It’s Pet Poison Awareness Month. Find out what to do if your pet is exposed to something toxic

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Rose chewed up a bottle of eye drops. Momo ate a silica gel packet labeled “Do not ingest.” Fizz ate a pack of sugar-free gum. Sophie ate a brownie. Polly ate a Flintstones chewable vitamin.

Dogs will try anything at least once -- and it’s not always easy to know whether a trip to the veterinarian is warranted.

That’s when it’s a good idea to call a pet poison hotline. Here’s what to know.

-- When to call. If you think your pet has gotten into something, don’t take a wait-and-see attitude. Renal failure can occur before you realize something’s wrong. Calling first can save you a trip to the vet or alert you to a serious situation.

Calling before you get to the clinic can also speed up things for your veterinarian. The poison control hotline will already have a case number set up for you, and your veterinarian or the emergency clinic can call back as often as needed at no additional charge. Remember that although veterinarians are well-trained in pet health care, they aren’t experts on all the poisons that can affect pets. That’s where veterinary toxicologists come in.

“Poison control will guide the treating veterinarian through treating the case and any complications that might arise,” says licensed veterinary technician Colleen Clemett.

-- What to have on hand. When you call, the poison control staff will need to know the following: pet age, weight, medical conditions, medication they’re on, what you know or think they got into and how much they may have ingested. You may be asked about behavior or symptoms, such as staggering or vomiting, or whether they could have been exposed to fertilizers, insecticides, snail bait or mouse, rat or gopher poisons. Having the packaging or container on hand is helpful, as Nancy Kerns discovered.

When a dog she was fostering ingested most of the contents of a bottle of prescription medication for a previous dog who had died, Kerns called the ASPCA poison control hotline. They helped walk her through the math of how many pills were remaining in the bottle and how many could have been in the bottle based on the date the prescription was picked up and the date of death of the dog who had previously been taking it. They determined that the foster dog did indeed need to get to the ER as quickly as possible, then helped the vet staff calculate the dosage of medication needed to reduce his blood pressure, which had spiked from the drug he had taken.

-- What not to do. It’s a common myth that vomiting should be induced if a pet ingests something toxic. It depends on the substance, as well as other factors, notes A.J. Jeffers, DVM, consulting toxicologist for the ASPCA, speaking on the ASPCA’s myths in toxicology podcast (aspcaanimalpoisoncontrolcenter.libsyn.com/2022/05) last May. Inducing vomiting is a bad idea if pets are brachycephalic (has a short nose, such as a bulldog, pug or Persian cat); have recently had surgery that required stitches; have heart disease or seizure disorders; or have swallowed sharp objects or caustic substances.

When you are advised to induce vomiting, it’s best to use a fresh, unopened bottle of hydrogen peroxide, Clemett says. That’s because once opened and exposed to air, hydrogen peroxide eventually breaks down to just plain water. A fresh bottle will do the best job at bubbling in the stomach, causing your pet to vomit, she says. Have a needleless syringe on hand as well to administer the hydrogen peroxide. The poison control staff can guide you if you’re not sure how to do it or how much to use.

-- Cost. There’s a fee, generally $75 to $85 (which covers follow-up calls as well). Have your credit card ready.

-- Money-saving tip. If you have pet health insurance or your pet’s microchip is registered, a poison control call may be covered or discounted. Check your policy.

Q&A

Ensure the return

of your lost cat

Q: My cat lives strictly indoors. Does she really need to be microchipped or, for that matter, wear a collar and tag?

A: Short answer: Yes! It’s all too common for indoor cats to escape accidentally. Workers can leave a door open, or the door can close but not latch, allowing a curious cat to push it open. It’s amazing how quickly they can slip through an open door, become frightened and disappear.

A collar and tags are the first line of defense. They’re visible, and someone who finds your cat can look at them to get your phone number or address and contact you. We put our last name (not the cat’s name) on the collar, as well as our cellphone number. If there’s room, we include a work phone number or a landline.

