Six secrets to keeping cats calm during veterinary visits

Andrews McMeel Syndication

For far too many feline pet parents, taking a cat to the veterinarian can resemble an MMA fight with various parties -- cat, carer, veterinary nurse and veterinarian -- being in the fight. This is a battle nobody looks forward to, everyone avoids if possible and where one or more participants can really get hurt.

Here’s why and -- better -- how to prevent it.

Cats are taken against their will for health care. They have no idea that there’s a benefit to a stranger staring into their eyes with a light, prying open their mouths, manipulating their limbs, giving vaccinations, examining wounds or performing blood draws or radiographs.

They can’t anticipate or expect the relief of fear, anxiety and stress (FAS) or pain, even if it’s only moments away. They don’t have the concept of a 30-minute visit, 15-minute exam or mere seconds for a vaccination or blood draw.

They can’t flee the threat. Not only can they not escape from the exam room, they are often harshly restrained. Imagine being scared and having someone hold you tightly.

They are taken back repeatedly to the place where they previously felt threatened or harmed.

For comparison, let’s say you’re scared of having cavities filled at the dentist, but someone forces you to go to an office on vacation. Once in the chair, the dentist speaks a foreign language and you don’t understand what’s going to happen or how it’s going to benefit you. Furthermore, you don’t know if you’re going to be in the chair for 30 minutes or three hours. You try to leave, but you find yourself strapped into the chair. Worst of all, every time you visit this country, they take you back to the same dentist office for more procedures.

Fortunately, there is a movement in the veterinary profession to make visits pleasant for the client, the veterinary staff and most important, the cat. At practices that have embraced the principles of Fear Free Pets or Cat Friendly handling techniques, 85% of feline patients that aren’t sick or injured will take a treat. Why? Three reasons:

1) Clients are told to bring cat(s) in hungry so they respond better to food rewards.

2) From the living room to the exam room, FAS levels are kept very low.

3) The treats are tasty and tempting, with more choices than a feline Golden Corral. When I practice, I offer an assortment of the following: tuna, warm deli chicken and turkey, freeze-dried chicken, baby shrimp, turkey baby food, whipped cream, cream cheese, peanut butter, Easy Cheese Cheddar ‘n Bacon, bonito fish flakes and tastiest of all, Churu paste.

If the cat refuses treats or remains fearful during the vet visit, we make a note of this in the cat’s emotional medical record, and for the next visit, we’ll do something different, including one or more of the following:

4) Special day/time. Many practices now have special times set aside for cat visits, with the most anxious cats being the first or last patients of the day.

5) Compression garments. You may have heard of Thundershirts for dogs, but did you know they also work quite well with many cats? If you wonder how compression works to calm, think of swaddling a baby or the kind of hugs you get when you’re grieving.

6) Previsit pharmaceuticals. Veterinarians now have a wide range of products to calm pets, including a particular CBD product that has undergone clinical trials at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine (ask your veterinarian), drugs like gabapentin used off-label and some FDA-approved drugs.

If you choose the right veterinary practice, you can throw away the heavy leather gloves, have a pleasant veterinary visit and come home with nary a scratch.

Q&A

No easy cure for

feather-picking

Q: Is there anything I can do to keep my bird from pulling out his own feathers? Specifically, is this a dietary problem?

A: Feather-picking is a symptom of something else that's wrong with your bird. One or more of the following can be at the root of the issue:

-- Health problems. Medical conditions behind feather-picking include allergies, parasitic infections, bacterial infections, abnormal growths (cysts) in the feather follicle, internal health problems, vitamin deficiencies and hormone-associated problems, to name a few. Low humidity can also be a factor.

-- Boredom, pent-up energy and psychological problems. Birds are active and intelligent, and they don't handle the stress of being forced to sit around in a cage all day very well. Without things to play with and stuff to destroy, and without being able to get out of the cage and exercise, birds may direct all their energy toward self-mutilation. Obsessive disorders can also trigger feather-picking, as can attention-seeking.

Find a veterinarian with experience in caring for birds as soon as the problem appears. Medical problems must be ruled out or addressed before looking at behavioral strategies.

After any medical issues are resolved, begin writing down changes to your bird’s environment and any effects they may have on his behavior. For example, a daily misting with a spray bottle and the addition of a room humidifier may help, as might different toys, a larger cage, a new cage location, keeping a radio playing during the day, covering the cage to ensure your bird gets 12 solid hours of sleep, and more interaction and play with you.

