Researchers seek secrets of the microbes that colonize the skin of dogs, cats and humans

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Do the bacteria and other microbes living on your pet’s skin affect skin health? A professor of veterinary pathobiology at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine is studying the effects of the skin microbiome -- the community of microscopic “bugs” that sublet space on the epidermis of cats, dogs, humans and other animals.

Aline Rodrigues Hoffmann, DVM, was intrigued by papers she read a few years ago on the human skin microbiome. She immediately began thinking of ways to study the variety of organisms that inhabit dog and cat skin, and how they might affect or promote pet health.

What do the millions of microorganisms on skin do? They’re commensal, meaning they contribute to health and well-being through complex interactions with their host -- your dog, cat or yourself. The skin microbiome helps to modulate immune responses by influencing T-cell function and inflammatory response and promoting protective immunity against pathogens. It’s also a factor in susceptibility to infection and response to treatment for skin diseases.

Bacteria, fungi and viruses are among the complex population of microorganisms that colonize normal skin. They contribute to skin health and help to prevent potential pathogens from moving in and taking over.

“Our ultimate goal was to find the commensal microbes, the beneficial microbes, that could potentially be used as a probiotic,” she says. “This has already been done in the gastrointestinal tract. In the skin microbiome, we are still taking baby steps.”

Studying the skin’s microbiome is not as straightforward as studying bacteria in the gut. Skin and hair are exposed to the environment, and factors including temperature and moisture may also influence which microorganisms live on the skin. In dogs and cats, for instance, Hoffmann found that fungi that are normally found in the environment are also found in large numbers on pet skin.

That may be one of the reasons why some humans have allergic reactions to pets. Some of the common environmental fungi found on dogs and cats are the same ones that people tend to be allergic to.

Interestingly, people who live with dogs have similar microbiota to their dogs. The same isn’t true for people who have indoor cats. That’s probably because those cats don’t have the same access to the outdoors as dogs, so they are less likely to influence the diversity and makeup of the skin microbiome of the humans with whom they interact.

Different areas of a healthy dog’s body have different microbial populations. Areas with hair such as the groin, the ears or between the toes have greater microbial diversity than mucosal surfaces such as lips, nose, eyes and ears.

Some cat breeds have skin microbiome differences as well. Hoffmann presented a study in April at the North American Dermatology Forum showing that Cornish rex and Devon rex cats had higher populations of Malassezia yeast than other cat breeds. And cats with allergies have a larger population of Staphylococcus species of bacteria. Over the entire body, allergic cats tend to have a less diverse population of microorganisms than healthy animals.

With rare exceptions, there’s no reason to fear exposure to a pet’s microbiota.

“We no longer want to eliminate those pathogens or microbes,” Hoffman says. “We want to make sure they are in balance.”

Figuring out what that balance should be is the next step. So is rethinking the use of antimicrobial medications or figuring out how to use them more effectively.

“I think we are now finding out we don’t need to treat as aggressively as we were doing before,” she says. “Hopefully that will ultimately reduce use of antibiotics and all the problems that we see with it.”

Q&A

Meat is a must

in feline diet

Q: Why is it so important for cats to have meat in their diet? Humans and dogs can get by without it.

A: Cats come with a special label: obligate carnivore. Its meaning is just as it sounds: Cats must eat meat if they are to survive and thrive.

An essential amino acid called taurine is one of the reasons that meat is so important to a cat’s good health. The feline body can manufacture some amino acids (which you may recall from grade school as the building blocks of proteins), but the essential amino acids, such as taurine, which is found only in animal tissues, must be added to a cat’s diet.

Taurine is what powers excitable cells -- those that are part of a nerve or muscle. The brain, the skeletal muscles, the heart, even the retina of the eye are all excitable tissues and need taurine to function. A cat’s heartbeat, vision, movement and brain function are all dependent on taurine.

Cats who don’t get enough taurine can develop a type of heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). It was just 30 years ago that Paul Pion, DVM, discovered the link between DCM in cats and a diet deficient in taurine. Turns out that taurine is largely destroyed by cooking, so pet food manufacturers had to readjust their recipes to ensure that cats received enough of the essential amino acid in their diet. People who feed cats a homemade diet must be sure to supplement the food with taurine.

