When should your kitten be spayed or neutered? Earlier than you might think, experts say

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

It’s kitten season! If you are bringing home one of the little fluffballs, there’s more to think about than cuddling and catnip. Feline veterinary specialists recommend scheduling spay or neuter surgery before a kitten is 5 months old. That might seem young, especially for such a tiny animal, but cats are precocious when it comes to reproduction. Kittens as young as 4 months are capable of producing kittens of their own.

That’s just one of the reasons that the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization says the optimal age for sterilization surgery is 5 months or earlier. Supporting the recommendation are the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, the Cat Fanciers Association, the International Cat Association and the Winn Feline Foundation.

“The 6-month rule that so many veterinarians and so many clients have in their heads as what is perceived as the ideal time for a spay or neuter procedure is arbitrary,” says AAFP president Lauren Demos, DVM. “There is no solid basis to say that this is the reason spaying and neutering needs to be done at that point in time. There is no specific piece of data that we are aware of that says, ‘This is why cats do better at this date.’”

Kitten population control is an important facet of spay/neuter surgery. Fewer unwanted litters are always a good thing in any community. But there are other reasons veterinarians and animal welfare supporters think spaying and neutering by 5 months of age is a good idea. Performing sterilization surgery by that age has benefits for owners, cats and veterinarians alike.

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard a female cat in heat. I have, and the intensity of the screeching still sticks in my mind some 30 years later. Putting off spay surgery until she’s older can land you with a female kitten who is intent on finding male companionship and who is desirous of letting the whole neighborhood know about it. Intact male cats also vocalize, as well as mark their territory with urine and attempt to escape in search of a willing and able female. Sterilizing them before they hit puberty curbs these unwanted behaviors. It also typically costs less to spay a female who is not in full-blown heat.

Scheduling sterilization surgery at the same time as other routine kitten wellness care can help to prevent the procrastination effect that often occurs when owners must wait two months to bring kittens back in for the procedure. It’s all too easy to get caught up by other things that need to be done. Making time to get the kitten spayed or neutered is one of those things that often gets bumped down the list because it doesn’t seem urgent.

For cats, one benefit that lasts throughout life is a lower risk of mammary cancer. Because the surgery goes more quickly, kittens are typically anesthetized for a shorter period, Dr. Demos says. She adds that younger patients also bounce back more quickly from surgery.

An advantage for veterinarians is that young kittens bleed less than adult cats. They also have less body fat, making it easier to see organs.

Are there drawbacks? Some studies have found that certain dog breeds gain health benefits from spay/neuter surgery at a later age.

But cats don’t seem to have increased risk for any health problems following sterilization surgery, says Julie K. Levy, DVM, professor at Maddie’s Shelter Medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

“There’s so much vigor in the natural cat that we’re not seeing major medical outcomes for minor interventions like we might in dogs.”

Q&A

Cause of vomiting

difficult to diagnose

Q: My cat has been vomiting a lot, and my veterinarian wants to run all kinds of tests to figure out the cause. Is that really necessary? -- via email

A: Figuring out why cats are vomiting is one of the more frustrating problems veterinarians face. A whole host of problems, from hairballs to hyperthyroidism, can cause cats to vomit. Among the common causes of acute vomiting -- meaning it comes on suddenly -- are adverse reactions to food, feline infectious peritonitis and acute gastritis of unknown cause -- what we like to call “garbage gut.” Chronic vomiting, which continues over a long period, is usually related to adverse food reactions or intestinal bowel disease. But there is still a wide range of other potential causes, which is why your veterinarian may want to run an assortment of lab tests or order imaging such as radiography or ultrasound.

At last year’s North American Veterinary Conference, M. Katherine Tolbert, an internal medicine specialist at the University of Tennessee, presented some ways to help practitioners narrow the possible causes of feline vomiting. These include looking at the cat’s age, breed and sex. For instance, a middle-aged Siamese might have gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma, while a young Abyssinian is more likely to have feline infectious peritonitis. A middle-aged or senior domestic shorthair should get a thyroid panel to rule out hyperthyroidism. A shorthaired cat who frequently vomits hairballs may have chronic gastrointestinal disease.

Any details owners can provide are important, no matter how minor they might seem. Always let the veterinarian know how often the cat vomits, whether he’s eaten anything unusual or new, or any change in his routine or environment. Depending on the cat’s medical history and the severity of the signs, it may be possible to start with a fecal exam or diet trial before moving on to more specialized diagnostics. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Cats keep theme

park pest-free

-- Planning a visit to Disneyland this summer? Keep an eye out for some feline characters that you might not have known about. No, not Tigger or the Cheshire Cat. We’re talking Ned, Lucian, Buford, Bernice, Giovanni, Hector, Peter, Jane and Francisco. They are the Disneyland Cats, and their motto is, “When the mice are away, the cats can play.” That’s right, their job is to help keep the park free of mice. Employee benefits include food stations, spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations and other medical treatment as needed. Of course, there’s one mouse who doesn’t need to fear the DC team: M-I-C-K-E-Y.

