Vision problems a common concern in older pets

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Whoever said that getting old isn't for sissies knew what she was talking about. All of us, including our dogs and cats, find that as we age, our bodies just don't work as well as they used to. Eye diseases are among the most commonly seen problems in older dogs and cats.

One change you may notice is a condition called lenticular sclerosis, or nuclear sclerosis. That bluish haze you may see in a pet's eyes isn't cataracts, as is often suspected, but the result of a normal aging of the lens. The good news is that it doesn't affect vision and doesn't require any treatment.

Cataracts are cloudy spots on the normally transparent lens of the eye. They look like a milky gray film behind the pupil. Cataracts may start to appear when dogs are 6 years old to 8 years old and can eventually lead to blindness. Dogs rely more on scent than sight, however, and they can get around very well simply by using their noses -- as long as you don't move the furniture. If your dog's cataracts are so bad that he's running into things, ask your veterinarian about cataract surgery.

Older cats rarely develop cataracts. They are more likely to suffer vision loss from retinal diseases, uveitis (a painful inflammation of certain eye structures) or glaucoma. Like dogs, cats adapt well to vision loss. They compensate by relying more on their hearing or their whiskers.

Other age-related vision problems, such as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, better known as dry eye, require aggressive treatment. Tears, which are produced by the lacrimal glands, lubricate, protect and cleanse the eye. Tear production tends to decrease with age. If that happens, the eye becomes dry and irritated. It starts to produce more mucus, causing a goopy discharge. Dry eyes are itchy, and dogs may scratch at them or rub them on the carpet in an attempt to relieve the itch. Dogs with dry eye are also more likely to develop corneal ulcers.

Dry eye is diagnosed with a Schirmer tear test. The veterinarian places a tiny paper strip at the inner corner of the eye, where the tears pool, and holds it there for one minute to see how much of the strip becomes wetted with tears. If the result indicates that tear production is below normal, the animal likely has dry eye. Dry eye is less common in cats than in dogs.

Depending on the condition of the eye, your veterinarian may prescribe artificial tears (not saline solution), antibiotic eye drops or an immunosuppressant drug that stimulates tear production. This helps to keep the dog comfortable and the cornea healthy. The medication may need to be compounded at a special pharmacy.

Glaucoma is an increase in pressure within the eye. It can develop quickly and is extremely painful. If your pet is squinting and the eye is tearing and feels harder than normal, consider it an emergency. A dog or cat with an acute case of glaucoma can lose his eyesight within 48 hours if the condition isn't treated immediately.

Take your dog to the veterinarian for an eye exam any time you notice the following signs:

-- Redness

-- Cloudiness

-- Discharge

-- Opaque or whitish film over the eye

-- Tearing, squinting, pawing at the eye or other signs of pain

-- Sensitivity to light

-- An unusually soft or hard eye

-- A swollen, crusty or itchy eyelid

-- A bulging or sunken eye

If you notice that your pet's vision is not as keen as it used to be, don't simply chalk it up to old age. Oftentimes, medication or other treatment can help, especially if the problem is diagnosed early.

Q&A

New climate calls for

changes in dog's lifestyle

Q: My dog and I just moved from Southern California to Wisconsin, and it's starting to get a lot colder than we're used to. What should I do to make sure my dog is prepared for winter? -- via Facebook

A: Having lived in Idaho all my life, I know just what kind of weather you're facing. Brrrr!

First things first: Provide protective gear as needed. Lots of people object to dogs wearing clothes, but shorthaired or thin-skinned dogs such as greyhounds or pugs don't have much fur or fat for insulation, and it's a real kindness to provide them with a warm coat or sweater to protect them from the elements. Not every dog needs a winter coat. Nordic breeds like Alaskan malamutes and Siberian huskies love the cold and snow and will happily dig themselves a snow cave to relax in.

Whether your dog needs booties depends on similar factors. If he walks on streets or sidewalks that have been treated with salts to melt ice, booties will protect his feet from chemicals. And longhaired dogs often get snow or ice balls between their foot pads. They may need booties as well, or you can try clipping the hair so there's less opportunity for ice balls to form.

When he plays outdoors, make sure your dog has a sheltered area where he'll be protected from wind and snow. How long should your dog stay outside? Once he's accustomed to the new climate, he can stay outdoors as long as he wants if he has a place where he can retreat from the elements.

