Jill Bowen

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, VA 24068, or send an e-mail to mjbowen@radford.edu

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• Column archive

I have an adorable terrier mix. The only snag is that he whines all the time when I come home. I give him lots of love, but he still whines. Why does my dog whine?

Whining and similar sounds like barking and howling are just some of the ways your dog communicates how he feels. This often happens when he is left on his own.

This behavior is noticed in puppies that get separated from their mothers or siblings. It's a distress call to tell his pack members that he is scared, in pain, upset or needs something. In your dog's case, whining may be a way to communicate that he wants food, attention or affection.

Unfortunately, whining can also be a way for your dog to get what he wants when he wants it. In this case, it becomes an unconscious bad habit. It can be annoying, and you need to control the irritating habit immediately.

If he whines when you return from work, that's probably because he misses you and is glad to see you again. After a short while, he'll stop whining since he knows you're home.

If he's whining and aiming for the door, it can mean he needs to go out to relieve himself. If this is the case make sure to let him out as soon as you return home.

If your dog is whining and seems upset, something might not be right, either with him or with your environment. He could be sick, in which case you'll have to check him over or take him to the veterinarian. He might also be worried about other things within his vicinity. If the whining continues, check the house because something could be wrong.

Your dog could be whining because he loves the smell of your food and wants some. To stop this behavior from becoming a habit, train your dog to have his own place to eat, totally separate from your dinner table. If your dog is still a puppy, don't feed him table scraps, especially when you're eating at the table. He will associate your eating a meal with something good coming his way. Don't encourage this.

Most dogs like attention from you, but it can become a nuisance. Playing with your dog when you come home might put a stop the continual whining. If it doesn't, learn to ignore his bid for attention and withdraw from him. Usually, ignoring your dog will do the trick. If he continues, tell him quietly but firmly to stop. Don't touch or pet him when you're reprimanding him and avoid stroking him. Giving him a massage means he's doing a good job and will send mixed messages. If the whining continues, stand directly in his view and in a loud voice, firmly say, "No!"

Don't punish your dog to control his whining, unless you know he's misbehaving. Punishment will not solve the problem and will only aggravate the negative feelings he has. Learn to read your dog's behavior to control dog whining and impose discipline only when it's appropriate.

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I have a kitten that developed a big hole in its neck that did not heal. My veterinarian said it was a worm that could kill the kitten. He pulled out a disgusting maggoty thing from the hole.

This was a larva of Cuterebra, the rodent or rabbit botfly. These flies lay eggs around rabbit or rodent holes in the summer. Cats become infected by sniffing round these holes. The fly larvae enter a cat's mouth, nose or open wound and migrate under the skin. Once under the skin the larva encysts with a breathing hole to the outside where it lives until ready to hatch as a botfly.

The larva can grow up to an inch long. Occasionally the migrating larva ends up in the cat's brain, causing seizures.