Other health problems related to taurine deficiency include reproduction problems in female cats (known as queens); reduced growth in kittens; and central retinal degeneration, which can lead to irreversible blindness. In fact, in Pion’s 1987 study, 27 percent of the cats in the study also had central retinal degeneration. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Foxtails pose

risk to pets

-- Summer and fall are foxtail season. The grass awns with the spiky bristles look harmless, but if the barbed end gets caught in a dog’s coat, it can work its way into the skin and cause painful and serious infections. The best way to deal with foxtails is to avoid them, but if that’s not possible, inspect your dog thoroughly immediately after outings, from head to tail to between the toes. If you find a foxtail that can’t be removed easily, take your dog to the veterinarian. The foxtail may require surgical removal followed by a course of antibiotics.

-- Think your pet is a work of art? If you live in Orlando, Florida, you can purchase a pet membership and “exhibit” him at the Mennello Museum of American Art’s sculpture garden at regular pet-friendly events. Dogs, cats and birds are eligible for the $25 memberships and may visit the sculpture garden during events such as picnics, brunches, Yappy Hour and October’s Howl O’Woof, with costumes and trick-or-treating. Pets can’t go indoors to visit the collections, but they are likely to enjoy the walking paths and live oak trees found in the sculpture garden. Just don’t let them mark the statues.

-- Cyrano L. Catte II has two firsts to go along with his illustrious name. Not only is the Virginia feline the first cat to receive stereotactic radiation therapy to treat his bone cancer, he’s also the first cat to undergo a total knee replacement -- with a 3-D-printed prosthesis. Denis Marcellin-Little at North Carolina State University performed the knee replacement surgery. He worked with the university’s industrial and systems engineering professor Ola Harrysson to design the implant. One of the difficulties was making it small enough to be used with the 26-pound cat, but now Cyrano can comfortably use his leg and joint. -- 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.

More ticks mean year-round preventive measures are a must for dog and cat owners

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

In the span of less than a week, I found two ticks on my dog Harper, a cavalier King Charles spaniel. In 25 years of dog ownership, that was a first. We live in Southern California, so ticks are a fact of life, but Harper doesn't typically go into areas where ticks are found. We don't have a yard, and she's not allowed on local hiking trails. I can only surmise that the ticks hitched a ride on me -- ick! -- after a hike and made their way onto Harper.

Tick populations are increasing. And there aren't just more of them; they're being found in more places than in the past, says veterinary parasitologist Dr. Susan E. Little of Oklahoma State University. Milder winters; more white-tailed deer, which carry the tiny arachnids; and increasing development in formerly rural areas are among the factors in the ticks' spread.

Like me, you might never have had to worry about ticks before, but now is a good time to talk to your veterinarian about their prevalence in your area. Many tick species have moved out of their original habitats, carried away by migratory birds, coyotes and deer. One or more species of ticks can now be found in every state, including Alaska and Hawaii. Ticks used to be active from spring through fall, but warmer winters mean that some species are staying active as late as February, depending on where they are located.

That's bad news, since ticks are major carriers of diseases that affect humans as well as dogs and cats. Most of us are familiar with Lyme disease, but ticks also transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and Cytauxzoon felis, which infects cats. The ticks that primarily transmit these debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases are the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis).

Protect yourself and your pets from tick-borne diseases with the following measures:

-- Provide all your pets with lifetime parasite control. "We always say to treat every pet every month all year long," Dr. Little says. Dogs and cats don't spread tick-borne diseases directly to their owners, but they can acquire diseases from ticks as well as bring ticks into the home or yard. And just because your dog or cat stays mainly indoors or lives in a certain geographic region doesn't mean he's not at risk.

-- Ask your veterinarian which ticks and tick-borne diseases are common in your area and which product is best for protecting your animals. The information may have changed since you last learned about ticks.

-- Apply tick-prevention products on a regular schedule. It's no longer effective to try to time parasite control to start in spring and stop after the second killing frost.

-- Check your dog or cat for ticks any time he has been outdoors. Keep a tick-removal device on hand and know how to use it.

-- Make your yard less welcoming to ticks by removing leaf litter, mowing the lawn frequently, keeping landscaping free of tall grass and brush and fencing your yard to prevent incursions by deer and other animals that carry ticks. A three-foot swathe of wood chips or gravel between your lawn and wooded areas won't keep ticks away, but it does serve as a visual reminder that you are entering the tick zone.

-- Use insect repellent on yourself, and wear protective clothing.

-- After a hike or other outdoor excursion to tick-friendly wooded areas with tall grass, give yourself a cursory examination for the little bloodsuckers, so you don't drive them home to your pets.

