It's Mother's Day, and it's an excellent opportunity to discuss the maternity of our pets. Dogs and cats are often pressed into maternal service by their owners, either by neglect of their alteration (spaying) or because of the express intent to see these pets procreate.
DR. DOLITTLER
Does your pet ever stray from home? If you answered yes and you live in hurricane-prone South Florida, you're in need of a microchip to keep your pet safe. Hurricane Katrina's many thousands of missing pets proved that even those who never leave home are at risk of homelessness after a natural disaster.
DR. DOLITTLER
With Earth Day fresh in our minds it's a great time to consider the impact of our household pets on the planet and ways to reduce their ``carbon paw prints.''
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: My vet is great and I'm very happy with her services but when it came time to euthanize my cat Morris, the death-related options overwhelmed me. I wished someone had prepared me.
Frank Sullivan watches his dog search through a swampy stretch of grass for a crow that just landed. A canal is behind them, then the six lanes leading to Interstate 75 and the tower for WTVJ-NBC 6.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: Help! I can't get my cat T.C. to the vet. Every time I try to take her she hides in hard-to-find spots. Getting her out of these is virtually impossible, not to mention getting her into the carrier. So far she has been healthy but it's been years since she has seen a doctor.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: We have a new puppy and we think he's the sweetest, smartest Border collie that ever lived. The problem is that he's only 6 months old and he has already chewed through every chair leg in our house. He has even made dents in the aluminum ones outside. We've tried everything from ''bitter apple'' sprays to cayenne pepper and he still chews them up. My husband is about ready to send Chip away. What do I do?
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: My vet just told me my cat Doris might have heartworms. She came up positive on a blood test he runs every year on cats over 7. We're now waiting to see whether she really has worms in her heart or if the test just shows she was exposed to a mosquito carrying them. I thought only dogs could get them. Should I be giving her the same heartworm pill my dog gets once a month?
DR. DOLITTLER
Tethering pets has long been a hot-button issue for animal welfare advocates. Several states and myriad municipalities have outlawed this practice in which dogs are chained to stakes or otherwise tethered to a fixed location out of doors.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: I had to rush my cat Ginger to the emergency hospital when I found her shaking violently after I got home from work. My husband called and explained that he had used the dog's flea medicine on her. Ginger's doing better now but we had a pretty good scare. Could you discuss this in your column so other owners don't suffer like we did?
DR. DOLITTLER
Many readers have asked me to toss off a list of simple do-it-yourself, vet-approved treatments for simple injuries and illnesses. So, by popular demand, here is a brief rundown of my favorite home remedies for pets.
When South Florida families lose their homes to foreclosure or seek smaller and cheaper places to live, they sometimes leave everything behind, including the family pet.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: My dog Madison recently came back from the kennel making a horrible gagging sound. My vet says it's kennel cough. But the people at the kennel said they vaccinated her before she was exposed to the other dogs. So what happened?
DR. DOLITTLER
Q. My dog Chalupa (a Chihuahua mix) started shivering and shaking and didn't want to eat his morning meal (a rare event). I took him to his vet, who determined that he had pain in his middle back. He had X-rays (which were normal) and he's now on pain medication. The problem is that he's still shaking occasionally, refuses to jump and isn't eating well. Could something else be wrong?
PETS
Cool stuff for us and our faithful companions: The Diner Pet collection of retro-styled ceramic dishes and place mats is perfect for hip cats and dogs. Matching place mats also are available. $11.95, www.wrap ables.com.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: My cat Juliet is fat -- really fat. I know I have to get her to lose some weight but her brother Romeo is skinny as can be. How am I supposed to get one to lose weight when the other could use a few more pounds?
DR. DOLITTLER
Q. My cat FredEx needs surgery on a tumor he has on his liver. I've already spent over $1,000 to determine it's a benign mass that can be treated surgically. The problem is that the surgery itself will cost $2,000 more and I don't have the money. The vets say FredEx is still young enough that he can live a good long time if we remove it soon but I'm angry that they won't let me pay for his care in installments. What do you think?
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: I often see cars and trucks parked by the roadside selling pets in cages. Is this legal? I know there are worse crimes out there but it makes me mad to see puppies exposed to the hot South Florida sun like this! What can I do to stop this?
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: Our dog Bingo is a beagle and he's fat. Our vet says so. Our friends and family say so. Our neighbors even stop us on the street to make sure Bingo is on a diet. I think they want to tell us to walk him more but they probably don't want to embarrass us. The problem is that Bingo doesn't eat much. He's just a lazy dog. His favorite activity is couch-lounging in front of Animal Planet (probably wondering why everyone is moving so fast). That's why I'm convinced Bingo has hypothyroidism. The vet...
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: One of my cats has just been diagnosed with feline AIDS. Although our vet was very specific about her inability to spread this disease to people, my mother isn't convinced and wants us to euthanize her immediately. To make things more complicated, my daughter, who's heartbroken now that Buttercup doesn't have long to live, wants to adopt a new kitten a neighbor found. How would you handle these issues?
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: Our dog Skip, a Jack Russell, was born without a testicle where it should be. We never noticed this until the first puppy check-up, when the vet pointed it out. He says it's no big deal but that he should be neutered at six months so he can remove the ''lost'' testicle and make sure Skip doesn't pass on this problem to other dogs. My husband really doesn't want to neuter him and now he's questioning the vet's advice. What do you think?
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: Last year our cat Toonces ate tinsel off my tree and spent all of Christmas week recovering from surgery in the hospital. Our vet said he was lucky to have survived since the tinsel was cutting into his intestines and might soon have sliced all the way through. We learned from that experience and hope you can impress upon your readers the importance of keeping holiday items away from pets.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: My neighborhood has been overrun by dozens of cats. I know someone must be dumping them nearby since there's no way they could have multiplied in so short a period. Will animal control or someone else come pick them up? If not, what do you recommend?
THE 12 CATS OF CHRISTMAS
Like snowflakes, all kitties are individuals. They offer a delightful array of shapes, hues and personalities. Some are happily independent. Others just want to lounge on a friendly lap and purr. Plenty are adorably inquisitive. There are the bold and bossy types, while others are shy and skittish.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q. I have a Yorkie named Tessa who won't stop barking every time I leave my apartment. She gets so angry with me that she leaves nasty messes at the door and has chewed the moldings from around the door frame. She even broke a tooth once doing this. Now my neighbors have petitioned the condominium association to have her evicted because of the noise she makes, but I can't bear to give her away. She's the perfect dog when I'm home but my vet says she suffers from severe separation anxiety. He recommends...
DR. DOLITTLER
Every holiday season brings in a bigger haul of new pet products to the marketplace than the previous year. But who's got time to sort out the losers from the well-designed toys, treats, trinkets and tools that deserve your attention? To that end, I've sussed out some stellar gifts for pet owners.
DR. DOLITTLER
Q: My friends in California have recently informed me that they feed their cats frozen, raw animals (mice and chicks) instead of canned or kibbled cat food. My own vet has informed me that this is a very bad idea. But their vet swears by it. Do you have an opinion on this practice?
