ePetDrugs Blog

Jodi Webb

At my last doctor’s visit he prodded me about my vitamins. What vitamins? Seems I’m the last one to jump on the vitamin bandwagon(my husband’s been pestering me to start taking them for years). Seems the older you get the more important vitamin supplements become—we’re eating less, losing calcium, taking medication that inhibits our body’s ability to absorb vitamins, even exercising increases our need for things like Iron.

As I take my huge horse pill multi-vitamin(thankfully it’s chewable), I wonder about Simon who definitely falls into the “older” category. Turns out pets, just like humans, have an increased need for vitamins. As they get older and fatter they’re often eating less(not by their choice of course—it’s those pesky diets we put them on), they have more medical issues, they aren’t feeling as energetic. Often vitamins can make a difference. Many are easy to administer to even the most difficult pet. Simon’s is a Natural Salmon Oil that gets sprayed onto his regular food. Whoever thought that up deserves a great big kiss!

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Worms—it’s something most pet owners don’t like to think about. It seems like something only a feral or unclean animal would get, right? Not true. Worms can be passed on to a cat or dog through their mother’s milk, swallowing an infected flea while grooming themselves, or if they (especially cats) have the unfortunate habit of hunting.

So it’s key to have your dogs and cats dewormed and have the vet test periodically for worms. Don’t forget—certain worms can be passed to humans. Although sometimes worms remain dormant and the animal doesn’t give any sign of distress there are normally certain signs—

1. Worms in the feces or vomit.

2. Loss of appetite or weight.

3. Diarrhea

4. Dryness of the fur

Pet owners should always keep their loved ones safe from worms by using deworming medication.

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Jodi Webb

Some people are saying the California law concerning pets riding in cars has gone too far. The law is an attempt to outlaw distractions including live animals on the driver’s lap or in her arm/s. “Here comes Big Brother” is the shout being heard from many.

“I can handle driving and holding my dog.”

“My pet is very well-behaved in the car.”

I say take a moment to stop thinking about your driving abilities and your pet’s behavior and start thinking about the other guy on the road. Can he handle his dog? Does his pet sit quietly in the passenger seat or bounce from window to window? Could he end up hitting my mini-van when he’s distracted by his animal? My mini-van holds my most precious cargo—my kids. I want everyone–me, the guy next to me, the lady six cars ahead of me—driving at their best and not dealing with any distractions. I agreed when people suggested outlawing cell phones on the road and I’m going to have to agree with the ban on drivers holding animals.

If you’re still bristling about the law encroaching on your freedoms think about your pet. I have a friend who’s an EMT. According to him, pets don’t survive car accidents. When there’s an accident the police, the fire truck and the EMT are automatically sent out. They’re there for the humans. No one sends out a vet. If your animal goes flying through the windshield, or even just bouncing around inside the car no one will be looking out for him afterwards. Chances are even you will forget about him in the shock from the accident. If you love your pet you won’t take him for a ride. You’ll leave him home(or buy him a vehicle restraint).

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Jodi Webb

Dogs are a great boost to making new friends(cats not so much). Even if you’ve just met a person, dogs offer an instant conversation topic. Do you ever go to the park on Apple Street? Is he afraid of the Anderson’s German Shepherd? Which vet does he go to?

hen we moved into our neighborhood to get to know new people through their pets. Just make sure your kids know the rules about not approaching strange dogs(even on leashes)until you ask an owner’s permission. Some dogs have quirks: kids, running, high pitched voices. Don’t we all?

Another fun way to make friends with animal lovers long after the local dog park has been deserted for the night is www.mydogspace.com . You can make virtual friends and real life friends—some posters ask about dogs looking for friends in specific areas like central Ohio or the Denver area. Have fun!

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Jodi Webb

I’m not a big fan of reality shows—I like my TV viewing to be an escape from reality. I get enough reality from, well, real life. But I decided to check out Greatest American Dog. If you haven’t seen it, the show throws dogs and owners together in a house and gives them a ‘challenge’ to complete each week. The dogs were painting from what I could tell on my episode. The last team standing gets $250,000.