Q&A

Born shy: How to

help fearful cats

Q: When my son and his wife came to visit recently, our cat took one look when they walked in the door, ran upstairs and disappeared under our bed. She wouldn't come out all day, and she's not eating much. I'm worried that the stress of having guests in the house, combined with her lack of appetite, will trigger a bout of pancreatitis, which she's had before. Is there anything I can do to help her be more comfortable when we have visitors? -- via Facebook

A: It's normal for cats to react this way to unfamiliar people and situations. The flight response is a survival behavior that protects them from potentially dangerous situations or individuals.

The bad news is that there's no way to train or socialize your cat to be friendly toward strangers. Cats who react fearfully to strangers carry the trait in their genes. What's interesting is that it's the father who has the most influence over kitten personalities, even though they spend most of their time with their mother.

If your cat had met and been handled by many different people before she was 6 weeks old, the socialization could have helped her to be less fearful of strangers or new or unusual objects, but it won't help now. The best thing you can do for your cat is to set up a safe place where she can feel secure. This can be your bedroom, an office or some other comfortable area where no one will disturb her. Stock it with food, water, a litter box (well away from the food and water) and maybe a favorite toy.

Your cat may never be a social butterfly, but it's possible that if the same people visit frequently, she will one day be confident enough to let them catch a glimpse of her. -- Kim Campbell Thornton

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

THE BUZZ

Big cat research

has gone to a dog

-- Jaguar biologists in Costa Rica have a canine research assistant: a German shorthaired pointer named Google. Nicknamed "the ultimate search engine," his job is to find jaguar scat -- aka feces. The scat provides the biologists with DNA that allows them to identify individual animals and learn more about their movements, diet and genetic diversity. Like his namesake, Google increases researchers' finds severalfold, says Dr. Howard Quigley, executive director of jaguar programs for Panthera, a wild cat conservation program. What does Google get out of it? Play time with his favorite red ball.

-- A USDA rule set down recently limits the sale of animals online by redefining the term "retail pet store" to mean a place of business or residence that a buyer must physically enter to observe the animals for sale prior to purchase. Internet-based breeders and other businesses that sell animals sight-unseen must now be licensed and inspected by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Breeders with four or fewer breeding females are exempt from licensing and inspection requirements, as are breeders of working dogs and animal rescue groups, pounds, shelters and humane societies.

-- Most dogs that take heartworm preventive are protected against the deadly parasites, but evidence presented by parasitology experts Dr. Ray M. Kaplan and Dr. Byron L. Blagburn at the American Veterinary Medical Association conference in July indicated that some heartworms in small numbers of dogs in the Mississippi Delta areas of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and western Tennessee are resistant to preventive medication. In areas such as the southern United States, where heartworms are endemic, pet owners should not only give their animals heartworm preventive, but also take steps to reduce their exposure to mosquitoes, including walking dogs at times when mosquitoes are less active and screening dog runs or other outdoor areas.

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.

They aren’t always a match made in heaven. How to steer clear of problems

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

You love your old cat, but he’s not as active as he used to be. It’s wonderful to cuddle with him on the sofa, but you miss his antics as a youngster. Wouldn’t it be great to get a kitten so you could enjoy those good times again and still relish the pleasure of your aging cat’s company?

Not so fast. It’s easy to think that a young pet and an old one will get along and that the young one will even rejuvenate a senior, but sometimes expectations and reality clash. Senior cats faced with a rambunctious kitten may be grumpy or even aggressive, and youngsters can become fearful or learn bad habits when their overtures are forcefully rejected. Here’s what to know to help ensure a happy, respectful relationship.

First, think twice before getting a kitten at all. Introducing a young cat to senior cat household can be a bigger problem for cats than introducing a young dog to a senior dog household, says Marsha Reich, DVM, a veterinary behavior specialist who lectured at the American Veterinary Medical Association conference in Indianapolis last month. That’s because cats in general don’t welcome the addition of other cats to their environment.

A senior cat who doesn’t want to interact with a kitten may begin by simply walking away, but that doesn’t always work.

“Some young cats want to play with the senior cat no matter what,” Dr. Reich says. “These are the ‘me, me, me’ kitties. In some cases, the younger cat stalks the senior cat with what seems like play but is really aggression, ending with the senior cat aggressively defending himself from the younger one or fleeing the younger one and being chased. If the senior cat doesn’t think it’s play, it’s not play.”

