By Kim Campbell Thornton

The advances in veterinary medicine in just the last couple of decades have been dramatic, and these days many of the same lifesaving options in human medicine are also available to pets, often through skilled veterinary specialists.

Still, the idea that advanced treatments for cancer and other diseases or injuries are too much "to put a pet through" remains a common one, says Dr. Sandy Willis, a veterinarian who specializes in internal medicine.

But Josh, Tessa, Missy and Emma would surely beg to differ. The three dogs and one cat bore mute testimony to the power of veterinary medicine and an owner's love at the 2010 conference of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, held recently in Anaheim, Calif.

The pets are all survivors -- three of cancer, and one of a rare disease called leishmaniasis -- thanks to their owners' observations and perseverance in seeking care, as well as to the treatment they received after being referred to veterinary specialists.

Josh is a perfect example of how far specialty care has come. Just 17 hours after his first surgery to remove a large abdominal mass, the 8-year-old Golden Retriever was running enthusiastically to greet his owner. Josh has since had three more surgeries, plus chemotherapy, and every time it is all the vet techs can do to restrain him so he can recover safely. Dr. Brenda Phillips, a veterinary oncologist, says she has never known a patient who recovered faster than Josh.

Then there's Emma, whose problems began in 2002 with frequent sneezing and progressed to a bloody nose and other symptoms. A rhinoscopy showed that the 6-year-old cat had nasal lymphoma. Her oncologist, Dr. Mona Rosenberg, told owner Sharon Golding that the average life span after diagnosis of this disease is eight to 10 months, but her longest surviving patient lasted nine years. Golding chose to start Emma on chemotherapy, a regimen that lasted for three years.

Emma is now 14 and has been cancer-free for eight years. Golding has a goal: "We're going to beat Dr. Rosenberg's record."

Linda Hettich can barely hold back Tessa until the signal comes for the dock-diving black Labrador retriever to go airborne. Diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, Tessa had her tumor removed surgically by Dr. Rosenberg and began radiation treatment.

Two weeks after the first treatment, Tessa competed in a dock-diving event and jumped 23 feet, two inches, a personal best. Today, she's the only Iron Dog -- a dock diver that competes in all three divisions of the sport -- who is a cancer survivor, and as a therapy dog she is an inspiration to patients at the cancer center where she visits. "Her determination is like none I've ever seen," Hettich says.

Finally, there's Missy the mystery. If human, her case would probably inspire the writers of the television drama "House," in which diagnosticians face a new medical puzzle each week. Veterinary internal medicine specialist Dr. Steve Hill says Missy's mystery ended with a shocking diagnosis: Missy had leishmaniasis, a disease caused by a protozoan organism and most commonly seen in the Mediterranean. It's so rare in the U.S. that the Centers for Disease Control became involved after the diagnosis was made. There's no cure, but Missy has responded well to treatment.

"I think you can tell from all the owners who have spoken today how important the partnership is between the primary care vet, the specialty vets and the owners," says Joy Koda, one of Missy's owners, along with Jon Rosen. The extent of Missy's problems didn't deter either of them.

"We got Missy from the pound when she was probably 2 to 3 years old," Koda says. "She has enriched our lives incredibly. When it came to taking care of her, we were committed to that."

While it used to be that veterinary specialists -- including internists such as oncologists and cardiologists, and other board-certified veterinarians such as surgeons and dermatologists -- were found only at schools and colleges of veterinary medicine, these days most urban centers have specialty groups as well.

Ask your primary care veterinarian if a referral to a specialist can best help your pet.

(Kim Campbell Thornton is a experienced pet-care journalist and member of the PetConnection team. She also writes a regular feature for MSNBC.com.)

Q&A

Spay kitty mommas

just after weaning

Q: I have a kitten who's pushing 7 months old or thereabouts. We were a little slow in getting her spayed, and now I think maybe she's pregnant. What should I do? -- G.T., via e-mail

A: Start lining up some responsible new homes now for those kittens, most likely. (Make sure they're the kind of people who'll be ready to spay and neuter as soon as their veterinarian recommends it.)

If you suspect your young cat is pregnant, and she had access to the outdoors, she probably is indeed expecting. Your own veterinarian can give you advice specific to your cat, so be sure to check in there for the best advice.

We're in full stride on kitten season now, which means we're getting questions about feline pregnancy from people who often had no idea they'd be midwife to pets who are not much more than kittens themselves.

Typical questions include: How long does a cat pregnancy last? (On average, 66 days.) Do I need to help my pregnant cat with delivery? (Yes, usually by leaving her alone.) How do I know if she's close to delivering? (Watch for enlarged nipples and the secretion of a tiny amount of milk.)

