Leonita
Baltimore, MD

Routine stomach tacking (technically known as gastropexy) is recommended by some vets for young members of certain breeds of dogs. The purpose of this surgery is to prevent a syndrome called bloat.

Bloat is one of the most terrible things that can happen to a dog. The stomach becomes twisted inside the abdomen, and then hyper-extends with gas. Blood flow through the body is compromised. The dog suffers intense agony. Without emergency surgery almost all bloated dogs die within 12 hours. Large numbers of affected animals die even with surgery. The surgery (and several days of ICU care that must occur during recovery) is phenomenally expensive. The recovery from surgery is long and painful.

Any dog, regardless of breed, age, or gender can suffer from bloat at any time. However, the syndrome is most common in deep chested breeds of dogs such as Great Danes, Standard Poodles and Labrador Retrievers. Bloat is most common in older dogs. Females suffer from the syndrome more often than males. Dogs suffer bloat most often at night, and the syndrome tends to occur with increased frequency in dogs who have visited groomers, boarding facilities, or, egad, veterinarians earlier in the day.

Make no mistake: bloat is just about the worst thing that can happen to a dog. Stomach tacking does reduce (but not completely eliminate) the possibility of bloat.

This brings up a question that has caused a great deal of debate among veterinarians: should young healthy members of high risk breeds such as Great Danes and Standard Poodles undergo stomach tacking in order to prevent the syndrome?

No consensus has been reached on the matter. However, most vets I know (myself included) would vote no. Putting a dog through a major surgery in order to prevent a problem that may never happen is probably not in the dog’s best interest. Bloat is horrible, but thankfully it is not very common.

However, I should point out that there is plenty of room for argument on this matter. Plenty of reasonable, thoughtful vets may disagree with my position.

Ideally I would perform stomach tacking only on dogs who were certain to bloat in the future and not perform the procedure on those who wouldn’t. Of course, if I could predict the future in that way I wouldn’t waste my time performing surgeries. I’d pick a few stocks and lotto numbers and retire in luxury.

Leonita, I would not recommend tacking your dog’s stomach. But I think you should visit a few more vets and get third, fourth, and fifth opinions on the matter. Neither my word, nor the word of your original vet should be taken as absolute.

Photo: This X-ray is very bad news. It shows bloat. By Joel Mills.

Amy

I agree that the steroid injection probably caused the symptoms you describe. Steroids are very useful medicines in many situations. In some instances (such as when there is a risk of shock), steroids can be life saving.

However, steroids are very powerful medications. They can cause many side effects. Panting, restlessness, trembling, and increased urination are among the most common.

The side effects should wear off as the medicine clears from your dog’s system. This may take several days.

I think you should talk to your vet more about why the steroid injection was administered. Steroid injections are not routine during spay surgeries. If your dog was at risk of shock, you should try to learn more about why that happened–shock is a very rare (and serious) development during routine surgeries. Was the problem something that might occur again in the future if she is anesthetized? Might there be complications from the problem as your dog matures? For the sake of your dog, you need to know the answers to these questions.

Shauna
Falls Church, VA

Cats who go several days without eating are prone to a problem called hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver. This condition develops through a feline metabolic quirk. It can be fatal. Overweight cats are especially at risk.

Placing a feeding tube and using it to support nutrition may help to stave off hepatic lipidosis. However, it should not be used as a substitute for further diagnostics.

You need to find out why your cat isn’t eating. There has to be a reason, and you need to determine what’s wrong in order to treat it properly.

Blood and urine tests are a good way to start. When these do not yield an answer, I recommend diagnostic imaging (X-rays and ultrasound) to search the abdomen for a possible cause. Consultation with a specialist in internal medicine (there should be plenty of them in the D.C. area) also could be valuable.

Supporting your cat’s food intake with a feeding tube may be beneficial. But don’t use a feeding tube as a substitute for finding an answer.

Dana
Montgomery, AL

Many folks joke about “kitty bulimia”. Cats with this syndrome eat large meals and then promptly vomit. They may then be hungry again.

The syndrome looks just like bulimia in humans. But it isn’t actually bulimia. True bulimia has not been documented in cats.

Cats who vomit frequently almost always have a medical condition that causes vomiting. Such medical conditions include inflammatory (aka infiltrative) bowel disease, food intolerance, infestation with parasites, liver problems, kidney problems, glandular conditions such as thyroid disease, intestinal conditions, and tumors in the abdomen.

