Physical rehab helps pets regain mobility and strength

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

My dog Keeper, who is about 12 years old, started developing a wobbly hind end last year, which has gradually worsened. After a visit to a veterinary rehab practice recently, he was found to have some neurological weakness, mild back pain and mild arthritis in his left elbow. The good news is that rehab exercises should help him regain some strength and mobility.

Veterinary rehab -- the term physical therapy is reserved for practitioners treating humans -- can help dogs, cats and other animals with arthritis, injuries, neurologic and orthopedic problems, obesity and more.

Christopher, a cavalier King Charles spaniel, experienced an accident last December that left him with a hind leg fractured in two places and a wrist fracture. Surgeons weren’t sure if he would regain full mobility. After an eight-week recovery period, he started eight weeks of rehab to help rebuild muscle and regain hind end awareness and confidence. Owner Alisha Lockleer of Everett, Washington, has signed him up for six more weeks, saying it has been a critical part of his recovery. He’s now back to racing around the house with his fellow cavaliers.

“It was worth every penny,” she says.

Rehab isn’t just for injured or aging pets. Many canine athletes benefit from exercises that help them stay in top condition.

Laurie McCauley, DVM, board-certified in sports medicine and rehabilitation, recalls her patient Sophie, a 9-year-old high-level agility competitor. Sophie’s owner thought her dog was in top shape, but Dr. McCauley identified some areas of weakness and recommended targeted exercises to strengthen her.

“She is faster and more powerful than she was when she was significantly younger,” Dr. McCauley says.

If you’ve undergone physical therapy yourself, equipment used in pet rehab may look familiar. Patients can be found stepping over poles, called cavaletti, or through ladder rungs; they balance on donut-shaped balls, bone-shaped platforms, rocker boards and discs. Steps, ramps, cushions, braces and other items may come into play.

Stepping over cavaletti or going up stairs or ramps requires pets to think about picking up their paws instead of dragging them. The goal is to help build core strength and improve balance, body awareness and motor skills.

Low-impact workouts on underwater treadmills or in pools allow dogs -- and cats -- to gain strength and range of motion or lose weight without stressing joints.

“People who don’t have any experience with rehab sometimes don’t understand the amount of difference these things can make,” says Evelyn Orenbuch, DVM, board-certified in sports medicine and rehabilitation. “Figuring out where the pain is, why they are like this, is key, and that’s what we’re trained to do.”

There’s homework, too. We help Keeper step over cavaletti, walk him on varying surfaces -- including grass and mulch -- and go to the park, where he can walk up and down hills. He doesn’t mind the daily massages, either.

For dogs who live at a distance from a practice, rehab veterinarians may offer video consults to see how the dog is doing. That allows them to ensure owners and pets are performing exercises correctly and gauge the animal’s progress until the next in-person visit.

Consider rehab any time pets have pain or mobility issues. Getting them seen early by a board-certified rehab veterinarian can help to prevent minor problems from turning into painful lameness or serious injuries, such as cruciate ligament tears. Going in sooner rather than later is also a way to learn where your pet is weak so you can start preventive exercises at home.

“If we can find it and fix it early, improve motion, strengthen the dog to support the joint so you don’t have a painful dog, you have a dog that can be 14, 15, 16, 17 and still be pain-free,” Dr. McCauley says. “And I think doing exercises helps the human-animal bond.”

Q&A

“Clawsibly” correct

scratch training

Q: Why shouldn’t I declaw my cat? How else am I going to protect my furnishings from his claws?

A: Scratching is a natural behavior for cats, and declawing shouldn't be the first strategy for solving a scratching problem. Give your cat a chance to learn and to follow the rules. You might be surprised at how easy it is to teach him where to scratch.

First, provide him with a tall cat tree where he can look down on his surroundings and his people. Choose one covered with sisal, a natural ropelike fiber, that’s attractive for cats to scratch. Make the cat tree even more appealing by playing games with your cat on it, leaving treats on it for him to find, and petting and praising him for scratching on it. And place it near the area where your cat already likes to scratch so he has an easily accessible alternative.

You can also spray it with a solution called Feliscratch, made to entice cats to scratch. It works by way of visual and pheromonal territory messages that tell other cats, “This is my place!” When the cat scratches, blue marks are left behind, reinforcing the pheromone message with visual displays of claw marks.

Other approved scratching options include horizontal posts (some cats prefer those to reaching high on a vertical post), trays covered in corrugated cardboard, or scratching pads hung from doorknobs. Try several to see which your cat likes best.

At the same time, make your furniture unattractive as a scratching area. Put large pieces of double-sided tape such as Sticky Paws on furniture areas where your cat likes to scratch. Cats don’t like to touch sticky surfaces, so they’ll go elsewhere to do their scratching. For more tips, visit fearfreehappyhomes.com/talk-to-the-claw -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Bunny care

health hints

-- For your bunny’s good health, provide pet care and a good diet. Find a veterinarian known to be good with rabbits -- a local rabbit rescue can make recommendations. Get your rabbit spayed or neutered. In addition to keeping your rabbit from reproducing, you'll have a better pet. Unaltered rabbits can have behavior problems such as aggression and urine spraying. Your rabbit will need an annual wellness check, and a good rabbit vet will help you catch little health problems before they become big ones. Feed a variety of fresh leafy greens and an unlimited supply of fresh grass hay. Even if you feed pellets, give your rabbit as much fresh grass hay as he wants. For treats, bunnies love little bits of fruits (about the size of your pinkie fingernail) and more leafy greens.

-- The average daily water intake for a dog is about 3 ounces for every 5 pounds of body weight, so a 25-pound dog would drink about a pint of water daily under average conditions. The amount goes up if the weather is hot, the dog is exercising or both. Depending on whether a pet eats canned or dry food, up to half of a pet's daily water consumption can come from food. Dogs drink a lot of water, not only because they need it for normal bodily functioning, but also to create moist nasal mucus to help them with their keen sense of smell.

-- Last year, Americans spent a record $103.6 billion on their pets. Broken down, that comes to $42 billion for food and treats; $22.1 billion for supplies, live animals and over-the-counter medications; $31.4 billion for veterinary care and product sales; and $8.1 billion on services such as grooming, boarding, training, pet sitting and pet health insurance. This year? Estimates are that we’ll spend $109.6 billion on our pets. -- 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.

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.