Vet Blog
10/03/09
I came across this web page yesterday. After looking at it, I don’t think I’ll ever leave my pal Buster unattended with a small child again.
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09/28/09
 Stress is a bad thing. My poor pal Buster found this out the hard way two weeks ago. We moved.
Our new place is great. It even has off-street parking, which is a very big deal in San Francisco. But I hate moving. And apparently so does Buster.
Buster developed diarrhea two days before the move. It lasted until three days after, when I finally gave up on a mild protocol of easily digestible food and resorted to antidiarrheal medications.
During the move Buster also developed severe itching. He constantly scratched his abdomen. He engaged in excessive licking of areas that only dogs (and cats) can reach. At first I suspected that the itching was related to switching from Advantage to Frontline (which happened shortly before the move), or from an allergy to some chemical, contaminant, plant or mold in the new house. But now that we’re settled in, Buster is no longer itchy.
I suspect that both of these problems were caused by stress. Although Buster didn’t show any obvious outward signs of stress during the move, rehousing is famously and predictably stressful in dogs, cats, and humans.
Stress is a well known cause of diarrhea in all three species mentioned above. Stress is also known for causing skin issues in cats and humans. I now believe that it contributes to skin problems in dogs as well.
Stress also weakens the immune system, predisposing animals of all species to disease. In humans it has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. In cats there is a well documented link between stress and severe gum disease as well as certain potentially life-threatening urinary conditions.
Moving, unfortunately, is a fact of life. But if you have to move, try to settle in quickly. And once you’re in your new home, take time to pet the cat and walk the dog.
Photo: Buster settles in to his new digs.
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09/25/09
 A reader responded to one of my recent tirades (here and here) against outdoor cats with a very reasonable question. Why, she asked, is it OK for dogs to go outside but not OK for cats?
My pal Buster, a dog, goes outside every day. But I would never dream of allowing a cat to go outside.
When Buster goes outside he is accompanied by a human. For his safety he is kept on a leash whenever he is not playing fetch in a secure area.
I would never, ever consider opening the front door for Buster to spend the afternoon outside unattended. I doubt he would make it 10 minutes on the streets of San Francisco without suffering serious trauma.
But unattended outdoor activity is standard operating procedure for many cats.
If dogs were allowed outside in the way that many cats are, veterinary emergency hospitals would be as common as gas stations or convenience stores. Canine life expectancy would drop 80%.
I know many cats who are allowed outdoors only on leash (cat harnesses and leashes are readily available at pet stores). None of these cats is likely to get into fights or be hit by cars. They are, however, at risk of contracting feline leukemia.
Cats and dogs are not equipped with the wherewithal to thrive outdoors in human society. It is our responsibility to look out for them.
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09/07/09
 Hi Dr. Barchas,
I have a female Lab/Golden cross who just turned four years old. Her fur is a light golden color. I have noticed that the fur on her face, around her eyes and on her muzzle, is already starting to lighten up and turn white. I didn’t expect this to happen until she was much older.
Is this considered pre-mature graying? Does the age at which Labs and Goldens start turning gray tell us anything about how long they will live? (Since she is already turning gray at four years old does that tell me she will live a shorter than average life for her breed?)
Randy
San Diego, CA
I am reminded of a joke I once heard. A young child asks his mother why she has grey hairs. The mother replies that every time the child causes her stress, one of her hairs turns grey. The child ponders this for a moment. He then asks, “why is Grandma’s hair all grey?”
In fact, grey hairs occur when the pigment producing cells in the hair follicle cease to function. This can happen at any age. It is not a sign of poor health or premature aging. Grey hairs do not indicate that an animal will have a shorter-than-average life.
Grey hairs are correlated with old age, but they can develop in youth as well. My pal Buster, whose life appears to be stress-free, grew his first grey hair when he was less than two. Thankfully, this does not mean that he has a decreased life expectancy.
Plenty of young people have learned through experience that grey hairs are a fact of life. A trip to the hair care aisle in Walgreens will give you some idea of how many people are dyeing their greys.
Your dog’s greys are not a sign of bad health. Nor will they damage her self esteem. Lucky her.
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08/12/09
 Irresponsible pet owners do a lot to ruin things for the rest of us. People who don’t pick up their dog’s feces give ammunition to dog haters who would like to see canine companions barred from certain public areas. Improperly socialized dogs may engage in aggression that leads to front page news stories and ordinances outlawing certain breeds. People who abuse liberal dog policies contribute to the elimination of those policies.
Denise (that’s Buster’s mom) and I recently took our pal Buster camping in the Tahoe National Forest. The Tahoe National Forest is a paradise for people who love dogs and the outdoors. It has a remarkably liberal dog policy. Dogs are allowed, on leash, almost everywhere (there are a very small number of exceptions). Buster had the time of his life.
