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Ask the Vet!
Lauren Mascola is the veterinarian at Petcare Veterinary Services in West Hartford. She studied at UConn for undergraduate and Tufts for Veterinary Medicine. She has over 10 years experience and 2 dogs and 3 cats of her own. She is excited to answer your questions!
Letter from Vet
Many times during my career, I have discussed neutering pets with their owners.
Here are a few notes about neutering pets: Neutering means to sterilize your pet. Specifically, spaying is to neuter your female pet, and castrating is to neuter your male pet.
There are multiple reasons to neuter your pets in 2 categories. The medical reasons to neuter your female dog are: they run a much lower risk of developing breast cancer, and they cannot develop a pyometra which is a severe bacterial infection in their uterus requiring emergency surgery. The medical reasons to neuter your male dog are: they do not get testicular cancer and their risk for prostatic disease is much lower.
The other category of reasons are behavioral. Neutered females are less likely to roam and will not go through heat cycles every 6 months. Neutered males are also less likely to roam or chase females in heat. They will less likely be aggressive and less likely to "hump" (a sexual behavior or a behavior showing dominance, which dogs always perform when you have company, especially company who dislikes dogs!) Finally, they will be less apt to mark territory.
Another reason to neuter pets is to try to control the unwanted pet population. Most veterinarians have had to euthanize homeless, unwanted pets. It is a task which is emotionally painful to everyone involved and of course, extremely unfair to the victims themselves.
Here are some startling statistics on how quickly pet populations can get out of control. One intact female cat and her offspring may produce up to 420,000 kittens in seven years. One intact female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in seven years.
Many people ask if neutering will change their pet's personality and the answer is; there is no statistical data which has demonstrated any behavioral changes (except for the better!), observed after the procedure. If you have a big goofy Labrador, he will still be big and goofy even if you have him neutered.
Have your pet neutered. It will lead to a long, happy and healthy life!
Equine Expert!
Mary Jo Zanolli is an instructor at Connecticut Equestrian Center in Coventry. She has over 12 years experience teaching beginner and intermediate riders, and over 20 years experience riding horses. Send all of your horse related questions to Mary Jo!
Q: Dear Mary Jo,
I have been taking riding lesson for almost 4 years, and leasing a horse for about a year. My parents have finally agreed to consider buying me a horse! What is the best breed to consider?
Ashley
A: Hi Ashley,
First of all, congratulations on the decision to start the search for your first horse! All breeds of horses have quiet, trustworthy horses and anxious and unsafe ones! Rather than a particular breed, the most important factor to consider when buying a horse is temperament. Temperament is a horse’s personality, disposition, and his rideability. A first horse in particular should be well schooled, quiet, and dependable. A horse’s soundness is also extremely important, as a horse must be able to perform his job comfortably and without pain.
I suggest taking your riding instructor or another knowledgeable horse person with you when evaluating prospective horses. Even though it can be easy to fall in love with the first horse you try, don’t be impulsive! You want to find a horse that you will enjoy working with on a daily basis for years to come. Take your time, and ride many horses so you have all different levels of comparison. Try to prioritize your preferences – things like training and rideability are more important than color or breed. Make sure you also continue to increase your own horsemanship skills. Taking care of a horse requires knowledge of stable management, equine nutrition, disease prevention, tack care/fit, and more. Riding lessons will continue to be a vital aspect of your education as your skills increase, so never stop learning!
Mary Jo
Guinea Pig Expert!
Whitney Potsus has owned guinea pigs for nearly a decade. She is Vice President of The Critter Connection, Inc., a Durham-based non-profit dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abandoned and neglected guinea pigs. You can find the rescue on the Web at www.ctguineapigrescue.org. Please direct all your Guinea Pig questions to Whitney.
Q: Dear Whitney,
I’m trying to find different snacks that I can feed to my guinea pigs during playtime. I see yogurt drops in the pet stores and I’m wondering if they’re something I could try.
Thanks, Katie
A: Dear Katie,
Most commercial treats sold for guinea pigs are equivalent to junk food for humans. These treats are often full of fat and sugar and, in the case of yogurt drops, excess calcium. Giving these treats on a regular basis fills them up with empty calories, leaving less room for the basic, nutritious foods that they need on a daily basis.
Feeding too many commercial treats becomes detrimental to a pig’s health, and the results aren’t limited to overweight. Products containing excess calcium — such as those with dairy ingredients — lead to the development of stones and crystals that, in turn, lead to dangerous blockages. The dairy-based treats, in particular, must be avoided, as dairy is not something guinea pigs need or should have. I personally know two families where guinea pigs developed difficult cases of GI stasis as a result of being overfed yogurt drops; once cured, the families and the pigs went through short-but-difficult "retraining periods" in which the pigs were broken of their junk-food habits and switched to healthy diets.
