. In chapter 20, "From Wolf-Birds to Human-Birds," author Bernd Heinrich discusses a raven-wolf symbiosis that may involve ravens helping wolves to locate carcasses and serving as watchbirds while wolves eat.

What's in it for the raven? If the carcass hasn't been torn open yet, the raven can't feed, so wolves serve as a sort of can opener for corvids. I imagine the watchbird aspect is simply a beneficial by-product of the raven's suspicious nature. Heinrich quotes wildlife filmmaker Jeff Turner: "I can sneak up on a wolf, but never on a raven. They are unbelievably alert."

Heinrich goes on to say that some ravens have transferred these behaviors to their interactions with people. They follow moose hunters and feast on the leftover gut piles and frequently interact with people in interesting or unusual ways: approaching them, "talking" to them or teasing them in the same way they do wolves by dive-bombing them or sneaking up on them nipping at them. In chapter 21, which I'm reading now, he further explores the raven-human relationship through observations made at Iqaluit, a community on Baffin Island. Leading up to it, he writes:

"Ravens are, and likely always have been, not just wolf-birds. They are our birds as well, and it is small wonder that they hold such a prominent place in our myths and legends."

Hit the Trail With Rover; Fun Match Fund Raiser

2007-05-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Southern California residents can join California Canine Hikers for day and evening hikes in the greater Los Angeles area. If the girls were younger or I still had my greyhound, I'd be there in two wags of a dog's tail. We have always taken our dogs hiking, although as they age we eventually have to give it up until a new one comes along.

We did take them to Laguna Niguel Regional Park yesterday for the Darcy Fund fun match. Besides the typical fun match classes--puppy, open, veteran--we had contests for waggiest tail, fastest eater, most freckles and more. Everyone had a great time and even better, we raised more than $1,800 for research into causes and treatment for chronic valve disease in Cavaliers. The Darcinator would have loved it; there's nothing she liked better than socializing with people and other dogs. It was her kind of party, and I like to think she was there in spirit.

Peruvian Mummy Dog Found

2007-05-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Egyptians mummified cats, the Peruvians went for dogs, according to the May 2007 issue of National Geographic. Archaeologist Sonia Guillen discovered the remains of 83 dogs buried with blankets and food. She hopes through DNA tests to prove that the 1,000-year-old mummified dogs are the ancestors of modern dogs in Peru, like her own dog Abdul, who bears a resemblance to a golden retriever. Guillen believes the early dogs were used by the Chiribaya culture to herd llamas.

Skidboot Exits the Stage

2007-05-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

One of the latest in a long line of dogs that bore the title Amazing, 14-year-old Skidboot has gone on to that big dog ranch in the sky. The Australian blue heeler/kelpie mix, who made a name for himself with a winning performance on Animal Planet's Pet Star, as well as appearances on Oprah and at the Texas State Fair, was euthanized on March 25. Skidboot's people, David and Barbara Hartwig, suggest memorializing the talented dog with a donation to your local animal shelter. A worthy remembrance indeed.

Dogs on TV

2007-04-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to watch part 2 tomorrow night of the Nature series Dogs That Changed the World. The show is getting a lot of play because, well, after all, they are our best friends. Rick Kushman of the Houston Chronicle, who proudly proclaims himself a dog guy, calls it a solid hour of dog charisma. In the New York Times, Susan Stewart focuses on the diversity of dogs, alluding to them as freaks of nature and at times even grotesque, thanks to human manipulation. "As a lesson in genetics, 'Dogs' is far more entertaining and peculiar than Gregor Mendel's peas ever hoped to be," she writes. The LA Times' Paul Brownfield notes, along with Stewart and Kushner, that what probably separated the wolf from the proto-dog was willingness to approach human settlements in search of food--garbage, that is, a theory espoused by Hampshire College professor Ray Coppinger. I first reported on this theory in an article on the history of the dog-human bond, which appeared in the October 2000 AKC Gazette. "Dog's first job, and one for which he is still well known, was a combination of waste management and security system," I wrote. Huh. Sort of like The Sopranos. Only cuddlier.

Cool Pet News

2007-04-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

Dog gone? Contact the K-9 Amber Alert and let people across the country know to keep an eye out for your missing mutt. The e-mail list posts notices about dogs that have escaped from yards, gotten lost during a vacation trip or that have been stolen from yards, homes or dog shows. Photos can be uploaded to the list as well. Click here for the URL.

Marley and Me faces competition. The life story of Dewey, a beloved library cat in a small town in Iowa, has just sold for $1.25 million to Grand Central Publishing. Dewey died last November, but his tale lives on.

