Goodbye Butterscotch
Contents:
Separation Anxiety in Cats
Goodbye Butterscotch - You were a Great Teacher
Dog Attacks - When your Dog is on Leash and the Attacker is Off
10 Things that can Kill your Pet
Separation Anxiety in Cats
Dogs are often the most common pet that has separation
anxiety. Any animal can show anxiety
when separated from those they are bonded with.
Believe it or not, cats too are affected. How a cat show's it's anxiety will be
different from dogs and is often not as
destructive to the home. For the cat, it
can be as upsetting.
Cats are typically independent by nature, yet they do bond
with their owners or other companion animals. When the bond is very close, as in a cat that was bottle raise, there
may be more risk of separation anxiety. The cat has imprinted on the owner as if the owner was the
"mother" and without a weaning period this cat may stay in the
dependent kitten like state. Cats also
feed off of our own emotions. If we are
anxious about leaving our cat, the cat often becomes anxious too and then
associates this behavior with the owner leaving. There may be other cats in the home that act
up when the owner is gone, such as picking fights with the affected cat, which
may also increase anxiety for this cat in the absence of the owner.
Signs of separation anxiety in the cat are not as well
documented as compared to dogs. Few
owners recognize the signs of anxiety in a cat, so often the problem is missed
until there is a bigger behavior problem such as house soiling. Signs of anxiety in the cat are often hiding,
vocalizing (meowing loudly, repeatedly while pacing through the house) and
agitation to noise. By definition these
signs would start as the owner prepares to leave. Seeing the owner get the car keys, pack a suitcase, or gather
up a purse tells the cat that you are leaving.
These actions are called triggers and the cat becomes anxious due to the
association of these actions with leaving.
A generally anxious cat may increase its anxiety level as you
leave. This cat has both separation
anxiety and general anxiety problems.
The treatment begins with combining
positive things with the
signs that you are leaving. Feeding a
cat as you prepare to leave is the first place to start. Stop feeding
your cat out of a bowl. Hide about a tablespoon of food in small
dishes in different places in the house so your cat has to hunt for it.
As your cat is eating you will be gathering
up your things so now the cat associates feeding - good thing- with your
leaving. A second thing to do is to get
remote control play devices such h as the frolic cat toy. This is a
battery operated laser light toy
that can be programmed to come on at various times when you are gone.
Again, play is fun- it happens when you are
gone so less anxiety. Ranger our office
cat tried out this product, and you can read about it on my blog.
For cats that are very affected - shredding the curtains,
meowing so much the neighbors complain or house soiling only when you are gone
do not wait to get a behavior consultation.
There is help, but a specific plan using medication to help your cat
calm down to learn is needed. Your cat
is hurting and needs help and a trainer cannot screen for health conditions of cats that can make
anxiety worse.
Treatment is not all about drugs either. CALM is an excellent food by Royal Canin that
can help some cases: supplements and
even kitty thunder shirts are available.
Goodbye Butterscotch - You were a Great Teacher
About 2 1/2 weeks ago, our beloved yellow lab mix Butterscotch had a
stroke. He started off with some increased stumbling and balance
problems on Saturday night, that progressed the next day to a full blown
head tilt and falling to the side. Despite treatment, he became worse
over the next day and my husband, daughter and I made the decision to
end his difficulties by bringing him to a friend DVM for euthanasia. It
was difficult for us, and Butterscotch was able go go peacefully with
Tom and myself at his side. We miss him, and Bella is adjusting without
the big guy. You read an awful lot about the crazy Bella dog, but now
I will tell you about Butterscotch.
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Butter loved to have a toy in his mouth all the time |
We adopted Butter from the local shelter about 7 1/2 years ago at an
estimated age of 8. He was picked up as a stray with a leg so crippled
with arthritis he could not walk on it. He was gentle, friendly, and
looked like the first dog Tom and I owned. When I saw him, I knew we
had to keep him. Our dog at the time Sissel was getting a bit older and
we needed to have the back up dog to avoid the empty house syndrome
after the older pet dies. Sissel was not always receptive to other dogs
so, I thought let's have them meet and see how it goes before making a
commitment. Do pets know what we need and want? Sissel just came up
to him, sniffed him over, and laid down and ignored him. There was not
tension, no staring, guarding or anything. Butter was his usual laid
back self so home he came. The two of them always got along - no
fighting over toys, food, space or anything. Butter thrived on
medication to reduce the pain in his knee, joint diet and daily walks.