The question we're asked least often is the most important of all: How soon after my cat gives birth can she be spayed? (As soon as the babies are weaned, the sooner the better!)

Studies show that 80 percent of the cats and dogs in the United States and Canada are spayed or neutered. If your cat is not among them, she should be, and soon. -- Gina Spadafori

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

Dr. B's image and our text in this left-hand column

THE BUZZ

Chocolate bunnies

have long tradition

-- How did chocolate bunnies come to be linked to Easter? For the same reason candy corn was introduced for Halloween: to make money for the candy industry. Chocolate bunnies date back to the 1850s in Germany. Along with bunnies, merchants sold chocolate eggs and chickens. Switzerland, France and other European chocolate producers followed soon after that, with the U.S. and Canada not far behind.

The chocolate companies said that the bunnies symbolized renewal and rejuvenation, and were introduced to symbolize Spring, not strictly Easter -- although that's likely the time when you'll find them in most grocery baskets, along with an incredible array of marshmallow Peeps. The House Rabbit Society, which notes a spike in real bunnies needing homes after Easter, has used the popular candy as part of an educational campaign, suggesting that impulse bun-buyers "make mine chocolate," instead of buying a baby rabbit they're not prepared to care for.

-- The world's largest ant colony stretches from Italy to Portugal, some 3,700 miles. Compared to that, colonies of ants -- Tapinoma sessile, also known as the odorous house ant -- in parts of the U.S. have colonies that stretch a mere city block, according to NPR.

-- Besides humans and other primates, only some whales (including dolphins), elephants and European magpies are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. (Most children can't until they're about 18 months old.) -- 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" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

Dr. Marty Becker

When it comes to food, household cleaners and plants, veterinary experts say that pet lovers spend too much time worrying about products that aren't much of a problem and generally don't know about the things that truly are.

How can you know what's safe and what's not?

"Check multiple sources for confirmation," says veterinarian Dr. Steven Hansen, head of the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, noting that the APCC's website (ASPCA.org/APCC) is a great resource, as is the urban myth website Snopes.com. "Question it all, and if you have any question at all, ask your own veterinarian."

Here are Dr. Hansen's biggest concerns -- and most overblown worries -- based on the 150,000 calls a year into the APCC:

CHOCOLATE: RELATIVELY SAFE. Many dogs love chocolate, and although you shouldn't be offering it as a treat, you don't need to panic if your Labrador eats a bar of milk chocolate -- the worst she'll likely get is a bellyache. But do be careful with darker chocolates and smaller dogs: A tiny Maltese eating a a few ounces of dark chocolate will need a trip to the emergency clinic.

XYLITOL SUGAR SUBSTITUTE: UNSAFE. Read the label of your favorite sugar-free gum, candy or even cough drop, and you'll likely find this newly common ingredient on the label. But unlike chocolate, Xylitol means an immediate trip to the veterinarians', day or night, if a pet eats any.

COMMERCIAL CHEWS: RELATIVELY SAFE. Commercial chews made to be ingested and most pet toys are usually fine. Hansen says to buy appropriate sizes and use as recommended: Watch for wear and replace as necessary.

SOCKS, UNDERWEAR AND NYLONS: UNSAFE. Keep laundry picked up and in hampers, and always watch what your dog has in her mouth -- especially during the chew-everything stages of growing up. And don't give soft dog toys to puppies who eat everything.

MEDICATION: UNSAFE. Medication, both human and pet, prescription and over-the-counter, can also seem like a toy to many pets. "It seems counterintuitive to anyone who has tried to give pills to a dog that they'd eat medication," says Hansen. "But once pills are rattling around in the bottle, it's a toy, and it's fair game."

SOAP-BASED CLEANERS: RELATIVELY SAFE. Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, soap-based cleaners such as those found in some Swiffer products present no risk to pets. Nor is that "blue water" toilet cleaner a problem, although Hansen recommends keeping the lid down anyway.

DISINFECTANTS: UNSAFE. Hansen warns that stronger cleaning products are dangerous. Don't store any household cleaning products under the sink, even with child/pet-proof latches on cabinet doors. Put these products behind closed doors in high cabinets.

RELATIVELY SAFE 'PEOPLE FOOD': Some "people food" in moderate amounts, such as carrots, apple slices and even pizza crusts, is generally OK, although not really recommended because it can contribute to behavior problems (begging, counter-cruising) and the health risks caused by obesity.

UNSAFE 'PEOPLE FOOD': Some "people food" that's fine for us should be off-limits to pets. This includes raisins and grapes, macadamia nuts and bread dough. If the latter seems strange, consider that the inside of a dog is perfect for getting yeast to increase, and that means a little dough soon becomes a big medical problem that may need to be addressed surgically.