Some birds will never stop plucking. The best you can do is to remain patient, work with an avian veterinarian toward fixing the problems and love your bird no matter what he looks like. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Kim Campbell Thornton

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

THE BUZZ

Top dog and cat

health problems

-- The No. 1 problem for dogs insured by Nationwide is skin allergies. Other commonly seen problems are ear infections, diarrhea and intestinal upset, vomiting and upset stomach, skin infections, inflammation or infection of anal glands, arthritis, noncancerous skin masses, bladder infections and dental disease. For cats, the top 10 problems are kidney disease, bladder or urinary tract disease, vomiting or upset stomach, diarrhea or intestinal upset, hyperthyroidism, dental disease, diabetes, skin allergies, upper respiratory infection and ear infection.

-- Best Friends Animal Society shares six things every pet owner should know about heartworm disease: 1. The most common signs of heartworms in dogs are coughing, exercise intolerance, collapsing or fainting episodes, decreased appetite and weight loss. 2. In cats, presence of heartworms may be suggested by an asthmalike cough. 3. Dogs who take heartworm preventive should be tested for heartworms annually. 4. Animals who may have been infected with heartworms and are not taking preventive should be tested immediately and then again six months later in case of delayed onset. 5. Heartworm preventives are available as monthly injectable, topical or chewable products -- your veterinarian can help you decide which is the best choice for your dog. 6. Heartworm cannot be transmitted between pets.

-- One of the ways researchers help to protect cheetahs and African wild dogs is by collecting and analyzing their scat. That’s right -- poop patrol is important, and it wouldn’t be successful without detection dogs to find it. Enya, employed by Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, is trained to detect both cheetah and African wild dog scat. Researchers analyze it to see if the predators’ diets consist more of wild prey or of livestock. They can even identify the individual animal it’s from using DNA. Enya, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, starts work before dawn, rests during the heat of the day, then works some more after sunset. -- 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.

Do we see it in pets, too? Here’s how scientists can tell

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Perkins tractors -- two pointed rods about 3 inches long -- were made of expensive metal alloys. Thousands were purchased in 18th-century London to treat body aches -- simply wave the two rods over the aching part of your body for 20 minutes, and the pain was gone. For many, at least. British doctor John Haygarth had patients who reported their pain gone, but no physiological reason explained why. Haygarth wanted answers.

He tested several patients at a British hospital with fake Perkins tractors made of cheap wood. They worked just as well as the expensive alloy ones at relieving pain, thus demonstrating the placebo effect for the first time.

Placebos today can be oral (proverbial sugar pill), topical (creams with no active ingredients) or intra-articular (saline injected into a joint). Researchers from Tufts Medical Center found that patients with osteoarthritis reacted differently depending on the type of placebo administered. Intra-articular placebos were more effective at relieving pain than topical placebos, and topical placebos were more effective than oral placebos. Further, the difference in effect between an intra-articular placebo and an oral placebo was often larger than the difference between active pain-relief drugs (acetaminophen, naproxen, ibuprofen) and oral placebos.

The type of placebo isn’t all that’s related to effectiveness. Studies show that when doctors appear competent (don’t mishandle the blood pressure cuff or drop a reflex tool) and warm (call patients by name and make eye contact), patients feel better, resulting in a greater placebo effect.

Can pets experience the placebo effect? If so, is it connected to the veterinarian, caregiver or both?

It would seem that in animals, a placebo response would require knowledge that treatment was an intentional effort to heal or relieve pain. We know from FearFreePets.com that most animals feel like they’re being harmed or hurt when treated. Yet there are explanations for why animals might experience a placebolike effect.

Take conditioning. There’s no better example than Pavlov’s dogs, who would salivate at the sound of a bell. Conditioning can show body changes resulting from exposure to a stimulus that previously produced that change. If animals were able to form an association between treatment-related signals -- attention from the pet parent, gentle handling, the way the pet parent behaves toward the animal when receiving treatment -- and relief of pain or distress, expectancies of treatment effects might develop for either the pet, pet parent or both.

It's well-known that therapies can induce placebo effects in pet parents. Client expectations can be powerful motivators. Having seen the pet receive therapy (laser treatment, for example) or medication, pet parents expect to see positive results.

Veterinarian David Ramey says, “When doctors claim effectiveness for a treatment beyond the evidence in the belief that they’re doing the patient a favor by inducing a ‘placebo effect’ to the animal’s supposed benefit, they are abusing three trusted roles: expert, authority figure and comforter.”

I want to draw attention to three of Ramsey’s words: beyond the evidence. I can think of no greater example of “beyond the evidence” than the current wildly exaggerated claims of the effectiveness of CBD to treat almost every pet malady from joint pain to epilepsy. As a pet parent, veterinarian and skeptical scientist, I see these products promoted online, in stores, at farmer’s markets and even sold in multilevel marketing programs. The truth? Probably 99% of these products have no effect on healing, pain relief or reducing fear, anxiety and stress.

Why? Because of the specific ingredients used, concentration and dosage. One company makes CBD products that have undergone rigorous clinical trials at a prestigious college of veterinary medicine. These specific strains (grown in one location in Colorado) have shown clinically proven efficacy for treating epilepsy, skin issues, joint pain, and reduction of fear, anxiety and stress.

