Universal Press Syndicate

Each morning, our golden retriever accompanies us on our walk to the horse barn. Shakira is one of many dogs my wife and I have had over our long and happy marriage, and our walk always makes me think of the dogs we had before her, like our much-missed black Labrador, Sirloin.

While we would carry our cups of coffee, Sirloin usually carried a toy, a piece of a tree or something dead in his mouth.

Once we got up to the barn, Sirloin would be ready to top off his tummy tank with some canine haute cuisine, diving head first into a fresh pile of horse dung. After cleansing his palate, he would then flop on his back rolling fervently as if he had a really bad itch and the horse apples were a bed of nails.

Yes, we loved this dog.

The menu at our Cafe McMutts then, as now, featured dead mice, dead birds, assorted dung and the skeletal remains of various forest animals. These dietary indiscretions might freak out some people, but I've lived on a ranch my whole life, as has Teresa, and we think of them as kind of cute.

Or we did, until the day Sirloin went too far in his journey to smell hell.

Early one morning, I glanced out the kitchen window and noticed Sirloin gnawing on something black and furry. At first I thought it was just one of his toys, but then I walked out to investigate. As I approached, Sirloin abandoned his snack and raced over to greet me, wiggling with delight. He jumped up and gave me a wet kiss like a hormonally supercharged teenager. While this type of greeting was routine, this time his breath was -- shall we say? -- revolting. I knew the smell: skunk.

Sirloin retrieved his newest chew toy. It was a rotten skunk carcass teeming with maggots. Let me tell you, it was enough to turn even the cast-iron stomach of this veteran veterinarian.

As I retreated in disgust, Sirloin followed me, with a thought bubble above his head that seemed to read: "Aren't ya proud of me, Dad? Isn't this just the neatest thing I've ever brought home?" Sirloin, of course, didn't think the dead skunk stunk; to him it was just another sample of Ken-nelle No. 5.

While the experts aren't sure why dogs like to roll in stinky stuff and eat rotten things, others believe that pets are marking themselves with their most prized possessions, guaranteed to impress all of their two-legged and four-legged friends. It's like being a furry Fabio with a big gold chain around his neck and the shirt unbuttoned to below the rib cage. Wearing stinky stuff is designer labels for pets.

Dogs not only have millions more scent receptors than we do, they are also polar opposites from us when it comes to choosing scents that attract rather than repel. While we humans like aromas that are fresh, floral and fragrant, our dogs prefer the dirty, dead and disgusting -- the rank, rancid and revolting. And just as my wife enjoys dabbing herself with a favorite perfume, Sirloin enjoyed dousing himself with his favorite fur-pume, skunk in this case. Teresa puts on perfume to impress her friends. Sirloin loved his barnyard bouquet, applying it to impress his friends, too.

To us it's disgusting -- to them, divine. With thousands of years of practice, dogs will continue to go boldly where no man, or woman, has gone before on their journey to find the scent-sational. Ol' Sirloin never could understand why I didn't appreciate his prize that long-ago day -- and he certainly never understood why the next thing I did was scrub him until only the memory of that stench remained.

And it does. Oh, yes, it does!

PET Rx

Pet insurer notes the strangest claims

A cat with a needle in her tongue, a dog who ate gel bra inserts -- if you thought your pet has a nose for getting into trouble, you'd better check out the winners of a pet-insurance company's contest for the craziest claims.

Veterinary Pet Insurance (www.petinsurance.com) calls the contest the "Hambone Awards" in honor of a dog who helped himself to an entire Thanksgiving ham, cleaning it done to the bone -- while trapped inside the refrigerator. (The dog escaped with a mild case of hypothermia. The family, one presumes, ate dinner out that holiday.)

The options available to pet owners in treating their pets nearly rival those for humans. Although the costs for pet care are a fraction of what the same procedures cost in human medicine, the high-tech choices and well-schooled specialists can be beyond the means of many. Veterinarians have a term for the intersection of a sick pet and a tight budget: "economic euthanasia."