There are many options for healthy snacks:
Occasional bits of apple or halved and seedless grapes are easy to hand feed, as are chunks of fresh melon (e.g., honeydew, cantaloupe, Crenshaw, seedless watermelon) and seedless orange wedges (Clementine oranges are a favorite with my brood).
Get veggies that you wouldn’t feed on a regular basis because they’re more expensive: Belgian endive, radicchio, frisee, curly endive (a.k.a. chicory), yellow or orange sweet bell peppers, and packaged baby romaine or spring mix. (These same ingredients can add life to your own salads.)
During the spring and summer, fresh grass — untouched by pesticides, lawn-growth enhancers, and the bathroom trips of the family dog — is also a great treat.
Feed a different kind of hay than what is always on hand in the cage, such as orchard grass hay, mountain grass hay, bluegrass hay, and others.
You can find a list of favorite guinea pig foods at www.guinealynx.com/fave.html, which will suggest some additional options.
Good luck! Whitney
Ask The Cat Lady!
Sally Bahner is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and has a private feline consulting practice. She is the "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com), found on Sirius, the Martha Stewart Living channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.
Q: Dear Sally,
I have a problem with my 6-year-old Sealpoint Siamese, Ziggy. I have an 8-year-old female Siamese, Rose who is the sweetest cat ever. Ziggy, a male, has been aggressive since we brought him home from the breeder at 10 weeks. He has always chased and jumped Rose. They bite on each other but never viciously. Ziggy has always wanted Rose's spot wherever she is. He is truly an aggressive alpha male.
He is very bright – he can open every door in the house and loves to be involved with anyone who comes to the house. He will tend to scratch both my husband and me if we are playing with him – to be expected.
I was away visiting my mother. When Ziggy went after Rose, my husband went to stop him. He attached himself to my husband’s arm scratching him very badly. When he finally was able to get him off, Ziggy was growling. My husband is freaked out about it. Do you have any suggestions for family peace?
Cheryl
A: Dear Cheryl,
It sounds as if Ziggy has a lot of pent-up energy that needs to be channeled constructively. Cats, and yes, Siamese, that are very smart and active, can be troublemakers! You need to watch his body language – if he's playing with you or you’re petting him, you'll see the signs of when to back off, which should eliminate scratches. Tail twitching, dilated pupils, stopping purring are all indicators.
If he's preying on Rose, you can intervene by tossing a toy between them, clapping your hands, or walking between them. Ziggy’s attack on your husband was redirected aggression – Ziggy was startled and your husband became his target. It’s never a good idea to try to grab cats that are in the middle of a confrontation. Better yet, try to distract him before a confrontation takes place, i.e. if you notice him staring at Rose or posturing. Don’t yell, just be matter of fact. Your aim is to break his concentration, not punish him.
Even though Ziggy is claiming to be top cat, make sure Rose gets attention as well to sustain her sweet nature.
Look into flower essences (www.bachcentre.com and www.spiritessence.com) to help with over stimulation, aggression, and self-confidence, as well as Clicker training (www.clickertraining.com/cattraining) to help make the most of Ziggy’s intelligence.
Sally
The Bunny Expert!
Susan adopted her first house rabbit 5 years ago and soon after got highly involved in rabbit rescue. She has volunteered at a local rabbit rescue group and a local animal shelter working with rabbits. She has since co-founded 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue Inc. Susan can surely answer all of your rabbit questions!
Q: Dear Bunny Expert,
I am a new bunny owner and have been reading as much as I can about bunnies. How can I tell if my rabbit is sick?
Vanessa and Rodney the bunny
A: Dear Vanessa and Rodney the bunny,
If Rodney could talk to you, he would tell you this is a very good question and hard to answer. Rabbits are prey animals so their bodies hide illnesses. This comes from their ancestry when wild rabbits have to survive predators. Get to know your rabbit and observe closely. The easiest sign of something wrong is when your rabbit does not come running to eat his food. Rabbits eat throughout the day normally nibbling on hay and eating veggies and pellets at suppertime or whenever their schedule for those are. They normally look forward to eating. If a rabbit is not moving, looks sick or does not want to eat his favorite food, you will need to act fast. Sometimes it could be as minor as gas and just needs treatment, or it could be the first sign of something serious. If you are a new rabbit owner and do not have a rabbit medicine kit or are not familiar on how to treat a rabbit for gas, you need to call your rabbit vet ASAP.
Checking your rabbit often helps. Pay attention to his eyes, poops and everything as they look normally. Then you can tell if something looks abnormal later. It is good to have physicals with your rabbit vet.
Eyes also tell a lot. Especially wet eyes. That can be a sign of many things, pink eye, molar spurs, blocked tear ducts or other problems. Better to get vet checked to catch something early and hopefully fix the problem. Not wanting to eat, if not taken care of ASAP can get worse quickly and the rabbit could even die.
Rabbits are very tricky to tell for illnesses so that is the best advice I can give you. Get to know your rabbit's habits and looks and if something is abnormal, call the vet for help.
Susan Curtiss, 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue, www.3bunnies.org
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