-- A brewing company offers an unusual and welcome benefit to dog-loving employees: “paw-ternity” leave. That’s right; if you’ve acquired a new dog, you can take a week off to help get your pup acclimated to his new people and surroundings. BrewDog, which recently opened DogTap in Canal Winchester, Ohio, says it is the first company in the United States to offer the benefit, which is available to the multinational brewery and pub chain’s employees around the world.

-- What are the top medical conditions that affect pets? Pet health insurer Nationwide searches its database of 600,000 pets annually to determine the main reasons pets go to the vet. For dogs last year, allergic dermatitis was the No. 1 health concern, with more than 102,000 claims at an average cost of $233, followed by otitis externa (ear infections), benign skin growths, pyoderma (itchy skin), osteoarthritis, gum disease and tooth infections, gastrointestinal problems, cystitis or urinary tract disease and anal gland issues. Cats suffered from periodontal problems, cystitis or urinary tract disease, kidney disease, gastrointestinal problems, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowel disease, allergic dermatitis and valvular heart disease. The most expensive feline condition to treat was diabetes, at an average cost of $905. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

The latest ways to help dogs and cats cope with common allergies

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Is your dog or cat itching and scratching uncontrollably? It’s frustrating and sometimes even disturbing to see them so uncomfortable as they lick and chew at their feet and flanks, or frantically rub their faces on the carpet.

Itchy skin is a common problem in pets. Pollen, mold, grass, trees, weeds, dust, flea bites and some food ingredients can all cause itchiness and other allergic reactions.

Determining what’s behind the itchiness is a process of elimination. Your veterinarian may look for flea dirt on your pet’s body and recommend a preventive product if your dog or cat isn’t already on one; perform skin scrapings to check for infections caused by bacteria or yeast, which commonly accompany allergies; or suggest an elimination diet to rule out food allergies.

Pets who get itchy only at certain times of the year or who aren’t helped by flea-control products or a change in diet are likely suffering from an inhalant allergy caused by pollen, mold or dust. Food allergies, which are more common in cats than in dogs, usually involve sensitivity to common animal or plant proteins, such as beef, chicken or soy.

Can allergies be eliminated? There’s no magic bullet to resolve them, and many pets need a combination of therapies for best results. A cure is unlikely, but better treatments are available -- or in the pipeline -- to help quell the itching, runny eyes, ear infections and snoring that often accompany allergies in pets.

Drugs called kinase inhibitors work by changing cellular function to fight itchiness. An example is a drug called Apoquel (oclacitinib).

“Results in head-to-head studies against either prednisolone or cyclosporine show the drug to be equally effective in control of itch and inflammation and to have a very rapid onset of action, with relief sometimes apparent within hours of oral administration,” said board-certified veterinary dermatologist Dr. Douglas J. DeBoer of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in the proceedings of the 2016 North American Veterinary Community Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Other biologics with promise are called monoclonal antibodies. They are a type of immunotherapy that can be directed against key molecules that cause itchiness. A monthly injectable treatment is available for dogs.

Some dogs respond to old-school immunotherapy: allergy shots. Testing determines the substances to which the dog is allergic -- cats, for instance, or Bermuda grass. Then a veterinary dermatologist creates an allergy shot to hyposensitize the dog to specific allergens. Up to 75 percent of dogs get relief from allergy shots, although some may need additional therapies at certain times of year, depending on the type of allergy.

A more conservative treatment that is a good adjunct to medications is a high level of supplementation with essential fatty acids, or EFAs. They can have anti-inflammatory effects and may help to improve the skin’s barrier function -- its ability to control colonization by bacteria that cause itchy skin infections. It usually takes a month or two before effects are noticeable. Topical treatments such as shampoos and moisturizers can also help to enhance barrier function.

For pets who may have food allergies, an elimination trial -- feeding a food that contains ingredients a pet has never eaten before -- can help to identify the dietary culprit.

It’s a painstaking process. Simply switching from one brand or protein to another isn’t enough, because most commercial pet foods contain trace amounts of allergens that may not be listed on the label. That’s why trial diets usually comprise odd combinations such as kangaroo and oats or fish and potatoes. If the pet improves after eight to 12 weeks of eating only the hypoallergenic diet (no treats or table foods), ingredients are added back into meals one by one until it’s clear which one is causing the problem.

Q&A

Vitamin D

for dogs?