No one likes to put down a pet who could be helped, which is why pet insurance is prospering, with more than a dozen companies offering coverage plans. (PetInsuranceReview.com has overviews of all U.S. and Canadian plans, plus consumer reviews.)

The Hambone Awards are, of course, a lighthearted way to bring attention to all the ways pets can end up at the veterinarian's while reminding people that prevention is always better than treatment -- whether you're insured or not.

Check out the stories of the Hambone Awards nominees at vpihamboneaward.com. Based on the number of dogs who get themselves into trouble compared to cats, one can certainly argue that cats have an edge in the self-preservation department, and perhaps the intelligence department, too. -- Gina Spadafori

(Note: VPI is one of the sponsors on the Pet Connection Web site.)

PET BUZZ

Study suggests reason that dogs chase their tails

-- Dogs may be able to blame their tail-chasing habit on high cholesterol levels, according to a study published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice and reported in Veterinary Economics. Turkish researchers found that dogs who didn't chase their tails had lower levels of cholesterol than the tail-chasers did. Dogs may chase their tails because the high cholesterol levels have blocked the flow of brain hormones controlling mood and behavior. The study suggests that an increase in exercise could help lower the tail-chasing.

-- Therapy animals are on the rise in the United States, according to USA Today. Therapy pets are different from service animals, the latter going through rigorous specialized training to assist people with disabilities. Therapy pets are those who have a fondness for people, are trained in obedience, and have a calm and solid personality. The impact of therapy animals on cheering up, motivating and calming people has been so profound that doctors, school administrators, counselors and others across the country are sending in requests for pet therapy team visits. More than 10,000 pet therapy teams are registered by the Delta Society, and the number grows 6 to 8 percent every year. Thousands of teams are registered with other groups, or are just doing the therapy on their own. Not only are dogs used, but other registered animals include miniature horses, llamas, cats, rabbits and birds. Many are from shelters.

-- When searching for a landing spot on flowers, bees search for flower petals with traction. Flower petals differ in texture, as some are smooth and slippery, but others have cone-shaped cells that act like Velcro for the bees when they land. The Smithsonian magazine reports that successful landings equal nectar guzzling access for bees, while steady landings and footing mean longer visits by the bees, which increase a flower's chance of being pollinated.

-- Pets are the key to happiness -- if you're a woman. In a survey of 12,000 women in 21 countries, the Boston Consulting Group found that "pets" was the most common answer given to a question asking what makes people extremely happy. For women, 42 percent chose "pets," followed by "sex" (27 percent), "food" (19 percent) and "shopping" (5 percent). "Men" didn't even make the list. -- 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.

PET TIP

Good groomer a necessity for many dogs

For dogs such as poodles, bichons and many terriers, finding a good groomer is almost a necessity, because the maintenance involved with the coats of these breeds and their mixes is beyond the ability or interest of most pet lovers.

For many other dogs, such as collies, spaniels and the like, regular attention from a professional groomer can make at-home coat maintenance such as combing and brushing more manageable, and can keep dogs looking and smelling better.

Start your groomer search by asking friends, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations. Your dog's veterinarian or trainer may also be able to refer you to one.

A groomer should need only two to four hours for a routine wash and clip, unless your dog is matted and tangled. There's no reason for your dog to hang out all day when he's not being worked on.

Don't wait so long between appointments that your dog is full of mats and then expect the groomer to be able to work them out. Listen to your groomer: If she says clipping the coat away is the best way to go, you're better off following her advice than subjecting your dog to hours of fur-pulling.

Make sure, too, that the groomer is clear on what you expect your dog to look like when she's done if clipping is involved. And if you don't want bows, nail polish and perfume, don't forget to speak up beforehand. -- Gina Spadafori

BY THE NUMBERS

Online shopping jumps for pets

Pet lovers are no different from others when it comes to shopping, increasingly getting the goods they want for their pets with a few clicks of a mouse. The percentage of pet lovers shopping online has doubled since 2002.

