Ask Spot: Have a pet related question? Spot can help answer it
Please Submit all questions to [email protected].
Make sure to check back every month to see if your question makes the monthly top 3, and don't forget to visit Spot's Hot Topic page to see if any of the previous topics and discussions relate to or are helpful in answering your questions.
Your Top 3 E-mail Questions:
1.) Do Dogs and Cats Sweat?
Yes! Dogs and cats sweat, but a little differently than people do. Humans have sweat glands located all over their body, while dogs and cats have them located in their paws (this is why you see pad sweat marks left behind on your tile flooring). Having sweat glands located only in their paws, sweating is unfortunately not a sufficient way for cats and dogs to cool down their bodies. Thus, cats will lick their chest and paws because the water from their saliva helps cool them off, while dogs pant to allow the water from their bodies to evaporate off the tongue cooling them down. Panting in cats is associated with labored or obstructed breathing, not cooling down, and you should contact your local veterinarian or emergency veterinary hospital as soon as possible if labored breathing is observed.
2.) Why should cats and dogs be spayed and/or neutered?
There are several reasons why it is important to spay and neuter your pets, and they don't just revolve around medical/health reasons.
A.) Spaying and neutering your pets helps to control the pet population. More importantly the population of abandoned or homeless pets. Animal shelters only have so much room and most do not keep the animals they have for long periods if they don't adopt out. While animal shelters do their best to adopt out their animals, lack of space and demand often result in euthanasia. No Kill animal shelters and sanctuaries are also facing the same issues of over-population, and while they do not euthanize their animals who aren't adopted, they cannot accept new animals without a place to put them.
B.) Spaying your female dog or cat before their first heat, between 2-6 months old, is the favorable time to ensure limited complications. If you wait until after a heat cycle or pregnancy, your maturing pet is more likely to develop the following medical problems:
1. Mammary Cancer
2. Uterine Cancer/Disease
3. Ovarian Cancer
4. Pyometra
*Please note that while a spay can be performed on an animal in heat, blood vessels are larger and may increase the amount of blood loss during the procedure. It is also important to note that dogs are diestrus and come into heat twice a year, while cats heat cycles are dependent on climate and season, resulting in 3, possibly 4, heat cycles per year. Each cycle lasts about three weeks, with cats in heat for about four to six days.
C.) Neutering of your male cats and dogs can be performed as long as both testicles have descended, normally between 8 and 16 weeks. Some veterinarians will perform the procedure as young as 6 weeks. Pre-surgical consultations are necessary for male cats and dogs to determine whether their testicles have descended. Un-descended testicles are a birth defect called cryptorchidism, but can be corrected with surgery. Neutering your cats and dogs will help prevent the medical problems associated with mature intact males including prostate and testicular cancers and imbalances of testosterone leading to issues of aggression.
3.) My dog has bad breath and giving him treats and chews that promote fresh breath don't work. What's the problem?
Bad breath is usually caused by the bacteria that live inside the mouth, and food particle build up on the teeth and under the gums. For this reason, the best way to clean your dog and even cats mouth is a dental prophy/cleaning. Your pets teeth will be scaled, cleaned and polished to remove the bacteria and build up causing bad breath. Other underlying causes like cavities, fistulas, fractures/cracks, tumors/growths, or broken teeth may also be the cause of your pets bad breath and can be detected and repaired/treated during a dental cleaning. Switching your pets food to a diet recommended for oral health may be necessary as indicated by your veterinarian. A dental diet along with routine brushing of the teeth may be just what your pet needs to eliminate bad breath. Also try to reduce or eliminate pet treats not associated with dental health as well as any outside food or table scraps because these may be sources of food particles more prone to build up in the mouth. Pet toothpaste and tooth brushes can be purchased from your local veterinarian as well as your local pet food/health store. They come in sizes for cats and dogs as well as different flavors. After any dental procedure, routine oral check-ups with your veterinarian are important to ensure your pets health; disease in the mouth may be a sign of something else going on in the body.