Of course, I tuned in for the drama portion of the show. Some dog nipped at another owner. Then there was a shot of the dog’s owner weeping in the backyard about how her dog was so “stressed”. Well, let’s take a look at the situation. Removed from familiar surroundings and thrust into a house with eleven other strange humans and dogs and forced to do strange things. If I was that dog I’d be biting people too. Even as a human I might bite a few people!

Can I make a suggestion? If humans want to make fools of themselves on TV for 15 minutes of fame let them. But can we protect those who can’t volunteer for themselves—pets, children? Isn’t our responsibility to give them a good life, not torment them on the off-chance that we might win some big prize. Get a job! Live within your means! Leave your dogs alone!

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Jodi Webb

Our 13 year old has always been a good one to take Maggie for a walk or a romp in the back yard but she isn’t our go-to girl for the less-fun aspects of having a pet—baths, teeth brushing, pill time. So my husband and I were surprised to come home from the grocery store to a clean, non-smelly dog. Sniff, sniff. Is that the aroma of strawberries? Oh, no. For her surprise good deed she bathed Maggie with her own HUMAN shampoo. Nothing against humans but like a lot of dogs, Maggie gets the itchies from human shampoo—not to mention that the smells we all think are so delightful drive her crazy. I guess no self-respecting dog wants to smell like strawberries. Maybe the other dogs make fun of her. Tomorrow John’s going to re-bathe Maggie in her own shampoo while I show our daughter where we keep the dog shampoo(and the dog toothpaste)in case she feels industrious any time soon.

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Jodi Webb

I just had an old chair from my grandmother’s house reupholstered—it was an incredibly ugly orange velour. Really! Everyone loves the new blue and white striped chair. Including Simon. Throughout the years Simon has chosen a succession of sleeping spots we haven’t agreed on. The baby’s bassinet, the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet, the top of the toilet(a bit disconcerting for those middle of the night trips), and now my new/old chair. My husband tries to redirect Simon’s sleeping choices with an arsenal of aluminum foil, stacks of books, and cat-proof locks. I, on the other hand, go shopping. Simon’s had a wide variety of beds: furry, hammock, mini-sofa, even one with a heating pad. This time we’re trying a cave-like cubby with a tiny door opening. It’s impossible to predict if he’ll like it or how long he’ll agree to use it. I’ve become convinced that it isn’t the bed so much as where it’s located. Lately he’s been tending toward high spots in quiet rooms of the house. So his new bed is going to start out on an unused ottoman in the corner of my daughter’s bedroom. Because of her big window it’s even in a sunny spot most of the afternoon. What cat could ask for more?

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Jodi Webb

Mootz and Nicki were not fast friends from the minute they met. Mootz, my brother’s chocolate lab puppy, was more than happy to call Nicki, my parent’s toy poodle, his new best friend. But Nicki, a toy poodle with a few years under his belt, couldn’t be bothered with this large, loud, and clumsy dog. Nicki didn’t like dogs in general—we doubted that he even believed he was a dog. I’m sure he thought of himself as a small, dignified human.

Fast forward five years and Mootz is moving into Nicki’s house. Remembering their strained relationship when Mootz was a puppy, everyone wondered if the arrangement would work. By now Nicki was partially blind and deaf and had little tolerance for change of any kind. Mootz was younger but, because he was a large breed, had already developed problems with his joints. If you listened closely you could almost hear the both of them groan as they made their way down the stairs.

To everyone’s surprise they easily became buddies. In fact, Mootz acts as a sort of seeing eye dog—sensing the big dog next to him Nicki follows his lumbering buddy around the backyard. He ventures much further into the big yard then he has in a long time. Watching the two of them lying in the grass brings to mind images of two old men sitting on a park bench feeding the birds. Except these two oldsters don’t feed the birds, they bark at them. And occasionally chase them.

