Professional cleanings do more than remove tartar and get teeth white

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

My nearly 13-year-old cavalier, Harper, has had some vague symptoms lately that had us concerned about what might be going on with her. After a number of diagnostic procedures and lab work, plus a return to normal behavior and appetite, she was declared to be in good health. Since that was the case, I decided it was a good time to have her teeth professionally cleaned under anesthesia. It had been almost a year since her previous cleaning.

I dropped her off at the veterinary hospital, and received a call from our vet much earlier than I’d expected. “We just started on Harper’s teeth, and there’s a mass on one of her tonsils,” he said. “I’m going to remove it and send it out to pathology.”

That’s the call no one wants to get, but it illustrates the importance of regular dental care for pets. A professional cleaning isn’t just for polishing up fangs and temporarily improving bad breath. Your veterinarian is on the lookout for problems such as tooth resorptions; loose, broken or chipped teeth; areas of inflammation that could indicate infection; orthodontic issues such as missing, unerupted or misaligned teeth; and oral cancers.

Tooth resorptions, in which the tooth is being eaten away from the inside out, are common in cats, although they also occur in dogs. Stomatitis, an abnormal reaction to the formation of plaque on the teeth, is often seen in cats and dogs -- like our other cavalier, Keeper. And chewing on antlers is the No. 1 cause of fractured teeth in dogs, says veterinary dental specialist Jan Bellows, DVM.

“Fractured teeth can be so severe that the whole exposed tooth fractures off, leaving the root showing,” he says.

Broken and chipped teeth are painful. So are teeth that have grown sideways, and ones that are surrounded by large cysts. Teeth that are mobile can cause pets to have difficulty eating. Poorly positioned teeth can interfere with other teeth, or even grow into the jaw. Those are orthodontic issues; your pet won’t get braces, but she might need surgical extractions or a decrease in the height of the opposing tooth.

Oral cancers like Harper’s are more common than you might think. Not all lumps and bumps on skin or tissues are benign, especially in cats. Nine out of 10 malignant oral tumors in cats are squamous cell carcinoma, and SCC is the second-most common oral malignancy in dogs. In cats, SCC is associated with exposure to secondhand smoke, but it’s not known what might cause it in dogs.

Caring for your pet’s mouth is more than just getting annual cleanings and occasionally doing a halfhearted brushing at home. Those don’t do much good if you aren’t caring for teeth and looking at the mouth regularly the rest of the year. Dr. Bellows recognizes that most people don’t brush their pets’ teeth, so instead he recommends daily use of dental wipes. “It’s not what’s in the wipe that’s important; it’s the friction,” he says. He keeps a container of wipes in his TV room, and he or his wife rub their dog’s teeth while they’re watching TV. “The dog knows she’s going to get a treat after,” he says.

Look at your pet’s mouth at least monthly to check for problems. Reward with a treat after every look-see or wipe session. If your pet won’t let you look at her mouth, that’s a clue -- nobody with a painful mouth wants it touched -- as is bad breath. If a pet’s breath stinks, it’s time to go to the veterinarian.

Harper’s mass is malignant, but it hasn’t spread anywhere else, so we hope that chemotherapy and medication will give us more years with her. I’m glad I didn’t put off that professional dental appointment.

Q&A

What are cat’s

vital signs?

Q: What should I know about determining my cat’s vital signs?

A: Great question! I’m always in favor of people knowing as much as possible about how their animals “work.” Vital signs, which show how well the body is functioning, are temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. Here’s what to know about each one when it comes to cats.

Normal body temperature for a healthy cat ranges from 100 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. To take the temperature, you can use an old-school glass thermometer or spend a little extra and get a digital rectal thermometer that beeps when it’s time to remove it and has an easy-to-read display. Before inserting, lubricate the thermometer with a water-based medical lubricant. Gently and slowly insert the thermometer 1 to 2 inches into your cat’s rectum and leave it in place for about two minutes or until it beeps.

Call your veterinarian if your cat’s temperature falls below 99 or rises above 103, or if you see evidence of blood, diarrhea or a black, tarry stool on the thermometer.

To determine your cat’s heart rate, place your hand on his left side, just behind his front leg. You should feel the heart beating. Using a watch with a second hand, a stopwatch or an app on your smartphone, count the number of beats during 15 seconds. Multiply that number by four to get the beats per minute. A cat’s heart rate ranges from 140 to 220 bpm. Check with your vet if it is slow, fast or irregular.