2002 14 percent

2004 17 percent

2006 24 percent

2008 29 percent

Source: American Pet Products Association

THE SCOOP

What birds know is their secret

Although you can guarantee that birds can tell the difference, we humans can't easily tell the boys from the girls in a great many bird species. Not knowing may have no bearing on how good a pet a bird becomes, but some people can't stand not knowing. Even if they have no interest in breeding a pet, some people just want to know whether to choose a masculine or feminine name for their pet.

The answer is easy to come by with a blood sample drawn by the veterinarian, which is used to check a bird's DNA.

The eclectus parrot is one bird even we humans can't confuse when it comes to figuring out which birds are males and which are females. The male is bright green with red patches under his wings, while the female is a shimmery purple with a red head and tail.

Male and female eclectus are so different that the two genders were once thought to be different species. -- Gina Spadafori

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.

Universal Press Syndicate

Hurricanes in the South, Wildfires in the West: Some disasters have seasons, but others don't. Which is why no matter where you live, you need to be ready -- and include your pets in your plans.

Disaster preparedness is so easy to let slide. We get all worked up after a major disaster is in the news, and certainly after we're lucky enough to be reminded of the potential -- a thick layer of smoke, in my case, with the nearest fire two counties away.

We read up, we stock up, we move on. And then, we forget. In a pinch, we take the can opener out of the emergency kit and don't replace it. We rotate the food and water into our kitchen cupboards, but we don't buy anything new to rotate into the supplies in the garage.

It's human nature, of course, to react to immediate threats and to put off preparing for something that might never happen.

If you're one of those people who not only have a disaster plan but have also included your animals in it, now is the time to review those plans. If you've never done any disaster planning, for you or your pets, this is as good a time as any to start.

Before you begin, ask yourself if your pet is in the best health he can be. It's survival of the fittest, after all! If your pet is obese, out of shape or behind on such preventive-care measures as vaccines, get to your veterinarian.

Next, start your preparations with something you've probably already taken care of, by making sure your pets have ID.

Most animals will survive a disaster, but many never see their families again because there's no way to determine which pet belongs to which family if the animals go missing, a common occurrence even under normal circumstances. That's why dogs and cats should always wear a collar and identification tags. Add a microchip, too, and make sure it's registered.

Once your pet has up-to-date ID, it's time to collect some equipment to help you cope in case of an emergency. A big storage bin with a lid and handles is an ideal place to keep everything you need together and on hand.

Keep several days' worth of drinking water and pet food, as well as any necessary medicines, rotating the stock regularly. For canned goods, don't forget to pack a can opener and a spoon. Lay in a supply of empty plastic bags, along with paper towels, both for cleaning up messes and for sealing them away until they can be safely tossed.

For cats, pack a bag of litter and some disposable litter trays.

Even normally docile pets can behave in uncharacteristic ways when stressed by an emergency, which makes restraints essential for the safety of pets and people alike. For dogs, leashes should always be

available.

Shipping crates are probably the least-thought-of pieces of emergency equipment for pets but are among the most important. Sturdy crates keep pets of all kinds safe while increasing their housing options.

Crated pets may be allowed in hotel rooms that are normally off-limits to pets, or can be left in a pinch with veterinarians or shelters that are already full, since the animals come with rooms of their own.

The final item of restraint for dogs and cats: a soft muzzle, because frightened or injured pets are more likely to bite. And don't forget to put first-aid supplies in your disaster kit, along with a book on how to treat pet injuries.

You may never have to pull out your disaster kit, but it's always good to be prepared.

For more information or a free emergency preparedness brochure for pet lovers, visit www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY.

Q&A

Creating a jungle for cats inside

Q: We have three cats. Two are sisters, and we got them as kittens. The other we took in when a friend became ill. All are females, all spayed, and they get along reasonably well.

The older cat was originally a stray. She was extremely insistent about going out, and we finally gave in and let her out when someone is home. Fortunately, the neighborhood is fairly safe. The other two picked up on the going outside business and all three now go out for a few hours in the daytime.