A suppressor gene has been identified as the reason for the amazing plasticity in dog size. Dogs are the only species to produce adults with a 100-fold range in size, from the 2-pound Chihuahua to the 2oo-pound Neapolitan mastiff. The only difference between the two, according to a study published in the journal Science, is a tiny bit of DNA that suppresses the "insulin-like growth factor 1" gene. Elaine A. Ostrander, whom I've interviewed and heard speak previously, says the same gene suppressor is found in mice and humans. Ostrander is chief of cancer genetics at the National Human Genome Research Institute and says knowledge of the gene will be beneficial in cancer research.

Pooches and Purses

2007-04-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we did our Laguna walk, which I'm not going to tell you about because I'm too selfish to give away the secret of where one can find beach parking on a weekend. When we reached Main Beach, Jerry was craving fries and I a burger, so we went to Brussels Bistro, one of our favorite places. It's the perfect combination of Europe and California. We sat on the patio, which is below street level. That gave us a good view of all the dogs walking by. At the street level bar, two girls sat, each with a Chihuahua decked out in pink Puppia harnesses and pink Doggles. They were a smash. Tourists stopped to take their picture, and little kids begged to pet them. I've never really figured out the purpose of Puppias except as decoration. Cavalier people like them, too; I frequently see Cavaliers in our play group wearing them. Bella and Twyla are deprived, though; all they get to wear are collars. I'm pretty sure that secretly they're relieved. Bella's breeder asked me once if the girls had Coach collars. I said no, I figured it was enough for them that I had a Coach purse. Okay, four. I can live without designer jeans, but I do love shoes and purses. In a recent Google search for more information on the purse museum in Amsterdam, I ran across a purse blog that included reviews of, what else, designer dog carriers. Nope, the girls aren't getting one of those, either. They already have three colors of the original dog carrier: the Sherpa bag. And besides, they wouldn't trade their visits to Three Dog Bakery for designer anything.

What's Old Is New Again

2007-04-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

Back before pet foods became commercialized, people primarily fed dogs cheap horse meat and table scraps. Royal dogs didn't actually fare all that well. Prince Albert's greyhound, Eos, was fed only pate de foie gras and fresh unsalted butter. Clearly that wasn't a suitable diet for dogs, as Eos died suddenly, no doubt from the canine equivalent of gout. Prince Albert preferred to blame it on a scullery maid who gave Eos salted butter one day.

Commercial pet foods came along in the mid-19th century, accompanying the rise in status of the dog as a family pet. A little over 100 years later, pet food companies had all but done away with home feeding of pets. They performed or financed all of the research into pet nutrition and funded the teaching of nutrition at veterinary schools, emphasizing the importance of a steady commercial diet with little variety. There's no doubt that some of the commercial foods available today are way better for pets than a steady diet of foie gras or table scraps (especially given today's high-fat human diets).

But in the wake of last month's massive pet food recall, with hundreds and ultimately perhaps even thousands of cats and dogs sick or dead from contaminated pet food, people are returning to homemade diets. Despite the dire warnings of pet food manufacturers, it is possible to make a nutritious food for cats and dogs at home. They do have special needs--they won't thrive on Mickey D's or the leftovers from your local taco joint--but mixing up your own dog or cat food according to a veterinary nutritionist-approved recipe gives you the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your pet's food came from and what's in it.

Here's one of the most important things you need to know if you're planning to make food for your cat:

Cats are obligate carnivores. That means they must have meat in their diet. Even if your kitty likes to nibble grass, she can't survive on a vegetarian diet.

Here are some good resources for homemade cat and dog food:

7thheavencats.com

The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, C.J. Puotinen

The Nature of Animal Healing, Martin Goldstein, DVM

Natural Cat Care, Celeste Yarnall

Natural Dog Care, Celeste Yarnall

Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, 3rd edition, Richard Pitcairn, DVM

Keep Your Cat Healthy the Natural Way by Pat Lazarus

Real Food for Dogs, Arden Moore

Whole Pet Diet, Andi Brown

Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative, Donald Strombeck, DVM, Ph.D.

8 Weeks To A Healthy Dog, Shawn Messonnier, DVM

These aren't in any particular order. They're either written by people I know and trust or they're recommended by people I know and trust.

You can also have your pet food recipe evaluated by the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, for a fee. Your veterinarian must refer you; you can't just send them a sample and a check.