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Jodi Webb

Do cats make friends? I’m sure it’s possible but I’m a doubter. Simon and Maggie have never been friends. In fact, Maggie—despite being a dog and twice as big as Simon—has always given him a wide berth. Yes, our dog is afraid of our cat. Some people would say it’s just that cats are solitary animals while dogs are pack animals who live by the more the merrier adage. But is that right? After all feral cats live in groups. Friends of mine have a dog and cat who live happily together—they even take naps together. We just have to face facts, some cats are friendly and some are NOT. Some will go to any lengths to defend their right to a solitary existence. If you doubt that check out this photo of a cat defending his territiory.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060613-cat-bear.html

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Jodi Webb

It started out as a good thing. It rapidly spiraled into the most terrible of things. My husband and I decided to do a major organizing and purging of our home’s closets. Turns out it was a bigger job than we imagined. An entire weekend job. During that weekend large black garbage bags sat against the bedroom closet doors filled with donations for the local clothes closet. I remember the sight of the garbage bags because in the upcoming weeks Simon urinated in that exact spot—over and over again.

At first we thought it was just a solitary mistake. Nope. Was he unhappy with the litter box. It was scrupulously cleaned out and the litter changed daily. Was he just getting older? We bought two extra litter boxes so he was never that far from the restroom. Was he sick? We envisioned the horror of giving him insulin injections for diabetes. Several expensive tests later the vet determined that he wasn’t sick. In fact, he was in great health. Was he stressed? This was the vet’s musing. On our own we never would have considered this one. When asked about changes in his environment we struggled to remember through the urine smelling weeks and pinpoint when it all began. Turns out it was the Monday after the cleaning spree. Ah, ha!

But what could we do now? Since the bags that stressed him out were now long gone the vet guessed that it had become habit. Despite our cleaning after each “incident” odor remained and Simon had labeled that section of our bedroom as an alternate litter box. We had to re label that section as a non-peeing zone. The vet gave us a spray that smelled like cat pheromones. He wouldn’t pee on another cat, would he? He wouldn’t. It actually worked!

The moral of the story? Ignore your husband when he decides to reorganize the closets!

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Jodi Webb

When my husband and I brought home Simon as a kitten when I was six months pregnant and elderly neighbor predicted doom and gloom. The jealous cat would suck the breath right out of the baby. On a hormonal roller coaster I quickly called my vet who assured me that, “No, cats are not out roaming the world looking for infants to attack.”

Despite the dire predictions Simon loved the baby. Correction: Simon loved the baby stuff. The bassinet, the stroller, the baby seat, the high chair. We always knew where to find him now. He was curled up in one of the tiny pieces of baby equipment that seemed made just for him—they were tiny, they were soft, and they were often pushed out of the way in quiet corners of the room. Well, you can only wash the soft cushions that line the baby stuff so many times. Not to mention the one time he jumped up into the already occupied bassinet and began snuggling up to the baby. Then we became determined to keep Simon out of the baby stuff.

If you have trouble with your cat thinking you bought a whole lot of cool beds for him here’s our advice:

1. Clear out a closet and designate it the “baby stuff” closet. You can also try having one room as the “baby room” but babies and their stuff tend to spread through every room

2. If you can’t put things out of reach, fold up whatever you can—stroller, high chair, etc. when not in use.

3. Make the baby stuff really uncomfortable. We tossed slight scrunched pieces of aluminum foil into the baby pieces when they weren’t in use. Others have tried balloons or aluminum cans tied to the sides. They’re very discouraging to a cat in search of a quiet, comfy spot to sleep.

It worked. Simon gave up on the baby stuff. But cats are not elephants—they forget. When the next baby arrived we had to go through the whole process again.