He was such a loveable dog around people and kids he was almost perfect.
One day while walking him, he saw a dog across the street - he
immediately wanted to rush up to that dog in a very forward and not
exactly friendly way. The dog was a little toy breed and the manner
that Butter hunkered down with his head level, silently stalking I knew
right away - we have some predatory aggression here. A few days later
in the back yard he quickly lunged after a squirrel using the same
manner and I realized this dog very likely predated on small furry
animals, so he has a strong predatory aggression drive. There was even a
time Butter got a squirrel in his mouth and Tom had to wrestle the poor
creature out. I learned very quickly that not all dog aggression
presents the same. Some is very specific to the situation - such as
predatory aggression but is still something to manage and watch out
for. From this incident I knew Butter would not be a dog to have at a
dog park. He would very likely aggress on a small dog badly and there
was no way I would take that chance. Butter did not get into a fights
with a little dog, but there were a few close calls when little dogs off
leash would come trotting up to him and we had to get him away. It was
very surprising to people who knew how friendly and sweet he was. I
guess that is my point - Butter showed how there are different types of
aggression and it takes a specific situation for it to show up. One
aggression screen does not screen for all types of aggression.
Butter had thunderstorm phobia. I never had a dog with this problem,
but I was aware of other client's dogs who were affected. I had been
reading on new treatments using pheromone products and other medications
but I was not really clear on what worked best. The first time we had a
storm with him home, the kitchen table started shaking. I was
wondering what was going on when I saw that Butter was trembling and
laying against the legs of the table thus causing the shaking. I could
not coax him to settle and I could see him drooling and panting and
pacing. I had just gotten the DAP/Adaptil collars in so I ran back to
the office and put one on him. He settled down after 10 minutes which
made us all feel better. Over time I learned more and developed a plan
that had Butter sleeping through many a storm. From my experience with
him I wrote out Butterscotch's play list of songs that soothe dogs
through storms and my blog entry Thunderstorm nightmares no more
showing how to set up an area for a dog to calm during a storm. So,
Butter is still helping other fearful pets learn to settle and calm with
fears.

Butter was a wonderful guest on television.
He appeared on CI living a couple of times and was on the Paw
Report with WEIU twice. He was such a hit at the stations. When I
would walk through he greeted everyone at every desk and they loved to
pet him. I don't think he ever upstaged any host and he was very polite
about any bathroom needs taking care of that before we entered any
building. He is also featured on some of my instructional videos on my
clinic website www.okawvetclinic.com again, teaching clients,
veterinarians, and technicians about rewarding during the veterinary
visit to make it less stressful on the pets and everyone. So, again he
is still teaching others about behavior and good pet care.
Every pet has a special place in one's heart. Butter certainly has that
in my families. I do miss him. My sadness is passing and writing about
his gift of teaching here really helps me to accept his loss. If you
have also lost a pet - I sympathize with your loss. It is never easy to
go through. I hope that you too can see he ways your pet has helped
teach you about life and that those memories give you peace.
Dog Attacks - When your Dog is on Leash and the Attacker is Off
One of the scariest situations to be in where dogs are concerned is having a large
breed dog barreling down the street aiming right for your dog who is innocently
walking along side you on leash. Yikes!
Now what do you do? You have to act
quick but what should one do first to protect your dog and yourself.
Here is a guide to get you through this awful
situation. There is not one way - fixes
it all answer so use this information and apply it to your situation as best
you can. If you are not clear on what to
try - call my office. We have guided
many clients through this and as a service to public health and safety I extend
this offer to you. I myself have been in
this situation and it is really scary.
1. Know
your neighborhood. If you have a dog nearby
who is constantly running the fence barking, lunging, jumping up or on the
fence that dog is really out to get yours. The gate may be open one day, or the dog may get enough gumption to jump
or scale the fence. Too many backyard
fences are too short to hold a dog in. I
have seen many dogs scale a 6 foot privacy fence. Avoid at all costs walking past this
yard. Go different routes. Don't tempt fate. If that is not possible - tell the neighbor
that you need them to keep their dog up at the times you are walking your
dog. Speak up for what you and your dog
need to be safe. This dog is also not
having fun - it is aggressing because it
does not want this dog around. Happy dogs don't do this!!!