If you'd still prefer to feed your pet a commercial diet, take a look at my MSNBC article on what to know about choosing a pet food. I say in the article that pet food labels are easily manipulated, but I'll say it again here. It's good if some kind of named meat (chicken, turkey, lamb) is the first ingredient and it's good for a food to list other meat or dairy proteins later on the label (chicken meal, chicken livers, eggs, cheese, fish meal, etc.), but if the food also contains several mentions of grains--for instance, wheat, wheat middlings, wheat meal or rice, rice bran, and some other form of rice--then more than likely the food contains more grain than meat and isn't a high-quality choice.

Finally, the most important information on the pet food label is the manufacturer's contact information. Write or call and ask whatever you want to know about the food (see my article for suggestions). If you don't like the answers you get, try another company and another until you get answers that satisfy you. Your pet's health and longevity are at stake.

Catching Up

2007-03-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been very bad about blogging the past few months--busy, busy, busy writing enough to pay for my upcoming safari to Tanzania in September, not to mention the vet bills that accumulated last year. But my friend Gina over at petconnection.com has coaxed me into resuming, so here I am.

I had a bit of an adventure last month at JFK, where my husband and I spent a day and a half trying to fly back to the Golden State, where the only weather that delays flights is fog. Although it seemed as if fist fights would break out at any moment, everyone was really very well behaved. Maybe it's because so many of them had their dogs with them. We saw a black-and-tan Cavalier--natch!--two Yorkshire terrier puppies whose handler had shown them at the Toy specialties preceding Westminster; an Irish water spaniel; various small terriers; a Golden puppy; and quite a few more. I'm just glad I wasn't shipping a dog in cargo. Steve Dale (who was stuck at LaGuardia) and I were both concerned about the dogs that must have had to wait for hours in crates before either getting loaded on a flight or taken away by their owners.

Jerry and I gave up trying to get out on Jet Blue after being at the airport from 7:30 Wednesday morning to 4:30 Thursday afternoon. Our friend Beth Adelman and her husband Craig invited us to their house, where they soothed our nerves with tea and put us up for three nights until we could get a flight out on Continental. The good news is that if you have to be stuck somewhere, New York is the place to be. I was really pleased to get to see the Stubbs exhibit at the Frick Collection, which started the day we were supposed to leave. It runs through May 27.

Breaking to note that my friend Jen just called to report that someone has locked a small dog in a van at the shopping center where she was having lunch. Folks, it's hot as hell here today, even though it's only mid-March. Jen says the pup was panting and obviously in distress. I gave her the number of Irvine Animal Care and Control so she could get someone out there to rescue him. Don't leave your dog in the car, even for a few minutes, with the windows rolled up. Cars heat up fast, and you never know what will delay you. Now back to our regularly scheduled post.

Westminster was fun, as always. No surprise, really, that the Springer won. It wouldn't have been a surprise if any of those dogs had won. I was rooting for the Standard Poodle--I can't help it; I think they're gorgeous, despite the foofy trim. Here's a picture of me with some of my favorite people.

I dragged Jerry out of the hotel early on Monday morning to see the Cavaliers. We weren't early enough to get one of the chairs ringside, but we did get excellent seats in the stands. We unexpectedly met Darcy's breeder, Heather Lamont, who's from Ireland. I noticed in the catalog that two dogs of her breeding were entered. Then I noticed that a woman seated a few rows behind us looked strangely familiar. I decided she resembled Heather's photo, we asked who she was, et voila! It was indeed Heather. We had a brief chat, and I barely managed not to cry when talking about Darcy.

My latest MSNBC column, on dementia in dogs and cats, went up while I was gone and I've been so busy playing catch-up since I got back that I didn't have a chance to look at it until last night. It's gotten lots of good response, but the illustration they used is awful--a dog with empty eyes. It was, to quote one of my readers, creepy.

On a happier note, my friend Tamela, who also has Cavaliers, is planning a fun match for our local Cavalier play group and the funds raised will go to the Darcy Fund. It's a wonderful idea and I'm looking forward to helping with it.

Chow Down

2006-12-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

I didn't feel like cooking last night--making brownies doesn't count--so I had tomato soup, a mini baguette, and about half an ounce of goat cheese from Pug's Leap Farm. I bought it at the Beverly Hills Cheese Store--who could resist the packaging with the silhouette of a Pug leaping over a fence? Not me. All I lacked was a glass of Mutt Lynch Canis Major zinfandel.

Pug's Leap Farm in Healdsburg, California, is home to 24 goats (and, one presumes, a Pug). Mutt Lynch, a winery in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley that's owned by Brenda and Chris Lynch, makes some very fine zins, as well as merlot, syrah, cabs, and chardonnay. (I'm sure they're very fine, too, but I've only had the zin, which I love.) Their motto? Apply dog logic to life: eat well, be loved, get petted, sleep a lot, dream of a leash-free world. Works for me.

