Now is a good time to clean, refresh or replace your pet’s paraphernalia, from crates to grooming tools -- and everything in between

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

It’s spring! Time to throw open the windows, let out stale air and give everything a thorough scrub -- including pet care equipment. Crates, collars, litter boxes, hairbrushes, dishes and more may need a good cleaning, or repair or replacement if they’re looking faded, dirty, chipped or generally beat up. Spend a weekend on the following tasks to refresh pet belongings, then clean them regularly throughout the year.

-- Carriers, crates and beds. I noticed recently that my car was smelling a little doggy. Even though my dogs are bathed weekly, the linings of their car carriers aren’t always, and that can cause odor to linger. Plus, clean carriers are more pleasant for pets to ride in.

Unzip plush or faux sheepskin linings and run them through the washing machine, following manufacturer directions. Depending on their size and style, you can also throw in dog beds (or their covers) and soft, drooled-on chew toys. Use the bulky setting. A weekly wash in hot water with scent-free detergent will help to ensure death to parasites or their eggs, as well as odors. If beds can’t go in the washing machine, go over them every time you vacuum.

Whether your pet has a hard plastic crate or a soft carrier, use a hand vac to remove any crumbs or hair. Then scrub the interior with warm water and mild, unscented dish soap. (It’s best to avoid overwhelming sensitive pet noses with scented cleansers, even if they smell nice to us.)

Rinse thoroughly to remove residue that could irritate your pet’s skin. If the carrier needs a deeper clean because your pet threw up or had an accident in it, wipe it down with a mixture of a half cup of bleach and a gallon of water. Wait at least five minutes before rinsing thoroughly with plain water. Air dry linings, bedding, toys, crates and carrier completely outdoors for that fresh, sun-kissed scent.

-- Collars and leashes. Whether your pet’s collar and leash are made of nylon, leather or some other material, there’s a good chance they need to be cleaned. I wiped down Harper’s leather leash recently with a baby wipe because it had been dragging on the ground, and it came away filthy. Collars may be stained with skin oil and dirt. Keeping them clean not only looks more attractive and smells better, it also helps to keep pet skin and fur healthy.

Remove tags, then wash nylon collars and leashes in warm water with mild, unscented dish soap. Use Woolite for delicate collars with embroidery or other adornments. Let collars air dry completely before putting them back on your pet.

Clean leather items with saddle soap or Murphy’s Oil Soap and hot water. Wipe with a clean, dry cloth, and let the collar or leash dry flat. Rub with baseball glove oil, neatsfoot oil or a leather boot oil and buff dry with a clean cloth. Replace collars or leashes that look frayed or have broken hardware.

-- Litter boxes. Scoop at least twice daily. Dump litter every couple of weeks, and scrub the box with warm water and mild, scent-free dish detergent before replacing with fresh litter. Replace the box at least annually; plastic absorbs odors.

-- Food and water bowls. Wash food bowls in hot, soapy water after every meal or run them through the dishwasher on the sanitize setting. Refill water bowls daily, after giving them a wash, too. Replace chipped ceramic bowls or battered plastic dishes. Chipped or damaged areas can harbor bacteria that contribute to pet acne or other infections.

-- Grooming tools. Clean combs and brushes weekly or after every use in warm, soapy water. Dry thoroughly, bristles sideways or down, in the sun, especially if the item has wood parts. Clean pet toothbrushes after each use in hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly.

Q&A

Fizz up? Not for

pet wounds

Q: I always used hydrogen peroxide to clean my pet’s scrapes or minor wounds, but I was told recently that’s bad for their skin. Is that true? If it is, how should I clean and disinfect scrapes or cuts?

A: Lots of us grew up watching the satisfying fizz when mom pulled out a splinter and cleaned the wound with hydrogen peroxide. Since it is used in some instances for making pets vomit when they’ve eaten something they shouldn’t, it seems like it would be a good choice for cleaning wounds as well to prevent infection.

The reason it’s not is because it can damage living tissue and delay healing. To clean most minor wounds, the best thing to do is to sluice the area with warm tap water or warm saline solution to remove any dirt and debris. Other good cleansers include povidone-iodine or a dilute solution of chlorhexidine.

You can, however, use hydrogen peroxide to disinfect minor wounds if you dilute it first. The proportions are 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water.

What not to use? Definitely avoid witch hazel and alcohol, which sting like crazy. Tea tree oil is another substance that should not be applied to wounds. It and other essential oils can be harmful to pets when applied topically or given orally, especially at full strength.

