Puzzle toys enhance play and put the brain in gear

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Is there anything more fun than watching a pet play? Whether the game is fetching a ball, tugging on a rope toy, “killing” a soft toy, wrestling with a pal or working to solve a puzzle toy, it’s fascinating to see how play mimics key real-life behaviors, such as hunting, exploration and self-defense.

Play is a rehearsal of adult behaviors, including the social signals that allow animals to get along with their peers and their humans. All the cognitive and motor skills a dog or cat needs throughout life are enhanced by play. Toys can help to stimulate a pet’s brain, and toy manufacturers take that into account when creating their designs.

“It’s very important to engage a dog’s brain,” says Elizabeth Fagan, director of marketing for Planet Dog. “When we start the development of a new interactive toy, we want to make sure it delivers on our mission of play, which in itself is critical to health and bonding, but also functions in a manner that makes a dog think.”

When a pet’s brain is working, it can be good or, well, we won’t say evil, but perhaps for ends that owners don’t always like. It’s always the brainiac dogs and cats who seem to get into trouble the most as they use their little gray cells to break into the pantry, refrigerator or trash can; work in tandem to steal food; hide inside child-proofed drawers; make their way over seemingly impregnable baby gates or unzip soft crates; climb onto roofs; or chew their way through a door to get outside.

Interactive, or puzzle, toys are an outlet for these precocious pets. They are an important part of enriching a pet’s life and allowing him or her to productively channel physical and mental energy. Understanding a pet’s natural instincts and movements and how they use their paws, noses and other senses is integral to creating an interactive toy that is attractive to pets and people.

“I always test ideas first with my own dogs, then I have some other testing dogs and cats of different sizes and mental capacities, before I consider if this is a good idea to continue to the next step,” says Outward Hound toy designer Nina Ottosson. “I can see it's a winner in their eyes, body language and in their interest to continue finding all the hidden treats, and I can absolutely see in their happiness that it's a winner the second time they test the idea.”

Toys can be interactive, such as balls or flying discs; treat puzzle toys, which allow pets to release energy by working for food or treats; and treat puzzle games, which offer mentally challenging problem-solving at different levels of difficulty. The best toys are easy for humans to handle and difficult for dogs to destroy. Different types of toys appeal to different pets.

“All dogs are different and like to be rewarded in different ways,” Ottosson says. “Some are very food-motivated, some are object-oriented and some like to play, run, and chase or hunt. Cats mostly like toys that include chasing and hunting in different ways, and some appreciate being rewarded with treats or food.”

No matter how your pet likes to play, the goal is to have one happy, tired, well-behaved dog or cat afterward. You may be surprised at how much of a workout your pet gets from brain games.

“It would significantly reduce the number of ‘problem dogs’ if everyone understood how important it is for the dog to use his head as well as his legs,” Ottosson says.

Q&A

Biting cat may

be in pain

Q: Lately, every time I pet my cat, she tries to bite me. Why has she started doing that? -- via email

A: Your cat may be troubled by back pain. Cats are slinky and athletic, and most people don’t think of them as prone to musculoskeletal problems. But cats are always jumping on and off high places and contorting their bodies into weird positions. It’s no surprise that sometimes they can hurt themselves if they land wrong or run into something as they’re chasing a ball or toy. And with age, cats can certainly develop arthritis. If your cat is stiff or in pain, she may well react with a bite when your hand runs across a tender spot as you’re petting her.

It’s always a good first step to take your cat to the veterinarian for a physical exam to confirm whether she has pain from an injury or arthritis. If that’s the case, there are several options to help your cat enjoy being petted again. Talk to your veterinarian about medication. There are safe drugs available to help relieve arthritis pain in cats.

Nutritional supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin may help as well. Keep in mind that it can take up to a couple of months to start seeing an effect.

Your cat may also benefit from acupuncture, chiropractic and massage therapies. The practitioner should be a veterinarian trained in those modalities, or someone who works under the supervision of a veterinarian. Not every complementary therapy is right for every cat. For instance, chiropractic is not appropriate for cats who have fractures, any type of cancer, or who are very old or very young.

Weight loss, a heated bed and warm compresses may benefit your cat as well. With appropriate treatment, your cat should soon be purring again from petting. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Getting down and dirty

with dogs good for kids

-- Early exposure to pets may help reduce an infant’s risk of allergies and obesity, according to a new study from the University of Alberta. Babies from families with pets showed higher levels of two types of microbes -- Ruminococcus and Oscillospira -- that have been linked with reduced incidence of childhood allergies and obesity. The findings build on two decades of research showing that children who grow up with dogs have lower rates of asthma. Researchers believe that exposure to dirt and bacteria early in life -- from contact with a dog’s fur and paws, for example -- can create early immunity.