One of them has now become proficient at catching small birds and brings them alive or partially alive into the house. We really don't like this and would appreciate some tips on how to change them back to indoor-only cats, if possible. Also, do bells on collars really work, since maybe that would at least hinder her ability to catch birds. They all wear collars, but not bells. -- T.Q., via e-mail

A: If your only concern is about the hunter cat turning your home into the nature channel, the easiest thing to try is a cat bib ($11, catgoods.com). While they may not be the best feline fashion statement, these devices hang down the front of a cat and keep them from being able to get the jump on their prey. As for bells on cat collars, they do sometimes work to scare birds away. But some cats learn how to stalk without ringing their bells. Who says cats aren't smart?

The better route to take is convincing your three outdoor adventure lovers to accept an indoor-only life.

Indoor cats are safer. They tend to live longer, be flea-free and rack up fewer medical bills. Some say indoor cats are better companions because their people are the best action in town. That's a lot of incentives for you. The hard part is providing enough incentives to convince your cats to accept this change gracefully.

Feline frustration can turn into an orchestra of cat complaints. Some cats complain vocally (nonstop), others make the 50-yard dash to the door their sport (nonstop), and others play Tarzan indoors from curtains to couches. Cranky cats may pick on each other. Just a few escapes can drag out this feline focus and fury on gaining freedom. If you decide to make them indoor cats, go cold turkey. Once they're in, they're in forever.

When you take away the great outdoors, replace it with a new indoor cat jungle. If you have feline door dashers, you may want to confine the cats to a room or rooms that do not have access to an outside door. Your challenge will be to provide enough adventure indoors.

Purchase a few floor-to-ceiling cat trees for climbing and perching. Place new things to explore in the room every day. Boxes and bags make great cat caves to investigate. Add catnip mice in new places. Buy a variety of scratching surfaces, both vertical and horizontal. Add a few containers of cat grass. Forget food bowls and begin feeding the cats from food puzzle toys. Buy cat toys that look like real prey and begin daily indoor hunts. Laser lights make great bug imitators on floors and walls. Rotate these objects and rearrange the indoor jungle landscape to keep it all interesting.

Your new job is leader of the daily indoor hunt. Use the variety of preylike cat toys to get your cat crew stalking, chasing, leaping, climbing, running and pouncing. Be prepared to change the prey type and game every few minutes to keep your kitties going. You want them panting before the hunt is over. Watch your cats beam when you praise them for catching the stunt prey. You can also toss in treats to add meaning to this prey reality show.

The better you are at creating a new nature environment indoors, the less fuss and stress for you and the cats when changing from outdoor to indoor scenery. Mentally and physically tired indoor cats will be more contented ones. They may never completely give up trying to escape, but over time their efforts will wane. -- Susan and Dr. Rolan Tripp, AnimalBehavior.net

(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)

PET BUZZ

Real bear inspired Winnie the Pooh

-- Veterinarian Harry Colebourn was on a troop train stopped at White River, Ontario, in 1914 when he bought a bear from a local hunter and named it "Winnipeg," in honor of his home town in Manitoba, Canada. According to The Globe and Mail newspaper, the bear became the brigade mascot and was later given to the London Zoo. Winnipeg became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh, after A.A. Milne's son, Christopher, visited the zoo and named his stuffed bear after Winnipeg.

-- New York's John F. Kennedy airport has installed a "pet relief" area -- a 30-by-50-foot enclosure with a patch of natural grass and a red fire hydrant. The new pet zone is in the departures section of the American Airlines area.

-- The California Institute of Technology used high-speed film to watch flies before they are swatted, and found a fly need about 200 milliseconds to identify and avoid a swat. For those trying to swat flies, the tactic is to creep up slowly, as flies have difficulty processing slow moving objects, and aim a little bit ahead of the fly, anticipating the direction in which they will make their escape flight.

-- Dog and cat bites constitute 1 percent of emergency room visits in the United States every year, with a treatment cost of $1 billion. Severe infections develop in about 20 percent of the bites. Hands have the highest chance of infection, with about a third of bites to hands becoming infected with potentially devastating results. -- 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

Commonsense pet care prevents disease

If you think about all the diseases one can contract from animals -- from rabies to worms and more -- it's almost enough to make you want to go pet-free and wrap yourself up in plastic.