If you want to try CBD, ask your veterinarian to recommend a product with real science behind it.

Q&A

Muzzle training

for safety

Q: I’m seeing more and more suggestions that dogs should learn to wear muzzles. My dog is friendly, so what’s the benefit?

A: We are among those who believe that every dog should be familiar with wearing a muzzle -- even if they are the sweetest, best-behaved dogs in the world. There are a lot of good reasons why a dog might need to wear a muzzle. Let’s go over them.

No. 1 is that a muzzle keeps everyone safe. Let’s say that your dog has been hit by a car and you need to get her to the ER right away. Dogs in pain are likely to snap or bite. Putting a muzzle on them before you try to move them protects you during that process and protects veterinary staff at the hospital.

Another reason is in case of a natural disaster that requires you to leave your home and seek public shelter. Your dog might be friendly, but if you have to stay in a crowded shelter with other people and dogs, the shelter may require that all dogs be muzzled to prevent any injuries from dog fights.

Reason three: Some dogs can’t resist eating things they find on the ground, from toxic toadstools to dead animals. Wearing a muzzle helps to prevent tummy upset, poisoning and blockages.

It’s easier to manage these situations if your dog is already familiar with wearing a muzzle. And it’s not difficult to teach dogs to wear them. Encourage them to stick their head in the muzzle by smearing it with something tasty like peanut butter or squeeze cheese. Once they are comfortable putting their head inside it and being rewarded for doing so, you can practice buckling it and then letting your dog wear it.

Learn more about muzzle training here: fearfreehappyhomes.com/dog-meets-muzzle-how-to-make-the-introduction. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Try massage

for pet comfort

-- Does your dog or cat love being petted? Massage might be a logical next step. Giving a massage offers the opportunity to do a thorough body check, searching for areas where the pet appears to be sore or making note of lumps, bumps or wounds that should be addressed with the veterinarian. Keep a light hand on the animal as you move from one area of the body to another. This can be reassuring and more relaxing than if you frequently move your hands on and off the body. Adjust pressure and speed according to how the animal responds. In most cases, pets are more tolerant of being touched and massaged in such areas as the back, sides, chest and neck. Areas that are more likely to be sensitive include tail, legs, paws and face (and the belly in cats). Finally, move your hands with, rather than against, the direction of the fur.

-- You might think of trimming your bird’s wings as a safety measure, but it’s not necessarily in a bird’s best interests. Flight is a natural behavior, and wing trims inhibit that, causing muscle atrophy, decreased bone density from lack of exercise and broken blood feathers from crash landings. Inability to fly also affects a bird’s posture, potentially resulting in pain and orthopedic problems. We think it’s better to take precautions that allow birds to navigate their environment safely than to restrict an instinctive behavior that’s essential for well-being.

-- Upcoming June animal celebrations include National Adopt a Cat Month, National Pet Preparedness Month, Pet Appreciation Week (June 4-10), International Corgi Day (June 4), World Pet Memorial Day (June 13), Take Your Cat to Work Day (June 19 -- may be best celebrated by working at home) and Take Your Dog to Work Day (June 23). -- 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.

7 things you may not know about your cat

Andrews McMeel Syndication

You don’t have to know much about cats to know they’re among the best companions you can have. But the more you know, the more you’ll enjoy their unique traits and entertaining company, and the more you’ll be amazed by the peculiarities people have ascribed to them over many millennia.

I’m a 43-year veteran veterinarian, a lifetime cat lover and the author of 23 books on dogs and cats. While I still continue to learn feline facts, tips and tactics, I’d like to share with you some things many of you might not know about your feline family members.

1. The cat walk. If you’ve ever watched dogs walk, you may have noticed that they alternate sides when they step. In other words, the right front paw steps forward at the same time the left rear paw does. Their natural gait is a trot. Cats move differently. They step with both left paws, then both right paws. Their natural gait is called a pace, and camels and giraffes are the only other animals with the pace as their natural gait.

2. Cat feces Rx. The ancient Romans believed feline feces had healing powers. They used a concoction of honey, cat dung, spices and fat to heal burns and wounds. The Romans also thought drinking from lead cups was a great idea, so I don’t recommend trying this ancient burn ointment at home.

3. A hairball can help you win at Scrabble. Cats are great self-groomers and have a very raspy tongue (I often joke that it feels like a caterpillar wearing golf shoes) that can pull out a lot of hair, which the cat then swallows. Hair is indigestible, so when it enters a cat’s stomach, it has two exits: up or out. When it comes up, it’s a hairball (though it actually looks more like a slimy cigar).

