This behavior is sometimes seen in cats and is commonly called “wool sucking”. The behavior is sometimes seen in kittens who were bottle babies or weaned from their mothers too soon. The suckling behavior is calming and comforting for the cat and is thought to elicit good feelings. The big problem with your cat’s situation (aside from the fact that your clothes and socks are getting eaten) is that the amount of fabric she is eating may cause an intestinal blockage and result in an expensive surgery. Try to keep a log or journal of when she does the behavior and see if it seems to be associated with a certain time or if there are any stressful things happening to the cat that may induce this behavior. If you notice a pattern, see if you can remove or avoid the thing that sets her off. The first step is to avoid inadvertently reinforcing the behavior. If she is chewing/sucking on the fabric, make sure you do not pet or cuddle with her which may encourage the behavior. Instead, gently interrupt the behavior by saying (not yelling) the cat’s name and picking her up and removing her from the clothing. If she returns and tries again, repeat the process and remove her from the clothing gently without punishment or negativity. Of course you will still have to be diligent about keeping the desirable items out of her reach as much as possible. The second step is to help her fixation by finding other more acceptable outlets, especially food related. You can try taking her dry cat food and separating it onto 10 different small shallow dishes, then hiding the dishes all over the house (behind the couch, on top of the refrigerator, in different rooms and on different levels all over the house). You can also try offering her cat treats and chews as well as cat toys with openings for hiding treats and food. As a last resort, if she is still not behaving, your veterinarian may prescribe behavioral medications to help reduce her anxiety.    « less

There are a couple of possibilities for what you are describing. One of which is a reverse sneeze. A reverse sneeze can be caused by some irritation in the very back of the dog’s nasal passages but can also be brought on during periods of excitement. When this is occurring, it sounds as if the dog is coughing or choking and many owners have called or brought their dogs into the hospital in a panic because they did not know what this was. Although it sounds very dramatic when the dog is actually doing it, there is no emergency or cause for concern and usually the episode passes within a few minutes. Sometimes a pat on the chest will help make them stop. Another possibility is that there is a problem with her swallowing reflex or the motility in her esophagus. These disorders are very serious and can lead to aspiration of food or water into the lungs causing a severe pneumonia. Usually, if this is the cause, there will be other signs such as regurgitation of food or a chronic cough. Regardless, it would be wise to see your family veterinarian to have her examined.    « less

If you are planning on a lengthy car ride, it will probably be stressful for them. However, moving in general will be a stressful event. If you are moving to a state that you can get to in a 1 or 2 day drive, you may be alright. Any more than that and you may want to consider flying. The flight itself will be stressful for all, no doubt, but at least it will be over quickly and the cats can start to adjust to their new homes on the same day. Regardless, you may also want to consider using a mild sedative for them during the travel to help calm them and make the trip easier. If you have a lot of time between now and your trip, the ideal thing to do would be to get them used to driving in the car and being in cat carriers. Start by first taking time to get the cats used to the cat carriers by making them a pleasant place to be – place a soft bed inside and make it a place where they can go to relax and be undisturbed by others. You can purchase cat pheromones (such as Fel-I-Way) to spray on the carrier as a calming influence. Also, when it is time to feed – give them their food in the carrier so they begin to associate it with good feelings. Hopefully, after doing this for some time, you will see the cat frequently walking into the carrier voluntarily throughout the day. The next step is getting them used to the car. Just start with short drives several times a week and then returning home, again keeping the whole experience as positive as possible. You may even want to give them a treat if they are relaxed and quiet in the car to reward their calm behavior. Gradually, start increasing the amount of time in the carrier in the car until you are confident they will be able to make a long trip as stress-free as possible.    « less

This is by far one of the most delicate subjects I encounter as a veterinarian. And I assure you that, in my experience, it has never been an issue with female owners, or with female dogs for that matter. Nobody seems to be concerned that taking away a female dog’s reproductive rights is cruel and offensive to the dog’s “woman-hood”. I wish I knew exactly what to say to men who feel so strongly about this point to convince them that neutering their dog is in the best interest of everybody if they are not planning on breeding him. I really believe that some guys take it very personally if I suggest that their dog be castrated. I try to take an objective approach and outline the benefits of neutering to the owner and hope for the best. But, to be honest, I have found it extremely difficult to change minds on this subject. There are many benefits to neutering male dogs, most of which are the prevention of some undesirable behaviors such as urine marking, territorialism, the urge to roam, humping/mounting, and aggression. In addition, there are financial incentives to have the dogs neutered because the license fee for intact pets is far higher. In fact, the city of Los Angeles recently passed an ordinance requiring pets to be neutered or spayed by 4 months of age. If you do not have them neutered by this age, you may have to pay hefty fees unless you have a special permit (for breeding animals) or a veterinarian’s certification that your pet cannot undergo surgery for medical reasons. This ordinance only applies to those areas that are covered by L.A. city or county animal control and does not apply to cities with their own animal control (such as Torrance). Neutering dogs will also help prevent unwanted puppies from entering the world from an accidental pregnancy if the intact dogs should escape the yard. Many people believe that neutering their pet will change its personality, however, this is not true. Their pet will still be the same active, happy dog even without their testicles. I wish I could assure you that the unwanted behaviors of these two intact dogs will definitely stop after surgery, however the problem is that neutering them when they are older does not guarantee that these behaviors will stop. If you have a male dog neutered early in life (before puberty hits at around 6 months), chances are that you will prevent most, if not all, of these undesirable behaviors from ever developing. However, if you wait until they have learned these behaviors for many years, they may not stop doing them just because the hormones have been removed.    « less