Finally, never let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area. One hazard dogs face in winter is being hit by a car because the driver's vision is limited by snow piled on the sides of the road. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Kim Campbell Thornton

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

THE BUZZ

Look and sniff to keep

canine ears healthy

-- To keep your dog’s ears healthy, check them weekly. First, give a good sniff. They should never smell bad. Then lift up the ear flap -- known as the pinna -- and examine the skin beneath it and at the entrance of the ear canal. The skin should be smooth, not sensitive or red. If your dog frequently scratches at the ears or shakes his head, he may have an infection or ear mite infestation. Ears normally contain some wax, which is part of the natural cleaning system, but if you see debris or excess wax, clean ears with a product recommended by your veterinarian. Avoid alcohol-based cleansers, which may sting the inside of your dog’s ears and cause unnecessary dryness. Wipe around the opening of the ear, but go no deeper than that. Leave deeper cleaning to your veterinarian. Always check with your veterinarian before putting anything in your dog’s ears. Many drops and flushes should be not used if there is damage to the eardrum.

-- A dog's dietary needs are based mainly on activity levels. Unless your dog is out cross-country skiing with you or pulling a sled, he probably needs to eat less in winter because he's less active.

-- How intelligent are parrots? It depends on their social structure. A study published in the journal Animal Cognition looked at problem-solving abilities in four parrot species: spectacled parrotlets, green-winged macaws, sulphur-crested cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets. An article on Wired.com reports that researchers Anastasia Krasheninnikova, Stefan Brager and Ralf Wanker at the University of Hamburg in Germany gave the birds five different string-pulling tasks to test whether they understood a cause-and-effect relationship. Spectacled parrotlets outperformed the other species, an ability that was best explained by their complex social relationships. They live in large groups that offer opportunities for many different social interactions. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Kim Campbell Thornton

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.

You might think canine parvovirus is a disease of the past, but it’s still around

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Shannon Gillespie knew something was wrong when her 23-month-old border collie, Soda, didn’t want to eat and wasn’t energetic.

“She’s nonstop at home,” Gillespie says. “I took her to the vet because her not eating and being less active was just not normal.”

Soda had a fever and lab work showed that her white blood cell count was high, so she was clearly fighting off something. The veterinarian administered IV fluids and prescribed antibiotics to help ward off any infection.

The next night Soda had diarrhea, and when Gillespie took her back to the vet, they knew exactly what the problem was based on the distinctive odor of the diarrhea: Soda had parvovirus. An in-office test for the disease quickly confirmed the diagnosis.

Parvo first appeared 40 years ago, in 1978. There is a vaccine against it, but the disease is still seen frequently, says Colin R. Parrish, Ph.D., John M. Olin professor of virology at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

That can occur for several reasons. One is that no vaccine is 100 percent effective. In rare cases, some individuals fail to mount adequate antibody levels to routine vaccines. That may have been the case with Soda. Some puppies don’t receive vaccinations. And finally, maternal immunity -- maternal antibodies passed from mother to pups -- can interfere with a vaccine’s effectiveness.

“One of the things we’ve become aware of in the last few years is that the duration of maternal immunity is actually longer than people used to think it was,” Dr. Parrish says. “The old rule used to be that once the puppy was 12 weeks old, you could give the last vaccination and the puppy would be protected.”

Now, he says, in 20 to 30 percent of puppies, maternal immunity may persist until 16 to 20 weeks of age. The protection provided by maternal antibodies fades, but is still enough to prevent complete immunization by the vaccine.

To ensure adequate protection, puppies should receive a dose of canine parvovirus vaccine when they are 14 to 16 weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dogs in a high-risk environment -- such as a shelter or who have significant exposure to other dogs or contaminated environments -- may benefit from a final dose when they are 18 to 20 weeks old.

Parvo is deadly. It usually strikes puppies but can occur at any age. Signs include lethargy, appetite loss, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and severe, sometimes bloody, diarrhea. The virus attacks the intestines, and it’s the sloughing of the intestinal lining that causes the characteristic smell of the diarrhea.

There’s no cure -- only supportive treatment such as IV fluids to help maintain hydration and antibiotics to ward off secondary bacterial infections. Soda was too weak to eat, and required a nasoesophageal feeding tube to receive nutrition. Her diarrhea was so frequent that she required 11 days of hospitalization so she could receive round-the-clock care. She developed skin rashes on her hips, so those areas had to be shaved and treated. She needed medication for nausea and pain.

That level of care is expensive. Depending on the length of time the dog is hospitalized, the cost can run into the thousands of dollars.

The virus can survive in an indoor environment for two months and outdoors for months or years. Gillespie treated her car, clothing, the inside of her home and her yard with disinfectant to kill the virus. She quarantined all four of her dogs at home to help prevent spreading the virus. It took three months for Soda to fully recover and be declared free of the disease.

