Left Half Fun Facts
When people perspire the moisture on the skin is evaporated by the atmosphere and cools the body in hot temperatures. Dogs and cats are incapable of this physiological response. The only way they can rid the body of heat is via the lungs. Fast breathing rates and heavy panting are the only ways that a dog or cat can try to stay cool. Our canine and feline friends only have sweat glands under the pad of each digit on each of its four forelimbs. This is hardly enough surface area for sweat to do any good. The only exception to this rule is the Chinese Crested dog. It has sweat glands all over its body and is capable of sweating. When they are handled in a medical facility their clammy skin is a prelude to not wanting to be in the clinic in the first place (nerves).
Ear mites are small insects that live in the ear canal of dogs, cats and rabbits. Their presence causes an intense itching and inflammation of the ear canal. They are passed from dog to cat and vice versa. It is not possible for people to pick up ear mites from their pets. They only cause pathological disease in companion animals.
This is the million dollar question and may someday help to extend the lives of many humans. It is clearly a genetic trait that is expressed that allows a Chihuahua to live a much longer life than a Great Dane. It may be genetic but a large dog has one big fight to conquer and that is gravity. Larger dogs have a greater predisposition to hip arthritis. That greater weight in a large dog is a disadvantage because gravity has to be countered by greater muscular exertion by the dog. The forces of gravity will cause a larger dog with arthritis to eventually become unable to stand. Mammals really can’t win. There has to be gravity. Without gravity our hip joints would be in great shape but our muscles would deteriorate at the same time due to disuse!
There are two types of photoreceptors that live in the retina. These photoreceptors gather light and send that light via the optic nerve to the brain where they are processed and sent back to the eyes as vision. Rods are important in night vision and discerning shades of grey. Cones are important when it comes to seeing colors. Dogs and cats have a high level of rod cells but not as many cone cells as humans possess. Cats can see colors but have problems dealing with the reds so they only see colors possible by combining blue and green. Dogs can see color but only the yellows and blues plus grey. The visual comparison between humans and cats is interesting.
Colors are made up of red, green and blue. Every color on the palette has a RGB value in web design. The RGB value of the font you are currently reading is (51,102,255). In hexadecimal language or “hex number”, the pale background you are looking at is #F8F1EC.
Veterinarians try to help any animal that walks in the front door every day but nothing can beat working on a Golden Retriever. Always happy to see us and greeting us with many slobbers and tail waggings, the Golden Retriever is loved by its owners as much as we love taking care of them.
It is obvious that we all have one life to live but it appears that cats have many more. This phrase started eons ago to describe cats. Cats are so nimble. They can twist and turn and do acrobatic acts that would hurt us all. This activity helps cats get away from treacherous car accidents and the like. The problem is, is that when cats do get injured, they get hurt big time. So, yes they only have one life but it appears that they have many more.
When I was in high school, in the early 1970’s, it was often my job to take our Miniature Schnauzer to the veterinarian for a visit. The doctor entered, gave the vaccines and left. Nothing else. People did not expect much else back than. Many times nothing could be done to save an animal. Fast forward to today. People often demand and expect the same medical care that they receive. In fact, most pets in this country receive better medical care than most people in the world!
All of this medical care is very expensive. Digital radiography is all over the place in most practices in the U.S. Going from a standard “old school” xray to digital is like going from an old black and white TV set to a 70 inch HD flat panel! The difference is THAT noticeable! Add new life saving pharmaceuticals, laser surgery, ultrasounds plus staff and veterinarian training and it is easy to see why things cost more today. Than again, compared to human medicine, veterinary medical care is still a bargain.
All humans dream. Sometimes we wish we never had certain dreams. They wake us up with hearts pounding! We all have nightmares that we wish we could forget. Many times we look at our pets and while they are sleeping we notice muscle twitching and moving eyes. Researchers have hooked up electroencephalograms (EEG’S) to dogs and found out that they have similar brain patterns to humans when they dream; particularly in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep where most dreams occur. YES, they do dream! What does a Chihuahua dream about? Wishing it was a Great Dane? Do dogs dream about a prime rib banquet with all the trimmings? If only they could talk! Well, if they could talk back they might not be man’s best friend for long.