The scientific name for a hairball is trichobezoar: “tricho” from the Greek word thrix, meaning hair, and “bezoar” from the Arabic word bazahr or Persian word padzahr, both meaning antidote. Bezoar is a great Scrabble word -- 17 points based on letters alone!

In early times, as far back as 1000 B.C. and continuing to the 11th century and beyond, trichobezoars were thought to have medicinal properties, especially for counteracting poisons as well as treating such diverse maladies as plague, dysentery, epilepsy and venomous bites. As with the aforementioned Roman remedy, I don’t recommend this treatment.

4. Why cats don’t need sunglasses. Cats are different than humans, dogs and most other animals in that the pupils of their eyes reduce to slits rather than tiny circles. Because the cat’s eyelids close at right angles to the vertical pupil, a cat can further reduce the amount of light entering the eye by bringing the eyelids closer and closer together. This works similar to the shutter on a vintage camera.

5. Who hears better? If you compare a human, dog and cat, the cat wins. Cats can hear nearly 3 times more frequencies than humans can. Technically, human hearing tops out at 20 kilohertz, a dog’s at 45 kHz, with cats at 80 kHz. Cats are able to hear a mouse walking 30 feet away or a bat in flight.

6. Do cats age seven years for every human year? No. In fact, dogs don’t either. A 1-year-old cat has reached full adult size and sexual maturity. This would be the equivalent of an 18-year-old human being. After the first year, a “four equals one” rule works pretty well. So a 10-year-old cat would be the equivalent of 54 human years: 18 (the first year) + 36 (4 x 9 years) = 54.

7. What are a cat’s whiskers for? A cat’s whiskers are deep-set, highly sensitive hairs called vibrissae (another great Scrabble word). These sensitive detection devices can perceive wind direction, help the cat gauge if they can fit through an opening and are important for body language signaling. If the whiskers are forward, the cat is friendly or curious. If they are pinned back, don’t approach or touch.

Q&A

Do dogs get

the mumps?

Q: I saw an old news story on social media about a woman whose dog caught the mumps from her. Do dogs get the mumps, and could they really catch them from a person?

A: Crazily enough, it can happen, but it’s extremely rare, in part because vaccinations protect humans from getting the mumps.

What the heck are the mumps? This viral infection (known as a paramyxovirus) of the parotid salivary glands gives human sufferers -- usually young kids or high school or college students who haven’t been vaccinated -- the look of a chipmunk whose cheeks are stuffed with nuts.

In rare instances, dogs who are exposed to people with the mumps can develop a crossover infection. Signs in dogs are fever, lack of appetite and swelling below the ears, the result of those swollen parotid glands.

Other paramyxoviruses include measles and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Dogs with the mumps typically recover in five to 10 days. They need to drink plenty of water and keep up their food intake. Ask your veterinarian for suggestions of special dog-friendly meals you can give to encourage them to eat. Foods that are soft and easy to swallow may be a good choice. If your dog isn’t drinking enough water, subcutaneous fluids can help them to stay hydrated.

Dogs with mumps may have a fever. If it’s high, your veterinarian can prescribe medication to help bring it down. Don’t give your own over-the-counter medication for fever, as these drugs can be toxic to dogs. And remember that antibiotics won’t help because this disease is caused by a virus, not bacteria.

If a member of your family has the mumps, protect your dog by keeping them apart until the infection has run its course. By the way, there’s no evidence of people getting mumps from dogs. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

How to teach

dogs their name

-- It’s important for dogs to respond to their names, especially when you need to get their attention quickly. Teach them to tune in by saying their name once and following up with a treat or a quick playtime with a favorite toy. If your dog doesn’t respond immediately, up the ante by using a high-pitched, happy tone of voice, inviting body language or the sound of a crinkled treat bag. Play the “name game” at random throughout the day, including at mealtimes just before you put down the food bowl, or when it’s time for a walk.

-- A pet may need to have a limb amputated if they are hit by a car or have developed bone cancer or a nervous system disorder. You may be anxious if your pet needs to have a limb amputated, but animals have two advantages over humans facing amputation: It’s easier for them to adjust because they start with four legs instead of two, and they don’t have any preconceived notions about their appearance or their ability to get around with only three legs. Most animals adapt rapidly to losing a limb, although recovery may take longer for seniors or pets with cancer. Learn more here: fearfreehappyhomes.com/pet-losing-a-limb-how-to-help-him-get-back-on-his-feet.

-- Never underestimate your cat’s (or dog’s) ability to pull a zipper open, especially when they’re riding in the car in a zippered carrier. One cat lover recalls the time she was driving in the fast lane and suddenly heard the sound of passenger side window being lowered, followed by the sound of wind rushing into the car. Her feline passenger had unzipped the carrier from the inside, climbed out and opened the window when she stood on the control while looking out the window. Now she puts a safety clip on every zipper on every carrier. -- 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.