Q: If vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for humans, can it benefit dogs, too? -- via Facebook

A: That’s a great question! Researchers at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine published a study in the January/February 2014 issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine suggesting that vitamin D deficiency could be a risk factor in congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs.

They analyzed 31 dogs with CHF related to chronic valvular disease or to dilated cardiomyopathy, with 51 dogs unaffected by heart disease serving as controls. All the dogs were patients at Cornell University Hospital for Animals, which meant that blood samples could be taken simultaneously for evaluation of vitamin D levels.

The dogs with CHF had significantly lower levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream than the control dogs. A planned second phase of the study would supplement dogs being treated for CHF with vitamin D in addition to their regular medication.

Does this mean that owners whose dogs have heart disease should be giving their pets vitamin D? No. Excess doses of vitamin D can cause a condition called hypercalcemia. Depending on the severity of it, signs can range from lethargy and decreased appetite to kidney failure and even death. Without more information, supplementation isn’t recommended.

In this study, the dogs’ diet was not controlled, and the food they ate was not analyzed for vitamin D levels, so the amount of vitamin D they received through their diet was an estimate. Also, vitamin D can be stored in body fat. That could reduce the levels of vitamin D found in circulating blood. Joseph Wakshlag, a Cornell veterinary nutritionist, suggests that the lower levels of vitamin D found in dogs with CHF may mean that some element of the disease causes a lower concentration of vitamin D in circulating blood. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Dog bites rise

for postal workers

-- It’s no joke when dogs bite postal employees. The number of postal workers attacked by dogs rose by more than 200 last year, for a total of 6,755. Los Angeles ranks highest among the 40 cities where postal workers are most likely to be bitten. The other cities in the top 10 are Houston, Cleveland, San Diego, Detroit, Denver, Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky. To prevent your dog from biting a delivery person, put him in a separate room and close the door before accepting a delivery. Teach children not to take mail directly from letter carriers if the dog is nearby.

-- How do a cat’s whiskers work? Technically termed "vibrissae," the specialized, highly sensitive hairs located on either side of the muzzle, above the eyes and elsewhere on the body, have multiple uses. Cats use them to detect small changes in air currents, alerting them to the approach of obstacles or other animals that might pose a danger. Whiskers also help cats to measure the width of an opening, determining if they will fit through it. Finally, whiskers are a telltale signal of a cat’s mood. When forward, the cat is friendly or curious. But back? Watch out!

-- Their soft, thick fur, large ears and long lifespan -- 10 to 15 years or more -- can make chinchillas attractive as pets, but they have some special needs. It’s important to handle them calmly to prevent them from losing large patches of fur at once. The crepuscular animals are active at dawn and dusk, so don’t count on them being entertaining during the day. They are sensitive to heat and need to live in an air-conditioned environment. A good diet for chinchillas includes commercial pelleted foods, plus high-quality hay and small amounts of treats, such as apples, unsalted sunflower seeds and dry oatmeal. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

Extreme traits can contribute to poor health in a dog

Andrews McMeel Syndication

If you live with a bulldog, French bulldog, pug or other brachycephalic breed, you’re probably familiar with large veterinary bills related to breathing difficulties, eye injuries and nasty skin-fold infections. But you might be surprised to learn that those dogs are also more prone to common conditions that affect all dogs.

That was the finding of a research team at Nationwide after analyzing its database of 1.27 million dogs from 2007 to 2015. They looked at 184,748 dogs of 24 breeds identified as brachycephalic -- meaning they had large heads, short snouts and protruding eyes -- to determine whether those dogs were less healthy, as healthy or more healthy than dogs without those features.

When accidents, infectious diseases and conditions related to brachycephalic anatomy, such as elongated soft palate and a smaller-than-normal trachea, were removed from consideration, brachycephalic dogs were less healthy across the board. Ear infections, allergies, bladder infections and pneumonia were all found at higher rates in dogs with shortened faces.

“The relative disease rates for pneumonia are particularly noteworthy,” the report states. The prevalence of pneumonia was twice as high in brachycephalic dogs -- 1.6 percent compared to 0.77 percent in other dogs.

Brachycephalic dogs also had greater rates of digestive issues (including their infamous flatulence), tooth extractions, hyperthermia (overheating), valvular heart disease, bacterial skin infections, anal gland problems, patellar luxation, intervertebral disc disease, corneal ulcers and conjunctivitis.

Which breeds fall into the brachycephalic category? The breeds mentioned above are no surprise, but the list also includes the affenpinscher, Boston terrier, boxer, Brussels griffon, cavalier King Charles spaniel, dogue de Bordeaux, Japanese chin, Lhasa apso, mastiff, bull mastiff, Neapolitan mastiff, Pyrenean mastiff, Tibetan mastiff, Spanish mastiff, Pekingese and Shih Tzu.