Take your cat’s respiratory rate while he’s relaxed and standing. Count the number of breaths for a full 60 seconds. Normal feline respiratory rate is 20 to 30 breaths per minute. Call your vet if the rate is faster or if your cat is panting. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

China dogs are

popular design trend

-- Artists have been modeling dogs in clay for thousands of years, but perhaps the most well-known clay canines are the Staffordshire dogs, which began to be produced in English factories in the 18th century. We tend to think of the highly collectible painted figurines as spaniels, but the artists produced a variety of breeds, including pugs, setters, pointers, Dalmatians, poodles, deerhounds and greyhounds. Some Staffordshire dogs were given glass eyes, thought to add a touch of realism. They came in the commonly seen red and white, but also in black and white, or white with splashes of blue, yellow, green or brown.

-- Lymphoma is the most common cancer in domestic cats, and prior to the development of a vaccine, the most common cause of feline lymphoma was feline leukemia virus. Any cat that spends time outdoors, including cats who live indoors but occasionally get out, should be vaccinated against FeLV. Vaccination programs have reduced the rate of FeLV-associated lymphomas by more than 50%, says Dr. Lori Teller, an associate professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. When bringing a new cat into your home, test her for FeLV before introducing her to your other cats.

-- What color is your dog? Don’t say plain old “brown.” Depending on the breed standard -- the “blueprint” for each purebred dog -- dogs don’t come in plain brown wrappers. Instead they might be sable, beige, fawn, mahogany, Isabella, tan or chestnut. It makes you wonder whether the people who come up with the standards have a background in interior design or work in the marketing department of a paint manufacturer. And who was the genius who came up with “chocolate” Lab versus the, er, colorless character who decreed “liver” for English springers? -- 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, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets 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.

Build the house of your cat’s dreams -- or at least jazz up his life a little

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

We’re all spending a lot more time with our pets these days -- dogs are getting walks galore and more playtime than they know what to do with -- but what about cats? They don’t typically go on walks (though a few are exceptions to this rule), so what have people been doing with -- or for -- their feline friends?

They’ve been busy. Building castles, for instance. A recent post making the rounds on Facebook showed a number of home projects for kitty, built by cat lovers with plenty of time and cardboard boxes on hand. Castles with crenellated walls and drawbridges, clubhouses (“Dogs keep out!”), a “hissing” booth decorated with a skull and crossbones, a fort with a sniper tower, steps and ladders to elevated entries. No doubt somewhere out there is a French “cat-eau.” Or maybe “chat-eau” is, after all, the correct spelling.

With shorter days, longer nights, colder weather and spiking coronavirus rates, you, too, may be looking for ways to fill your time and entertain your cat. Here are some tips on building a feline freeway or fort; where to buy cat steps and bridges if you’re not handy; and other ways to entertain your cat -- and yourself as you watch him explore and enjoy his new home decor.

For advice on building “up,” we turned to artist and photographer extraordinaire Bob Walker, who, with his artist wife, Frances Mooney, turned their entire house into a cat playground with overhead walkways, spiral staircases, floor-to-ceiling scratching posts and much more. You don’t have to go that far, but Walker says it’s easy to use found objects -- those Amazon boxes that are piling up, wooden or plastic crates, or even a sturdy stepladder -- to create a feline hidey-hole or gym.

When he built a catwalk, he used 2-by-6-inch pieces of wood, which allowed room for cats to turn around or pass one another. For inclines, he inset carpeting, putting carpet tape beneath it to hold it in place. That provided the cats with secure footing as they went up or down. Walker recommends referring to the Public Playground Safety Handbook (cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/325.pdf) to ensure that anything you build takes safety into account, especially if you have kids in the home.

His best tip? Use negative space. “Think of your house in cubic space terms, not square footage,” Walker says. For instance, take advantage of unused space behind objects or furniture or high areas on walls that are otherwise bare.

If you’re handy with an X-acto knife or box knife, you can build a cardboard kitty castle or fort that is as simple or elaborate as you please. To strengthen cardboard, especially if you have multiple levels, reinforce gaps with glue or packing or duct tape. You can also add an extra layer of cardboard in the bottom, cut to fit, or sandwich a piece of foam between two pieces of cardboard. Find inspiration on Pinterest for cardboard or wooden structures.

For the simplest of cardboard projects, take two to four open boxes, tape them together, and fill them with plastic play balls for a moggy mosh pit. Other spaces you can fill with play balls, for impromptu cat hockey games, are bathtubs or kiddie pools.

Don’t want to build anything? You can purchase attractive, high-style cat walks, climbing shelves, hanging beds, play tents, scratching towers, rope bridges, window seats, and furniture on websites such as Hauspanther, Etsy, Wayfair, Chewy, Overstock, Petco and PetSmart. Active cats may love having an exercise wheel to run on. You can find one through a number of online retailers or ask your local pet supply store to order one for you.