SILICA GEL AND ROACH MOTELS: RELATIVELY SAFE. The APCC gets a lot of calls on both, says Hansen. The little gel packets put in boxes to keep products dry are harmless, says Hansen. And as for that roach motel, "Not enough insecticide to be of concern," he says.

CAT LITTER: UNSAFE. Many dogs like to consume the contents of the cat's litter box, which may form a blockage that will need surgical intervention. As for cats, playing with yarn or string, or plucking from the garbage pail the cord that held together a roast, can mean a trip to the veterinarian and possibly surgery if these items are eaten.

Q&A

Tips for placing

a homeless cat

Q: My mother died recently. I brought her cat home, and she's living in the patio because I don't want to stress out her or my own two cats. I don't want to take her to the shelter, but getting her a new home isn't going well. Suggestions? -- P.A.

A: The first step to placing an adult cat may be convincing prospective owners with one cat that two cats truly are better than one. It can be a hard sell, as adult cats have low adoption rates, especially during kitten season. But if you're patient and persistent, you'll likely find a home. Here are some tips to follow:

-- Do everything you can to make the animal more adoptable. The pet has a better chance for adoption if her vaccinations are current, she uses her litter box reliably, and she's altered.

-- Don't lie about the pet's problems or why she's being placed. Although finding a new home for a pet with problems takes longer, you can usually still do so. But the person who gets such a pet without warning is likely to bring her back, take her to a shelter or give her away -- perhaps repeating the mistake.

-- Spread the news. Make up fliers and post ads everywhere that you can: bulletin boards at work, pet-supply stores and your veterinarian's office. Put the news out on social media -- with a great picture. Talk up the cat (at least briefly) with everyone you know every place you can. Even people who don't like cats (or don't want one) may know someone who is looking for a pet. If a thousand people hear or read about the animal, you probably will get no interest from 999, but you need only one person to provide a good home for the cat. And that's the one person you need to reach.

-- Ask lots of questions and verify that the answers are true. Don't forget to ask prospective adopters whether they've had pets before and what happened to them. My favorite question: Who's your veterinarian? Someone who cannot at least name a vet or a veterinary hospital may have pets who don't go there very often.

Above all, don't give up! It may take weeks to find the right home for a pet, but it's always worth the time to get it right. The goal here is not to "get rid of" an animal, but to find a loving, caring and, most of all, permanent home. They're out there, and if you keep looking, you'll likely find the home that's just right for the pet you're trying to help. -- Gina Spadafori

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

THE BUZZ

Spaying reduces

dog cancer risk

-- Mammary tumors are three times more likely in dogs than breast cancer is in women, according to a Swedish study of 600 English springer spaniels, and this cancer is the leading tumor disease in female dogs. Spaying before the female dog reaches sexual maturity is the most reliable method to avoid mammary tumors. Owners of female dogs should also regularly check their pets for lumps in their mammary glands, similar to women monitoring for breast cancer.

-- Most bugs tend to bounce off the windshield of vehicles going slower than 37 mpg; above this speed, bugs generally splatter on impact.

-- A normal cat weighs about 8 to 10 pounds. Your cat is normal for his body type if a comfortable pad of fat lies over his ribs, but you can still feel the ribs if you press gently with your hands. The easiest way to weigh your cat? Step on the scale with your cat, note the weight, and then step back on alone. Subtract your weight from the total to get your cat's weight. Talk to your veterinarian if your cat is too fat, too thin or especially if his weight changes rapidly. -- 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" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

FINNY PETS ARE JUST THE TICKET FOR HOMES AND OFFICES

Dr. Marty Becker

If you're looking for a way to lower your stress, improve your health and get your children off the couch, part of the answer may be fish -- not eating them, but keeping them.

Whether you choose a small tank with a few freshwater fish or a stunning saltwater setup that makes you feel like a deep-sea diver without getting wet, you'll be getting some of the proven benefits of keeping fish. Studies showing the stress-relieving nature of fish-gazing have led to the proliferation of tanks in clinical settings such as dental offices and nursing homes. Tanks have helped calm troubled children and stimulate appetites in adults with diminished brain function.

The benefits of fish extend to the home as well.

"I do think people need contact with nature," said Dr. Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. "The technology has made it so much easier to keep fish now. Fish can be very low-maintenance, and they are so attractive. Fish are remarkably well-designed, and it's easy to appreciate that."

While fish themselves haven't changed much, how we keep them has evolved. Many of us may remember a simple fish bowl, or a small tank with some colored gravel and a deep-sea diver or castle at the bottom. While glass tanks are still by far the most common, high-tech plastics have released a wave of new designs, making possible seamless tanks that look as if the fish are swimming in air. New technology has also created filtration systems that have made tank maintenance easier.

