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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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Q We recently adopted a dog from the Humane Society, she looks like a basenji, but the Humane Society people thought it unlikely. They suggested that if we really wanted to know her makeup, we should have her DNA tested. Is this possible, and if so how do I go about it and is it expensive?

A There are several types of DNA tests available. One is a kit that can be bought online or from a local pet store. This uses a swab taken from inside the cheek and is offered by MetaMorphix Inc. in Maryland and Biopet Vet Lab in Knoxville, Tenn.

MetaMorphix offers a two-level DNA test. The standard breed test costing $70 can identify a range of approximately 50 dog breeds, while the "XL" breed test costing $120 identifies the DNA from about 100 breeds.

The Mars company offers a test from a base of 157 dog breeds. This test requires a blood sample that is taken at your veterinarian's office and costs $200 or more, but does include a follow-up visit with the veterinarian to review the results. A spokesperson for MetaMorphix said that the cheek swab test is as effective as the blood test although fewer breeds are identified.

A reader of this column had their dog's DNA checked by the cheek swab method and was both surprised and delighted with the result. They had thought that their rescue dog might be a terrier mix; it turned out to be 75 percent poodle, 14 percent Yorkie and 10 percent West Highland White Terrier.

Q What is the condition known as FHS in cats? I was reading in my cat magazine, and it was mentioned in passing as a possible differential diagnosis for a cat with a tail abscess.

A Feline hyperesthesia syndrome (FHS) is a specific condition in cats that seems to be on the increase. FHS has a number of other names including neurodermatitis, Rippling, Rolling or Twitchy skin syndrome, Neuritis or Hyperkinesis. It is a complicated problem and probably has a number of causes.

Signs of FHS can develop at any age, but are usually seen between 1 and 4 years old. Many cats show the signs in a mild form, but with FHS the signs are extreme. Such cats may show all or only some of the following symptoms and in various combinations.

This may be as mild as rippling skin along the back, or biting or licking at their tails and flanks. In more severe cases, some cats become "glassy eyed" with widely dilated pupils and appear to be hallucinating, meowing frantically, swishing their tails, stopping to lick violently when running round the house in a crazy manner.

Some cats even attack their owners in one of these periods of frenzied activity. Many cats and kittens may do this, but in a much milder form than cats that suffer from FHS.

To date, no physical or medical reason for FHS has been identified and it is thought that it is possibly a mental problem.

Some cats with severe FHS have been found to have an abnormal electro-encephalograph (EEG) that disappears when the cat is sedated. There are no treatments that are 100 percent effective, especially as the cause for this behavior is unknown and so many cats appear to have the condition in a mild form that causes no problem.

My own calico cat has this condition in a mild form, occasionally leaping around the furniture for a few minutes in the evening, She also hates having the area on her back near her tail stroked, and unwary guests are bitten if they persist in stroking that area.

It is known that FHS appears more frequently in totally indoor cats, nervous and loner cats, or in homes where they are bored, ignored or overcrowded. Some people have suggested that some commercial cat foods that are high in preservatives may have a bearing on this condition.