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Jodi Webb

With three pale, light-haired children I’m a fanatic about sun exposure—sunscreen sits by the front and back doors, my five year old red head wears hats everywhere(even in the pool), and the swing set is off limits on sunny afternoons. I never gave my pets any thought until I read about an Arizona dog that was found hiding under a sewer pipe with such an extreme sunburn that his skin had blistered. But you don’t have to tie your dog outside in the sun, day after day(what humane workers think happened to this found dog ‘Bobcat’)to put him at risk for sun damage. Does your pet enjoy a day at the beach or a long walk on a sunny day? Water and cement reflect the sun’s rays and make the exposure even worse for your animals.

Just like people, cats and dogs with light fur are more likely to burn as well as those with sort hair. And beware of spots unprotected by fur like noses and ear tips. With animals prevention is key also. Keeping them out of the sun for long periods and consider investing in a sunscreen for dogs, especially if you have a light or short haired animal. Remember, preventive care is less expensive than dealing with a sunburn after it happens.

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Jodi Webb

Turns out August is Pet Dental Month. In our house, every month is dental month since Simon and Maggie get pretty regular brushing. I have to confess with me it’s more that I want to prevent bad breath than that I worry about gum disease(I know, terribly shallow of me). But hey, just so the job gets done, right?

For us teeth brushing is a rather lengthy task. For Simon, our cat, brushing is a two human job—one to hold him and convince him that nothing bad is happening and another to swoop in and brush. Any suggestions for cat teeth brushing would be greatly appreciated! Maggie is a little more agreeable. I brush, brush, brush—then she backs a couple of feet away. I put down the toothbrush, convince here to move closer to me grab the toothbrush…and so it goes until we eventually hit all the teeth.

Every pet is different so my only suggestions are:

1. Get your pet used to the idea of tooth brushing by playing around their mouth with the toothbrush from the time they’re a puppy/kitten.

2. Toothbrush regularly—not only because it helps prevent things like gum disease but because it helps them not become ‘shy’ of an unfamiliar chore.

3. Use pet toothpaste—first, animals(and humans)aren’t supposed to swallow regular toothpaste and the pet toothpaste has great flavors like beef and chicken.

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Jobi Webb

Ever heard of canine BLOAT? Also known as gastric dilation-volvulus? Most dog owners haven’t. That’s unfortunate since it’s the number two cause of death among dogs and owners can help prevent it. BLOAT isn’t a disease your dog ‘gets’—its more a problem some dogs are more likely to suffer from than others. With BLOAT dogs’ stomachs fill with gases and are not released which causes pain and distress including shock and heart arrhythmias.

Dr. Larry Glickman at Purdue University School of Veterinarian Medicine did a study and found that the breeds predisposed to BLOAT have deep and narrow chests such as the Great Dane, Bloodhound, Irish Wolfhound, Irish Setter, Akita, standard Poodle, German Shepherd Dog, and Boxer. Many BLOAT sufferers are older and not overweight(not that Glickman is suggesting you fatten up your dog to prevent BLOAT. Just watch your regular weight dogs more closely). Dogs predisposed to BLOAT can increase their risk if they eat quickly, are fed only one daily meal, just dry food, or from raised feeding bowls. That’s why a feeding system such as the Ergo Systems Auto Pet Feeder that releases small amounts of food up to eight times throughout the day is ideal for your at risk dog.

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Jodi Webb

My stimulus check didn’t go toward a new TV or a weekend away for my husband and I. It’s still sitting in my banking account waiting for the arrival of our Pennsylvania winter and the accompanying heating bills. Between gas, food, heating oil, and every other consumer good that has shot up in price most families I know are looking over their bills searching for a way to cut costs.

Upkeep of pets seems a natural choice for many people. After all, if I have to eat generic food from the grocery store shouldn’t my dog be eating generic dog food? I can’t afford health insurance but my dog gets to go to the vet? Cutting out vet visits and preventative medications like those for ticks and fleas seems like a great way to save some money—at the time. The problem is, you’ll be kicking yourself when (the chances are pretty high that it will happen) your pet gets fleas or ticks. You could find yourself trying to find money in your budget to treat your animals(and sometimes yourself) as well as your house to rid it of any eggs left. It could be a nightmare. Prevention beats treatment for both your pet and your wallet.

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