But collars and tags can come off. With the feline ability to squeeze through tight spaces, it’s important to use a breakaway collar that will come off easily so your cat doesn’t get hung up on something and choke.

A microchip is the second line of defense if a cat gets out and is lost. Even if a collar and tag have come off, a microchip is permanent identification that can’t be removed. A microchip is tiny, about the size of a grain of rice. It lasts a cat’s lifetime and never needs recharging or replacement.

A microchip is implanted by your veterinarian, injected beneath the skin between the shoulder blades. This is often done when the cat or kitten is being spayed or neutered, but no sedation or anesthesia is required. The microchip emits a signal when activated by a scanning device, available at most veterinary clinics and shelters. Then you can be notified that your cat has been found. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Celebrate pets,

working dogs

-- This month, celebrate canine veterans, puppies and cats. Military working dogs -- K-9 veterans -- serve as sentries, scouts and messengers; detect mines and explosives; seek out injured people; and search tunnels. Observe National K-9 Veterans Day on March 13 by sharing stories celebrating military dogs on social media. National Puppy Day on March 23 recognizes the love, laughter and licks we get from puppies. Give your puppy -- even if he’s all grown up -- a special treat to celebrate. And on March 28, show a little respect to your cat; after all, it’s Respect Your Cat Day. A new catnip-stuffed toy or a heated bed could be just the ticket to let your cats know just how much you love and respect them.

-- It’s not just your dog who needs heartworm protection. Cats and ferrets can be infected with the deadly parasites, too. Dogs can take monthly preventive to ensure that the worms don’t travel through their bloodstream and take up residence in the heart. No FDA-approved preventive product is available for cats, so protecting them from mosquitoes is important. The same is true for ferrets. Prevention includes using screens to keep mosquitoes out of your house, not leaving standing water outdoors where mosquitoes can breed, and changing pet water bowls frequently. Ask your veterinarian about other ways to protect pets from mosquitoes.

-- Many animal-related words in the English language lend color to our conversations. Two of our favorites refer to the way a dog’s appearance is applied to other objects. One of these terms is “dog-eared,” in use since about 1650, a description of a turned-down book page, folded over like a dog’s ear. A lovely wildflower, the dogtooth violet (Erythronium dens-canis), takes its name from long petals tapering to a point, which resemble a dog’s canine teeth, or fangs. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

Can your dog dig up a luxury item for your dinner? Truffle hunting is a popular pastime

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

A truffle hunt was our favorite day of a recent trip to Italy. Hiking beautiful countryside with dogs, then eating delicious scrambled eggs and soft, young Pecorino Romano cheese with a freshly found truffle shaved over the top: What could be better?

But you don’t have to travel to Europe to go truffle hunting. You can teach your own dog to hunt for the treasured tubers, and depending on where you live, you may well be successful.

Truffles are found in the Pacific Northwest -- which ranges from northern California into British Columbia -- and from the southern United States into Ontario. As with most scenting activities, any dog can learn, although professional truffle hunters seek certain qualities in their dogs.

At Truffle Hill in Australia -- Australia is a primary producer of truffles -- truffle hunter Adrian Mielke looks for dogs with high drive and stamina who are food-motivated and don’t mind searching in wet and cold conditions -- cool, moist air holds scent closer to the ground.

“In our experience, the best breeds are Labradors or kelpies, but many mixed ‘hybrid’ breeds have been very successful,” he says. Other dogs with good scenting skills include beagles, German shorthaired pointers, spaniels or other retrieving or hunting dogs.

