I recently read Mindreading, by Sanjida O’Connell. The book discusses people’s ability (or inability) to understand the thoughts, needs, and desires of others.

It also talks about animals’ ability to understand the same thing. What I gathered from the book is that nobody really knows the extent to which animals are aware of others’ consciousness. Sadly, my enjoyment (and comprehension) of the book was hindered by sentences such as this:

Other evidence which indicates that joint attention is crucial to developing Theory of Mind comes from autistic children who, as we have said, are not able to show or understand triadic joint attention or protodeclarative pointing and even sometimes have trouble with protoimperatives. (O’Connell, Sanjida. Mindreading: Investigation into How We Learn to Love and Lie. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Page 61.)

What? Was I supposed to understand that?

Pedantic bombast aside, there has been a lot of argument about whether pets truly understand, in some degree, that the humans in their lives have thoughts and needs. Dogs and cats certainly appear to display empathy towards people. But do they really? What do you think?

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When visitors come to my house, my dog gets very
excited and licks the air. I don’t know if this
is a nervous or submissive gesture. He licks for
a long period of time and eventually has a foam
under his lip. What can I do to get him to stop?
He sometimes does it to me but stops when I say
“no lick”.

Nalana
Akron, OH

First, count your blessings. Many dogs urinate or bark incessantly when visitors arrive. Some dogs are very territorial, and may actually attack guests. Compared to these individuals, your dog’s habit is quite benign.

Many pets have rituals that they perform under certain circumstances, or when they are excited. Your dog’s ritual sounds harmless. If the behavior does not lead to gagging, coughing or breathing difficulties, it probably won’t hurt him.

Of course, the habit may still be annoying. And there are a couple of tricks you can try to eliminate it. The focus of the tricks is to reduce the level of excitement that your dog experiences when guests arrive.

Try to keep things low-key when company first arrives. Encourage everyone to speak softly and remain calm. And, have everyone ignore the dog for the first several minutes. Over time, this may reduce the level of excitement that he feels when the doorbell rings.

If the behavior really bothers you, you can try isolating your dog in a bedroom when guests are expected. After they have settled in, you can let him out, but encourage everyone to stay very calm, and to ignore the dog for the first few minutes.

If these tricks don’t work (and I don’t guarantee that they will), take heart in the fact that your dog’s beahvior isn’t hurting anyone, including him.

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What is a better flea medication to use on cats?
I gave my cat Tabby her flea
medication in March and I used Frontline Plus for
Cats. Just for the heck of it I went into
Google and found some very disturbing blogs that say
permethrin is an ingredient in some other flea
medications and it’s poisonous to cats. There was
also one blog which said that a person’s pet cat
died after using Frontline Plus flea medication.
So, my question to you would be
Doctor, what should we look out for when we buy
Flea medications and shampoos on our own. Thank
you in advance for your insight.

Roopa
Manchester, CT

I find that if you google anything, you can find something disturbing, usually on the first page of results. I discussed this phenomenon recently in an article on NSAIDs. No flea medicine is perfect. Animals (and people) can have adverse reactions to any medicine, treatment, food or natural remedy. However, in the world of flea treatments, some are definitely better than others.

The two most tried-and-true flea preventatives are Frontline (or Frontline Plus) and Advantage. They have been on the market the longest, and millions of doses have been applied. Have animals had adverse reactions to these products? Definitely. In my practice, I have witnessed rare, mild adverse reactions to both, and I have heard tales of more serious reactions. But the reactions are rare.

Compare that with adverse reactions to fleas. I see those daily, and they are often severe.

Other reputable flea preventatives include Revolution and Capstar. Program is effective at preventing flea infestations in the house, although it won’t prevent fleas from biting your pet. ProMeris is a new product that looks promising, but I do not have much experience with it.

Adverse reactions can occur with any product. However, the ones I have listed above are the ones that I consider safest.

The flea preventatives that, in my experience, tend to cause the most problems are generally cheap, knock-off products. I have seen them in grocery stores and some pet stores. The packaging often is similar to higher quality treatments. I recommend that you avoid these products and try to stick to the ones listed above, or one recommended by your veterinarian.