Theoretically, yes, they can get poison ivy but it would have to be in a poorly-haired or non-haired area, like on their belly after running through the bushes. There have been no officially documented cases that I am aware of, however. The interesting thing is that people can get poison ivy from their pets! If a dog or cat is roaming around outside and picks up the plant’s oils on its fur and a person who is sensitive to the poison ivy touches their fur, they can actually break out with a bad rash. These people usually have to have their pets bathed regularly to prevent this from happening.    « less

This is often how dogs greet each other in packs and she is jumping up to say hello or to get attention. However, she needs to learn that this behavior is unacceptable and is bad manners, especially because it sounds like she is probably growing into quite a large dog. Here are some suggestions on how to get her to behave appropriately. Every time you come home when she comes to greet you and jumps up, fold your arms across your chest and turn your back on her. Do not say a word to her because any communication can be seen as attention, even if it is negative. You may have to keep turning away as she comes around the other side of you to jump up again. Do not make eye contact in any way during this process and stay this way until she is quietly sitting at your feet. When she sits down quietly, she can then have a gentle pat hello and a treat. Repeat this process every day until she realizes that when it is time to greet, it is done with a quiet sit. After she gets the hang of it with you, you may need a friend or family member who does not see her regularly to repeat the process as a stranger. Eventually she should get the point that jumping up is not going to get her the attention she desires, but a quiet sit will get her love, attention and a tasty treat.    « less

There are a couple of reasons why your cat may be doing this. It could be a medical issue - for instance, it could be a variant of pica (a desire to consume abnormal things). Pica can be a result of many things such as anemia (low blood count), Feline Leukemia Virus, gastrointestinal disease and hyperthyroidism to name a few. It could be a nutritional issue - for instance, he may be craving the salt on the rocks because of a deficiency in his diet. Or it may be behavioral - a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Of course there is also always the possibility that something yummy was on the rocks and he just wanted a taste.   « less

Cataracts are basically anything causing a lack of transparency within the lens of the eye (which is located in the pupil or black center of the eye). In many dogs, there is an aging change called nuclear slcerosis where the lens will take on a hazy appearance. This condition is not the same as a cataract and is a normal aging change which must be distinguished from the abnormal cataracts. Cataracts can be either primary or secondary. Primary cataracts can be hereditary in some pure-bred dogs or can be due to aging in some dogs. Secondary cataracts have an identifiable underlying cause such as diabetes, trauma, luxation of the lens, or an infection in the eye. Part of the problem with cataracts is that it obscures the dog’s ability to see. The amount of vision loss depends on how much of the lens is covered by the cataract. The other part of the problem is that the cataract can cause inflammation in the eye (uveitis) which can be uncomfortable and which can predispose them to glaucoma (excessive pressure in the eye) which is very painful. The treatment of choice of cataracts is to remove the lens with surgery. If surgery is not an option, then monitoring for and treating aggressively for any uveitis that develops is imperative to prevent the development of glaucoma and possible loss of the eye. Keep in mind, however, that an acute onset squinty, watery, painful eye can also be caused by a scratch on the eye so make sure you have it checked by your veterinarian to be sure.    « less

Feline asthma is a difficult and sometimes life-threatening illness. The symptoms can range from a mild cough, wheezing, noisy breathing or severe respiratory distress. It can be caused by an allergy to something in the environment (similar to asthma in people) or an attack can be brought on by an irritant in the air (such as cigarette smoke, perfumes, flea powders, smoke from a bar-b-cue, etc). Unfortunately, there are also a lot of illnesses that can cause symptoms that look exactly like asthma. For example, heart disease can cause fluid build-up in the lungs causing asthma-like symptoms. Feline heartworms, which are spread by the bite of a mosquito, can also cause asthma-like symptoms. Infections such as pneumonia, lungworms or a fungal infection in the lungs can also mimic asthma. So the first step is always making sure that you are treating the right disease. Diagnosing asthma involves a series of tests to both confirm the illness as well as to rule out the impersonators. These tests include (but are not limited to) chest x-rays, blood tests, a fecal exam, an ultrasound of the heart, and samples from the airways are taken for the lab to examine. The cornerstone of treatment is steroid therapy to reduce the inflammation and stop the allergic reaction. Steroids can be given one of three ways – as an injection, as an oral medication (Prednisolone), or as an inhaler (Flovent from GlaxoSmithKline is often used successfully in cats when used with a special chamber for the cat to breathe in the medication, such as Aerokat by Trudell Medical Int’l). Other medications that may also be used include antibiotics, immune-modulating medications, and bronchodilators to help open up the airways. For your cat, I would speak with your veterinarian about using an inhaled steroid and possibly an inhaled or an oral bronchodilator to help manage his symptoms. Of course, first you must make sure that you are truly treating asthma and not another impersonator disease. Often cats who have had asthma for years develop another illness which can make it look like the asthma is uncontrolled when, in fact, a second disease is rearing its ugly head and needs a separate treatment.    « less

Transporting pets into another country is fraught with red tape and sometimes-unreasonable requirements. Each country sets their own requirements in order to ensure the safety of their population and livestock. The UK has one of the most stringent requirements in that you have to have a Rabies Titer blood test followed by a 6 month waiting period before you can leave (among many other requirements). In general, I have found very little wiggle room allowed from other countries with regards to their pet travel requirements. Those who have tried to skirt by even the most minor of requirements often end up with their pets in a long 6 month quarantine at their own cost. Because of this, I doubt that you will be able to get past the waiting period here. However, you can contact the consulate for the UK to see if there is any loophole available.    « less