Ask your veterinarian what he or she recommends to apply to wounds for healing. You might be surprised to learn that often the answer is “nothing.” Ointments and creams can sometimes interfere with healing. And it’s best to avoid antibiotic creams or ointments made for human use. While you might not lick or chew at your wound -- at least, I hope you don’t -- your dog or cat will. Ingesting some of these products isn’t good for them. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Pets important

for senior health

-- It was the year of the coronapet. Between March 2020 and January 2021, 10% of all people between the ages of 50 and 80 brought home a pet, according to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation with support from AARP and Michigan Medicine. An update to an April 2019 report by the poll team, it found that older adults say having a pet helps them enjoy life, reduce stress, have a sense of purpose, stick to a routine, be physically active and connect with other people. Of older adults polled in 2019 who lived alone or were in fair or poor health, nearly 75% reported that their pet helped them cope with physical or emotional symptoms.

-- Warmer weather is bringing out hungry black-legged or deer ticks. They’re actively seeking a blood meal from white-tailed deer, dogs or humans, followed by a little romance to produce eggs that hatch into larvae to continue the life cycle. Protect yourself and your dog by performing a thorough tick check after hikes. Ticks are everywhere, year-round, so ask your veterinarian about the most effective tick preventive for your area and your pet’s lifestyle -- as well as a lesson on how to remove them without spreading Lyme or other tick-borne diseases.

-- Cats are popular in proverbs, in particular for their ability to bring good luck. A Scottish proverb avows that a strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity. Italians believe that a cat sneezing is a good omen for anyone who hears it. An English proverb states that if a black cat makes his home with you, you will have good luck. Another English folk saying is that if the cat in a home is black, the family’s daughters will have plenty of boyfriends. -- 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.

Giving pet medications on a schedule is an important part of ensuring a good outcome of treatment

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Pets’ lives can be measured in a number of different ways. There’s the crazy entertaining stage of puppies and kittens, the active prime of life, the calmer stage of the middle-aged pet, and the medication stage that is most often seen in senior and geriatric animals. I’m currently in the latter stage with my two cavalier King Charles spaniels, and it’s a stage I’ve been through many times before. I’ve had cats who required insulin injections or subcutaneous fluids, a canine amputee who needed pain meds, and dogs who have needed pills, potions, drops and lotions for everything from heart disease to corneal ulcers to skin conditions.

Over the years, one of the most important things I’ve learned is the importance of timing when giving medications. You can’t just give them any old time. If the bottle says every six hours, then it’s important to adhere as closely as possible to that schedule for best effects, even if it means staying up until midnight and then getting up again at 6 a.m. for the next dose. If you’re lucky, as we were recently, that won’t last for more than a week.

Ask your veterinarian if there’s a grace period for giving medication, insulin injections or fluids. My dog Keeper gets one particular pill at 2 p.m. every day. His board-certified cardiologist, Sarah Miller, DVM, assured us that it could be given up to two hours earlier or later if we weren’t home at the right time.

Sometimes pets need multiple medications throughout the day. We once had a cavalier who required seven pills daily, some more than once, and all at different times, of course. That was in the olden days before cellphones and smart speakers, so I programmed my personal digital assistant to give an alarm at the appropriate times. These days, a smart speaker reminds us about Keeper’s midday and pre-bedtime pills.

Recently, we used old-school pen and paper to make a chart for the pills, fluids and injections Harper needed throughout the day after hospitalization for a serious kidney infection. After each one was administered, we checked it off and wrote down the time. When there was a question about whether we needed to continue injections of a particular antibiotic, we were able to go back to the sheet and count the number of days it had been given and determine that she had finished the course. Checking off the days on a calendar works, too, if you aren’t dealing with multiple medications multiple times daily.

With antibiotics, in particular, it’s essential to give them for the entire time prescribed, even if your pet seems “cured” before you’ve used it all. Don’t save the remainder “for next time.” Not giving the full amount for the appropriate length of time can lead to antibiotic resistance, making bacteria and fungi more powerful when it comes to defeating the drugs sent to kill them.

With or without food? That’s always an important question to ask about a pet’s medication. Some absorb more quickly if given on an empty stomach. Others, such as NSAIDs, are less likely to cause gastrointestinal upset when there’s food in the stomach. Calcium-rich foods such as yogurt can interfere with absorption of some antibiotics. And pets with sensitive stomachs may do best when medications are given with food -- as long as that doesn’t affect their efficacy. Write down what your veterinarian tells you about how to give the medication, or ask for an instruction sheet that you can refer to, especially if you’re giving multiple meds.

Q&A

How many kinds

of dogs are there?

Q: How many dog breeds are there in the world?

