Where will you be in 10 or 15 years? If you can't answer the question with any degree of certainty, then you shouldn't be in the market for a pet.
For too many people, pets are an impulse purchase made with no thought to the future. At least one prominent behaviorist suggests that half the puppies and kittens born every year won't see their second birthdays. The people they rely on simply stop caring once the novelty of having a pet has worn off.
I've been spending a lot of time in shelters lately, and I'm always most astonished and saddened by the old pets who can be found there. It breaks my heart to see the old-timers abandoned. Who could say goodbye to pets like these, and why would they?
When I was doing foster and rescue work, our little group once got a call about a 10-year-old sheltie. "I'm moving to Oregon today, and I can't take the dog," said the caller. Squelching the desire to say that to the best of my knowledge, dogs were allowed in Oregon, I made arrangements to meet with the man in an hour and take in the dog.
In the parking lot of a fast-food outlet a short time later, I snapped a leash on the sweet old dog. The man signed him over without even a trace of emotion. "Getting rid of the dog" was the last item on his to-do list, and he was in a hurry to accomplish it.
"Too bad the new landlord won't take pets," muttered the man, who then drove off without a pat for the dog or even a backward glance. Was he that disinterested when the dog was a fluffy puppy? I doubted it.
"Too bad you didn't look harder," I muttered to myself, as the old dog leaned against me, his eyes full of uncertainty. I have known people who have gone to incredible lengths to keep their pets, including one military couple who moved nearly every year with a half-dozen cats. They would have no more left their pets behind than they would have their children. Too bad this man wasn't one of the people who at least make an effort for their pets.
Yes, there are times when new homes must be found for pets. Catastrophic events such as serious illness, financial collapse and family breakups often leave pets homeless, despite the best efforts of the people involved. I myself had to give up a dog a few years back, following a near-fatal illness and a long, difficult recovery. I placed him myself, checked on him for a couple of years after he left and worry about him to this day.
Too often, though, people don't even try to make it work: to look a little harder or pay a little more for a place that takes pets, or to work through whatever other problems are challenging the pet's chance at staying in the home. The problem is often that the person who got the pet in the first place didn't think at the time about what it means to care for a pet for the rest of the animal's life.
The dog I picked up that day, from the man in the fast-food parking lot, was one of the lucky ones. While some of the old dogs we took in were too ill to be placed in new homes, this one was very healthy, and was blessed with a sweet and gentle temperament. Renamed Major, he spent the last seven years of his life in the home of my pet-loving neighbors, and no dog was ever more loved or better cared for.
But happy endings such as Major's cannot be assured. Which is why if you're thinking of taking in a pet, you must ask yourself: Where will I be in 10 years, or 15? Because if you aren't prepared to do what it takes to keep a pet for that long, don't get one now.
THE SCOOP
Never give a bath to a pet with mats -- you'll only make the problem worse. Instead, before you pop your pet into the tub, take time to work out the mats gently, or cut out the ones that won't go without a fight.
To work out a mat, sprinkle cornstarch on it and then work the powder into the tangle. When that's done, carefully slide the bottom half of a pair of sharp scissors into the mat at the skin level, and slice through the mess vertically a couple of times from the skin out. You can then pick apart the mat with a wide-toothed metal comb. Be sure to check out behind the ears or under the forelegs, places that seem especially conducive to the formation of mats.
If your pet's coat has gotten completely out of control, make arrangements to have the animal clipped short by a professional groomer. Getting a fresh start is far kinder on a pet than trying to pull apart a badly matted coat.
PETS ON THE WEB
Anyone who has ever shared space with a hamster knows the little charmers have a need to stay busy. Ever wonder how much those hamster wheels roll in a given day? Then check out the San Diego Hamster Cage (http://varesearch.ucsd.edu/KLEMFUSS/sdhamstr.htm), an ongoing project at the University of California-San Diego that tracks not only how far a hamster goes every day on his wheel, but when he uses it.
Sammy the hamster at the heart of the project really travels: Days of eight kilometers or more are not uncommon. He hits the wheel every day at almost exactly the same time, with the dedication most of us on-and-off exercisers will surely envy.
QUESTIONS FROM THE PACK
Q: I have an 8-month-old bichon fris who has had ear problems since he was 11 weeks old. We have done the homeopathic route, and it has done nothing at all. I apply aloe vera, Polysporin, tea tree oil, zinc and rosewater, and I clean his ears twice a day. He has not had any shots, and he is on a holistic diet. What am I missing? -- J.P., via e-mail
A: What you are missing is a trip to a good veterinarian. While each of the alternative-care remedies you are using has its advocates, treating a chronic problem without an accurate diagnosis is wasting your time and money and is causing your pup months of ongoing pain.
Stop all the home remedies and see your veterinarian. You need to be prepared to pay for a thorough examination and possibly some diagnostic tests. And realize, too, that ear problems can be very difficult to treat, and you will likely need to return to the veterinarian for re-checks, possibly new medications and additional follow-up care.
Once the ear problem is under control, you'll need to keep your pet's ear canals free of hair. Breeds like the bichon and poodle should routinely have the hair in their ears pulled. Your veterinarian can show you how, or you can have a professional groomer do it when your pet gets his regular wash and trim.
Q: I am owner of a short-haired Oriental cat, white with blue eyes. She is also deaf, which I have been told is very common for her type. She is 1 year old now, but is taking a long time to trust. We are having some problems with scratching furniture. Can you help? -- M.E., via e-mail
A: Yes, you're right: Deafness is not uncommon in blue-eyed white cats. According to the "Cornell Book of Cats" (Villard), between 65 percent and 85 percent of these cats are deaf. White cats with only one blue eye are 40 percent likely to be deaf, with the affected ear usually on the same side as the blue eye.
One of the most important things to do for your deaf cat is to keep her indoors, since she cannot use her ears to alert her to danger.
Build up your cat's trust in you very gradually. Instead of surprising her by picking her up, lure her to you with yummy food treats, and use these rewards to get her to enjoy time in your lap. Be aware always of when she has had enough -- a twitching tail tip is a surefire sign. Never force her to stay longer than she wants to: When she gets fidgety, let her go. You'll find that if you don't push her to the point of irritation, the amount of time she'll tolerate affection will slowly increase.
As for the scratching, make sure she has a cat tree near the furniture she's clawing, and encourage her to use it by offering her treats and strokes when she's on it, as well as playing with her and her toys. At the same time, you can discourage her use of the furniture by applying double-sided tape (or a product like Sticky Paws strips) to the area she's damaging.
Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," "Cats for Dummies" and "Birds for Dummies." She is also affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or send e-mail to writetogina(at)spadafori.com.
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