Permethrin is an ingredient in some canine products. Although it is usually safe for dogs, it is toxic to cats. If a permethrin-containing canine product is accidentally applied to a cat, the cat is very likely to suffer adverse effects. Unfortunately, some permethrin-containing products are not labelled very clearly.

Your best bet is to get your flea preventative from a veterinarian or other reputable source. Insist on a high-quality, name brand product. In general, they are safer and more effective.

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Most people know that obsesity is a, er, growing problem in pets and people the world over. And an article in the April 4, 2008 issue of The Week points out another group that is prone to weight problems: zoo animals.

America’s obesity epidemic is spreading to the nation’s zoos. Veterinary nutritionists report that gorillas, lions, and other zoo dwellers have been packing on the pounds, prompting many zoos to bring in diet and fitness experts to help them create a healthier lifestyle for their captives.

Wild animals are almost never overweight. They spend most of their waking hours searching for food, and that consumes energy. As well, food in the wild is scarce. These factors combine to make obesity almost unknown in the wild.

However, captive animals become unwilling metaphorical couch potatoes. They get much less exercise, and their food is provided regularly.

I have worked with and visited many zoos, and I know that they are doing their best with limited space, money, and resources. Zoos are vital for helping humans connect with and respect animals, and for maintaining genetic diversity in species whose habitats are threatened or gone. It is not possible for a zoo to provide a tiger with the space that the big cat truly needs. The tiger exhibit would take up many square miles, and no visitors would ever see the tiger in such a large habitat.

So, what can the zoos do? They are attempting to reduce the calories that are offered, and to increase the exercise that each inhabitant gets. As well, they are modifying their training protocols. From the article:

Zoo trainers who have traditionally used treats such as molasses and granola bars to coax or reward animals are starting to rely instead on low-calorie offerings such as sugar-free Jell-O and alfalfa biscuits.

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Maintaining your pet’s weight at a healthy level has numerous benefits. Fit pets are less likely to suffer from diabetes, arthritis, certain heart problems, and skin infections that occur when animals lack the dexterity for proper grooming. In-shape cats and dogs have higher qualities of life and longer life expectancies.

As well, Gregroy K Ogilvie, DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine, Oncology) points out in an article in the January/February issue of California Veterinarian that fit pets are less likely to suffer from cancer. The following quote is from the article.

[M]aintenance of lifelong lean body mass has been shown to delay the onset of cancer.

“Delaying the onset” is another way of saying preventing.

I realize that in many cases keeping your pet thin is easier said than done. But this article points out one more reason why it’s worth trying.

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I have a cat that is overweight. He has been on
calorie control since Novemer. It is now April. He
is getting bigger and begs for more food. One cup
per day is his limit. Could it be because his
best friend died? His begging is driving me nuts.

Deb
Debert, Canada

Cats, like people, may respond to stress, grief, boredom, or anxiety by eating more. Any sort of change in the house can trigger excessive eating. So yes, there is a chance that the loss of your cat’s best friend is playing a role in this matter.

There also is a chance that, like many people, your cat just likes to eat. You took an appropriate first step when you switched him to a weight management diet. There is debate in the veterinary community about which form of weight management diet is best. Since your cat is still gaining weight, talk to your veterinarian about whether a different diet might be more effective.

Another option would be to reduce the quantity of food that your cat receives each day. Simply put: if he’s gaining weight, he’s eating more than he should. However, this could make the begging problem worse.

So, how to deal with the begging? Many people have told me that they were able to eliminate begging by purchasing an automatic pet feeder. Using one of these devices causes many cats to stop viewing the people in the house as food suppliers. Eventually, they stop begging because the behavior never is rewarded. You may have to endure a painful adjustment period before the begging stops, and this trick does not work for every cat. But it is the best one I know.

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My mom passed away recently and I inherited her 12-
year-old Chihuahua. Pepi has a heart
murmur and she has been on Hycodan for the cough.
I found out that this drug is no longer being
manufactured. Do you know of any other meds that
she can take in place of it? She is also on
enalapril and furosemide. Thanks.

Sharon
Indianapolis, IN

First, let me say that I am sorry that you lost your mother.