In fact, it's pretty mind-boggling how many diseases and parasites can be passed from pets to humans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control helpfully supplies a pretty scary list of them. The CDC's Healthy Pets, Healthy People Web site (www.cdc.gov/healthypets) offers an in-depth examination of these so-called "zoonotic" health risks, and it includes special advice for people at higher risk, including those with immune-system weaknesses and those whose jobs involve working with animals.

At the top of the list of concerns would likely be rabies, a deadly disease more common in wildlife than in pets, thanks to decades of aggressive vaccination laws. Other worries are bacterial, with pets capable of transmitting salmonella, leptospirosis and campylobacteriosis, to name a nasty trio. Diseases caused by parasites include tapeworm, hookworm, roundworm, Lyme disease and giardia. And there's even ringworm, which is really a fungus. Toxoplasmosis is a special concern for people sharing their lives with cats.

Pets are not the only source for many of these diseases -- in many cases, improper food handling is a bigger risk. You can reduce the chance of your animal or bird companion making you sick by keeping your pet free of disease and by making sure all family members wash hands frequently when around animals. -- Dr. Marty Becker

BY THE NUMBERS

Who brings home the kibble?

The kids and dad may beg for a pet, but mom had better be onboard with the addition. That's because chances are she'll be the one doing the shopping. Only when the pets are saltwater fish does the percentage of women doing the shopping fall. According to a 2006 study:

Women as primary shoppers

All pets 79 percent

Dogs 79 percent

Cats 81 percent

Saltwater fish 67 percent

Source: American Pet Products Association

THE SCOOP

Why do cats go for cat haters?

Why, in a room full of people, will a cat invariably make a beeline for the one person in the room who hates or is allergic to cats?

Cats don't like eye contact from strangers -- they find it intimidating. When a friendly cat wanders into a room, he'll notice that all the people who like cats are looking at him. So he heads for the one whom he thinks is being polite -- the person who isn't looking at him. The cat doesn't realize that the person isn't looking because he doesn't want the cat near him. It's just a little bit of cross-species miscommunication.

That's one theory, anyway. Or maybe putting cat fur on the slacks of a cat hater really is the ultimate in feline fun. -- Gina Spadafori

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.

Universal Press Syndicate

Hardly a day goes by when there isn't a news story about a dog attack somewhere. When school starts, children may become especially vulnerable, walking and biking through their neighborhoods to class.

To be fair, dogs aren't the biggest risk that children face growing up. Organized sports, for example, are 10 times more likely to result in a child's trip to the emergency room than are dogs.

And although in most cases the dog involved in a serious attack is the family's own, it's also true that many neighborhoods are not safe for walking or biking because of a dog. These animals are accidents waiting to happen because their owners either don't know or don't care that their dogs are a public menace.

The experts say the signs are usually there long before a dog attacks. The dog is typically young, male and unneutered. He is usually unsocialized, a backyard dog with little to no interaction with the family. He is often inadvertently trained to be vicious by being kept full-time on a chain or in a small kennel run.

Is there a dog like this in your neighborhood -- or in your own yard? If it's the latter, call your veterinarian and arrange for your pet to be neutered, and then ask for a referral to a behaviorist who can help you rehabilitate your pet. Don't put this off: Your dog is a danger, and your own family is at risk.

Of course, you can't control what other people do with their animals. That's why you have to make sure your children know how to behave around dogs to protect themselves. Here's what everyone should know, and what parents need to teach their children:

-- Never approach a loose dog, even if he seems friendly. Dogs who are confined in yards, and especially those dogs on chains, should also be avoided. Many are very serious about protecting their turf. If the dog is with his owner, children should always ask permission before petting him and then begin by offering him the back of a hand for a sniff. Further, they should pat the dog on the neck or chest. The dog may interpret a pat from above as a gesture of dominance. Teach your children to avoid fast or jerky movements around dogs, since these may trigger predatory behavior.

