I was down at the beach the other day just messing around with a few of my canine mates.  One of them told us that his “folks” talk to him like he is a baby human.  We all agreed that we know a few human words but that this sort of talk is a bit much!  What do you think? (Patch, Bulldog cross, 5 years, Dalmeny)

Dr Alan:   Patch, when you were a puppy your mum talked to you that way, remember?  For some folks their dog or cat is a little bit like having a young child around.  It does seem a little silly to some people to talk to a grown up bulldog in baby talk, but I’ve caught myself talking to Dash, my five year old Kelpie, in endearing terms.  He responds by talking back with a big grin on his face and a tail wag, sometime he even howls!  At least when the humans are talking like that you dogs know you are not in trouble.

I’ve been feeling off colour for a couple of weeks now. My tummy is all swollen, even though I hardly touch my food. I’m out of energy, thirsty all the time and generally feeling miserable. What is going on? (Dolly, 10 years, Beagle, Potato Point)

Dr Alan

A number of possibilities come to mind. At the top of the list is a serious infection in your uterus that we vets call “pyometra”. Sounds like you weren’t desexed (speyed) when you were a teenager, Dolly, as this infection can occur in older, non-speyed female dogs. The uterus fills with puss and that could be why your tummy is enlarging. Another cause could be a problem with your adrenal glands. Try to get you owners to call the vet as soon as possible so you can be checked out. Help is at hand.

I was out chasing a magpie off the verandah and caught my toe nail as I made a sharp turn. It is badly ripped and hurts like mad. When my owners got home they were stunned by all the blood everywhere. They got into such a spin! To make things worse, when my “Dad” took a closer look my foot hurt so much I accidentally bit him. How could this have been avoided? (Freddie, Boxer Cross, 3 years, Kianga)

Dr Alan

I’ll bet that toe hurts Freddie! Some people feel nails should be kept very short, others prefer longer nails. I like to see active dogs with natural length nails from normal wear and tear. Nail length is a clue to how much exercise you are getting, Freddie. Some dogs spending most of their waking hours on carpet need their nails to be trimmed as do older less active dogs. Your Dad needs to remember how much his toe hurt the last time he stubbed it to empathise with you about the pain. Serious torn nails may need your vet’s attention for a bandage to keep the carpets free of blood. Sometimes the fine tendons and ligaments in toes can also be damaged. If that happens you will really limp! Be careful, and watch your step!

I’ve just been welcomed into this beaut house. While I’m settling in my humans play lots of fun games with me and my toys, and everyone laughs like mad. Sometimes I get so excited I race up the curtains and up and over the sofas. Actually, I’m finding the sofas great for sharpening my claws, creating a work of art at the same time. This seems to make my owners angry. Why don’t they appreciate my talents? (Smiley, Burmese Cross, 4 months, North Narooma)

Dr Alan

Smiley, I’m afraid your artistic side will be greeted by some serious consequences if you don’t redirect your claw sharpening and curtain climbing antics. To sharpen your claws and exercise your muscles, your owners could get some carpet roll end pieces from a carpet layer. A two meter width of carpet wrapped around a 100 mm pvc plastic pipe, to give the carpet support, held in place by a couple of ties of twine can be leaned against the corner of a room and makes a wonderful “tree”. You can run up the tree, sharpen your claws or sit on top it to survey your kingdom. Many owners purchase those expensive “cat scratch posts” – most of them are too small for a real cat! Your tree will cost very little, and will be much more fun for you. Cats with “carpet trees” find furniture and curtains less fun. Believe me, your owners will be pleased and you will not get into trouble.

Yesterday morning my “Mum” was cleaning out the fridge. She was about to throw out some chicken thighs, and I heard her say “these are a bit suss, I’ll give them to Sammy”. Well, I gobbled them down and by the afternoon I felt a very nasty pain in my tummy. Before I could raise the alarm, I had a violent attack of diarrhea and vomiting all over the lounge room carpet! She was very cross with me. Was this fair? (Sammy, Kelpie Cross, 4 years, Narooma)

Dr Alan

Sammy, don’t be too tough on your “Mum”. She probably didn’t realise that dogs and cats suffer from food poisoning just like people do. As a rule of thumb, if your Mum won’t feed suspect food to her human family you should not eat it either, and she should learn it is not a good idea to give food that is a bit off to you! I know you bury nasty looking bones and then dig them up all the time, but those bones usually don’t have the type of bacteria that cause tummy upsets. Be a little more discriminating about what you eat is the best advice I can give you. Good luck!