Q&A

What to know about

Addison’s disease

Q: My dog has Addison’s disease. What can you tell me about it?

A: A lot! My own dog, the late, great Quora, developed Addison’s (aka hyperadrenocorticism) when she was 11 years old. She began slowing down, shivering even when it didn’t seem cold, and although she had a voracious appetite, she wasn’t that wild about her food. The symptoms finally clicked for me, and I had her hormone levels tested. Once we put her on medication, it was like she had been plugged into a charger and was back up to 100 percent.

Addison’s develops when the adrenal glands stop secreting enough cortisol and other steroids. We don’t know why it occurs.

The problem with Addison’s is that signs vary widely from dog to dog and are often similar to those of other diseases. That can make it really difficult to diagnose. Until it’s recognized and treated, the adrenal glands become less and less functional, eventually causing the dog to collapse suddenly -- what’s known as an Addisonian crisis. Once they are diagnosed and begin treatment, though, they can do well.

Treatment involves daily oral hormone replacement for several weeks to get the dog back on track. Then, depending on how your dog responds, your veterinarian can adjust the dose. It’s a disease that must be managed for the rest of the dog’s life with glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid supplementation, regular checkups and bloodwork to confirm that the dog is receiving an appropriate level of supplementation.

The important thing to know is that stress can cause flare-ups. Consult a Fear Free-certified veterinarian to help you develop techniques to reduce fear, anxiety and stress if your dog needs to be boarded, will be traveling with you or requires surgery or other veterinary care that might be stressful. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

German shepherds

win award for clinic

-- German shepherd dogs Ziva and Zeus of Medical Lake, Washington, snuck out a hole in the fence and during their adventure became trapped in an abandoned missile silo. Twenty-one days later, their owner, Jessica Donges, still searching for them, re-explored the silo area and heard barking. There were her dogs, stuck in a hole filled with water. Unable to remove them, Donges called for help, and minutes later the emaciated dogs were free. Now they are on their way to a full recovery, not to mention becoming recipients of Nationwide’s Hambone Award, which earned the Pet Emergency Clinic and Referral Center in Spokane $10,000 to be used to treat pets in their community whose owners could not otherwise afford treatment.

-- Putting your dog or cat in a carrier instead of letting him ride loose in your car will help keep him safe in the event of an accident, but knowing where to place it and how to keep it in place are important as well. Place soft-sided carriers for cats and small dogs in the footwell behind the passenger seat. Instead of restraining carriers by running the seatbelt through the top handle or around the carrier, use strength-rated anchor strapping to tie it down. Place pets in separate carriers to prevent injury if one is thrown against the other during an accident.

-- With his black coat and brilliant gold or copper eyes, the Bombay is the classic Halloween cat and a friendly family companion 24/7. Easygoing yet curious, he’s been known to enjoy walking on-leash and playing fetch, but he’s also fond of sitting in a lap. This is an attention-loving cat, so be sure you have time to devote to him daily and won’t mind a cat who, er, dogs your footsteps. Bombays have a short coat that needs weekly brushing. -- 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.

Cats make themselves at home in graveyards for a variety of reasons, both practical and -- maybe -- supernatural

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

During a recent stroll through La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I spied one of the resting ground’s residents. Not a ghost or zombie, but clearly a permanent resident: a cat curled up in front of one of the mausoleums.

What is it about cats and cemeteries? Cats have made homes in them around the world. Cimetiere des Chiens et Autres Animaux Domestiques (otherwise known as the Paris pet cemetery) isn’t just a resting place for deceased pets. Feral cats wend their way through tombstones or nap inside crypts, one of which has little cat-shaped entrances (or are they exits for kitty ghosts?). Inside a small building, living cats can find shelter and food, and water flows from a fountain.

At Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, feral cats snooze among the stars -- movie stars, that is -- enjoying food, water and shelter provided by cemetery management.

Yanaka Cemetery in Tokyo is located in an area known as “cat town.” Community cats greet cemetery visitors and are cared for by volunteers.

Cats hang out at the graves of rock star Jim Morrison and French writer Colette -- a noted cat lover -- as well as at many other burial spots in Paris’ Pere Lachaise. They even have their own Facebook page, the Cats of Pere Lachaise.

Rome’s Non-Catholic Cemetery, also known as the Protestant Cemetery, has a managed colony of feral and stray cats. Perhaps they’re admirers of one of the cemetery’s other residents, English Romantic poet John Keats, who penned the sonnet “To Mrs. Reynolds’ Cat.”

Your own local cemeteries likely house a clowder of cats. When you think about it, cemeteries have a lot of appeal for felines: They’re quiet, with little traffic, and offer shelter from the elements. Tombs make a nice vantage point -- it’s easy to see the approach of other animals or humans from the top of one -- or serve as a launchpad into a tree. Grassy lawns or stone markers warmed by the sun are a pleasant place to catnap. If meals aren’t provided by volunteers, mice, squirrels and rabbits probably provide good hunting. There’s little risk from dogs or other predators, and plenty of hiding places if necessary.

“Cemeteries are quiet, and the cats are under no threat there,” says Luz Damron, author of the upcoming memoir “The Cat Lady of Baltimore,” the story of her struggles to help keep stray cats safe.

Veterinary behaviorist Wailani Sung, at San Francisco SPCA, agrees. “I would suspect it is due to lower risks from predators and disturbance from human population,” she says. “Most cemeteries are quiet and fenced off, so it is similar to being in a rural setting amid an urban environment.”

And who knows? Cats may feel at home in cemeteries because of their long association with transformation and the afterlife. In Finnish mythology, cats escorted the souls of the dead to the underworld. Celtic mythology has cats guarding the gates to the otherworld. Babylonians believed a benevolent cat accompanied the souls of priests to the afterlife. A Greek myth tells of a servant bold enough to trick the goddess Hera. She was punished by being turned into a cat and sent to the underworld to serve Hecate, goddess of restless spirits and entranceways. In Thailand, it was said that the souls of kings who died passed into the body of a Siamese cat so that the former king could appear at the coronation of his successor.

Whether cemetery cats are communing with the spirits, exercising their role as spirit guides, or simply enjoying the good life in surroundings populated by the dead, they are a living reminder of the millennia-old bond between cats and humans -- even beyond the veil.

Q&A

How to head

off pet fears

Q: With Halloween coming up, I’m worried about how my puppy will react to scary decorations, especially the giant inflatable spiders and skeletons. How should I prepare her for them or react if she seems frightened?

A: Fear of strange objects isn’t unusual in puppies, especially if it’s something that is large and meant to be frightening. And puppies can even be taken aback by less threatening seasonal items, such as bags of leaves, if they’ve never seen them before. They may freeze in place, try to hide behind you or bark ferociously at the scary thing.

You’re on the right track to try to tackle this potential fear before it grabs ahold of your pup. Your own attitude can make a big difference in how she responds. If your dog sees that you aren’t afraid of this strange new thing, she’ll take her cue from you.

Be both confident and nonchalant as you and your dog walk toward the object. If your dog puts on the brakes, sit or kneel in front of the item yourself and just wait quietly. Don’t try to coax her. Once she sees that you’re not afraid and that you haven’t been incinerated by the inflatable dragon, she’s likely to approach on her own, although still cautiously. Give lots of praise and have plenty of treats in your pockets to hand out as rewards.

Teaching your dog to investigate new things at her own pace is a smart way to familiarize her with new places, things and even people in uniforms or costumes. Reward any sign of interest, such as looking at or touching an item. Learning to check out an item this way will increase your dog’s confidence in any situation and help to ensure that she’s not afraid of new things in the future. -- Mikkel Becker

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

THE BUZZ

DNA tells story

behind blue eyes

-- Siberian huskies are known for their striking blue eyes, and researchers may have discovered the source of the trait, thanks to dog DNA testing. A study published earlier this month in the open-access journal PLOS Genetics looked at a panel of more than 6,000 genetically tested dogs whose owners provided phenotypic (appearance) information such as eye color about their pets. They found that a duplication on canine chromosome 18 was strongly associated with blue eye color in Siberian huskies, as well as with blue eye color in non-merle Australian shepherds. Scientists at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine partnered with dog DNA company Embark to make the discovery. In a blog post, senior scientist Aaron Sams wrote, “While more work will need to be done to figure out exactly how this duplication leads to the development of blue eyes, we think that this duplication may disrupt the process by which pigment is deposited in the iris of the eye during development.”

-- The demand for veterinary specialists such as radiologists, cardiologists and more is outstripping supply, according to a report earlier this month in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. In highest demand are internal medicine, surgery and emergency and critical care specialists, but more veterinary ophthalmologists, dermatologists and dentists are needed as well.

-- It’s not too late to celebrate Adopt-A-Dog Month, sponsored by the American Humane Association; Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month, sponsored by the ASPCA; National Animal Safety and Protection Month; National Pet Wellness Month; National Pit Bull Awareness Month; National Service Dog Month; and on October 29, National Cat Day. Ways to mark the occasions include adopting a pet; volunteering time at a shelter; handing out information about pet care, health or adoptions to friends, family and neighbors; and sharing profiles of adoptable pets on social networks. -- 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.