For the simplest play of all, make or buy puzzle toys (see foodpuzzlesforcats.com for ideas), or just hide your cat’s kibble or favorite treats around the house so she can “hunt” for them. Or be the goalie in a game of hall hockey with a pingpong ball. Your cat will be delighted.

Q&A

Which crate

for new pup?

Q: I’m getting a new puppy in a few weeks! What should I look for in a crate, and how should I introduce her to it?

A: There are lots of different types of crates with different features. Here are some things to look for as you make your decision.

Wire, plastic and soft carriers each have pros and cons. Wire crates offer good ventilation and views and are easy to cover if necessary. They fold up when not in use, but they can’t be used for air travel. For safety, remove your dog’s collar before putting her in a wire crate.

Some plastic crates have wheels, making them easier to move. Look for one with a top that comes off easily. Top-loading kennels are helpful for Fear Free veterinary visits. Your pup can be examined while he’s still in the carrier if the top comes off, or he can be removed without being forced out. An alternative for small dogs up to 20 pounds is a crate with a bottom that slides out, such as the Van Ness Calm Carrier.

Soft carriers are lightweight. They’re not the best choice for a puppy, but once your dog is grown and trained, they can be a comfy choice for relaxing or suitable for stays in hotel rooms.

Whatever crate you choose, make it attractive to your puppy. Before you pick her up from the breeder or shelter, spray or wipe down the crate with a calming canine pheromone such as Adaptil. At home, place the crate in an area where there’s lots of family activity. Put treats and toys in it for her to find, and feed her in it. Give a treat or leave her with a favorite toy every time you put her in it at naptime or bedtime. -- Mikkel Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Pre-Columbian

-- We don’t typically associate big cats with the country of Peru, but a giant cat drawing -- a geoglyph -- has been found on the side of a hill at the site of the country’s famous Nazca Lines, pre-Columbian figures etched into the sand and visible from above or from great distances. Archaeologists accidentally uncovered the feline figure on the slope of Mirador Natural Hill as upgrades were being made to the lookout site. The figure of the cat measures more than 120 feet across and dates to approximately 2,000 years ago. Even then, apparently, people were sharing pictures of cats.

-- Seniors who need help adopting and caring for pets can get financial assistance for adoption fees, veterinary care, food and other expenses from nonprofit Pets for the Elderly, which is increasing its efforts to help people and pets stay together to benefit from the human-animal bond. People over 60 can qualify for adoption discounts from participating shelters and apply for aid in covering pet-care costs, including in-home visits from shelter employees to check on the welfare of people and pets. Pets help seniors by keeping them active, and seniors help pets by providing them with homes and love. Win-win!

-- November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. Other pet-centric events are National Pet Awareness Month, National Senior Pet Month, Pet Cancer Awareness Month and Pet Diabetes Month. Going on now is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. Also occurring in November are National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day (Nov. 7), National Black Cat Day (Nov. 17), and the National Dog Show, broadcast on Thanksgiving Day. In December, celebrate National Cat Lover’s Month, National Mutt Day on Dec. 2, Celebrate Shelter Pets Day on Dec. 5, International Day of Veterinary Medicine on Dec. 9, and National Cat Herders Day on Dec. 15. -- 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, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets 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.

Dogs are typically known for burying bones, but some dogs have been trained to unearth them

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

They smell dead people.

If you read mysteries, you’ve probably run across more than a few where a random dog finds a dead body or uncovers buried bones. Or perhaps the detective is working with a cadaver dog: one trained to detect the odor of human decomposition.

The next one you read might feature a dog helping to solve archaeological mysteries.

In a 2018 paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, archaeologist Vedrana Glavas and ethologist and dog handler Andrea Pintar proposed that human-remains-detection dogs could be valuable tools for locating ancient burial sites. They based this idea on their work with four dogs at a prehistoric site in Croatia. Their research demonstrated that HRD dogs could detect trace amounts of specific human decomposition odor and indicate burial sites considerably older than had previously been thought possible. Using radiocarbon dating and analysis of material culture (the objects found at the site), the excavated burials were dated to the eighth century BCE.

Dogs have formally played a role in finding bodies for criminal investigations since at least 1974, and it’s no surprise that other professionals have wondered if dogs could contribute to their work, as well. Forensic anthropologist and K-9 handler Paul S. Martin’s interest in the abilities of cadaver dogs to aid archaeological surveys and cold case investigations began in 2002, when he established HRD Specialized K9 Training. He says the most interesting and rewarding work he has done -- in partnership with Ziva, an 11-year-old black Lab -- has been participating in the search for and recovery of the remains of missing American service members from World War II through a nonprofit organization called History Flight.