Over the course of my career, that was the number one question I got asked by most clients and or their children! All veterinarians love dogs and cats and other species of animals. Most of us have or had pets while practicing. Some veterinarians may not have pets in the home due to other obligations or family members that may be allergic to dog or cat dander. Asking most veterinarians if they have pets is akin to asking a physician if he or she has children. Most times they do, sometimes they don’t!
I feel the reason that the question always arises is that a lot of people might think that we get tired of seeing animals because we work on them basically every day of the year! The answer to that question is a definite NO! We all enjoy going home and playing with our own pets! Only if they knew how lucky they were that they get free medical care!
Tapeworms are a common intestinal parasite in dogs and cats. They can not be directly transmitted to people since there is a need of an intermediate host. This is usually any insect where a larval or immature developmental stage of a parasite will occur. In this case, fleas are that intermediate host. While scratching or grooming itself, the animal will swallow the flea releasing the larval stage in the intestinal tract. This grows to an adult worm. Small segments that look like grains of rice are passed. People often find these on their pillows or places where a pet has slept. A dog or human could swallow those segments and would be passed in a bowel movement. Without the intermediate host, there is no transmission to pets or people. The same logic works for canine heartworm disease. Without the mosquito, there would be no heartworm disease.
Most people think that a cat rubs up against your legs because it wants to be friendly and show affection to the lucky person. That may be the case but the main reason is scent. At the base of a cats whiskers are scent glands that are unique to that animal. When a cat rubs its head against your leg some of that scent is left behind. All it really means to the cat is that you belong to me and I know you!
It may seem that way but you have to understand feline body language to see that it just isn’t so! I have seen the t-shirts with 9 identical cat head shots and above the image is written a particular human emotion. The point trying to be made is that cats do not show emotions.
The cat gives off many visual cues when it is annoyed. The slanting of its eyes, the twitching of its tail and ears pointed back and close to the body are signs that the animal feels threatened. There are the clues of a growling cat that is muttering under its breath! A happy cat will purr, rub up against you, meow and want to be near you. It will chirp. Cats really are special and show their emotions in so many different ways. All cat owners know this!! Ever receive a back rub in the morning while a cat kneads your back?
Rabies is a dangerous virus that causes neurological signs and death in anyone infected with the virus. It is transmitted by the bite wound of an infected mammal. Rabies virus is kept alive in wild animals such as skunks, bats and raccoons. They are what is called reservoirs or “viral storage areas”. Cats are nocturnal animals. They sleep during the day but are active at night. Skunks and other mammals that carry the virus are nocturnal. Their paths cross making transmission of the virus much easier to the cat since they share the same nocturnal patterns. Dogs are usually sound asleep in the owner’s bed at those times!
Catnip is a perennial herb (Nepeta cataria) that grows around the world. In old human cultures it was used as a paste to heal wounds, help cranky babies suffering from colic and other uses as seen fit. The oil that is found in catnip is a stimulant that causes a marijuana like affect in about half of the feline population. Some cats will: drool, roll all over it, twist and turn and other gyrations. Other cats walk up to it, shrug their shoulders say “so what…” and walk away!
Catnip is harmless but the effect does wear off after a while. It is not dangerous but should be used only as a treat for our furry feline friends. And NO, it does not have a hallucinogenic effect in humans.
In the winter months in Ohio I rarely treated hit by car animals or those caught in nasty dog fights. Everybody was snug as a rug in their nice, warm houses. The summer is different. More animals spend their time outdoors. Add to that the aggression that accompanies hot, humid summer weather and we have a recipe for increased dog fighting. Dogs become more irritable, like people, in hot, humid conditions. Making matters worse is that this is often the time of year when females are in heat. This increases male aggression wanting to find females to mate with. All of this adds up to more aggression and dog fights during summer months.
Tylenol® is chemically known as acetaminophen. It is a commonly used pain reliever in people. It should never be given to cats. All cats lack a liver enzyme known as gluconyl transferase. In humans and dogs it breaks down drugs and other chemicals into harmless metabolites that are eventually eliminated in the urine as waste products. Not so in the cat. Ingestion of many drugs, including Tylenol®, will cause a buildup in toxic metabolites that will cause illness. In the case of Tylenol®, it causes a hepatotoxicity and methemoglobinemia that plays havoc with the oxygen carrying ability of hemoglobin. Mucomyst® (acetylcystine) is an antidote but play it safe by calling your veterinarian before giving any drug to a cat. That call may save your cats life!