Stress can cause predisposed cats (and humans) to vomit. This is probably why Snickers vomits when he is upset. I doubt that Snickers vomits purposefully in order to punish you. Vomiting is very unpleasant, and the activity punishes the individual who vomits more than the individual who has to clean it up.

A change in diet to something easily digestible (a so-called sensitive stomach formula) may help with the problem. But the best thing would be a trip to the vet for tests that may give insight into why Snickers is so predisposed to throwing up.

shannon
Middletown, Ohio

Overbites are very common in cats. Usually they are harmless. Cats are lucky to be less superficial than humans–cosmetic trivialities like overbites don’t lead to social ostracism or low self esteem.

Severe overbites can be more than a cosmetic problem. In some cases the teeth of the lower jaw can grow into the tissue of the upper jaw. This can lead to painful infections or areas of chronic inflammation (irritation).

The areas of chronic inflammation can look just like tumors. True tumors are extremely rare in the mouths of two-year-old cats.

I therefore wonder whether your cat actually has a tumor. It sounds more likely that a wayward tooth is causing chronic inflammation that looks like a tumor. I suspect that dental work (specifically, extraction of teeth that are growing improperly) might remove the source of inflammation and solve the problem permanently.

I agree that it is too soon to give up on your cat. Some local SPCAs have veterinary hospitals that offer discounted services to needy individuals. If such a facility is available in your area perhaps your cat can benefit from a procedure that will allow her to live a normal life.

Photo: no sign of an overbite on Ben.

Paoline
Atlanta, GA

You don’t mention how old your dog is. If he is less than two years old, I am guessing that puppy mange is causing the bald spots.

Yes, I know, your dog twice tested negative for mange. But the test for puppy mange (which is caused by a mite called Demodex) occasionally yields false negatives. The test involves scraping the skin with a scalpel blade. This process harvests skin (and any parasites contained within the skin) from the affected area. The harvested sample is scanned under a microscope. If Demodex organisms are seen, the diagnosis is clear. If none are seen, then one of two things could be going on: either puppy mange isn’t causing the spots, or no Demodex organisms happened to be present in the area that was scraped.

Puppy mange most commonly causes patchy baldness without skin irritation (the spots generally aren’t red or itchy). The spots most commonly occur on the face. In my experience Pit Bulls are extremely susceptible to the syndrome.

If your dog’s spots aren’t bothering him and they aren’t coalescing to take over his face, I recommend that you try to wait it out. Almost every dog outgrows the problem by two years of age.

For more information on the syndrome, go to my website:

http://drbarchas.com/demodex

Photo: no sign of puppy mange on Tank.

Lynne
Houston, TX

Based upon your description several things could be going on.

Your cat may be suffering from stomatitis. Stomatitis is a painful condition in which the immune system attacks the teeth. This causes inflammation of the gums and in some cases the tongue. Cortisone shots sometimes reduce the inflammation associated with stomatitis. However, the benefit usually is temporary. Extraction of multiple teeth generally offers the best hope of a permanent cure for stomatitis.

Severe dental disease also can cause symptoms similar to stomatitis. Unlike stomatitis, dental disease does not involve an improperly functioning immune system. Professional dental work at your veterinarian’s office should eliminate oral lesions caused by dental disease.

Eosinophilic granulomas, also known as rodent ulcers, are common causes of ulcers and sores in the mouth. Rodent ulcers occur when an overactive immune system attacks the lips, gums, or tongue. Cortisone is the most commonly used treatment for rodent ulcers. I also recommend that cats with rodent ulcers receive consistent flea preventatives. Flea bites can stimulate the immune system and may exacerbate rodent ulcers.

Certain viral or bacterial infections may cause sores or masses to develop on the tongue or mouth. Calicivirus, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are the most common.

Unfortunately, tumors can develop on the tongue. Squamous cell carcinoma is an aggressive cancer that sometimes develops in the area.

If your cat’s condition does not improve significantly after the cortisone injection or if the lesions return when the cortisone wears off I recommend that your cat’s mouth be evaluated under anesthesia. At that time dental work can be performed if it is indicated. A biopsy of the affected area also is very likely to yield insight into the problem.