“These men died in the service of our country 75-plus years ago, and families were told they were unrecoverable,” he says. “Some of these were intentional burials, but with the air crews, they became buried due to impact or accumulation of sediment over time.”

When it comes to more ancient burials, Martin, who was not involved in the study performed by Glavas and Pintar, says several universities are working on understanding human decomposition and the volatile organic compounds -- the odors that the dogs detect -- that it produces.

“One of the things we can already see is that, due to the changes in diet, there are compounds present in modern remains that don’t present in historic or older remains,” he says.

Archaeologists use techniques as basic as field surveys -- gathering information through observations, sketches and interviews with local people, for instance -- and as high-tech as ground-penetrating radar, satellite imaging and aerial photography. Like those techniques, HRD dogs provide information in a non-destructive way. At the Croatian site, geological characteristics and environmental conditions made visual inspection and GPR impractical, but didn’t deter the dogs.

Canine scenting abilities, in conjunction with geophysical surveys, help archaeologists establish a more complete picture of where human remains may lie.

“The dog adds the ability to gain another layer of information about what might be in an area,” Martin says.

That’s important, especially at sites that may be facing development. Dogs can help to focus searches before bulldozers move in.

“Locating burial grounds using HRD dogs has great potential in preventive archaeology,” Glavas and Pintar write in their paper. That’s the detection and study of archaeological sites prior to construction or other development.

Currently, Glavas isn’t working with HRD dogs on any site, she writes in an email, but she doesn’t rule it out.

“We have some plans for the future, but we will see.”

Q&A

Make the most

of new dog park

Q: We have a new dog park in town, and I want to start taking my dog there. What should we know about having a good time and staying safe?

A: Dog parks have their issues, but for some dogs, they are the only opportunity for a good off-leash run-and-play session. Here’s how to have fun without having problems with other dogs or humans.

It seems counterintuitive, but give your dog some exercise before you head to the park, especially if he’s a high-energy hound. Taking him for a walk first or giving him a puzzle toy to figure out can dampen his energy a bit so he doesn’t overwhelm other dogs with his antics or run them down in his excitement to be there.

Avoid the park if your dog is aggressive or fearful, or go at times when you know you will have it to yourself. It’s not fair to your dog -- or other dogs and people -- to put them at risk of an unpleasant or harmful encounter.

Leave your dog’s favorite toys and treats at home if he doesn’t like sharing them. You don’t want to start any fights.

Most parks have a double-gated entry. Take your dog off leash once you’re through the first gate so he can enter the park leash-free. That ensures that he won’t feel vulnerable when other dogs approach. For safety reasons, be sure he’s wearing a breakaway collar or one with a quick-release buckle.

Pay attention. It’s tempting to use the time to peruse Instagram or read emails, but your focus should be on your dog to ensure that he’s playing nicely and not being bullied -- or being a bully.

Lastly, pick up after your dog so you’ll both be welcomed back. -- Mikkel Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Watch animal videos

for good health

-- Watching animal videos is good for the heart and soul, according to researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. They found that heart rates dropped in participants who watched videos and images of cute animals. Also, the average blood pressure of the group moved into the ideal range, and participants’ stress and anxiety levels were reduced by up to 50%. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured before and after participants watched the videos. The 19 participants consisted of students waiting to take an exam and academic support staff who felt stressed from work.

-- Dogs walk with us in death as well as in life. Have you ever heard or seen the word “psychopomp”? In mythology, a psychopomp is a spirit guide who leads souls from life into death, helping them cross over to whatever that culture believes comes next, such as judgment or an afterlife. Our best friends, the dogs, play the role of psychopomp in many cultures. The jackal-headed Anubis, an ancient Egyptian god, is one such canine escort. Others include the black dogs, or “grims,” found in English and Welsh lore. They often make an appearance when someone is near death. And in Mesoamerican cultures, such as Aztec and Mayan, people were laid to rest with the figure of a clay dog in which their spirit could reside as they made their journey to the afterlife.

-- Domestic chickens are believed to have originated in southern and Southeast Asia. Four species of wild jungle fowl are still known in those areas: Gallus gallus (red jungle fowl); Gallus lafayetti (Ceylonese jungle fowl); Gallus sonnerati (gray jungle fowl); and Gallus varius (black or green jungle fowl). The red jungle fowl has long been considered the progenitor of today’s domesticated chicken strains and breeds. -- 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, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets 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.