-- Be a tree when a dog approaches, standing straight with feet together, fists under the neck and elbows into the chest. Teach your children to make no eye contact, since some dogs view eye contact as a challenge. Running is a normal response to danger, but it's the worst possible thing to do around a dog, because it triggers the animal's instinct to chase and bite. Many dogs will just sniff and leave. Teach your children to stay still until the animal walks away, and then back away slowly out of the area.

-- "Feed" the dog a jacket or backpack if attacked, or use a bike to block the dog. These strategies may keep an attacking dog's teeth from connecting with flesh.

-- Act like a log if knocked down: face down, legs together, curled into a ball with fists covering the back of the neck and forearms over the ears. This position protects vital areas and can keep an attack from turning fatal. Role-play these lessons with your child until they are ingrained. They may save your child's life.

Discuss safe behavior with your children and role-play how to approach dogs, when not to approach, and what to do if confronted or attacked.

You don't need to scare your children, but you do need to make sure they're ready, just in case. And going over the "what ifs" isn't a bad idea for you as well.

Q&A

What to do about the 'new' dog flu

Q: A friend sent us a news story about the "dog flu," and now we're worried. It sounds really awful, and we want to know how to protect our pet. What do you advise? -- R.P., via e-mail

A: We checked with Dr. Melissa Kennedy, a clinical virologist at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Teaching College and infectious disease and immunology consultant for the Veterinary Information Network.

"Canine influenza virus (CIV) is a contagious viral disease spread most commonly among dogs with close contact or shared airspace, much like our influenza," she said. "Pet dogs at home are at very low risk. Dogs that board or frequently commingle with other dogs could be at risk."

What kind of risk are we talking about? "CIV is generally a mild disease, with typical symptoms of cough, some lethargy, fever and perhaps nasal discharge," said Kennedy. "As with the human influenza, there is a risk for secondary bacterial infections, which can be serious. This risk is highest among puppies and elderly dogs, where immunity may not be as good as in healthy adult animals."

Bottom line from Dr. Kennedy: "For most pet dogs, and probably most cases, it causes mild disease."

She confirmed that canine influenza is probably one of many causes of "kennel cough," although she used its more correct medical name, canine respiratory disease complex. "There are several viral and bacterial agents that may play a role in this disease complex, of which canine influenza virus is one," she said.

We asked her about the new vaccine, just approved in June. It's a killed virus vaccine and does not actually prevent infection with CIV. Nor does it protect your dog from becoming ill, although it might make his symptoms less severe (or not). And it also doesn't mean your dog, sick or not, can't infect other dogs, even after he's been vaccinated.

She said she does not consider the new canine influenza vaccine a "core" vaccine that should be given to every dog, but rather a tool that might be helpful in shelters, kennels or other environments where dogs are housed in close quarters and high numbers. She also agreed that vaccinated dogs, who can still be infected, could carry the disease home to other dogs.

Of course, influenza viruses are tricky things, and can mutate rapidly and unpredictably, so anything we say about CIV today could be wrong tomorrow. This virus could become nastier, or less nasty, over time; we really don't know. But for the moment, it's basically no bigger danger to our dogs than kennel cough is, which is to say, in most cases it will cause mild symptoms (or none). Yet in some dogs, particularly the very young, very old and immune-compromised, it can cause more severe illness and even death.

It can also be a real threat in crowded environments such as shelters or anywhere dogs are kept together in a confined space, and the new vaccine may have a role to play in those kinds of settings. But the average couch-sitting, yard-playing, park-walking pet probably isn't going to benefit from this vaccine, and probably isn't at much risk of severe illness from the virus, either -- anymore than we humans are from the common cold. -- Christie Keith

(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)

PET BUZZ

Pet trade puts parrots at risk

-- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the status of 12 parrot species, of which many or all may be considered endangered because of rapid declines in population resulting from the pet trade. Under review, according to The (Portland) Oregonian: the blue-headed, great green, hyacinth, military and scarlet macaw; the grey-cheeked parakeet; the white, Philippine and yellow-crested cockatoo; and the crimson shining, red-crowned and yellow-billed parrot.