2. For
loose dogs - get a bush, parked car, garbage can or some way to be out of the
sight of the off leash dog. Move quickly
without running! Running will entice the
loose dog to chase. If the dog starts
heading to you stomp your foot harshly, yell in a deep gruff voice "Go" and holler "Get your dog inside!!!!!!!!!" Make a ruckus to get others out to help and
call the dog away. After you have your
dog home call the animal control and make a formal complaint if this dog is
chronically off leash. All communities
have leash laws. They are for public
safety. Follow up and be something has
been done. It may be the one time this
has happened and a remorseful, apologetic owner will be more watchful of their
dog. If the owner does not seem to care,
make them be responsible to their pet and to the laws.
3. Use a protective tool. This is something that will protect you from
a dog lunging and biting at your or your dog if you know the owner of the
problem dog is not going to do anything and the law cannot extend enforcement
completely. Spray Shield by Premier
is a compressed water /citronella spray that will shoot out and confuse an
attacking dog giving you time to get away and be safe. You can order this
online. Baseball bats or big sticks
are not safe or as effective. When you
hit the attacking dog, they will likely redirect the aggression on you due to
the pain. Or if you drop the stick or
hit your own dog, the other dog will be more confident and attack more. An umbrella that you can quickly snap open
and use a shield is also very effective. You don't want to hit the dog - use it as a shield.
4. Do not turn your back on this
dog. Walk backwards to get away. If you turn away from the dog, many use this
as an opportunity to attack.
5. Always
wear solid shoes when walking your dog!!!!
I have seen many more injuries to people and their dogs in these
situations because they were wearing flip flops that slipped off, or were
tripped over. Sneakers, boots, or other
solid shoes only when walking dogs.
If you do have a caring neighbor with a dog that is
aggressing - seek help for this situation from a veterinarian or certified
trainer who has experience working with these dogs. Some attacker dogs can learn to be better,
and safety can be set up. The
"cure" depends on the owners, dogs and environment involved. Please see my website, blog and YouTube
videos for behavior help or schedule a consult.
10 Things that can Kill your Pet
March 17 - 23rd is Poison Prevention week. So we
wanted to share some common items that can poison pets.
If your pet eats any of these, please call us at 217-253-3221 or the
Animal Poison Control hotline at (888) 426-4435. Bring any uneaten
portion of food, plant, medication, etc to the clinic with you. Also
bring any wrappers or bottles with you. 
- Prescription and non prescription medications and
vitamins - Dogs chew on pill bottles because the bottle smells like
their owner and makes noises. Dogs and cats will eat the pills because
the pills often have a coating that taste good.
- People food - Grapes, raisins, onions, garlic,
chocolate, macadamia nuts, fatty foods, figs, leeks, rhubarb, tomatoes
and sugar free candy are poisonous to pets.
- Cleaning products - bleach, laundry detergent, fabric detergent, lysol and other cleaners are toxic to pets.
- Household chemicals - paint thinner, antifreeze, moth
balls, lighter fluid, liquid potpourri, lead paint and other chemicals
are poisonous.
- Plants - aloe, amaryllis, lilies, cycads, daffodils,
ivy, ferns, palms, morning glory, philodendron, pothos, tulips and many
other plants are poisonous. Visit this page for a more complete list of poisonous plants.
- Pesticides, Insecticides, Fertilizers - These
chemicals are poisonous to pets. Dogs and cats will often eat dead mice
or rats. If that mouse or rat that died from mouse poison, then the pet
can also die from eating the poisoned animal.
- Household items - batteries, twist ties, coins, jewelry, pantyhose, paper clips, packaging from meat and other foods, socks, yarn, string, thread and rubber bands can get stuck in the pet's intestines. Batteries and coins also release toxins into a pet's body.
- Garage items - gasoline, antifreeze, de-icing salt and oil are toxic to pets.
- Outside items - compost, cocoa bean shell muclch, algae and mushrooms can make pets sick.
- Holiday items - garland, glass items, Easter grass, fireworks, strands of lights, balloons and other items can cause pets to become sick.
Visit the ASPCA's Poison Control website for information about preventing poisonings and what to do when your pet eats something poisonous.
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