Universal Press Syndicate
March is when winter finally lets go, although usually not without a final blast or two. The start of spring means many things -- the first early blooms, longer, warmer days and a time to clean the house -- but for dog lovers, there's one thing spring brings most of all.
Mud, mud and more mud. The soupy remains of winter on the paws of our pets is the constant nemesis of all dog lovers, and it's never so bad as in the spring.
The best way to keep floors clean is to never let them get dirty. And that means catching those muddy paws before they come inside. Here are some tips:
-- Use mats. Put washable mats both inside and outside the door. A small doormat can be jumped over, so go for something larger, at least during the rainy season. The wider the area of matting, the more chance you have of every paw hitting the mat at least once. Outside the door to my backyard (currently known as The Swamp), I have a 3-foot-by-5-foot black industrial mat I bought at a warehouse store. It catches lots of mud, and it hoses off easily. The more attractive and traditional decorative doormat sits right on top of it, with another decorative mat on the inside of the threshold. Outside the dog door, the entrance ramp is covered with indoor-outdoor carpeting. Just inside is another mat.
-- Teach dogs to wait for wiping. It's not difficult to teach a dog to wait on the mat for a paw cleaning. If you're patient and positive, you'll be able to teach your pet to offer each paw in turn and stand patiently while you towel it off. One of my dogs used to be so good about this that he'd lift each paw by name: "Front. Now the other. Back. Other."
-- Save your old towels. When towels get too ratty for guests to see, save them for use with your pets. Old towels are great for wiping paws, drying fur and even swiping a muddy paw print off the floor. My old towels have endured years of hot water and bleach. They're ugly, but they still do the job. You can also find super-absorbent towels and mitts made specifically for wiping paws, but I've always found old towels to be more than up to the task. If you do need to buy paw wipes, check prices on shop towels. Another option: Shammies, which soak up lots of water, can be thrown in the washing machine and air-dried in a jiffy.
-- Never let a mess settle in. If a muddy paw gets past you, don't delay your cleanup. While this isn't such a hard-and-fast rule for such easy-clean surfaces as tile and hardwoods, it's an absolute commandment when it comes to carpets. Keep cleaning supplies well-stocked and at hand, and be sure to jump on a muddy paw print -- or any pet mess -- before it can set.
With 16 canine paws in my household, keeping on top of mud is a must. What the mats don't catch, I do, and the house stays cleaner for my diligence, even in the muddiest season of the year.
Q&A
Follow vet advice on anesthesia
Q: Years ago, our family dog was hit by a car. But it wasn't the car that killed him -- it was the surgery to fix his leg. He went under and never woke up. That's why now, I don't feel comfortable when my veterinarian tells me that my dog needs to have his teeth cleaned -- while asleep. It just doesn't seem worth the risk, even though my vet insists anesthesia is safer now. What do you think? -- G.R., via e-mail
A: You could be shortening your pet's life -- and keeping him in misery -- by not addressing the problems caused by a mouthful of rotting teeth and gums.
And your veterinarian's correct: Anesthesia is a lot safer than it was a couple of decades ago. No anesthetic procedure is without risk, but in the hands of a good veterinarian and his staff, anesthesia has become a routine and very safe procedure.
The risks can be greatly minimized by a veterinary examination and a few basic tests beforehand, including a laboratory evaluation of blood and urine, and possibly a chest X-ray. These tests enable your vet to fully understand and address the health status of your pet before anesthetizing him. During the procedure, placement of an IV catheter and administration of fluids further adds to the safety of the procedure.
No discussion of anesthetic danger can be complete without a few words on your responsibilities where anesthesia is concerned:
-- Follow your veterinarian's instructions on preparing your pet for surgery. If no food is specified, make sure that you deliver your pet with an empty stomach. Following this one piece of advice is one of the easiest and most basic ways to reduce risk. During anesthesia, the contents of a full stomach can be regurgitated with the unfortunate potential complication of being inhaled into the lungs. In general, you should completely withhold food the night before, but continue to allow free access to water until the morning of the procedure.