It's been a busy time for me. Last month, I went to the Cat Writers Association annual conference, where I got face time with friends that I usually "see" only online and moderated the editor panel. While I was there, I also took a quickie tour of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Icing was winning three awards: the Purina ONE award for an article on treating urinary tract infections in cats, a Muse medallion for an article on Katrina pet rescue efforts, and a Muse medallion for an article on treating diabetes, which appeared in Catnip. The girls and Jerry went, too; they are all honorary members of CWA despite their handicaps of--in Bella and Twyla's case--being dogs and in Jerry's case, not being a writer. Unfortunately, the girls had diarrhea while they were there and were too stinky to be seen much in public, so they weren't able to meet with their adoring legions of fans.

Bad Cat Stats?

2006-10-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

No, the cats aren't bad, the statistics are, at least according to Wall Street Journal Numbers Guy Carl Bialik. At the urging of my friend and well-known pet columnist Gina Spadafori, he took a look at the theory that one unspayed cat and her offspring could produce 420,000 kittens over a 7-year period. That's probably a little high, experts say. Taking kitten mortality and other factors into account, the real number is probably closer to 5,000. Phew! We'd be buried in cats, otherwise. Not that that's a bad thing...well, except that all those cats in laps combined with global warming would make for an awfully hot planet. And it doesn't mean that pet overpopulation isn't a problem, just that more realistic numbers make the solution seem more attainable.

Animal News

2006-10-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Lots to read about on the animal front recently. In addition to the hype on the hypoallergenic kitties, there are more grrs about the dog whisperer, a pet-related museum exhibit, an opinion piece on animal intelligence, and rampaging elephants in Africa.

The cats bred by Allerca, a San Diego company, carry a mutant gene that prevents the cats' glands from producing the protein that causes allergies in people. The company screens prospective buyers to ensure that they'll give the $4,000 cats a good home, but no reporters have asked yet if the company will take the cats back if the relationship doesn't work out. I'll try to cover that in my column next month: the truth about hypoallergenic cats and dogs.

Whether they're televangelists or trainers, I've always had a problem with people who say that their way is the only way. Unfortunately, that very machismo is what attracts editors and producers, who then give those people a platform to spout their theories, right or wrong or somewhere in between. One of those people who claim to know it all is Cesar Millan, better known as the dog whisperer. His show and book have dog trainers and behaviorists nationwide frothing with rage. In the New York Times, Mark Derr describes him as a charming, one-man wrecking ball. Esquire's Curtis Pesmen talks to canine experts about Millan's methods in the October 2006 issue. Their opinions? Not complimentary. Millan might make for good TV, but he's not necessarily good for dogs and their people. Slate writer Emily Yoffe had good luck with his techniques, but that said, she was dealing with a fairly easygoing Beagle that didn't require too much effort to be directed back onto the straight and narrow.

The University of South Carolina's Pets in America website covers such subjects as the history of pets, veterinary care, pet food, and more. For kids, there are puzzles, coloring pages and games. A traveling exhibit will visit museums in Michigan, Massachusetts, Delaware and Florida. See the website for tour dates.

As a diver, I have a special interest in marine life. Two of my favorite experiences have been watching with delight as a pod of dolphin sped past underwater and jumping into the open ocean to spend time with a dolphin that was riding the wake of the Nauti-Cat on Grand Cayman's East End. Since the time of the Greeks, people have remarked on dolphin intelligence, but apparently that's unnerving to some people. Renowned psychologist Frans de Waal looks at a South African scientist's speculation that the intelligence of dolphins and other cetaceans is overrated. For years, scientists have shied away from any affirmation of animal emotions or intelligence. Why is that, de Waal wonders. Does it really threaten the human ego to admit that other animals--and yes, we are animals--have those attributes? Sadly, the answer is too often yes.

They're not pets, but elephants are among the most intelligent, emotional and long-lived creatures with whom we share the planet. It's distressing, then, that poaching and human encroachment on their territory is leading to the destruction of their society. Elephant aggression toward people and other animals such as rhinos is increasing, and the outlook isn't pretty. Read it and weep.

Travels With the Girls

2006-09-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

When we travel, we've always tried to take our dogs with us whenever possible. Over the years, our various dogs have visited San Francisco, Seattle, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Carmel, Kansas City, Vancouver and Tenaya Lodge just outside Yosemite. They've ridden in cars and flown on airplanes. At Tenaya, Bella went on a hayride in a horse-drawn wagon. Darcy had the most mileage, having flown from Ireland to New York, then New York to Los Angeles (in business class, baby!) when she was a puppy.

