Pet Wellness

It is possible to give your dog too much exercise? Find out as Dr. Caroline Gilje and Dr. Dennis Cloud discuss pet wellness and answer caller questions.

Notes:

• What is a wellness exam for pets?
• Throughout the nation, pet obesity is on the rise.
• A 14-year study by Purina proves that feeding to ideal body condition over a lifetime can help add up to 2 healthy years to a dog’s life.
• It is possible to give your dog too much exercise. For eight- or nine-year-old dogs, moderation in exercise is important.
• A caller’s dogs won’t go out in the backyard when it’s dark out, but they will go out in the front. How can he make them less frightened?
• Lenticular Sclerosis is a normal progressive change of the eye lens in older dogs. It appears as a bilateral bluish-grey haziness at the nucleus, or center of the lens. Often confused with cataracts, it does not necessarily point toward loss of vision.
• A caller’s adult Chihuahua won’t go outside to urinate or defecate in the wintertime. What’s the problem? What can he do to re-housetrain him?
• Cushing’s Disease in dogs is the production of too much adrenal hormone, in particular corticosteroids. Cushing’s Disease causes increased drinking, increased urination, increased appetite, panting, high blood pressure and hair loss.
• Trivia question: A cat can jump how many times its height?
• Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be transferred from pets to people.
• A caller’s cat has a black sort of wax insider her ears. Is it ear mites?
• A caller’s ten-year-old German Shepherd has a black growth on its head. Should he take it in to the vet?
• Trivia question answer: A cat can jump seven times her height.

• previous: Boredom and Separation Anxiety
• next: Pet Dental Health