Meanwhile, watch your cat’s appetite and feed him soft food if necessary.

Photo: Alistair Growley’s tongue looks fine.

Nancy
Goodyear, AZ

You illustrate in your question the reason why I never try to guess how big a puppy will be when full grown. This is especially true of non-purebred dogs. Dogs are like people. Some grow early, and others grow late. Either can be normal, and this makes it devilishly hard to guess how big a puppy will be when it is an adult.

The tallest person in a sixth grade class may be among the shortest of the cohort during high school graduation. And the shortest person in the sixth grade could be among the tallest in the twelfth. In general I refrain from speculating on the final size that I expect juveniles of any species to reach.

But your question was about feeding. How much should a dog (or cat, or human) eat? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that one. Different lifestyles, activity levels, and baseline metabolisms all come into play. The type of food eaten is important, too. Active dogs that eat low calorie food need to eat large amounts in order to survive. Sedentary indoor cats that eat calorically dense diets can get by on close to nothing.

Formulas exist to calculate energy needs for pets. I haven’t used them in years, but I do recall that they involve body mass to the 3/4 power. I also recall, vividly, that the formulas are useless. They make great theory, but real life is more complicated–and at the same time more simple.

I recommend that you feed your pet the amount of food necessary to grow, thrive, and maintain a healthy body weight. That may sound obvious, but it is true. The only method that truly works in my experience is trial and error. If your pet is overweight, feed him less. If your pet is underweight, growing or training for the Iditarod, feed him more. Tinker until you get it right.

Two meals daily is the standard for dogs in the United States, but this rule isn’t set in stone. Some animals, most notably small breed puppies, should be fed more often (young Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua puppies should be fed at least four times each day to prevent low blood sugar). I have some patients that eat three square meals every day. Others eat only one (although I generally don’t recommend one meal each day due to an anthropomorphic opposition to going 23 1/2 hours without food).

For most pets the number of meals fed doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as the total amount of food offered. Your dog, as you mention, is “solid”. To me it sounds like you’re doing things right.

Photo: Pogo’s weight looks fine.

My 3-year-old Rottie/Shepherd mix seems to be very touch sensitive. He quivers when he’s touched on his flanks and back. It seems to be in surprise rather than pain, as if he’s not expecting to be touched, though he doesn’t react similarly to touch elsewhere and he doesn’t object to it – it just seems to surprise him. He doesn’t whine or otherwise vocalize. He sees his vet regularly and is in good health.

Margaret
South Austin, TX

Trembling and quivering are very common in pets. Almost anything that can make a human tremble or quiver can make a pet do so as well. There are some exceptions. For instance, I have yet to see a dog or cat tremble upon hearing his favorite piece of music.

Certain medical conditions and metabolic irregularities can lead to trembling, quivering, or increased sensitivity to touch. But based upon your description I doubt that your dog has a medical problem.

Every person has experienced a chill go down the spine when his or her skin was touched in just the right way. That is what I suspect is happening in your dog.

The most sensitive area on many pets is along the back, especially near the tail. This area appears to have highly sensitized nerve endings. Many cats especially are prone to twitching their skin when this area is stroked. Some cats are so sensitive in this area that they engage in compulsive grooming behavior when scratched near the base of the tail.

Flea allergies sometimes exacerbate the sensitivity of the skin and may cause increased twitching when pets are handled. But I am guessing that fleas aren’t playing a role in your dog’s behavior. As long as your dog doesn’t seem distressed when you pet him, I see nothing to worry about.

Photo: there are no reports of excessive skin sensitivity in Sophie.

Ana
Denver, CO

Kittens’ eyes generally change color between two and three months of age. However, in this matter like all aspects of maturing there are individual variations. Some kittens mature earlier than others. And some kittens keep their blue eyes into adulthood (think Siamese).

Experts in animal behavior generally believe that kneading and suckling are adult manifestations of juvenile behaviors. The theory is that kneading and suckling are like a feline version of thumb sucking. The behaviors generally are harmless. I have no explanation for why your cat prefers one sweater over other objects. I have yet to see any compelling evidence that links adult suckling behavior to early weaning.

Experts in animal behavior also generally believe that living among humans is an adult manifestation of juvenile behavior in cats. If this is true (and I recognize that some people may not accept it), then kneading and suckling simply are points further along the same scale of behavior that allows cats to be our companions.