-- What’s the difference between kitten food and food for adult cats? Kittens grow rapidly and need high levels of nutrients. Foods appropriate for kittens are labeled “for growth” or “for all life stages.” Look for a food that has been tested with feeding trials, meaning the company has fed it to kittens for a specific period of time to make sure it meets their needs. Once kittens reach maturity, they can start eating a maintenance diet for adults. Large cats such as Maine coons, ragdolls or Savannas may do best if they eat kitten food for a longer period than smaller cats.

-- A basset bleu isn’t a fancy French cheese but instead a cousin of the basset hound. The low-slung hound hails from Gascony, in southwest France. The basset bleu was bred down in size from the grande bleu de Gascogne and has a distinctive mottled black and white coat -- giving a slate-blue effect -- with or without black patches. He also has tan markings above the eyes, on the cheeks and lips, inside the ears, on the legs and under the tail. Basset bleus are playful and social, but love following scent trails above all else. -- 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.

How to help your dog stay comfortable and unafraid during a flight

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

My dog Harper has been on at least 10 flights in her nine years, but most were no longer than three hours. Now we are facing a long-haul flight of 10 hours for an upcoming trip to France. Even for intrepid dogs like Harper, flying can be stressful, so I’m planning ahead to make sure everything goes as smoothly and comfortably as possible. These tips may help you, too, if you’ll be flying with your dog or cat this summer.

I started by asking my Pet Connection veterinary partner Dr. Marty Becker, founder of the Fear Free initiative, what advice he has for people flying with pets in the cabin, especially if it’s for the first time. He says making sure a pet is comfortable being in a carrier is job one.

Your dog’s crate or carrier should be her happy place. If it’s not already, start by leaving it out in a conspicuous area in your home. Let your dog investigate it at her own pace. Encourage exploration by tossing a favorite toy or treats inside for her to find. Any time you see your dog inside the carrier, praise her and hand out a couple more treats. Feed meals inside the carrier to create an even stronger positive association.

You can also use pheromone products to help your dog feel at ease inside the carrier, both at home and during the flight.

“Pheromone sprays and wipes contain a substance that mimics the calming pheromones that mother dogs produce after giving birth,” Dr. Becker says. “It’s a chemical communication processed by the vomeronasal organ rather than the olfactory pathway. Your dog may recognize it and associate it with a feeling of security.”

What should you look for in a carrier? An important consideration is that it must fit beneath the seat in front of you with your dog inside it. If possible, take it to the airport well before your trip and make sure it fits in the luggage sizers located near the check-in area.

Harper’s carrier (borrowed from a friend) has wheels and rolls in a stable fashion. Previous wheeled carriers frequently fell over, so test drive it before you get to the airport. This is good practice for your dog to become comfortable in a moving carrier. We also like this carrier because it zips open at the ends and at the top. Harper can easily walk into it or be lifted out of it.

Accessories we’re packing in a carry-on bag are a collapsible silicone dog bowl for dinner and breakfast and a water bottle with a bowl that sits on top. Squeeze it and water fills the bowl; release the pressure and the water drains back into the bottle. Wait to fill it with bottled water until you go through security.

Some dogs who suffer from motion sickness may do best flying on an empty stomach. Check with your veterinarian regarding whether this is a good idea, especially if you have a lengthy flight. Kari Puzzullo’s dog Prudence, who recently experienced her first two flights, prefers to have a little food in her stomach.

“On our flight, she started feeling a little sick on takeoff, but we just gave her a little food and she was fine,” Puzzullo says.

Should you give your dog a tranquilizer or sedative? It’s not a good idea.

“Drugs can have different effects at altitude,” Dr. Becker says. “Sedatives and tranquilizers can affect equilibrium and blood pressure, especially in snub-nosed dogs. Ask your veterinarian about other products that can help your dog stay calm without those side effects.”

Bon voyage!

Q&A

Is anesthesia

safe for cats?

Q: My cat needs to have his teeth cleaned, but I’m afraid for him to go under anesthesia. How safe is it? -- via Facebook

A: We know a lot more now about anesthetizing cats safely than we did when I began topractice more than 30 years ago. New drugs and advanced techniques contribute to a safe and comfortable anesthetic experience for cats. If your veterinarian follows the latest anesthetic protocols, your cat should come through his dental cleaning just fine.

