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Q: Why do dogs and cats rub their bottoms along the ground sometimes? Is is that they have worms?
A: There are two main reasons that dogs and cats might do this:
1. Blocked anal glands (this is by far the most common reason dogs and cats would drag their bottoms).
2. Worms (much less common than the above).
Interestingly, most clients I have whose dog is dragging its bottom assume it is because of worms but as stated above, worms are a much less common cause of this.....so it must be a bit of an old wives tail about the worms I'm guessing?
The other thing I should add is that if their anal glands are blocked, they will need to come to the vets to get them squeezed out to unblock them. For regulars in the blocked anal gland department, I've even taught some keen dog owners to squeeze their own dog's anal glands!
Q: Dear Dr Kolenc, my Long-billed Corella has a very long beak - should it be trimmed?
A: NO!!! Do not trim your long-beaked Corella's beak. It is the way that these birds are meant to be.
NOTE - please remember that this site is dedicated to dog and cat issues. Admin.
Q: What pain killers are available for cats?
A: There are some pain relieving medications available for cats, but they are only available from a vet after a consultation. ALL HUMAN PAIN KILLERS ARE EXTREMELY TOXIC TO CATS - EVEN PARACETAMOL CAN BE FATAL TO CATS. Some of the pain relieving medications we use in cats might have side effects, so the actual medication we use in any 1 cat will be carefully selected after taking into account several different factors in that individual cat. Sometimes we even need to perform blood tests (mainly to check liver and kidney function) prior to starting a cat on pain relief. If you feel that your cat is in pain, he/she should be examined by a veterinarian and the appropriate treatment prescribed. This is also important because we often need to diagnose the cause of the pain and treat that cause. Giving pain killers to mask the pain rather than treat the cause will do just that - mask the pain, which will often return once pain killers are stopped.
And yes, this is a good opportunity to remind people not to self-diagnose problems in their animals, especially in the area of pain relief. The reason for this is i recently read the results of a survey done on pet owners, and run by a drug company who were developing a new pain killer for dogs and cats. The survey asked people how they recognised the signs of pain in their pets (ie: what symptoms an owner thought their dog or cat would display if it was in pain). Surprisingly, a very large proportion of people simply did not know/could not recognise the signs of pain in their pet. I guess this stands to reason, as pain is a subjective thing - what is painful to 1 person or animal wont be painful to another person or animal. Also, the way in which animals display pain will vary considerably from 1 to another. So, if someone suspects their cat is in pain, they should do the responsible thing and bring him/her to the vet.
Q: My cat wont use the litter to wet in but will do it on the floor near it. She will use it to poo in . how can I get her to use the litter.
A: There are a few things to try. First, try a different type of litter. Second, try putting another litter tray down somewhere else in the house (if you have a big house, 3 or more litters may be needed). Make sure the litter tray(s) are always clean. If your cat previously did urinate in the litter tray and now all of a sudden it wont, it could be possibly due to stress or a urinary tract problem (and should be seen by a vet to have a urine sample tested).
Q: What do you think of pet insurance? Do you have any advice – like is this something you should enrol for when your pet is a puppy or a kitten?
A: I consider pet insurance to be essential. As a vet, I will admit that vet fees are not cheap - and we are constantly facing increased costs on our overheads. Also, the demand on vets for A+++ treatment is rising. Twenty years ago veterinary surgery and medicine was relatively primitive but nowadays, we perform chemotherapy on pets with cancer, spinal surgery on dogs with "slipped discs", etc etc - the range and quality of our work is paralleling the human medical field. So, with rising costs, more treatmets available, and more demand for these treatments, costs will only get higher over time. A lot of clients comment to me "jeese, I wish there was medicare for pets". While there isnt medicare, there is private health insurance. Insuring your pet's health will mean you never have to face the sometimes significant financial burdens of looking after them. Unfortunately, sometimes the treatment we can give animals is limited by finances. Sometimes animals are euthanased due to financial reasons which is a very sad reality that I do see from time to time. A lot of clients tell me they will not take out insurance as it is too expensive. Actually it is not that expensive. There are several companies offering health insurance and some offer plans for less than $10 per month. Likewise, they have a relatively low excess. Supposing your excess was $100 (it is often less than that)......thatwould mean for the life of your pet, the most it will cost you to come to the vet is $100 for any 1 problem. So a $2000 surgery will cost you $100. If your dog gets cancer, the $5000 (or a lot more) treatment will only cost you $100. When i think about it in those terms, if a dog or cat has 1 major illness or injury throughout its life, the money you have spent on insurance will be much cheaper than the fees you otherwise would have to pay. I have a client with an accident prone puppy. This puppy is six months old and already has cost the owner almost $3000 in vet fees - I bet she wishes she had her pup insured (thankfully, now she does).
In summary, pet insurance can mean that you can expect the very best veterinary treatment for your pet - and that we can provide that treatment - without ever having to worry about the financial burden of treatment. I would advise to get all new puppies and kittens insured as soon as you get them - and to keep them insured their whole life.
