Sunday, August 12, 2007
Puppies need attention, regular routine
Paws & Claws
Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas. She lives in Blacksburg now, and answers local pet owners' questions every week in The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com.
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Our family is getting a puppy soon. We have never had one before; what are a few dos and don’ts?
Knowing how to understand your new puppy is the key to enjoying it.
First of all, you need a veterinarian. Your new puppy will need vaccinations, checkups and neutering. Ask your friends which veterinarian they use.
Veterinary treatments can be expensive, so it might be a good idea to check out pet insurance. The cost depends on what procedures or treatment your dog needs.
Some dogs like to be in charge of everything, but it is important that you are the boss. Be consistent about the rules of behavior and enforce them. Dogs are intelligent creatures and can follow rules. They are also able to break them and pretend not to know better. If you are not strict with them over some misbehavior, they will continue behaving in that way.
In many ways, you can treat a dog like a child. Be patient but firm.
Dogs like routines. They are creatures of habit and like things done the same way. Dogs know what time they get fed, what they are expected to do and when they can expect a walk. Meal times should be consistent and the dog needs to sleep in the same place every night. Training the puppy to sleep in a crate or cage gives him a feeling of security, a place he can always retreat to when tired or bored. It should also contain a few of his favorite toys.
Even if you find routines dull, your dog finds them comforting. Do not skip on exercise and food. Ensure that as a puppy grows he has regular exercise that is increased as he becomes an adult. Provide him with a healthy diet, foods that are recommended for each stage of his development. Table scraps and treats should be reserved for occasions when the dog has been particularly good or something special happens; table scraps should not be an everyday occurrence.
Puppies love to chew things. They will chew anything from clothing to electrical cords or television remote controls, and especially shoes. This chewing can be dangerous as well as inconvenient.
Forbidden items should be kept out of the dog’s reach and the puppy taught that only chew toys are to be chewed. Do not give him an old shoe because a puppy is not able to tell the difference between an old sneaker and a brand-new sneaker. Ensure that your puppy has a few chew toys of varying shapes and textures, so he does not get bored and chew your furnishings instead.
* * *
I have an elderly Siamese cat and just recently I have noticed that she seems to have a gra y film inside her eyes. If she were a person, I would think it was a cataract, but I have never heard of cataracts in cats.
Cataracts are rare in cats but they can occur. Some old cats develop what appear to be cataracts, but in fact they are sclerosis of the lens due to aging. This does not interfere to any great extent with their vision.
Hereditary cataracts have been reported in the Persian, Himalayan and Birman cat breeds with both male and female being equally affected. Hereditary cataracts may be congenital (present at birth) or appear at any time from several months of age to many years depending on the breed. Congenital cataracts may or may not progress and do not usually cause severe loss of sight.
In those rare cases where the cataract progresses and becomes mature and where the cat is obviously blind, the cataracts can be removed surgically and a plastic lens inserted in place of the old lens. Normally this is done one eye at a time. Cataract removal is a highly specialized procedure and should only be undertaken by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist.
Knowing how to understand your new puppy is the key to enjoying it.
First of all, you need a veterinarian. Your new puppy will need vaccinations, checkups and neutering. Ask your friends which veterinarian they use.
Veterinary treatments can be expensive, so it might be a good idea to check out pet insurance. The cost depends on what procedures or treatment your dog needs.
Some dogs like to be in charge of everything, but it is important that you are the boss. Be consistent about the rules of behavior and enforce them. Dogs are intelligent creatures and can follow rules. They are also able to break them and pretend not to know better. If you are not strict with them over some misbehavior, they will continue behaving in that way.
In many ways, you can treat a dog like a child. Be patient but firm.
Dogs like routines. They are creatures of habit and like things done the same way. Dogs know what time they get fed, what they are expected to do and when they can expect a walk. Meal times should be consistent and the dog needs to sleep in the same place every night. Training the puppy to sleep in a crate or cage gives him a feeling of security, a place he can always retreat to when tired or bored. It should also contain a few of his favorite toys.
Even if you find routines dull, your dog finds them comforting. Do not skip on exercise and food. Ensure that as a puppy grows he has regular exercise that is increased as he becomes an adult. Provide him with a healthy diet, foods that are recommended for each stage of his development. Table scraps and treats should be reserved for occasions when the dog has been particularly good or something special happens; table scraps should not be an everyday occurrence.
Puppies love to chew things. They will chew anything from clothing to electrical cords or television remote controls, and especially shoes. This chewing can be dangerous as well as inconvenient.
Forbidden items should be kept out of the dog’s reach and the puppy taught that only chew toys are to be chewed. Do not give him an old shoe because a puppy is not able to tell the difference between an old sneaker and a brand-new sneaker. Ensure that your puppy has a few chew toys of varying shapes and textures, so he does not get bored and chew your furnishings instead.
* * *
I have an elderly Siamese cat and just recently I have noticed that she seems to have a gra y film inside her eyes. If she were a person, I would think it was a cataract, but I have never heard of cataracts in cats.
Cataracts are rare in cats but they can occur. Some old cats develop what appear to be cataracts, but in fact they are sclerosis of the lens due to aging. This does not interfere to any great extent with their vision.
Hereditary cataracts have been reported in the Persian, Himalayan and Birman cat breeds with both male and female being equally affected. Hereditary cataracts may be congenital (present at birth) or appear at any time from several months of age to many years depending on the breed. Congenital cataracts may or may not progress and do not usually cause severe loss of sight.
In those rare cases where the cataract progresses and becomes mature and where the cat is obviously blind, the cataracts can be removed surgically and a plastic lens inserted in place of the old lens. Normally this is done one eye at a time. Cataract removal is a highly specialized procedure and should only be undertaken by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist.