At Black Truffle Lodge in Italy’s Umbria region, where we went on our hunt, Mac (more formally known as Nathan McMillan Ryde, co-owner of the lodge with his wife, Francesca Chiacchiarini) says truffle dogs are started as puppies simply by playing fetch with them to encouraging their retrieving instinct. Gradually, the ball is switched for an egg-shaped plastic container with holes, which can hold the truffle and disseminate its scent while protecting it from destruction by rambunctious puppies. Mac and truffle hunter Luca like using dogs who are a blend of springer spaniel, English setter and pointer. Later, young dogs in training go out with more experienced dogs to learn the secrets of truffle location.

What if you don’t live in an area where truffles are found? Your dog can still learn, thanks to online training courses and the availability of truffles by mail or from your local gourmet store.

And you don’t need a fancy dog such as a Lagotto Romagnolo, considered by some to be the Lamborghini of truffle dogs, thanks to their Italian heritage and traditional use in truffle hunting.

Washington state-based truffle hunter and dog trainer Kristin Rosenbach offers lessons in person or online (wagnificentk9.com). She’s had clients succeed with many different breeds and mixes, including a Vizsla, a Staffordshire bull terrier, flat-coated retrievers, an Anatolian mix and a papillon. Her own dogs are two border collies, a Shetland sheepdog and a Belgian tervuren, the first of their breeds to truffle hunt in the Pacific Northwest.

“Honestly, the only requirement is that someone has a good relationship with their dog,” she says.

As with any detection dog training, positive reinforcement coupled with scent association is key. Your dog should view hunting as a game with plenty of tasty rewards (not the truffles, though) or other desirable incentives, such as play with a favorite toy.

Rosenbach’s top tips for training dogs to find truffles are to use real truffles (not truffle oil), train outdoors and move the truffle underground as soon as possible. During training, she recommends staying away from truffle-producing locations, counterintuitive as that may seem. That allows you to control as many variables as possible so you can set up your dog for success.

Once a team in training is proficient at a mock truffle hunt -- a blind hunt in a forest that Rosenbach knows does not produce truffles -- she takes them out for a forest lesson.

Truffles are being cultivated and discovered in many new areas, so your dog could surprise you once trained.

“I suspect truffles are growing in a lot more places than we think they are, and that's just because there aren't enough of us out there looking,” Rosenbach says.

Q&A

Can my parrot

get avian flu?

Q: I keep hearing about avian flu. Do I need to worry that my parrot could get it? What about my neighbor’s chickens?

A: I went to my colleague Brian Speer, an avian specialist, for the answer to your question. The good news is that indoor companion birds like your parrot are at substantially less risk of exposure. On the other hand, backyard chickens, pet ducks or parrots or peafowl who live outdoors could be exposed to migrating waterfowl and shorebirds carrying the virus.

Common-sense vigilance is important, Speer says. In zoos and many waterfowl collections, birds are being brought indoors until it’s known that the virus isn’t in the wild bird population. And veterinarians who treat birds are being extremely cautious about the birds they allow into their clinics. For instance, if a client calls and says, “I went out to my chicken flock and 18 out of 30 are dead suddenly, and four more are sick and dying. Can I bring one in who’s still alive?” the answer is going to be no.

“We do a lot of careful screening because we do not want to put existing hospitalized patients at risk,” Speer says.

Signs of HPAI -- highly pathogenic avian influenza -- include the rapid onset of serious respiratory and neurologic problems, with the bird quickly progressing to death. The University of Minnesota Extension provides good information for backyard poultry owners: bit.ly/3xmd5K9.

Be pathogenic-aware but not pathogenic-paranoid. If your bird has been sneezing for four weeks, that’s not HPAI. Could your dog get it? Not really.

Don’t bring home sick birds, and don’t feed wild birds. You don’t want them congregating in your area as that increases the potential for exposure.