On rare occasions, the dogs can't go with us. When we had our greyhound, I never minded boarding her because I reasoned that she was used to kennel life. For short trips, the Cavaliers stayed at the vet's office, where they were royally spoiled. But for trips of longer than a week, I wanted better for them--so we began the habit of driving them 7 hours north to the Bay Area to stay with Bella's breeder. I'm sure people thought we were crazy, but it made me happy. They were in a home, with people they knew and other dogs to play with, and I never worried that they wouldn't get the best of care.

It was cost-effective too. Even with the price of gas inching up, it was still cheaper than a kennel stay to drive them up to Joanne and either turn right around and drive back or spend the night and fly to our destination from San Francisco instead of LAX. The cost of boarding three small dogs was $108 per day, and that wasn't even boarding them at fancy places like these. At those rates, boarding the girls for a typical trip of 16 days would have cost $1,728--enough to pay for a whole nother trip. No thanks! So we'll keep taking them with us or driving them north. Thank dog for Sirius satellite and books on CD...

Nothing To Sneeze At

2006-09-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

The holy grail of catdom may be at hand. Scientists have bred cats that they say do not carry the gene that causes feline fur, saliva and skin to produce allergic reactions.

Want one? Don't cough up a hairball when you hear the price. Instead, be prepared to cough up $3,950--and spend time on a waiting list until a kitten is available. But for people who love cats but not the red eyes, sneezing and asthma they can induce, the hypoallergenic kittens are, well, priceless.

In Search of Cynophobes

2006-09-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for sources to interview for a column on overcoming a fear of dogs. One of the places Google took me to was the Food and Drug Administration, which has an article on phobias. At the end it lists organizations that can help. Why does it not surprise me that a group called Phobics Anonymous only has a PO Box and a phone number?

Water By Poochi

2006-09-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

In his usual incisive, insightful way, SFGate.com columnist Mark Morford skewers what is not really the latest in pet culture overload--designer drinking water for dogs and cats. He writes:

As if quenching his sheer dumb animal thirst at the garden hose wasn't enough to make your dog blissfully happy. As if a world teeming with roughly 1 billion unclassifiable odors wasn't already a wondrous canine olfactory buffet. Did you know that dogs have over 200 million scent cells? And that humans have a mere 5 million? The last thing dogs need is for their water to smell like synthetic cow. I'm just guessing.

The reason I say it's not really the latest is because I remember when it first came out--some time in the mid '80s. Along with pet cologne formulated to make dogs smell like their Giorgio-wearing mistresses and clothing that went beyond the basic sweater. It just has taken 20 years for all those prescient businesspeople to build marketshare and develop a "need" for their products.

And it hasn't all been bad. That was also when the pet health food market began to stir. That's been a good thing. Dogs and cats have a much wider variety of healthier foods available to them today, although their people still tend to overfeed and underexercise them. I still remember the horrified expressions of a group of pet food marketers when I predicted--a dozen or so years ago--that homemade, or at least fresh, pet food was the coming thing.

Was I a visionary? Nah. Partly I was just making it up off the top of my head, based on the rise of dog bakeries at the time, but it seemed like a possibility. And when it comes to what people will do for their dogs and cats, you can't discount anything.

Keep Kids Healthier. Get a Pet.

2006-09-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

A new study shows that kids who have pets tend to suffer less from stomach bugs. Apparently, the frequent exposure to low levels of pathogenic organisms strengthens the immune system and makes it less likely to succumb to gastroenteritis. I guess that's true. I was sick all the time as a kid, but rarely from stomach upset. And to this day I have a cast-iron stomach--knock on wood. Now I'm counting on Bella and Twyla to keep me free of heart disease. As much petting as they demand (and get), I should have the heart of a 20-year-old.

Losing Darcy

2006-08-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Our tricolor Cavalier, Darcy, died on June 27 of chronic valve disease, also known as mitral valve disease. It's a common health problem in Cavaliers and tends to strike them much earlier in life than it does other breeds. Darcy was a classic example of that, being only six and a half years old when she died.

Now, five weeks later, it's still hard to believe she's gone. We knew for months that we had only a limited amount of time left with her. I had hoped that the anticipatory grief would be helpful. It wasn't. We were fortunate, however, to be surrounded by friends and family who loved Darcy too and understood our sense of loss. No one, not even our terminally tactless neighbor, said "Hey, buck up, it was just a dog."

People commemorate beloved pets in numerous ways. They light candles, have the pet cremated or buried, turn them into diamonds, drink a toast, or make a donation to an animal welfare or health organization. We did a lot of those things. But more important, we arranged to start The Darcy Fund, which will finance research into the causes and cures of CVD. The Darcy Fund is set up in conjunction with the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club's Charitable Trust. It's our hope that through it, Darcy will help other Cavaliers live longer, healthier lives.