Sadly, some irresponsible people in one of the campgrounds where we stayed seemed determined to do everything in their power to undermine the National Forest’s dog policy.
We first encountered these people at a lake. Signs were posted clearly stating that no dogs were allowed within 100 feet of the lake. Their dog was swimming in the lake.
After they finished flaunting that rule, the couple tied their dog to a tree in their camp site and left for the rest of the day. Their dog evidently had severe separation anxiety. It barked incessantly for hours.
This bothered me on several levels. First, I knew that the neglected dog was suffering. Separation anxiety is not pleasant for the pet. Simply being tied to a tree and abandoned is not appropriate for any dog; a dog with separation anxiety will find this situation especially miserable.
Second, the barking was annoying. We had gone to the woods to enjoy tranquility. Instead we were serenaded with shrill, distraught barking for hours.
Finally, there is a high probability that someone else in the campground complained to the forest service about that dog. If the forest service receives enough complaints, dogs may one day be barred from the forest.
That would be truly unfortunate for responsible dog owners who follow the rules and properly care for their pets. My pal Buster enjoys camping. I’d hate to see that taken away.
Photo: Buster had fun even though we made him wear his hiking boots for part of the day.
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07/16/09
 I spent July 4 in one of my favorite places in America: Yosemite National Park.
The developed areas of Yosemite have a bit of a bear problem. Human visitors to the park have a tendency to leave food out and unattended. Bears are drawn to the food and eat it. Some bears begin to seek out and harass humans in order to steal food. Park officials are forced to shoot these bears.
The park officials make no effort to conceal how much they hate shooting their beloved bears. Campgrounds, parking lots, and park literature are plastered with warnings about the issue. Trash cans are bear-proof. Dumpsters equipped with bear-proof clips have signs that say “Use clip. Save a bear.” Bear-proof canisters for backcountry camping are stamped with a logo that says “save the bears”.
On the first night of my trip I camped in a developed campground in Yosemite Valley. My neighbors were idiots. They left a can of Pringles unattended on their picnic table.
It was somewhat entertaining to watch a bear eat the Pringles, but I also was heartbroken knowing that the stupidity of my neighbors may ultimately contribute to the death of such a magnificent animal.
The attitude of Yosemite park officials is that when bears become aggressive, it is 100% the fault of humans. The bears are not held to blame–they merely do what it is in their nature. If you leave a can of Pringles unattended on a picnic table, a bear will eat it. That is your fault, not the bear’s. If the bear begins to harass picnickers and campers, that is your fault, not the bear’s.
I like that attitude, and it shouldn’t only apply to bears. Dogs and cats (but especially dogs) also have a tendency to be “naughty” in ways that are entirely predictable, and that aren’t actually naughty.
If I leave delectable garbage in the trash can and forget to protect the trash in the dog-resistant cupboard, my pal Buster will get into the trash. He isn’t being bad. He’s simply being Buster. His love for chocolate and garbage is no secret.
Thank goodness See’s Candies don’t have enough theobromine (the poisonous ingredient in chocolate) to poison Buster. If they did, I would have had to take him into work with me for treatment on several occasions.
But one thing’s for sure: there’s no point in getting mad at the dog for acting like a dog.
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06/06/09
As I was walking home from work the other day I saw the following scene.
“CAUTION: THIS LAWN HAS BEEN TREATED WITH A PESTICIDE THAT MAY BE HARMFUL OR FATAL TO YOUR PET”
Perhaps the person who tends the lawn in question had recently applied some horrific pesticide such as snail bait to the lawn. Or perhaps he simply didn’t want dogs or cats on his grass.
My money’s on the latter option. But I wouldn’t bet my pal Buster’s life on it.
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06/03/09
 What is the best way to treat car sickness for dogs? We’re planning a cross country trip with our newly adopted Border Collie. He is not car saavy, and we’re trying to get him used to riding.
He’s getting better, but I don’t want him to be sick on our trip. Any ideas?
Karla
Los Angeles, CA
Carsickness is quite common in puppies, cats, and kittens. Some adult dogs also suffer from the syndrome.
In my experience, carsickness has two root causes. One is anxiety. Puppies who are not yet habituated to car travel often throw up or have diarrhea (or, best of all worlds, both) when they travel in vehicles. Cats and kittens are naturally agoraphobic and often become nervous whenever they are away from home.
True motion sickness also contributes to carsickness in pets.
It sounds like you are already working on my number one recommendation: get your pet used to the car. One patient of mine would throw up as soon as the car was started. His owners beat the problem by keeping him in the car for thirty minutes each day (naturally, they used common sense–the car was not parked in the sun!) without starting the engine. They gradually worked through starting (and immediately stopping) the engine, to backing out of the driveway and stopping, to going around the block, to going to the park, to driving across the country.