Make sure to check back every month to see if your question makes the monthly top 3, and don't forget to visit Spot's Hot Topic page to see if any of the previous topics and discussions relate to or are helpful in answering your questions.
Your Top 3 E-mail Questions:
1.) Do Dogs and Cats Sweat?
Yes! Dogs and cats sweat, but a little differently than people do. Humans have sweat glands located all over their body, while dogs and cats have them located in their paws (this is why you see pad sweat marks left behind on your tile flooring). Having sweat glands located only in their paws, sweating is unfortunately not a sufficient way for cats and dogs to cool down their bodies. Thus, cats will lick their chest and paws because the water from their saliva helps cool them off, while dogs pant to allow the water from their bodies to evaporate off the tongue cooling them down. Panting in cats is associated with labored or obstructed breathing, not cooling down, and you should contact your local veterinarian or emergency veterinary hospital as soon as possible if labored breathing is observed.
2.) Why should cats and dogs be spayed and/or neutered?
There are several reasons why it is important to spay and neuter your pets, and they don't just revolve around medical/health reasons.
A.) Spaying and neutering your pets helps to control the pet population. More importantly the population of abandoned or homeless pets. Animal shelters only have so much room and most do not keep the animals they have for long periods if they don't adopt out. While animal shelters do their best to adopt out their animals, lack of space and demand often result in euthanasia. No Kill animal shelters and sanctuaries are also facing the same issues of over-population, and while they do not euthanize their animals who aren't adopted, they cannot accept new animals without a place to put them.
B.) Spaying your female dog or cat before their first heat, between 2-6 months old, is the favorable time to ensure limited complications. If you wait until after a heat cycle or pregnancy, your maturing pet is more likely to develop the following medical problems:
1. Mammary Cancer
2. Uterine Cancer/Disease
3. Ovarian Cancer
4. Pyometra
*Please note that while a spay can be performed on an animal in heat, blood vessels are larger and may increase the amount of blood loss during the procedure. It is also important to note that dogs are diestrus and come into heat twice a year, while cats heat cycles are dependent on climate and season, resulting in 3, possibly 4, heat cycles per year. Each cycle lasts about three weeks, with cats in heat for about four to six days.
C.) Neutering of your male cats and dogs can be performed as long as both testicles have descended, normally between 8 and 16 weeks. Some veterinarians will perform the procedure as young as 6 weeks. Pre-surgical consultations are necessary for male cats and dogs to determine whether their testicles have descended. Un-descended testicles are a birth defect called cryptorchidism, but can be corrected with surgery. Neutering your cats and dogs will help prevent the medical problems associated with mature intact males including prostate and testicular cancers and imbalances of testosterone leading to issues of aggression.
3.) My dog has bad breath and giving him treats and chews that promote fresh breath don't work. What's the problem?
Bad breath is usually caused by the bacteria that live inside the mouth, and food particle build up on the teeth and under the gums. For this reason, the best way to clean your dog and even cats mouth is a dental prophy/cleaning. Your pets teeth will be scaled, cleaned and polished to remove the bacteria and build up causing bad breath. Other underlying causes like cavities, fistulas, fractures/cracks, tumors/growths, or broken teeth may also be the cause of your pets bad breath and can be detected and repaired/treated during a dental cleaning. Switching your pets food to a diet recommended for oral health may be necessary as indicated by your veterinarian. A dental diet along with routine brushing of the teeth may be just what your pet needs to eliminate bad breath. Also try to reduce or eliminate pet treats not associated with dental health as well as any outside food or table scraps because these may be sources of food particles more prone to build up in the mouth. Pet toothpaste and tooth brushes can be purchased from your local veterinarian as well as your local pet food/health store. They come in sizes for cats and dogs as well as different flavors. After any dental procedure, routine oral check-ups with your veterinarian are important to ensure your pets health; disease in the mouth may be a sign of something else going on in the body.