Good News from the Windy City

2006-07-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

Breed-specific legislation, which would have banned certain breeds and was a real possibility in Chicago, has been pushed back, thanks to the tireless efforts of well-known radio personality and pet writer Steve Dale and a coalition of companion animal experts and public officials. Here's what will happen instead:

The Task Force on Companion Animals and Public Safety, a coalition of experts representing various organizations, is now authorized under the auspices of the License and Consumer Protection Committee, Dale says.

A model for pre-empting breed-specific legislation has been created, which can be used by other cities.

People whose dogs have not been spayed or neutered--and thus are more likely to roam and to become a public nuisance or danger--must pay higher license fees. That's a good way to encourage spaying and neutering to reduce the production of unwanted puppies.

All dogs boarded in kennels or doggie day care or that are used by guard dog services must be microchipped. (I'd like to see this go further, with all breeders required to microchip puppies before they go to their new homes, so that breeders can be traced if dogs become lost or are turned in to shelters or rescue groups.)

People whose dogs are chronic wanderers face increased fees.

It's a good start. All dog owners owe thanks to Steve for his efforts, as well as to the many experts who provided support, including Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, Gary Landsberg, Bonnie Beaver, AVMA president Roger Mahr and AVMA Animal Welfare vice president Gail Golab. Good job!

My friend Deb Eldredge, a veterinarian in New York, says: "Go Steve!!! Even if Chicago can't field a decent baseball team, they are smart about dogs!"

Weak in the Knees

2006-04-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Today's Wall Street Journal has a front-page article about the prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in dogs. You won't find it online unless you're a subscriber, but it's worth finding a copy to read it, especially if you're unfamiliar with the problem or thought it only affected human athletes.

Written by Kevin Helliker, the article reports that the high rate of ACL tears is mystifying to veterinarians. Could it be the prevalence of obesity in dogs? A fat dog jumping on and off the sofa is putting a lot of pressure on his joints. And active dogs, unless they're well conditioned, are just as much at risk, especially if they're jumping and twisting to catch a flying disc. Cats are prone to ACL tears as well, especially if they're overweight.

How do you know if your pet is overweight? Sight and touch are your best guides. Look down at your dog or cat. Does she have a waist? If she looks more like a sausage, she's overweight. Put your hands on her body, thumbs lining up on the spine and the fingers splayed to the sides. Can you feel the ribs or are they buried under a layer of fat? Hint: you should be able to feel them but not see them.

If your dog or cat is overweight or has suffered an ACL tear or other injury, talk to your veterinarian about rehab. A good practitioner can put together a program that will help your pet lose weight and become better conditioned. Look for more about pet rehab in next week's Creature Comforts.

Dog Walking Weather

2006-04-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

I was checking the weather today and noticed that the site had a feature that allows pet owners to determine the best time to walk their dogs--or cats. Here in California, we get a pretty wide range of walking times, apparently: the girls' petcast says they can be walked from 11 AM to 5 PM or 6 PM to 11 PM. I guess that means it's not going to rain until late tonight, if at all. It also notes that mosquito activity is low. Check your own personal petcast here.

And by the way, if you live in tornado alley and your dog starts barking incessantly for no apparent reason--like Sparkle the Jack Russell terrier, who lives in Crossville, Tennessee--you might want to start heading for the basement or some other protected area, with your dog, of course. Sparkle's home was destroyed, but luckily she and her people are all safe.

Equal Time for Birds

2006-04-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

Larry Bird, my African ringneck parakeet, complains that I spend way too much time writing about the dogs and not nearly enough about his own beautiful self. Larry is 19 years old this spring. As you may have guessed from his name, we acquired him during the Lakers-Celtics playoffs in 1987. We tried to teach him to say "Go Lakers," but he was true to his color (vivid green) and would never repeat it. He does know a number of words and phrases, however: "Hi Larry," "Good morning," "What cha doin?" "Larry's a good bird" "Larry's a pretty bird" and, on occasion "Wipeout!" When we turn out the lights at night, he says "Good night!" He mimics door squeaks and makes kissing sounds.

But Larry's most unusual accomplishment is that he meows like a cat. Like several cats, in fact. He has two or three different meows, picked up from the various cats we've owned over the years. Most people think they're really hearing a cat when Larry meows. By the way, we also taught Larry to say "Here, kitty, kitty." After hearing him, one of my friends said, "That just proves that birds don't know what they're saying." I don't know about that. I think Larry used to get a kick out of biting the cats when they would stick their noses through his cage bars.