-- Be prepared to provide special home care for your pet after surgery. If your pet is released before the sedation wears off fully, he must be kept safe from hot or cold environments because his reflexes are reduced. If you do not feel comfortable caring for a sedated pet, arrange for your veterinarian to extend the care. If your veterinarian does not run a 24-hour hospital, be sure to have the number of your local emergency clinic handy in case there are any complications following your pet's anesthesia.
-- Don't hesitate to ask questions. Make sure that you understand what the procedures are and what to expect. Pets commonly have a cough after anesthesia, for example, because the tube used to deliver the gas may cause some irritation. If the cough does not clear in a couple of days, call your veterinarian.
No matter what the age of the pet, the chances are very high that the anesthetic presents no problem if both you and your veterinarian work to minimize the risk. And the payoffs, especially those involving dental care, can be significant. Ask as many questions as you can and make sure you are comfortable with the answers. Work with your veterinarian in the interests of the best health for your pet. -- Dr. Marty Becker.
(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)
PET BUZZ
Developing babies can take some time
-- How long does it take to make an ass of yourself? If you're a donkey, it takes a year, as 365 days is the average gestation period. Sperm whales are pregnant for 480-500 days, deer for 201 days, dogs and cats both go 58-65 days, kangaroos 42 days, rabbits 30-35 and mice 19-21.
-- Camels don't store water in the hump, but fat, which is used as an energy reserve. Water is stored throughout their bodies, particularly in their bloodstream, which makes them very good at avoiding dehydration. According to "The Book of General Ignorance," camels can lose 40 percent of their body weight before they are affected by it and can go up to seven days without drinking. When they do drink, they do so with gusto, consuming up to 50 gallons at a time.
-- A bill has been introduced in Washington state that would allow cat and dog remains to be buried with humans in cemeteries meant for people. State Sen. Ken Jacobsen, the bill's sponsor, got the idea after his beloved cat, Sam, died and he learned that co-mingling animal and human remains wasn't allowed. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books.
On PetConnection.com there's more information on pets and their care, reviews of products, books and "dog cars," and a monthly drawing for more than $1,000 in pet-care prizes. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.
THE SCOOP
Longer noses mean a better sense of small
While most of us tend to think scent work is the near-exclusive province of a handful of breeds -- bloodhounds, German shepherds and maybe a Labrador retriever here and there -- in fact, a wide range of breeds and mixes is trained to detect various scents. Because of their fine noses and friendly dispositions, beagles are used to work airports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and any manner of mixed breeds -- lucky dogs pulled from shelters -- have been used for other kinds of detection work.
Humans have about 5 million scent receptors in their noses; dogs have about 200 million. Dogs can detect tiny levels of odors, even a few parts per billion. Their noses are also uniquely designed to draw air samples through -- for the most part.
You're not going to see a dog with a pushed-in muzzle, like a pug, tracking someone on "America's Most Wanted." That's because when breeding for a short nose -- and a face more like ours -- we've reduced the real estate available for scent receptors in these breeds.
On the other end of the scale, a dog developed for tracking, such as the bloodhound, has a sense of smell so keen, the results of his work are admissible in a court of law. In addition to a long, deep muzzle, the bloodhound has ears to sweep scent from the ground and skin folds to hold scents around the face. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori
BY THE NUMBERS
The lure of the wild
More than 60 percent of people with pet birds also feed wild birds. Here's what they offer those wild birds (multiple responses allowed):
Food sold for wild birds 86 percent
Bread 39 percent
Food sold for pet birds 22 percent
Other 11 percent
Source: American Pet Products Association
PET TIP
White cats may need protection
Although every imaginable feline coat length, type and color has a fan somewhere, you do need to watch out for one thing that's related to coat color: White cats with blue eyes have a high probability for deafness.
Some of these cats have eyes of different colors and are deaf only on the side with the blue eye. (You can check for deafness by snapping your fingers or clapping your hands behind a cat's or kitten's head.)
Though a deaf cat can still be a good pet -- indoors only, for her own protection -- you'll still want to know what you're getting into before you adopt.
Pet Connection is produced by a team of team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Contact Pet Connection in care of this newspaper, by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com or by visiting PetConnection.com.