Pets that suffer from refractory carsickness may benefit from medications to prevent the syndrome. Cerenia is an anti-nausea medicine that is labeled for preventing carsickness in dogs. Diazepam (Valium) and dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) also may be effective in some individuals. Medicines should be used only under the direction of a veterinarian. They also should be used only as a last resort, after habituation has failed.
For more information on carsickness, go to my website:
http://drbarchas.com/carsickness
Photo: Buster’s only complaint is that he never gets to drive.
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02/18/09
 My pal Buster’s Together Tag arrived in the mail on Saturday and he is now sporting it on his collar.
Together Tag is a new dog and cat pet tag service made by Dogster/Catster in partnership with The American Red Cross. Each tag contains a unique identification number, as well as the pet’s name and owner’s phone number. The identification number can be used to look up information on lost pets through a dedicated website.
The tag itself is, in my opinion, very well designed. The relevant information is protected by a thick layer of epoxy so it is unlikely to wear off or fade. The collar attachment is sturdy and unlikely to break.
The Together Tag website (http://www.togethertag.com) is user friendly. When Buster’s tag arrived I typed his ID number into the site and a page featuring his photo, contact phone numbers, veterinary information, and behavior traits came up. If he ever gets lost, the person who finds him will know that he loves to play fetch and sometimes has poor recall when he’s not on leash.
I like the concept of the Together Tag because it allows pet owners to provide as much (or as little) information as they desire to anyone who recovers their pet after he or she is lost. If your pet needs medications or has special dietary needs, you can mention these things on your pet’s profile. The profile also can be used to keep track of veterinary checkups, vaccination dates, and medical conditions.
The Together Tag is not a substitute for microchipping. Nor, for that matter, is microchipping a substitute for the Together Tag. Microchips cannot be lost, and they remain the most effective way to identify your pet permanently. However, to be useful they must be scanned with a special device that is not available to the general public. Anyone with an internet connection can use the Together Tag. Buster has both a microchip and a Together Tag.
Please note that I was not involved in the development of the Together Tag and I will not profit personally from its success. However, I am very impressed with the system and I strongly recommend it.
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02/17/09
 I think my cat is addicted to TV. I started
leaving the TV on when I left to go to school or
work, so he would have some background noise and
human voices to listen to, in hopes he wouldn’t
feel so lonely (he’s not your typical independent
cat and quite enjoys human companionship). Now
whenever the TV is on, he leaps up on the ottoman
(he thinks it’s HIS couch), gets all snuggled up
and intently watches TV for hours. My friends and
family find humor in the fact that he’s become so
humanized. I am concerned, as studies suggest that
children who watch TV before the age of 2 progress
more slowly and may develop behavioral issues when
older. I’m sure there haven’t been many studies
on cats that watch too much TV, but I was hoping
you might have an opinion on the matter. Thank
you.
Naomi
Caribou, ME
Cats and dogs rarely become addicted to television. This is because they lack thumbs and generally cannot work remote controls.
Does television stunt the development of cats and dogs? I’m not aware of a scientific study on the matter, but I sincerely doubt it.
In fact, I have rarely seen animals express much interest in television. So, when the kind folks at Off the Wall Entertainment sent me At Home Doggy Daycare and At Home Kittycat Daycare, both on DVD, I was skeptical. The DVDs are designed to have visual and auditory content that is stimulating to and interesting for pets.
Since I am, sadly, between cats at this time, I watched Kittycat Daycare by myself. It was quite entertaining. Features include kittens playing soccer as well as visuals of squirrels frolicking, fish swimming, and birds flitting about.
Doggy Daycare has similar features tailored, theoretically, to the needs of dogs. For this DVD I decided to perform a non-controlled, non-randomized, non-blinded study with an n of one and publish the results in a non-peer-reviewed venue (my blog). I called my pal Buster into the living room and put on the DVD.
Up to this point, I should point out, Buster had never shown any interest whatsoever in television. We’re talking about a dog who will sit through Barry Lyndon, Walk The Line, The Matrix, and The Big Lebowski as if nothing is happening.
Buster loved the DVD. He paid rapt attention to the video from the instant it started. When the soundtrack featured a squeaky toy Buster ran to the speaker. For a moment I thought he might try to use my new sound system as a chew toy. Fortunately he did not.
Buster whined during the scene featuring a dozen dogs frolicking together in a play area. I think he was sad to be left out of the fun.
A harrowing moment occurred during the scene entitled “Nutty Neighbors”. Buster nearly knocked over the television trying to chase the star of the scene (who happened to be a squirrel).
It’s a good thing Buster doesn’t have thumbs. If he did, he’d be at risk for addiction to At Home Doggy Daycare.
Photo: Mia Lily participates in America’s number one pastime.
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