“It’s not an easy scenario right now,” Speer says. “You don’t want to go overboard, and you don’t want to be too casual about it, either.” -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Search dogs help

in Syria, Turkey

-- Dog and handler teams from around the world converged on Turkey and Syria earlier this month to help find survivors from two devastating earthquakes. They included six specially trained dogs from Los Angeles County; the International Urban Search and Rescue Team from Fairfax, Virginia; and rescue teams with dogs from Britain, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, India, Libya, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland and Taiwan. Other organizations are helping the animals of Syria and Turkey. They include Ernesto’s Sanctuary for Cats in Syria, a nonprofit rescue and sanctuary that houses more than 1,800 cats; International Fund for Animal Welfare, which is partnering with Ernesto’s; and Pets in Turkey, a Swiss organization that aids stray animals.

-- How smart are cockatoos? Smart enough to craft and use tools, according to a study (bit.ly/3lyRNX1) of 10 adult Goffin’s cockatoos observed using their beaks to fashion wooden tools to extract seeds from tropical fruit known as sea mango. This behavior demonstrates the ability to not only make tools but also to use them to perform high-precision tasks. The opportunistic avian foragers from Indonesia solved problems -- such as how to break into that tasty fruit -- by creating and using tools as wedges, cutters and spoons, researchers report, putting them at the same level as specialized tool users such as New Caledonian crows or the great apes.

-- Cats have four favorite places they prefer being petted. If you want to make your cat happy, rub gently beneath his chin, scratch the base of the ears, rub the cheek area behind the whiskers, and scratch the base of the tail. Why these areas? They’re where a cat’s scent glands are concentrated. When you rub those areas, you’re helping your cat to spread his scent around, which in turn makes him feel happy and content. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

It’s National Cat Health Month, and new treatments are coming down the pike for our feline friends

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sometimes it seems as if dogs get all the attention when it comes to new treatments and research into their health problems, but cats are starting to get some love, too. Two weeks ago, we reported on general takeaways for pet owners from last month’s VMX meeting in Orlando, Florida, and this week we’re touching on advances in cat care and health.

One of the most exciting is the news that feline infectious peritonitis could soon have an FDA-approved treatment available from veterinarians. When we last reported on FIP (uexpress.com/pets/pet-connection/2020/03/16), medication that worked was available, but it wasn’t FDA approved, and it couldn’t be prescribed by veterinarians.

“We’re anticipating a new medication coming out this year that could be a potential cure for feline infectious peritonitis,” says Dana Varble, DVM, chief veterinary officer for the North American Veterinary Community. “Just the idea of a new medication being widely available, approved, knowing that I have something to offer those cats; the thought of being able to help them is really exciting. I'm very, very hopeful that we'll see that medication hit the market in 2023.”

If you live with a cat, you are probably aware that cats do their darnedest to hide that they’re in pain. Their predatory nature tells them that they’ll be at risk from other predators if they appear to be weak, and we don’t have a way to communicate that we and their veterinarian have only their best interests at heart.

Veterinarians have grimace scales (felinegrimacescale.com) to help them identify the expressions of cats in pain, but Varble says additional help may become available in the form of a noninvasive device that works with the nervous system to detect pain signals. It has the potential to provide more data-driven information about how to assess pain in cats, she says.

“That could really help us not only address their pain, but also assess how our pain treatments are working. I think that’s an even bigger challenge.”

A favorite saying among veterinarians who specialize in treating cats is, “Cats aren’t little dogs.” With that mantra in mind, more medications are being developed specifically for cats, rather than adapting drugs made for dogs or humans. One of them is Bexacat, approved in December by the United States Food and Drug Administration. It’s a flavored chewable prescription medication that may improve glycemic control in some cats with diabetes.

Another is Solensia, an injectable monoclonal antibody therapy administered monthly to fight osteoarthritis pain in cats.

In the past, Varble says, medicating cats for pain was usually done on a case-by-case basis, and sometimes the risks could be high.

“Now that we’re seeing new medications being developed specifically for cats, those risks go down and the effectiveness of those medications goes up,” she says. “We’re not relying on human medications or medications introduced through the human medical field and trying to find ways to use them with animals.”

