Water By Poochi

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.