Even before this information was announced at the 2017 North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida, veterinarians have been concerned about the health of brachycephalic dogs.

In a presentation at NAVC in 2016, veterinarian Philip A. Moses addressed the health-related welfare of flat-faced dogs. A study by Niels C. Pedersen published last July in the journal Canine Genetics and Epidemiology reported that loss of genetic diversity in the bulldog was pronounced in the region of the genome that contains many of the genes that regulate normal immune responses. And at an Aug. 6 session at the 2016 American Veterinary Medical Association conference in San Antonio, Dr. Gail Golab, AVMA’s chief advocacy and public policy officer, noted that breeding dogs for extreme physical characteristics such as brachycephaly and wrinkled skin had led to a multitude of health issues.

What can be done?

Dr. Moses says that beyond treating individual dogs surgically to relieve their breathing difficulties, it’s important for kennel clubs, breeders, owners and veterinarians to recognize and learn about the health problems in these dogs and how they can be improved through better breeding. He regularly speaks to breed clubs about the issues associated with their breeds, especially those with a genetic basis.

In the 2016 NAVC proceedings, he says: “For example, hemivertebrae is highly heritable and could be virtually removed from most of these breeds if radiographic screening was compulsory. I advise that all dogs should have good-quality spinal radiographs taken at 6 months of age, and any dog with any vertebral body abnormalities should be neutered.”

He urges breeders to educate new puppy owners about the problems associated with their breeds. Buyers, too, need to do their homework and reject puppies who come with contracts that don’t cover conditions considered “normal” in brachycephalic breeds, such as stenotic nares (narrow nostrils), tracheal hypoplasia (narrowed trachea) and elongated soft palate. While these problems are common in brachycephalic dogs, they are not normal and should not be accepted as such.

Q&A

Will cat attack?

Owner is concerned

Q: My cat is aggressive to people who come into our home, whether it’s workers or guests. She crouches, flicks her tail back and forth and hisses. I’m afraid she’ll attack someone. Why does she do this, and what can we do? -- via email

A: Cats who behave aggressively may be warning strangers off their territory or expressing fear of a new person. Whether cats are territorial or fearful, they start with body language and vocalizations to try to drive off the person or animal who’s invading their home or scaring them. It’s an impressive display, and you are right to be concerned that an actual attack could occur.

While it might be nice for some people to know an attack cat has your back, most of us want people in our home to feel welcome and not at risk. A cat’s teeth and claws are formidable weapons that can cause real harm.

If this problem has begun suddenly, take your cat in for a veterinary exam to rule out health problems that could be causing the behavior. Conditions that can cause cats to be irritable include hyperthyroidism, arthritis and cancer.

For a cat with a clean bill of health, manage the problem by putting her in a safe place before you let people into your home. A “safe room” might be a bathroom, a guest bedroom or an outdoor “catio.” Whatever area you choose should contain all your cat’s needs: food, water, toys and a litter box.

Keep your cat there until guests or workers leave. If your cat will be in an area where she can see and be seen, ask guests to ignore her -- no talking to her, trying to pet her or even looking at her. Consult a behavior expert about ways to desensitize and counter-condition your cat to visitors. -- Mikkel Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Take time to

learn pet first aid

-- April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month. It’s a good time to sign up for a class on pet first aid skills. Even if you have taken such a course before, a refresher is always a good idea. Basic skills that can save your pet’s life or relieve pain until you can get to the veterinarian include knowing how to stop bleeding, check vital signs such as heart and respiratory rate, clean and bandage a cut or scrape, recognize and care for an animal in shock, and how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a pet who is choking.

-- Feline social media stars? We have some cats for you. Summer the Somali at Sparklecat.com makes therapy visits, parties in Palm Springs at cat shows, strolls hotels on a leash and is a Cat Writers Association certificate of excellence winner. On Instagram, Yana, the cat with a split-color face (half black and half orange), has nearly 47,000 followers. Hamilton the Hipster Cat, with a milk meowstache you won’t believe, has more than 120,000 likes on Facebook. But they both have a way to go to catch up with @Sockington on Twitter, who has 1.41 million followers. Now that’s social petworking!

-- If your dog is a fetching fool, he has the brain of a rocket scientist, able to plot trajectory and predict the landing point of a flying object. While dogs have probably always chased and brought back moving objects, training dogs to retrieve downed game and return it undamaged to the hunter dates only to the mid-19th century, a mere blink of an eye in the history of dogs. Some dogs retrieve on land, some from water and others excel at both. Well-known retrieving breeds include Labrador, golden, Chesapeake Bay, flat-coated, curlycoated and Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.