A: That’s a good question! Nobody really knows for sure. The registration organizations for the United States (American Kennel Club and United Kennel Club), Canada (Canadian Kennel Club), the United Kingdom (The Kennel Club), Europe (Federation Cynologique International) and Australia (Australian National Kennel Council), to name just a few, recognize many of the same breeds, but they each also recognize various individual breeds that the others don’t.

And some breeds go by different names in different countries. Take Tatra shepherd dogs. That’s what they’re called in Australia. The AKC calls them Polish Tatra sheepdogs, and the United Kennel Club gives them their original Polish name of owczarek Podhalanski. The vizsla in the United States is the braque Hongrois in France.

At last count, the AKC recognized 195 breeds. The United Kennel Club, although based in the U.S., recognizes more than 300 breeds from around the world. The FCI lists 360 recognized breeds, many of them the same as those recognized by the UKC.

Some breeds are considered by the FCI to be in the developmental stage. Some of those “provisional” breeds that you might see at dog shows in the future include Estonian hounds, Kintamani-Bali dogs, Lancashire heelers, miniature American shepherds and Prague ratters.

The Kennel Club, in 2020, recognized 218 different breeds, including the aforementioned Lancashire heeler. The Canadian Kennel Club recognizes 175 breeds. Two of those are the Canadian Eskimo dog and the Karelian bear dog. They are recognized by the CKC and the FCI, but not by the AKC.

Then there are landraces: genetically diverse domestic dogs adapted to a particular locale or culture. One such is Mongolia’s Bankhar dog.

A good guess is that there are at least 400 different breeds, give or take a few. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Dog paws dirty?

Not so fast!

-- What’s cleaner than the soles of your shoes? A recent study suggests that the answer is your dog’s paws. Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands took samples from the paws of 50 assistance dogs and the shoe soles of their handlers. They did the same for an equal number of pet dogs and their people, in each case examining the samples for poop bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae), which are common outdoors, and for an important diarrheal bacteria (Clostridium difficile). “The dogs’ paws turned out to be cleaner than the soles of the shoes,” says master’s student Jasmijn Vos. They concluded that paw hygiene was no reason to ban assistance dogs from hospitals.

-- Parents of cat-loving kids will want to seek out the award-winning book “The Cat Man of Aleppo” (Putnam, 2020) by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, charmingly illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. A Caldecott Honor book, it tells the story of Alaa, a resident of Aleppo, Syria, who takes action when war comes to his beloved city. Besides being an ambulance driver, he takes notice of the many sad cats left behind when their people had to flee for their lives. He begins feeding them and provides them with shelter. Word spreads, and soon people from around the world are helping out with donations. Find out what happens next!

-- Bird emergencies are much the same as those for other pets. Get your feathered friend to the vet quick if you see any of the following: bites or claw wounds from other pets, deep cuts, uncontrolled bleeding, burns, poisoning, difficulty breathing, collapse, blood in his droppings, straining to defecate or pass an egg, eye injury, lack of appetite, a “puffed-up” appearance, sudden swelling, broken bones, diarrhea, or contact with dog or cat saliva, even if the skin isn’t broken. -- 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.

Adjusting to a new home or other circumstances can cause pets to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t. Here’s how to help

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Two weeks ago, media reports blew up an incident in which one of the first dogs, Major Biden, was said to have bitten a security agent who startled him. Later, a Secret Service official clarified that the nip was “extremely minor,” with no broken skin or bleeding, leaving only a small mark on the agent’s hand. But something like that can harm a dog’s reputation -- even a dog who isn’t under constant media scrutiny.

Repercussions for a dog bite, even a minor one, can range from a report that goes on the dog’s record to a 10-day in-home quarantine period, even for a dog who is up-to-date on rabies vaccinations. No one wants that.

Fortunately, there are good ways to prevent incidents and help dogs remain cool, calm and collected, whether they’re at your house, the White House or anywhere in between.

Major, of course, changed households in January, but even before then, his humans were traveling frequently, and change was in the air. Pets are sensitive to the emotions of their humans as well as to what’s going on in their environment. Sometimes they respond with fear, anxiety or stress, even if it seems as if they have adjusted.

When pets are facing new situations, set up the environment for success, says Fear Free-certified veterinary behaviorist Amy Pike, DVM, who practices in Fairfax, Virginia. Pets don’t need to meet everyone at once or have free access to every part of the home. Whether Chip the cable guy or Janet from Treasury is coming over, it can be best for that first meeting to take place outdoors in a more relaxed setting and then have them go indoors together, or to confine the dog in a comfortable area away from the activity until a more understated introduction can take place.