A preanesthetic assessment of kidney, liver and bone marrow function is important to ensure that he doesn’t have any underlying conditions that could cause problems. For instance, if lab tests show that your cat has a high white blood cell count, which might indicate a bacterial infection, your veterinarian can modify anesthesia to make it safer or recommend that you wait until the condition is treated. Anesthesia protocols may also need to be modified for cats with conditions such as asthma, diabetes or hyperthyroidism.

Your cat should receive intravenous fluids while he’s anesthetized. Fluids help to prevent dehydration and low blood pressure.

It’s also important for cats to be kept warm before, during and after anesthesia. The body is better able to metabolize anesthesia drugs when it’s warm, not to mention it’s just more comfortable for your cat.

Last but definitely not least, minimizing stress throughout the process will help to ensure that your cat responds well to anesthesia. Practices that can help include use of pheromone products, Fear Free handling techniques (visit fearfreepets.com for more information) and appropriate use of pain-relief drugs before, during and after anesthesia.

Talk to your veterinarian beforehand so you understand exactly what will happen, what you can do before the procedure to ensure a good outcome, such as withholding food and water, and what to look for afterward to make sure you don’t overlook anything abnormal. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Experts predict

rise in parasites

-- Rates of heartworm disease and Lyme disease will rise this year, according to forecasts from the Companion Animal Parasite Council. The increase is linked to above-average rainfall and seasonal temperatures last year, which created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes and ticks that spread the diseases. Areas where dogs and cats are at greatest risk for heartworm include the lower Mississippi Valley; locations in the Rockies and westward; and New England, the Ohio River Valley, the upper Midwest and Atlantic Coast states. Lyme disease will be a greater problem in western Pennsylvania, New York state, northwestern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota.

-- One-liner summer book reviews: Sam Kalda highlights 30 men who loved and were inspired by cats in "Of Cats and Men: Profiles of History’s Great Cat-Loving Artists, Writers, Thinkers and Statesmen" (Ten Speed Press). Tom Ryan’s tale of a sad old dog’s rejuvenation in "Will’s Red Coat" (William Morrow) is an uplifting look at the transformative power of the human-animal bond. Another Will takes center page in Patricia B. McConnell’s memoir "The Education of Will" (Atria Books), in which a fearful border collie helps her come to terms with her own abusive past.

-- A 3-week-old kitten named Burrito is one in 3,000, statistically. He’s that rare genetic anomaly: a male tortoiseshell cat. A tortoiseshell coat is orange swirled with brown or black. The gene that determines how orange coloration is expressed in cats is on the X chromosome. Female cats have two X chromosomes, while male cats have an X and a Y chromosome. Any cat with a calico or tortoiseshell coat must have two X chromosomes, meaning they are almost always female. In exceptional cases, a cat ends up with two X chromosomes and one Y, making him an unusual but sterile feline. -- 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.

Canine genomic research provides clues to breed development, appearance, behavior and disease

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Family lore says we have Cherokee and Choctaw ancestry, but genetic testing didn’t bear that out. My dog Gemma, however, can claim to be a New World dog whose genetic ancestry -- at least some of it -- goes back 10,000 or more years to the earliest dogs who migrated with their people to populate the Americas.

Gemma is half-Chihuahua, according to her canine DNA test results from Embark. A study published last month in the journal Cell Reports found that Chihuahuas were among a group of dogs with large amounts of DNA unlike that of other breeds. Those breeds included the American hairless terrier, Chinese crested (not actually from China, despite the name), Peruvian Inca orchid, rat terrier, toy fox terrier and Xoloitzcuintli (also known as the Mexican hairless). Archaeological evidence of an ancient canine subspecies existed, but this study marks the first living evidence of it in modern breeds.

“What we noticed is that there are groups of American dogs that separated somewhat from the European breeds,” says study co-author and dog geneticist Heidi Parker of the National Institutes of Health. “We’ve been looking for some kind of signature of the New World Dog, and these dogs have New World Dogs hidden in their genome.”

Scientists examined gene sequences from 1,346 dogs representing 161 modern breeds to assemble a canine evolutionary tree. It’s the largest and most diverse group of breeds studied to date and includes dogs from North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

What’s the value of such a study? It has several purposes. For one, the map of dog breeds will likely help researchers identify disease-causing genes in both dogs and humans.