-- Six dogs died running the 2009 Iditarod, more than double the average for the 1,150-mile race. According to Scientific American, there is criticism of the popular event, with some questioning if the risk to man and dog is worth it, while others express concern over the possibility of performance-enhancing drugs being used on the canine athletes. In response to the criticism, race officials require mushers to carry sick or injured dogs to the next checkpoint, and all racers must finish with at least six healthy canines. A plane follows the teams and randomly tests canine urine for drugs, while volunteer veterinarians supervise the race.

-- Dogs are being trained to sniff out minute levels of problem foods for their allergic owners, a skill that can potentially save lives. According to Reader's Digest, the dogs even sniff the hands of others to determine if they have problem foods on them and need a hand-washing before interactions are safe for highly allergic people.

-- The city of Santa Monica, Calif., will spend $100,000 to flush out pigeons and their droppings from the water system. According to the Los Angeles Times, the city hired Bird Busters to install netting under the Santa Monica Pier to reduce the number of pigeons and the bacterial pollution caused by their droppings. Whatever the efforts, there are doubts that anything will keep pigeons away, as the pier's structure will remain very inviting to the birds that many think of as "winged rats." -- 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.

PET Rx

Bite abscesses best dealt with by prevention

Nearly every free-roaming cat will one day need to see a veterinarian to have an abscess treated -- surgically opened, flushed clean of debris, and sometimes temporarily held open by drains to let the wound heal with the help of time and some strong antibiotics.

Sound awful? It is. And the cost of treating these injuries can really add up.

The good news is that an abscess is one of those health problems that can usually be prevented by keeping a cat indoors. That's because this common feline health problem is often the result of a puncture wound, specifically a bite from another cat during a fight over territory or mates.

A cat's mouth is a nasty mix of bacteria, and once that bacteria gets punched into another cat's body, the result will probably be an abscess. Think about it -- bacteria being injected with two bacteria-laden hypodermic needles (the cat's fang teeth) into a perfect incubator (another cat's 101 degree-plus body). The only possible outcome is infection.

The best way to prevent your cat from getting a bite-wound abscess is to neuter him to reduce his desire to fight over females. And, again, it would be even better to keep him indoors.

The bacteria in a cat's mouth is also why even relatively minor cat bites can become serious medical issues for humans, leading to hospitalization in some cases. Any time you're bitten or scratched by an animal, you should wash the area immediately with soap and water and have the wound checked out by your doctor. -- Dr. Marty Becker

BY THE NUMBERS

Back to school -- with pets!

When students head off to college, most leave their pets with their parents. But not all have to. Petside.com put out a list of colleges that welcomes some pets into the dorms. Here's Petside's top five pet-friendly colleges:

1. Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, Fla.): Students are allowed to have cats and dogs (less than 40 pounds) as well as snakes and fish.

2. Stephens College (Columbia, Mo.): The college has one designated "pet dorm," which allows dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs.

3. Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, Pa.): One dorm accepts cats and dogs (less than 40 pounds), small birds, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, turtles and fish.

4. Principia College (Elsah, Ill.): The college has seven dorms and university apartments that allow pets, including cats, rabbits, caged animals and fish.

5. California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, Calif.): Cal-Tech allows cats in all dorms, as well as small caged animals and fish.

THE SCOOP

Right setup means happy, healthy fish

Without plenty of filtered, aerated water kept at the right temperature, fish will become stressed, ill or may die.

Experts say that for best results, get a 55-gallon tank and a high-quality filter capable of processing 100 percent of the aquarium's water at least three times every hour.

After the tank is ready, wait 48 hours and then add a couple of fish. Good starter species include leopard or zebra danios and the smaller barbs, as well as that easiest of all beginner fish, the guppy. Be patient: Wait a few weeks to add more fish.

If a large tank isn't possible in your home, one fish that can do well in a tank that's 10 gallons or even less is the magnificent betta splendens, an aggressive species usually kept as a solo fish. Other good choices for small tanks are white cloud minnows and dwarf gouramis. -- Christie Keith

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.