Ask guests to avoid body language that can seem threatening to pets, such as prolonged eye contact, approaching or reaching toward them.

“There is no need to put your hand out for the dog to smell you,” says Debbie Martin, a licensed veterinary technician in Spicewood, Texas, who specializes in behavior. “He can smell you from across the room. Reaching your hand into his space is like a stranger getting too close to you or reaching for you.”

Have visitors toss treats instead of handing them to pets.

“Every time they approach one of the dogs or come into a space where the dog is, don’t look at them, don’t talk to them, just toss them food,” Dr. Pike says. That way, pets associate good things with the visitor. If your pet is nervous or even excited in the presence of strangers, give the treats yourself in the presence of guests. Toss treats when your pet is relaxed, looking at you unprompted or responding to known cues such as sit, spin or shake.

Keep dogs on a leash for a while, even inside the residence. That can help protect them from making mistakes in new situations or around unfamiliar people.

If your pet displays unusual behavior -- even something that might be attributable to new or exciting circumstances -- it’s a good idea to have your veterinarian check for underlying causes, Dr. Pike says.

For instance, romping on White House grounds might have resulted in a partially torn cruciate ligament causing pain and irritability. “Spring allergies are a concern right now in the D.C. area,” she says, “so maybe he’s irritable because he’s itchy.”

Most important, pets -- even those who haven’t moved into one of the world’s most famous residences -- need time to adjust to new surroundings and situations.

“It may take three to six months to acclimatize to a new situation, whether that be Mom going back to work or moving to a new house or apartment, or a new roommate even,” Pike says. “Keep their stress level as low as possible for their sake and safety.”

Q&A

How cats vent

frustration

Q: Why does my cat attack me when he sees a cat outdoors?

A: If you’ve ever had a bad day at the office and then come home and snapped at your significant other, you have some idea of how your cat feels when he or she sees an unknown cat trespassing in your yard.

Cats get frustrated when they see an invading feline in their territory, and they may take it out on you or another pet or person, a behavior known as redirected aggression. It can be downright scary if you’re on the receiving end when your cat lashes out. It can be frustrating for you in other ways as well. Some cats accompany redirected aggression with urine spraying in an attempt to let that other cat know he or she is trespassing.

Free-roaming cats work out boundary disputes through scent (urine spraying), sight (claw marks on trees) and sometimes outright violence. Cats who live indoors don’t have opportunities to mark or defend their territory from cats passing through.

You don’t have to let your cat outdoors, though, to help him protect his patch of earth. A motion-detection sprinkler may send stray cats scurrying when they cross onto your cat’s property. And if there’s a particular window that offers your cat the perfect vantage point for spotting feline marauders, try putting up a barrier, whether that’s blinds you can close or a screen you can place in front of the window. You can even go so far as to close the door to that room and provide your cat with a perch near another window or door where he won’t see other cats go by.

Products such as Feliway that mimic calming feline pheromones may also help to prevent your cat from venting his frustration on your skin. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Creative surgery

for hamster’s leg

-- A tiny hamster with a broken leg has recovered after veterinarian Ann Reid cleverly used the needle from an insulin syringe as the “pin” to hold the bone in place while it healed. Suki, a white Roborovski hamster weighing only three-quarters of an ounce, recuperated for a month in a large, shallow box with chew toys and apple sticks to help entertain him until he could go back to his normal lifestyle of running on his exercise wheel and digging tunnels in his bedding.

-- Aquarium and pond fish in the San Francisco Bay Area are cared for by an unusual specialist: Jessie Sanders, DVM, whose mobile practice -- Aquatic Veterinary Services -- takes her from caring for koi to assessing ponds and tanks to giving physicals to sharks. Instead of clients bringing fish to her, she goes to them in a vehicle trimmed to resemble a giant clownfish, bearing a license tag reading DR4FISH. She’s one of the first veterinarians certified by the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association and is past president of the American Association of Fish Veterinarians. To find a fish veterinarian in your area, go to fishvets.org.

-- Skechers and Petco Foundation have teamed up to help save shelter animals. The shoe company has raised more than $6 million to aid pets in need, donating more than $2.7 million of those funds to Petco Foundation’s animal shelter support programs. Skecher’s BOBS collection of slip-on shoes, clothing, and pet beds and harnesses includes a range of designs featuring dogs and cats, different breeds, canine Instagram icons such as Doug the Pug, and artwork by James Goldcrown. For every BOBS purchase, Skechers makes a donation to the Petco Foundation, which partners with more than 4,000 animal welfare organizations to support adoptions, provide medical care and fund other lifesaving programs. -- 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.