When he's not playing peekaboo with himself in the mirror, Larry likes to ride on shoulders and take hot showers with us. His favorite foods include scrambled eggs and chicken, leading us to nickname him "cannibal bird." The only drawback to Larry--besides the scattered seed and the powerful beak--is that when he wants attention, Larry shrieks. Not like a girl, thank goodness, but ear-piercing enough just the same. That's okay. We all need a good scream now and then.

Love and Money

2006-03-29T15:13:00.000-08:00

An article in The Scotsman reports that an insurance company survey says that the cost of dog ownership over the course of the animal's life can range from 18,000 pounds to 33,000 pounds (that's $31,224 to $57,250 for us here in the States). I believe it. A veterinarian I know said recently that he spent more than $12,000 last year on his dogs and cats.

It's expensive enough when you're just buying high-quality food and taking them to the veterinarian once or twice a year, but when an injury occurs or illness strikes, vet bills can really get scary. A lot of people complain about the high cost of veterinary care, but it's certainly a better bargain than uninsured medical care. Veterinarians on the East and West coasts, where veterinary costs tend to be the highest, are paying a premium for land and staff salaries. And veterinary medicine is right up there with human medicine as far as what's available: kidney transplants for cats, hip replacements for dogs, chemotherapy for animals with cancer, physical therapy for dogs with ACL tears--you name it, it's probably available for animals or will be soon.

Even small hospitals, like the one I take my dogs to, can provide very sophisticated care. "We can do ultrasounds, we can do endoscopy, we can do laser surgery," says John Hamil, DVM. "If you go to the specialists, you can get care that rivals the care you can get in a human hospital, at a tiny fraction of the cost."

But even Dr. Hamil worries about rising costs for his clients. "With people stretched as tightly as they are...we have people that are priced out of the market," he says. "Certainly young people can be priced out very quickly."

Willingness to pay isn't necessarily related to income, though, he says. "Oftentimes people who have a modest amount are willing to spend the money, and sometimes people who have a lot of money say 'no way.' I see people as or more willing to provide care now at the new cost than they did 35 years ago at the lower cost, and I think that's because there is a different ethic in regards to care for animals. There's a different awareness of what's available and a different desire for the level of care to be provided."

This is a subject I contemplate every 10 years or so--about the length of time between each catastrophic pet health problem. Veterinary medicine has done some wonderful things for my animals, and I've never regretted a cent of the cost. I just wish it could do more. I would fly my Darcy to Timbuktu if they could fix her heart there. I have a neighbor who complained some time ago about the $600 his dog racked up for a back problem. "It's just not worth it," he said. He's so wrong.

House Hunting With Dogs

2006-02-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal's real estate section has a good piece on what dog owners should look for in a home. I especially liked the advice on electronic fences, which seem like a good idea to many people but have some definite cons: to name just two, they don't keep other people out of your yard and they don't prevent other dogs from coming into your yard and attacking your dog.

If you're a dog lover deciding where to settle, consider some of these dog-friendly cities. Dog Fancy has also ranked places friendly to dogs. Of all of these, my dog-tested favorites are Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Long Beach, and San Diego. Just remember that water dogs do best in Vancouver. Luckily, my greyhound and Cavaliers have never minded the rain. Maybe that's because they're all of British origin and some ancestral memory tells them that rain is a normal state of affairs.

Cool Pet News

2006-02-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

If only I'd had a dog to tutor me in school. I might have gotten beyond basic arithmetic. A couple of recent experiments show that dogs appear to use calculus-like, well, calculations to figure out the optimal path to fetch a ball or stick. And, of course, we all know they can count. My dogs all keep careful track of the number of treats each has received to make sure they're not shorted.

Those of you in tick country may be interested to learn that scientists have deciphered the genomes of certain bacteria that cause ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne disease that can affect dogs and people. The study reports new genes that allow the bacteria to evade a host's immune system and adapt to new niches and will help scientists better study the bacteria and how they operate.

Fellow pet writer Beth Adelman recommends a new book for people with allergies who have or would like to have pets. Here's what she says:

"I just got a copy of a great new book by Shirlee Kalstone, called "Allergic to Pets? The Breakthrough Guide to LIving With the Animals You Love." Shirlee worked with a DVM and an MD on this book, and it is really straightforward, practical, factual, and covers dogs, cats, birds, horses, ferrets and rodents!.

"She has dogs and cats, and is very allergic; she and her husband have a company that develops products that lessen the impact of allergies. But the book is not a commercial for her stuff. It's a rundown of pretty much everything we know so far about pet allergies and what you can do about them so you can keep your pet with you. The book is short and inexpensive, too ($7.99). Definitely, it will help keep some animals in their homes.