12-year-old Chihuahuas with heart murmurs most often have a leaky valve in the heart. This can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs. The fluid causes coughing.

You mention that Pepi takes three medications. Hycodan is a cough suppressant related to morphine. There are several similar medicines. Some contain codeine (which is also related to morphine). Others contain a medicine that is similar to Robitussin. However, you should not give Pepi any of these medicines without first consulting your veterinarian.

The other two medicines you mention, furosemide and enalapril, treat heart conditions. A heart condition is most likely causing the coughing. You many want assess whether her heart problems could be treated more effectively. This can be done by having a vet take X-rays and perform an ultrasound.

If Pepi’s heart condition is treated effectively, Pepi may not need any cough suppressant whatsoever.

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The March, 2008 issue of Diabetes Forecast, the healthy living magazine of the American Diabetes Association, contained an article (PDF format) describing yet another way in which pets are beneficial to the health of the people with whom they live.

From the article:

No one knows for sure how they do it, but a growing number of canine companions are helping people with diabetes avoid dangerous hypoglycemia.

Diabetes is a disease marked by abnormal blood sugar levels. Most of the time, diabetics suffer from levels that are too high. However, in some instances sudden drops in blood sugar can occur. This may lead to hypoglycemia, or dangerously low blood sugar levels. Extreme hypoglycemia can result in coma, seizures, or even death.

The article describes several instances in which dogs, cats, and even rabbits and birds have alerted their human companions that their blood sugar levels were too low. Many people credit their pets with saving their lives. In some cases, dogs are able to detect an impending drop in blood sugar even before it occurs.

Dogs now are being trained to assist diabetics, much like they aid people with vision or hearing deficits. Dogs4Diabetics, based in Concord, California, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to training dogs for this purpose.

Dogs are helpful for the prevention of diabetes (because they cause people to exercise more). And it turns out that for people who have diabetes, a pet can be a true lifesaver.

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Hi Dr. Barchas. I have a question about caring for
teeth.

Becky
Hermitage/ Buhl Park, PA

You have already touched upon the most important piece of advice that I can offer: schedule a veterinary checkup to have Cleo’s teeth assessed.

Based on your description, the brown substance you are seeing is most likely tartar, also known as dental calculus. Tartar may be colored yellow or brown. It is a hard substance. Most people are painfully familiar with tartar, because their dentists remove it unpleasantly with a metal scraping device.

Tartar is produced by bacteria living on the teeth. Over time, bacteria living on the teeth will spread to the gums. This leads to pain, inflammation, tooth loss, and a host of other problems.

In some cases, regular brushing with an enzymatic toothpaste can lead to reduced tartar on the teeth. And there is absolutely no doubt that regular brushing helps to prevent tartar buildup and gum infections when the mouth is healthy. However, if significant tartar is present, or if bacteria have moved into the gums then professional dental treatment will be necessary.

Italian Greyhounds, and all small dogs, tend to develop dental problems more rapidly than their larger (drooly, if you prefer) cohorts. However, dental disease is common in all breeds and sizes of dogs and cats.

One final note. I have met several Italian Greyhounds whose teeth are naturally discolored brown. This is a hereditary feature, and not a medical problem. There is a chance that Cleo does not have significant tartar, but instead has harmlessly discolored teeth. Your vet will be able to tell the difference.

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It’s April Fools’ Day. And, after debating it for a while, I have decided to attempt to answer one of the sillier questions I have received recently. Please forgive me–I couldn’t resist.

Dr. Barchas,

Denise
San Francisco, CA

I will confess that I don’t know the answer definitively. My initial instinct was to reply that cats and dogs are very limber, and they have long tongues. But, in fact, most pets don’t need to clean themselves after defecating.

Here is my attempt at a real answer. Cats and dogs walk on four legs. Because of this, they do not have buttocks, and their anatomy allows them to pass feces, in general, without soiling their rear ends. Humans are unique–we walk upright. Therefore we have buttocks, and I probably don’t need to say more.

One final note. I have many patients that, due to long hair, obesity or soft stools, need to be cleaned up after they defecate. That task falls upon the people who live with them.

Have a great April 1, and look out for pranksters!

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