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

Recent columns

• Invisible fences aren’t best option for every dog
• Wrap pets in protection this holiday season
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• Illness or change in environment may cause cat to stop using litter box
• Column archive

I have a dog that is a very finicky feeder. I have tried every sort of dog food on the market. Help please.

Some dogs are just naturally picky eaters, and solving the problem can be quite stressful to you and your dog. If this finicky eating routine is something new, the first step is to get him checked out by your veterinarian to make sure he is healthy.

Check that the food is not spoiled. Both dry and wet foods can expire and have changes in flavor and taste.

Constantly changing foods is a mistake. Dogs are smart, and he has probably figured out that being fussy will get him something extra tasty. If you fuss over him when he won’t eat, hand-feed  him and offer him several choices, you are reinforcing his picky behavior.

If you have been feeding him the present food for some time and he seems to not like it, try gradually introducing a new higher-quality food over the course of two or three days. When changing foods, pick a new flavor or texture that will suit his tastes. Try lamb and rice dry food as a change from beef and wheat, and add a little canned food to make it more attractive.

Warming the food may also be helpful, because  it smells better. Damp food can be heated  in the microwave or a little hot water or gravy can be added to dry food. Be sure to stir  the food well so that there are no hot spots. Sometimes broken  dog biscuit or a little meat-flavored baby food added to his regular food can help . A little shredded cheese mixed in can also be appetizing. Be careful with this option of adding tasty tidbits , as too many too often can make him fat or even more fussy.

Most dogs like a routine and like to be fed at regular times. However, some dogs like to pick at a big meal during the day. Try putting the correct amount of dry food in his bowl and walk away  — he will eat when he is hungry. Do not turn feeding time into an attention-seeking fest.

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We recently got a  kitten from the humane society.  I had to agree to have her neutered when she is old enough. I had always been told that all cats ought to have at least one litter of kittens. What do you think?

The old wives’ tale that all dogs and cats should have at least one litter before being spayed has long been disproved. In this day and age, when our animal shelters are flooded with unwanted cats and dogs, it is almost immoral to let indiscriminate breeding occur. It is the duty of all responsible pet owners to have their pets neutered.

Research has shown that there are no negative effects from early neutering. Furthermore, if the neutering is done before puberty, the operation is not only simpler, but also much less stressful on the animal. Most animals that are neutered when young are back to normal by the next day following the surgery.
The American Veterinary Medical Association supports early neutering (8 to 16 weeks old) to help stem overpopulation. When in practice, I routinely neutered dogs and cats, both males and females, at  3 months old with no untoward effects.

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Cat fact: There is speculation that cats were kept as house pets as early as 7 500 B.C. We do know that ancient Egyptian civilizations revered cats — so much  that anyone convicted of killing a cat was put to death. Cats were often mummified along with their owners.