(And no, I did not work on the book with her at all, so this is an unbiased endorsement.) "

How 'Bout That Bull Terrier?

2006-02-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Ch. Rocky Top's Sundance Kid, Rufus to his friends, last night became the first colored bull terrier to win best in show at Westminster. My neighbor e-mailed me to ask what I thought about the winning dog, ending her message with a pictograph of an unhappy face. Her feelings probably mirrored those of a lot of people, but although I'm not a fan of terriers in general--too rowdy for my tastes--I've always liked bull terriers, with their sculptural heads and big smiles.

The bull terrier is an extrovert, a happy, outgoing dog. The first bull terriers, created sometime around 1835 by crossing bulldogs with the now-extinct white English terriers, were all white, but of course the genetic lottery ensured that some would have colored coats. By 1936, these colored bull terriers--which must be any color other than white or any color with white as long as white doesn't predominate--were recognized as a separate variety. Later, the miniature bull terrier was developed. Whatever its variety, the bull terrier likes to have fun in the ring, and Rufus did that all the way to a win.

Brush Those Fangs!

2006-02-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

February is Pet Dental Health Month. Yes, you're bad enough about flossing your own teeth, let alone brushing Bailey's, but really--how much longer can you stand his bad breath? That bad breath is a sign of periodontal disease, caused by the buildup of bacteria-laden plaque on the teeth. Plaque hardens into tartar, the ugly brown or yellow spots you see on Spot's teeth.

Regular brushing is the best way to keep your pet's mouth healthy and breath sweet. It's easy to learn to brush your pet's teeth, and once it becomes a habit, it takes less than a minute each day. Back up brushing by giving rope toys and knobbly hard rubber toys to help "floss" the teeth.

Cats Undercover

2006-02-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

No, not under the bedcovers, although they're often found there. Cats have a long history with and as spies and detectives, both in literature and film. Now a real-life cat, Fred, putting his very man-, er, malehood on the chopping block, so to speak, has helped bring to justice a man masquerading as a veterinarian. What's next? Drug-sniffing dogs? Oh, wait...

Itchy and Scratchy

2006-02-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Does your dog or cat suffer from allergies? If your pet seems to be scratching a never-ending itch, he may be allergic to some of the same things you are: grasses, pollen, molds, the chemicals on certain fabrics or carpets, or even other pets. It's not unusual, for instance, for dogs to be allergic to cats. Theoretically, cats can be allergic to dogs, although it's not something that's commonly tested for, says veterinary dermatologist Kim Boyanowski of Peninsula Animal Dermatology in Redwood City, California. These types of allergies are known as atopic or inhalant, meaning they're absorbed through the skin or inhaled through the respiratory tract.

Pets can also have food allergies, but they're less common than inhalant allergies, Dr. Boyanowski says. For instance, only about 10 percent of allergic dogs exhibit true food allergies.

Unlike people, it's rare for cats and dogs to manifest allergies by sniffling, sneezing or coughing. A coughing cat, however, may have allergy-related asthma.

Allergies can be genetic, but whether a pet develops allergies depends on the convergence of three events: genetic predisposition, exposure to an allergen, and a reaction to that allergen. "If they are not genetically predisposed or they don't have an exposure or haven't triggered a reaction, they could theoretically on a blood test or skin test react as an allergic patient but not be displaying symptoms," Dr. Boyanowski says.

Year of the Dog

2006-02-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

"Sit Ubu, Sit." What television viewer doesn't remember that tag line from shows produced by Ubu Productions, such as Family Ties and Spin City? The black Labrador retriever is number 95 of 100 canine pop culture icons celebrated during the Chinese year of the dog. Favorites from my childhood that it includes are Underdog, Mr Peabody, and Huckleberry Hound. To top things off, we'll give equal time to our other furry friends, cats.

The Profiling of a Species

2006-02-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

Should pit bulls, or any breed for that matter, be banned? Every time a dog attacks someone, there's an outcry about the danger of keeping Xenobian Doomhounds and the local city council calls for its ban. To most people, breed-specific legislation probably seems like a good idea--that is, unless their own Xenobian Doomhounds are renowned for their therapy visits to the nursing home, the tightrope-walking act they perform at kids' birthday parties, and the time they saved the neighbor's cat from being swept away in a flash flood. Dog lovers in every breed should be concerned about the increasing number of attempts by municipalities to ban certain breeds. Sure, today it's Xenobian Doomhounds and you don't have those, but tomorrow they'll come for the Swedish ChickenHund (it might spread avian flu, after all), and the day after that--well, it might be your breed's turn.