“Using all this data, you can follow the migration of disease alleles and predict where they are likely to pop up next, and that’s just so empowering for our field because a dog is such a great model for many human diseases,” says the study’s senior co-author and dog geneticist Elaine Ostrander of the NIH. “Every time there’s a disease gene found in dogs, it turns out to be important in people, too.”

One interesting finding was evidence of shared diseases across groups of dogs. For instance, collie eye anomaly (CEA) is a disease that affects development of the choroid in herding breeds such as the Australian shepherd, border collie, collie and Shetland sheepdog. But it also affects Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers, which until this study were not known to share ancestry with herding breeds. The analysis showed that collies and Shetland sheepdogs were strong but undocumented contributors to the duck tollers' ancestry, making them the likely source of the CEA mutation in that breed.

The study also highlighted how the most ancient dog breeds evolved to perform certain roles. Humans likely began with certain types of dogs -- such as sleek, leggy dogs with strong prey drives for hunting and mid-size dogs for moving flocks -- and then further selected for specific physical traits. The cultural move from hunting to agriculture may have instigated the formation of breeds in multiple regions.

“I think that understanding that types go back a lot longer than breeds or just physical appearances do is something to really think about,” Parker says.

More than half the dog breeds in existence have yet to be sequenced. The researchers plan to keep collecting dog genomes -- often acquired from DNA samples provided by owners at dog shows -- to fill in the gaps.

Gemma? She’s lording it over our cavalier King Charles spaniels because her ancestry goes back farther than theirs.

Q&A

Teach good

chewing habits

Q: My 4-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy ate my sofa. Literally! What can I do? I can’t afford to buy much more new furniture. -- via Facebook

A: Congratulations -- you have a normal puppy! That’s the good news. The bad news is that without plenty of training and supervision, things can get worse before they get better. Puppies are hard-wired to explore their environment, and since their paws don’t have opposable thumbs, they use the next best thing: their sharp teeth.

But you don’t have to lose any more furniture. Chewing and scratching provide pets with exercise and mental stimulation, but they don’t have to be destructive -- at least not to anything other than their approved toys. Puppy kindergarten followed by advanced training, as well as plenty of interactive exercise and playtime, can help you teach your pup how to channel his chewing -- and his energy, in general -- into more productive and acceptable activities. Here are some tips.

-- Put his brain to work with puzzle toys that make him think. Some favorites are the Snuffle Mat and the Nina Ottosson Twister. Believe it or not, a good mental workout can leave him too tired to even think about eating your furniture.

-- Provide interesting and long-lasting chew toys. I like the Kong not only for durability but also for its “stuffability.” Load it up with peanut butter, baby carrots, kibble and other tasty treats, freeze it, and then let him go to work trying to get all the goodies out.

-- When you see your puppy chewing on something he shouldn’t, get his attention so he turns away from it, and then give him an acceptable chew toy. Praise him when you see him chewing on his toys; it’s important for him to learn what’s OK for him to chew as well as what he shouldn’t. -- Mikkel Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Pet ownership,

spending rise

-- A new generation is in love with pets. Members of Generation Y, or millennials, have surpassed the baby boomers by 3 percentage points to account for 35 percent of all pet owners, according to the latest National Pet Owners Survey from American Pet Products Association. They make up more than half of reptile, small-animal and saltwater fish owners. In other survey results, the number of pet-owning households is up, from 79.7 million in 2015 to the current 84.6 million. That means 68 percent of American households now include a pet. Spending on pets, including veterinary care, increased to $66.75 billion.

-- Record-breaking animals? Guinness World Records has them. They keep tabs on everything from longest tail to loudest purr. Among the record holders are Merlin, a 13-year-old tuxedo cat whose purr registers 67.8 decibels -- as noisy as an air conditioner. Irish wolfhound Keon lays claim to the title “longest tail.” His measures just over 30 inches. Didga the cat can perform 24 tricks in the space of a minute, and Purin, a 9-year-old beagle, caught 14 balls with her paws in a minute’s time. And a blue-and-gold macaw named Skipper Blue can place 19 rings on a target in one minute.

-- Find out which pet parasites and diseases are of concern in your area at petsandparasites.org, the consumer page for the Companion Animal Parasite Council. It has maps for tick-borne diseases such as Lyme and ehrlichia; internal parasites, including hookworms and roundworms; giardia, a protozoan parasite that can affect dogs and humans; plus infectious diseases such as feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus. Choose your state or county to find the percentage of positive cases. Parasite forecasting predicts a big year for heartworms and Lyme disease. The organization also plans to begin forecasting other diseases and parasites. -- 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.