Cats are living longer, too. Lifespans of 15 to 20 years aren’t uncommon. Veterinary medicine is better able to treat the health problems of cats in this geriatric stage of life, Varble says. She looks forward to cats having not only longer lives, but better lives, with better management of common conditions in senior and geriatric cats, such as kidney disease.

It’s becoming clear that cats with kidney disease may be experiencing subclinical nausea, stomach upset and gastrointestinal issues, Varble says. They might be eating enough that they’re surviving, but they’re not always taking in enough food to thrive.

“I think one of the new things we’re going to see very soon are more treatments geared toward controlling that nausea, the GI pathology, the lesions that are associated with kidney disease in cats,” Varble says. “Even though we have good foods for them, we can optimize how the body processes those foods. I think we’re going to see a lot of medications come out geared toward that as well.”

Q&A

Live peacefully

with skunks

Q: I have dogs, and we also have skunks in our neighborhood. How can we coexist with them without the dogs getting skunked?

A: Love this question. While this column is about pets, most of us and our pets will encounter wildlife, whether we live in the city, suburbs or country. Your timing is good, too; February through the end of March is skunk breeding season. From now through May and early June, when they give birth to kits, is an important time to be extra cautious about skunk encounters. Here’s what to know.

Skunks are nocturnal. Before letting dogs out in the evening or very early morning, make some noise to give skunks a heads up that it’s time to move on.

Skunks have poor eyesight. Avoid startling them. If you meet up with one, speak softly and try to keep your dog calm as well. Back off, and the skunk will probably do the same.

It’s easy to read skunk body language. If they feel threatened by you or your dog, they will arch their backs, stamp their front paws, turn their backs or shuffle backward, lift their tails and ... hopefully you and your dog are gone by then, because if not, you’re going to get a blast of skunk musk.

Landscape your yard so that only the perimeter is of interest to skunks. They like to forage and won’t be interested in a large, open lawn. Add some mulch and shrubby cover near the fence line, and they should stick to that area.

Other ways to deter skunks are to avoid leaving out pet food, store trash in tightly sealed cans and remove lumber and junk piles. Seal foundation openings so skunks don’t den beneath your house.

Skunks can carry rabies, so keep your dog’s vaccinations up to date. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Border collie wins

truffle competition

-- Kicking off the Oregon Truffle Festival late last month was what was arguably the most exciting event: the Joriad North American Truffle Dog Championship. The competition began with 27 dogs, but that number was gradually reduced to five finalists: Bunny, a Lagotto Romagnolo handled by Rachel Su of Seattle; Pixel, a border collie handled by Courtney Vandyke of Seattle; Raji, a Pembroke Welsh corgi, and handler Ashley Rau of Grants Pass, Oregon; Stevie, a Lagotto Romagnolo handled by Nora Heider of Granite Falls, Washington; and Wilga, a wire-haired pointing griffon handled by Becca Book of Seattle. After finding 14 truffles during the competition, Team Pixel went home with a cash prize of $500, a plaque and the title of 2023 Joriad North American Truffle Dog Champion. No report on whether Pixel and Vandyke celebrated by shaving a bit of one of their finds onto their meal at the awards dinner.

-- Older pets frequently develop skin lumps and bumps, which require biopsies to identify. One potential new technology unveiled at VMX was a noninvasive way to detect skin cancer called a heat diffusing imaging device. It works by detecting cells that respond differently to heat, says Dana Varble, DVM, chief veterinary officer for the North American Veterinary Community, who watched a demonstration. “We know that those cells are more likely to be cancer cells. It’s a way to maybe avoid having to biopsy a lot of things.”

-- The Ukrainian search-and-rescue community is mourning the loss of Bim, a 12-year-old Labrador retriever who served with Ukraine’s fire and rescue service (DSNS). During his career, Bim saved the lives of 19 people and won awards in dog rescue world championships. He held an international search-and-rescue certificate and was known for locating victims even in extreme conditions. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.