And, of course, it's water that really counts when it comes to keeping fish alive, says Dr. Roy Yanong, a veterinarian with a lifelong love of fish-keeping that he turned into a career with the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory at the University of Florida, which helps to support the state's fish-breeding industry.

"Keeping fish doesn't have to be difficult," said Dr. Yanong. "Depending on the species, you can start with a 10-gallon tank. But you always have to think about the water. Fish make ammonia, which is excreted through their gills. You need the right number of fish, and a bio-filter with the right set of bacteria. If you don't have that, the water will turn toxic, and that's when fish die."

But just as you don't need to be an ichthyologist -- a fish expert -- to keep healthy fish, you don't have to be a chemist either, says Dr. Yanong. All you need to make sure the water is right for your fish is to test it yourself with easy-to-find kits, or have it tested at a specialty aquarium store.

"Help with fish-keeping is pretty easy to get," he said. "You can talk to someone who's keeping fish successfully. You can also find sites online that can help."

Dr. Yanong has been working with fish since 1992, which is also when the popularity of keeping aquatic pets started to grow. While the more complicated and expensive saltwater setups have remained the interest of only a tiny percentage of dedicated hobbyists, freshwater fish-keeping has risen steadily for the last two decades.

"Aquaria is where a lot of kids first got their interest in nature," said Dr. Yanong. "I know I did. And while any pet can be an entry into the world of nature, the fascinating thing about fish is that you're not just keeping pets, you're running an ecosystem."

At a time when it's hard to get kids to put down the video games and get off the couch, experts say looking into a fish tank may be key to getting youngsters out the door -- perhaps to a career in science. And it can all start with a small tank and a couple of guppies.

Q&A

DOG PARKS REQUIRE CARE, COMMON SENSE

Q: We took a puppy class, and the trainer told us that she couldn't recommend any of the local dog parks -- or, in fact, the idea of dog parks at all. She said that no puppy should ever go to a dog park, and that she wouldn't take her own dogs to them either, because they are "dangerous." I don't have a yard to speak of, really just a patio, and I wanted to take my dog to the park when he's older. It's the only place it's legal for him to be off-leash. What do you think? -- T. R.

A: One of the reasons having a large living space isn't so critical in keeping a dog anymore is that many communities have become much more dog-friendly.

Cities large and small have responded to dog owners' desire for off-leash play areas, and have even allowed businesses to let dogs dine on patios in the style long enjoyed in many parts of Europe.

Dog parks, though, tend to be only as good as the people using them, and as a dog owner you need to look out for the safety of your dog, as well as make sure he's not causing problems for other dogs. Yes, there are dog-park bullies!

The best way to check out a dog park is to go during off-peak hours. You want to see clean grounds and clear rules for pickup and good behavior, a double-gated entry, so dogs don't walk in on leash (a known fight trigger), and, in the best parks, a separate area for smaller dogs, so they're not trampled or looked at as prey by larger ones.

Whether or not children are allowed is a matter of controversy, but dog experts generally agree that it's safer for all involved if they are not. And, of course, all dogs should be current on their vaccines (that means no puppies), well-socialized and non-aggressive. People should be paying attention to keeping their own dogs out of trouble, not answering their e-mail or texting.

When they work, dog parks are great for getting pets the exercise they need. When they don't work, they put people and pets at risk of injuries, perhaps even deadly ones. So go forth and unleash, but do so with common sense and caution. And if you find yourself feeling uneasy about the users -- human or canine -- at any given time, take your dog out and go home. You can always play another day. -- Gina Spadafori

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

THE BUZZ

OLD-FASHIONED REMEDY STILL WORTH USING

-- Writing in her PetMd.com blog, "Fully Vetted," Dr. Patty Khuly of Miami sings the praises of the humble Epsom salts, starting with the comfort one cup dissolved in a couple quarts of hot water can offer to the sore, tired feet of a hard-working veterinarian. But that's not all. She notes that this product is "the ultimate do-no-harm remedy for many simple wounds and swellings," and says she'll often recommend it as complement to or even a replacement for more modern remedies, especially those medications with occasionally problematic side effects. Use as a soak or apply as a poultice, holding a clean, soaked washcloth to the affected areas. Five to 10 minutes, two or three times a day, should help, she writes.

-- Osaka, Japan, has a population of nearly 9 million, many living in apartments that do not allow pets. So how do they get their fix of quality kitty time? Enter the rent-a-cat cafe. Time magazine reports the places are very popular with the purr-deprived.

-- Purring is more than a sound of contentment. Cats also purr if they're injured, while giving birth -- even when dying. British zoologist Desmond Morris has observed in his masterwork "Catworld: A Feline Encyclopedia" that purring is "a sign of friendship -- either when (the cat) is contented with a friend or when it is in need of friendship -- as with a cat in trouble."-- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon