Heat and humidity pose hazards to pets, but the following tips can help them stay cool and comfortable

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

After a cold and rainy winter, temps are starting to sizzle. That means it’s time to think about your pet’s safety and well-being while he’s outdoors -- and indoors, too. Heat exhaustion is one of the risks facing dogs and cats in summer. Here’s what you might not have known about recognizing and preventing it, as well as protecting pets from other effects of heat.

Heat exhaustion or heatstroke can sneak up on pets and people. It doesn’t occur just in hot cars or after playing too strenuously in the hot sun. Brachycephalic pets -- think pugs, Persians, bulldogs and other short-nosed breeds -- can die indoors if the power goes off, leaving them for hours with no air conditioning. Sign up for power outage alerts from your local provider, or look for an app that will notify you so you can get home or ask a neighbor or petsitter to make sure your pets don’t overheat.

Those same breeds can develop difficulty breathing after just a few minutes outdoors when temperatures and humidity are high. That’s because they rely on the ability to pant to dissipate heat. Pets with heart disease, conditions such as laryngeal paralysis in large breeds such as Labrador retrievers or Newfoundlands, or collapsing trachea -- especially common in toy breeds -- as well as very young or old dogs are also at greater risk.

“Even just taking your brachycephalic or obese dog or dog with existing bronchitis or certain heart conditions on a walk in the middle of the day could result in heat exhaustion or heatstroke and a trip to the emergency hospital,” says veterinarian Jason Nicholas, chief medical officer of PreventiveVet.com. “We tend to see a lot of cases in the spring and fall,” he says. “In spring, people aren’t really yet thinking about the heat, and sometimes you’ll get those uncharacteristically warm days. In fall, people tend to let their guard down after summer and then we get those warm days that spring up unexpectedly.”

If your dog stays outdoors during the day or has access to the yard, make sure there’s reliable shade and fresh water available as the sun moves. A number of pet beds, some elevated for better air flow, come with covers. Look for one with fabric made to block the sun’s rays. An outdoor misting fan is another option to consider. In extreme temperatures, though, your dog will be cooler, safer and happier in the air-conditioned indoors.

A pup tent or soft crate made of similar fabric provides sun protection for dogs at agility or nose work trials or just having fun at the beach. Shade sails, canopies and tarps made of UV-resistant fabric are available at big-box stores and online. Regular misting from a handheld sprayer on the belly and paws helps keep pets cool, too.

Cooling boots can protect paws from hot asphalt, concrete or sand on walks. Better yet, schedule walks and play for cooler mornings and evenings.

A cooling mat or cooling coat or bandana can help your pet, but don’t rely on it for full protection on hot days. A cooling coat won’t allow your dog to participate in strenuous exercise or stay in a hot car for long periods. “The main thing with keeping them cool is paying attention to the temperature outside and their activity level and existing health conditions,” Dr. Nicholas says.

Most important, be your dog’s caretaker. He may love sprawling in full sun on hot concrete in 100-degree temps, but it’s smart to reduce the risk of sunburn or heatstroke by limiting sunbathing time. Keep him indoors or in a shady spot between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Q&A

Make feline flea

control year-round

Q: Help! My cat has fleas. How can I get rid of them?

A: You’re smart to want to protect your cat from these freeloading bloodsuckers.

Flea bites cause cats to be itchy and uncomfortable. (Did you know that a single flea can bite your cat up to 400 times a day?) They also transmit disease-causing bacteria that affect cats and humans, including mycoplasma, which leads to anemia in cats, and bartonella, the cause of “cat-scratch disease” in humans as well as other infections in cats. Worse, fleas reproduce like crazy. A single female flea can lay 40 to 50 eggs daily. With enough females in the right (or wrong) conditions, you could have a thousand or more fleas tormenting your cat in less than a month. So let’s get down to flea-control basics.

First, even if your cat doesn’t go outside, she needs to be on a safe and effective flea preventive. Fleas can still enter your house via your clothing or other animals. Or maybe your cat has an outdoor catio where she hangs out. Veterinary parasitologists now recommend keeping pets on a preventive year-round to prevent re-infestation.

Talk to your veterinarian about the best flea-control product to use for your individual cat and your locale. A product given monthly can control fleas as well as internal parasites and heartworms. (Yes, cats can get heartworms.) Starting a preventive when you first get a cat can help to protect her from any parasite infestations throughout her life.

Your vacuum cleaner and washing machine can complement the use of flea preventives by removing fleas and their eggs. Vacuum at least weekly, including upholstered furniture. Get beneath cushions, under furniture and in the corners. Wash your cat’s bed, as well as your own sheets, in hot water every week. That kills fleas and eggs. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Safety tips for

travel with pets

-- Road-tripping with pets this summer? Label kennels or carriers with cards that have your dog or cat’s name, photo, breed or mix, and sex status (unspayed female or neutered male, for instance). List health conditions, current medications or parasite preventives, and microchip status, if applicable. Describe your pet’s needs as far as handling (doesn’t like to be picked up, gets along with other dogs, escape artist and so on). On the reverse side, list emergency contact information, including a number for your veterinarian and the person(s) to contact about your pet’s care if you’re incapacitated. Include instructions about veterinary care if they are injured. Note that you or another responsible party will pay all expenses for your pet’s care, and sign the card.

-- A golden retriever named Max II is lifetime mayor of Idyllwild, California. Max’s chief of staff (aka owner), Phyllis Mueller, “bought” the election with a large donation to the town’s Animal Rescue Friends organization. The mayor’s platform, located on his website, promotes positive thinking, unconditional love to everyone, and good deeds -- including keeping Idyllwild beautiful by picking up litter.

-- Hepatic lipidosis -- accumulation of lipids in the liver -- is relatively common in cats. It often develops as a result of diseases associated with anorexia (appetite loss) and weight loss, such as pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease, but sometimes the cause is unknown (idiopathic hepatic lipidosis). These cats are usually older and obese and may have recently experienced a stressful situation. Always take your cat to the veterinarian right away if he hasn’t eaten for a couple of days or you notice that he’s dropping weight quickly. Thinking that he’ll eat when he’s hungry can be an expensive or even fatal mistake. -- 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.

Did you know? 9 fascinating facts about cats from a feline expert

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

The 25th annual conference of the Cat Writers Association took place last month, so this seemed like a good time to focus on felines. The keynote speaker at the CWA conference was veterinary behaviorist Debra Horwitz, DVM, who is currently raising two new Devon rex kittens herself. Here’s just a little of what attendees learned about cats from her talk.

1. Friendly interactions between cats include nose touches and a tail-up greeting. You probably knew that. But did you know that domestic cats and lions are the only members of the cat family who use the tail-up body posture to greet? No other felines do that.

2. Cats are adaptable, and they can learn a lot of things. “We have this idea that they’re independent and aloof, but we really don’t ask much of our cats,” Dr. Horwitz says. “You’d be surprised what they can learn when you ask them to do things.” You can’t train a cat with force, but with positive-reinforcement training, they can learn anything you can teach.

3. Cats have social relationships in their own particular way. They aren’t normally group-living animals; Horwitz describes them as not antisocial, but asocial. That means they are happy to live in groups or by themselves. Most often, they live in groups of related females -- mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts -- all sharing food resources. “So when you’re forming a household of cats, choose two sisters who are littermates,” Horwitz says. That’s what she did when she acquired her kittens.

4. Cats who like each other show it through touch. They sleep together, bodies touching, more frequently than would occur by chance and unrelated to ambient air temperature. Whether you’re observing a feral colony or cats in your home, you may notice that unless it’s extremely cold, only cats who are bonded will be touching each other. “Cats that like each other and live together amicably usually mark each other; they’ll go body to body, and they may even wrap tails,” Horwitz says. “We think part of that is the shared body odor.”

5. The cat’s meow? You may think he’s asking for food, but Horwitz says sometimes cats just want to know what’s going on. Talk back to him!

6. Grooming is a normal feline behavior, but when cats groom themselves -- or other animals -- excessively or aggressively, that normal behavior is being expressed abnormally. The cat could have a behavior problem, a skin problem or a painful internal problem. For instance, Horwitz says, cats with painful interstitial cystitis often groom their stomachs excessively.

7. Feline personality and temperament are genetically determined, primarily by the father, and fall into three basic categories: sociable, confident and easygoing; timid, shy, nervous and unfriendly; and active or active aggressive. At different times, cats may express variations from their normal temperament, but in general it should stay the same. For instance, if a cat who is normally friendly suddenly becomes aggressive, something is wrong. A change in behavior can mean a cat doesn’t feel well or is uneasy with the current situation.

8. Cats love to explore, but unlike dogs, they are more random in the way that they check out a new place. Dogs usually go into one room, sniff all around, then go into the next room. Cats tend to go back and forth.

9. One of the unique things about domestic cats and small wildcats is that they play a dual role in life: They are not only predators, but also prey. That makes them good at hiding. You may think your cat is lost, but chances are she just has a hiding spot that you know nothing about -- and never will.

Q&A

Heart disease

managed by vets

Q: My dog has mitral valve disease. How is it managed?

A: The heart has four valves that open and close to let blood flow in and out as the heart pumps. The mitral valve can degenerate and become leaky, allowing blood to wash back from the lower left chamber of the heart to the upper left chamber. Called regurgitation, this action forces the heart muscle to work harder to pump that blood out where it’s supposed to go, enlarging the heart and eventually resulting in congestive heart failure.

Currently, the condition is most commonly managed with regular checkups by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist to plot the disease’s progress, as well as medication, if needed. Exams every three to six months can help your dog’s cardiologist keep tabs on the size of the heart and recommend medication before she tips over into CHF. Cardiologists at New York City’s Animal Medical Center recommend chest X-rays to determine whether the heart is normal size or enlarged, and whether fluid is building up in the lungs. Echocardiograms create a real-time moving image of the heart as it beats, and play a role in determining heart function.

When the heart becomes enlarged, the cardiologist may recommend starting the dog on medication to keep CHF at bay. Medications that help once a dog is in CHF include diuretics to remove excess fluid in the body and positive inotropes such as pimobendan (Vetmedin) to improve the heart’s ability to contract and pump blood forward.

There is no cure for mitral valve disease, but it can be managed for a time with medication. A surgical procedure to repair the mitral valve is available from veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom and Japan, and it may become available at the University of Florida later this year. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Genes might play

role in dog ownership

-- A study of 35,035 pairs of twins by Swedish and British scientists found that genes appear to account for more than half of the difference in dog ownership. Because identical twins share their entire genome, and fraternal twins on average share only half of the genetic variation, comparisons between groups can help to separate the influences of environment and genes on biology and behavior. Rates of dog ownership were much greater in identical twins, supporting the idea that genetics plays a role in the decision to get a dog. Carri Westgarth, lecturer in human-animal interaction at the University of Liverpool and co-author of the study, says, “These findings are important as they suggest that supposed health benefits of owning a dog reported in some studies may be partly explained by different genetics of the people studied.”

-- The American Veterinary Medical Association offers tips for keeping pets safe in hot weather. Outdoors, they need unlimited access to fresh water and shade. Ask your veterinarian to describe signs of heat stress so you can recognize it quickly. Protect pets from parasites such as fleas, ticks and heartworms. If you’re running errands on a hot day, leave pets at home in air-conditioned comfort. Walk, run or hike with pets on cool mornings and evenings, especially if they are overweight or short-nosed, and avoid walking them on hot surfaces such as asphalt.

-- Winning book entries at the 25th annual Cat Writers Association contest are "Absinthe Without Leave: A Midnight Louie Cafe Noir Mystery" by Carole Nelson Douglas; "Something Worth Saving," a novel about a boy and his cat, by Sandi Ward; "101 Essential Tips: Kitten or New Cat: Health & Safety" by ER veterinarian Jason Nicholas; "77 Things to Know Before Getting a Cat" by Susan Ewing; and CFA Ambassador Cats adult coloring book by Austin Redinger. -- 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.

What we know about managing pain in pets

Andrews McMeel Syndication

What is pain? It’s sensory awareness of injury or illness, of course, but there’s more to it. Pain is unique to each individual. Factors that influence pain perception include genetics, the degree of injury and past history of pain.

Two types of pain affect pets. Most of us have experienced acute pain, from stubbing a toe to breaking a bone. Acute pain is protective, warning us to pull back from that hot fire, for instance. Animals experience acute pain, too. It usually goes away with time or treatment.

Chronic pain persists for longer than the normal healing period and is considered a distinct disease of the central nervous system. In essence, it’s pain that has lasted beyond its usefulness or that lingers after an injury has healed. Sometimes it’s the result of an ongoing physical problem, such as osteoarthritis. Other conditions that can cause chronic pain in pets include cancer, glaucoma, interstitial cystitis, pancreatitis and stomatitis.

Both physically and emotionally, chronic pain has a damaging effect on a dog or cat’s well-being. Animals with chronic pain may change their movement or behavior in an attempt to limit discomfort. When they move less or move in abnormal ways, they become stiff, and pain increases. They may also reduce their interactions with humans or other animals because being touched causes pain. That puts a kink in their social relationships with family members.

One of the problems with chronic pain is that it often goes unrecognized. Pet pain isn’t always easy to assess. You may notice that your dog or cat is sensitive in certain areas or has odd behaviors, but those things don’t always make an appearance during a veterinary exam. What to bring to your veterinarian’s attention, with videos, if possible:

-- decreased grooming habits in cats

-- intensively licking specific areas

-- changes in posture when sitting or sleeping

-- difficulty or slowness standing up or lying down

-- breaking housetraining

-- reluctance to be petted or groomed

-- reluctance to go down stairs

-- difficulty jumping on or off furniture

-- poor appetite or nausea

-- lethargy

-- any behavior that is unusual for that animal

A number of medications and techniques can aid in pain treatment and prevention. Especially for chronic pain, early recognition of the problem is key. Multimodal therapy incorporating nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, injectable disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs such as Adequan, diet, nutritional supplements with anti-inflammatory effects, weight loss, massage, laser, and acupuncture can all benefit pets in pain. Multimodal treatment attacks pain through multiple pathways in the body, with the goal of directly or indirectly reducing inflammation that causes pain.

The best way to prevent chronic pain from developing is to treat acute pain promptly and aggressively. For acute pain related to surgical recovery, long-acting extended-release drugs are available for dogs and cats, providing post-operative pain relief for 24 to 72 hours. Some pain-relief medications for dogs and cats are chewable, making them easier to give. Others can be compounded into tasty liquids.

Dogs can take NSAIDs relatively safely for long periods, but no NSAIDs are approved for long-term use in cats. Cats are more sensitive than dogs to the side effects of drugs such as NSAIDs because they lack certain enzymes needed by the liver to safely break down the drugs.

Chronic pain develops over a long period, and treating it successfully takes time. With your veterinarian, set specific goals for managing your pet’s pain. It may be four to six weeks before you begin to see a response, but with good management, your pet can be moving well and feeling good again.

Q&A

Ease carsickness

with these steps

Q: We’re moving at the end of the summer, and it’s a 12-hour drive to our new home. My dog gets carsick or pants a lot even on short rides. How can I make the trip as stress-free as possible?

A: You can take several steps to help your dog have a better experience for both short trips and your upcoming move.

Start now to desensitize and counter-condition your dog to car travel. Place him in the car where he would normally ride. Since he experiences carsickness, reward with praise or a favorite toy instead of a food treat, and take him out right away. Repeat until he’s comfortable getting in the car.

Next, start the engine while he’s in the car. That’s all; don’t actually go anywhere. As above, reward and then take him out. Practice until he’s comfortable. Follow with backing out of the garage and pulling back in and eventually going around the block or some other short distance. Always pair each step with a reward to create a positive association with riding in the car.

Wearing a ThunderShirt or similar snug-fitting garment, use of a canine pheromone spray such as Adaptil in the carrier, and playing music created for dogs may also help to ease anxiety and reduce the likelihood of carsickness. Consider a car seat or carrier that allows your dog to see out the window. Fresh air and a view of the horizon can help to minimize motion sickness. Withhold meals in the morning so he’s riding on an empty stomach, but give small amounts of water throughout the day. Feed him when you stop for the night.

Finally, ask your veterinarian about an anti-nausea medication called Cerenia. It has been proven in clinical trials to help dogs with motion sickness. -- Mikkel Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Fans mourn

Grumpy Cat

-- Social media star Grumpy Cat, known for a sourpuss expression, died last month after developing complications from a urinary tract infection. “Urinary tract infections of the bladder are common, especially in older and female cats,” says Dr. Drew Weigner, a feline specialist who practices in Atlanta. “In themselves they’re not serious or difficult to treat, but (they) can infect the kidneys if not treated properly or promptly. They can be a symptom of more serious underlying disease such as kidney disease or diabetes, and should be investigated further, especially if recurrent.” Signs of a UTI include difficult or painful urination, increased frequency of urination, crying out during urination, blood in the urine, urinating outside the litter box and frequently licking the urogenital area.

-- Analysis by Oregon State University researchers found that the relative risk of cancer recurrence is reduced by 60% in dogs whose tumors are completely removed. A review of published veterinary studies showed a recurrence rate of less than 10% when a soft tissue sarcoma was removed in its entirety, versus a 33% recurrence rate when tumor cells remained after surgery. “That’s what most veterinarians, including myself, have thought, but this makes it more official,” says Milan Milovancev, associate professor of small animal surgery at Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and the study’s lead author. “Now we can say, ‘Here’s the data.’” The findings were published in the journal Veterinary and Comparative Oncology.

-- According to the University of California, Davis' Veterinary Genetics Lab, the distinctive “pointed” coat pattern of Siamese cats is caused by a form of selective albinism that suppresses melanin production based on temperature. The activating enzyme tyrosinase explains the ombre appearance of the Siamese, with a sandy-colored abdomen (the warmest part of the body) that darkens around the extremities, including ear tips and paws. -- 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.