Everything you've always wanted to know about pets (but were afraid to ask your vet)

You may have a powerful psychic bond with your dog, and he may do a howling rendition of Rolling In The Deep, but the fact is, he can’t tell you exactly how he feels. Until our pets — our cats insist on the term “animal housemates” — learn human speech or we work out the basics of inter-species telepathy, we need to consult veterinarians for their health concerns.

This week our feline housemates’ very busy doctor, Mayem Yao, DVM, of Pendragon Veterinary Clinic, found the time to answer our nagging questions about basic dog and cat care.

PHILIPPINE STAR: What are the most common dog and cat problems you deal with at your clinic?

MAYEM YAO: With dogs, Ehrlichiosis is a common problem. Ehrlichiosis is a disease similar to dengue in humans. It’s caused by a blood parasite that they get from ticks which is actually similar to dengue. And it’s zoonotic, that is, transferrable to humans.

With cats, usually trauma cases from vehicular accidents, or metabolic diseases. But we get substantially fewer cat cases than dog cases.

How can you tell if your pet is too fat?

In general if you can no longer feel your pets’ ribs, then your pet is considered obese. Ideally you should be able to feel their ribs, but see only the last (floating rib) when the pet is in motion. If you can still feel all the ribs but cannot see any of them, then your pet is overweight but not obese. Spayed or neutered pets have a tendency to become too fat.

Lots of pets live in apartments. Could you give us tips on how they can get more exercise?

For cats it’s usually best to build some sort of cattery. These usually contain scratching posts and areas for them to jump up and climb around. Regular

playtime is also a good thing.

As for dogs, I don’t recommend having high-energy dogs such as Siberian Huskies, Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds in an apartment. These breeds are definitely not suited for apartment living. However, breeds such as Shih Tzus, Pomeranians, Chihuahuas would be all right in apartments. Daily walks are recommended regardless of breed.

What vaccines should dogs and cats get yearly? Are rabies shots necessary even for animals who don’t go out?

Rabies vaccines yearly are required by law. So regardless of whether they get out or not, you need to have your pets vaccinated.

Dogs should get at least the basic DHLPPi vaccine yearly. The Leptospirosis vaccine (which is included in the DHLPPi) may be good for only 6 months in some vaccine brands so they need to clear that up with their vets. Also, it is best to have their dog dewormed every three to six months. Heartworm prevention is also necessary. Oral preparations or spot-on pipette preparations for heartworm prevention are usually given monthly. However, there is an injectable preparation which is good for 1 year. It’s called Proheart SR12 — they should ask their vets about it. It’s actually reasonably priced, plus you can’t put a price tag on convenience.

There are other vaccines for dogs that may be considered optional, such as kennel cough vaccines or

giardiasis vaccines.

With cats, yearly rabies vaccines are also needed. There is also a 4-in-1 vaccine for felines which should be given yearly to adult cats Deworming every three months is also necessary. Cats may be infected by

heartworm; however the incidence of heartworm in cats is low.

DHLPPi vaccines and feline 4-in-1 vaccines are given 3 or 4 times during puppyhood/kittenhood, after which they’re given yearly or semi-annually depending on the

brand of vaccine.

How old should a cat or dog be to get spayed or neutered?

Some clients prefer to have their pets spayed or neutered after they mature at around one year of age. However, there are current studies that state that neutering is most beneficial for pets that have not reached sexual maturity. 

In general, we leave it to the owner to decide when their pet will be neutered. However, we do advise them to have all the vaccines updated and completed (especially for puppies) before we do the procedure. Which would mean the youngest we will neuter is about six months.

Why do so many pets develop kidney trouble?

Cats are more prone to kidney trouble because of their high protein diets and because they tend to drink less water than dogs. However, inevitably, as a pet gets older the kidneys start to work less efficiently, and unlike the liver the kidneys cannot repair themselves once damage sets in. The same thing happens to humans. Ultimately, the trick with preventing kidney damage is in the management and lifestyle of the pet.

What should you do if your pet swallows a small object like coins or rubber toys?

Try to avoid this… it can cause a lot of complications!

Usually the goal is to have the pet expel the objects. Some may opt to give the pet laxatives such as castor oil. However, it is best to contact your vet for instructions on how to do this. If the object ingested is rather large in proportion to your pet, surgery may be needed.

However, even for small objects, there is always a risk of gastric obstruction or volvulus. These conditions may be fatal and surgery is needed to correct this.

Why do pet owners end up looking like their pets?

This is a question for a psychologist or psychiatrist...

But mostly people tend to fix up their dogs as they would themselves.

What should you do if you know your neighbors maltreat their pets?

You may report abuse and animal rights violations to NGOs such as PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) — they are very aggressive and actually file court cases against violators of animal rights. You may also report them to the Bureau of Animal Industry.

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Pendragon Veterinary Clinic is at Rm 203 Amaremca Bldg. 107A Kalayaan Avenue, Diliman, QC. Call 436-3833 or 0922-VETHELP (8384357) to make an appointment, or visit www.pendragonvet.com, which hosts a forum for free consultations. Pendragon also has the first Veterinary Mobile Clinic in the Philippines equipped with x-ray, ultrasound, and laboratory.