Our owners have been pulling ticks out of my brother and I for the past week or so. When my owners pull a tick off one of the family dogs, they get very concerned, but didn’t seem as worried about finding ticks on us. The dogs laugh and say that this is because “cats don’t get affected by ticks”. Should we be worried? (Keidis, Domestic shorthair, 3 years, Dalmeny)

Dr Alan

You bet you’d better be worried, Keidis. Ticks are always looking for a victim and all animals including people are targets. During the tick season, not a week goes by when I have not had to treat at least one cat for tick paralysis. Signs in cats include: stiff leg walking, lack of coordination, vomiting and breathing difficulties. Even after a tick has been removed you may still be affected by the toxin and could die. Indoor cats are also at risk because some ticks are carried into the house by the dogs and your owner. Moral: all household pets should be checked for ticks daily, and your owners should apply tick prevention medication fortnightly. If any of the above symptoms occur, your owner should call the vet immediately!

My owner always leaves me out the backyard when she goes to bowls for the day. Last week, I came across this black wriggly creature and I went in for the attack, biting it several times. By the time my owner got home, I was feeling very woozy, my back legs were giving out and I was gasping for air. The vet came right away and gave me a jab. After a good night’s sleep I was OK. What was going on here? (Jerry, Wire Haired Terrier, 11 years, Dalmeny)

Dr Alan

Jerry, you were very lucky to survive a snake bite. There are two ends to a snake and when you bite the tail the head end will whip around and bite you, sometimes several times. Even a small amount of venom from a bite can cause your red blood cells to rupture, muscle cells to dissolve and kidney failure to occur. Larger amounts of venom paralyze the muscles you use to breathe and you will suffocate. Because your owner called for assistance immediately and the vet was able to administer the appropriate antivenom you survived. The key to success here is quick action. Around Narooma there are Red Belly Black Snakes, Brown Snakes and Tiger Snakes, all of which are very dangerous to pets (and people too) Statistics indicate a 70% mortality rate for dog snake bite victims when no antivenom is administered, not very good odds.

I’m a healthy young Siamese cat living in a lovely home with my litter mate, Dizzy. We get on like a house on fire, playing and sleeping together round the clock. We are indoor cats, so the humans leave us a litter tray each in the laundry. Lately I have been peeing in various places around the house – on the kitchen bench, on the humans’ clean washing and on the bedroom carpet. My owner acts like she doesn’t love me any more, she even yells at me from time to time. What’s the matter? (Ella, Siamese, 3 years, North Narooma)

Dr Alan

Ella, do you feel as though you can’t wait to pee in your litter tray? Has your owner purchased some kitty litter you don’t particularly like? Have there been any changes to your living arrangements that you have had trouble accepting? Is you brother using your litter tray? Is your litter being changed regularly enough? These questions need to be answered to help with the diagnosis. Urgency and increased frequency of peeing can point to a urinary infection, even bladder stones. If you are peeing in odd places because changes have occurred in the family situation that concern you, please somehow alert your owners to the fact that the vet may be able to assist. He or she may recommend one of the newer anti-depressants – a kind of “Prozac” for pets in case the situation turns out to be psychological in nature. I am sure this difficult issue can be resolved with some good communication and care.

I’ve just got home from the vet’s place. What an experience! A few days ago I ate a pile of little green pellets that were spilled on the floor of the shed. They tasted good! After a few days I started feeling crook. I was tired and weak. My owner called the vet when they found what I had been eating in the shed. The vet did some blood tests and then put a needle in my arm and gave me someone else’s blood. (Yuk!) Now I have to take some Vitamin K pills each day. Can you tell me what was going on? (Jen, Jack Russell, 6 years, Kianga)

Dr Alan

Jen you’re one lucky dog. You ate some rat poison that caused you to bleed internally making you anemic and weak. The blood tests determined there was something wrong with your blood clotting mechanism that is reliant on Vitamin K. The most common rat baits use a chemical that interferes with the function of Vitamin K in the clotting process. You were in shock and the blood transfusion you received supported you while other drugs were administered to get your clotting mechanism working again. It is essential you keep taking the Vitamin K for a while as the chemical in the rat bait can last for several weeks. It would be wise to have some more blood tests when you stop taking the Vitamin K to make sure your clotting mechanism is working again.

Last night I was dozing by the fire minding my own business. For no apparent reason, Sammy, the family cat launched an attack, biffing me in the right eye. It wasn’t too painful at first, but this morning I can’t open the eye as it hurts too much, and the eye is very weepy. What can you suggest? (Rufus, Setter, 4 years, Mystery Bay)

Dr Alan

Sounds as though a claw caught your cornea (the clear part of the eye), scratching it. This can be very painful, and the eye is tearing in its effort to wash any foreign material away. The vet will put some green fluorescing dye in your eye to aid in visualizing the wound and depending on its severity will initiate the appropriate treatment. Your owner needs to appreciate that eye injuries are emergencies and should be treated immediately.