This can lead the older cat to engage in more active behaviors to avoid interaction. Hissing, growling, swatting and chasing are all signs that a cat has had enough of another’s behavior.

It can be difficult (and sometimes painful) to interrupt and redirect a cat who is behaving aggressively. With cats, managing the environment is often the best way to reduce conflict. Give the younger cat something to entertain him, such as interactive toys or a bird feeder that he can watch from a window. Spend more time playing with him so he has less time and desire to annoy your old cat.

When you can’t be there to supervise, keep the cats separated. If your older cat is sedentary, confine him to a comfortable room with everything he needs: food, water, a litter box and a comfy place to nap.

Place resources such as food and water bowls and litter boxes in separate areas. Neither cat should be able to guard those items and prevent the other from using them.

Sometimes owners are surprised that there’s a problem because the cats seemed to get along at first, Dr. Reich says. Often, that’s because the kitten was recovering from a respiratory infection or some other kittenhood illness so his behavior was muted until he was feeling better.

Finally, consider whether your senior cat is grouchy because he’s in pain. Degenerative joint disease is seen in 90 percent of cats older than 12 years. Other conditions that may cause pain include lower urinary tract infections, dental disease, kidney disease and endocrine disorders such as diabetes. Loss of vision and hearing can also contribute to spats between cats because the older one doesn’t see or hear cues from the younger pet. Take your cat in for a checkup to rule out potential health problems and get them treated if necessary. Your veterinarian has more options for managing pain in cats than in the past.

Q&A

Help dog develop

independence

Q: I have two dogs, and the younger one (male) is very attached to the older one (female). My older dog is having surgery in a few months and will be away from home for several weeks. I’m concerned about how he will respond to her absence. He’s very anxious when he’s not with his family. He flips out when they go to the vet and she is taken out of the room to be weighed. How can I prepare him so he is comfortable staying with a pet sitter and not so nervous while she’s gone? -- via Facebook

A: It’s not unusual for dogs to have separation anxiety when their humans go away, but it can also affect them when they are missing their canine friends.

Fortunately, you have plenty of time to help your younger pup prepare for this separation. There are several things you can do to help him develop some independence, which is an important skill for every dog to have.

If you don’t already have a pet sitter, find one you like and that the dogs like. Look for one who is Fear Free certified and will have the skills to help your dog adjust to his friend’s absence. Start with some short visits at her home, first while you are there with him and then later for short stays on his own of an hour or two. This will help him learn that you and his canine buddy will return. Gradually, introduce some longer stays -- overnight or for a weekend.

Another good step is to take them out for walks separately so he learns that he doesn’t have to be with her every second and can even have a good time when she’s not around. Reward him with some extra-special treats when he’s not acting clingy. For more help, ask your veterinarian for a referral to a Fear Free certified behaviorist or dog trainer. -- Mikkel Becker

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

THE BUZZ

What’s your canine

cost of living?

-- How much does it cost to live with a dog? According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for veterinary visits, food, grooming, toys and treats, a license and other miscellaneous expenses, you should budget at least $1,000 a year for a small dog, $1,214 for a medium-size dog and $1,448 for a large dog. That doesn’t account for one-time costs such as spaying or neutering or a crate. Pet deposits and monthly “pet rent” that some landlords charge isn’t included, either. Besides pet health insurance, a pet savings account can help you meet unexpected bills related to a dog’s care. The love you get back? Priceless.

-- There’s more to feeding your cat than just opening a can or bag, says feline expert Tony Buffington, DVM, who lectured on the subject at the 2017 AVMA conference in Indianapolis. He says cats are intermittent feeders, so it’s OK to feed them as often as you want. Place food in a safe area where other pets can’t get to it. Buffington is a fan of enriched feeding -- in other words, using food puzzles to encourage a cat’s prey and play behavior. You can purchase food puzzles or make them yourself. For ideas, visit foodpuzzlesforcats.com, which has tips on different types of food puzzles and how to make them at home.

-- If you are flying into San Jose, California, keep an eye out for a special four-footed greeter. Moet, a Rhodesian Ridgeback show dog owned and handled by Jennifer Underwood of Watsonville, belongs to the K9 Crew Therapy Group. He and the other dogs visit passengers and employees at the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. When he’s not welcoming people at the airport or competing in a dog show, Moet participates in dog sports, including agility, obedience, rally, lure coursing and barn hunt. -- 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.