Animals Unfolded

Wherever I am walking with one of my canine charges, there are usually a few smiles. It's hard for most people to walk past a dog without grinning and making a favorable comment, right? It goes without saying that for some, it's hard to suppress the urge to want to pet the dog I'm chaperoning or to stop and make small talk — and who can blame them? Dogs are fun!  I'll admit that I don't allow people — especially those who are unfamiliar and ditto for children — to approach or pet my charges, and that's for several reasons. Some of the dogs are not comfortable with that. Others may be recovering from surgery or are old (and may be experiencing things like cognitive dysfunction). A handful are well, a handful when interacting with others. But let's not forget that some folks, regardless of age, aren't very good at knowing how to get up close and personal to a dog with care and finesse.  And any of that could be a recipe for trouble, (and that...

Our companion animals are living longer, more full lives, and that's due to a few things: advances in medical care, nutrition, and no doubt a better understanding of their emotional needs.  Dr. Alexander with a senior patient But that doesn't mean that because a pet has been lucky enough to make it to their double-digit birthdays that we can slow up our pace of diligence when it comes to their needs. In fact, we need to step it up a bit.  "It might be easy to dismiss them as old," says Dr. Lyssa Alexander, DVM.  "But there's much that can be done today to help senior pets live longer, more comfortable lives." And that's something that Alexander, who, along with Dr. Holly Zechar, DVM strives for at All Creatures Animal Clinic in Ann Arbor. In fact, it's a topic that Alexander will be discussing at a talk at Pet People —  located at 3330 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor — later this month. The pet supply store expressed interest...

Fish are commonly kept as pets, though they don't seem to get the same amount of visibility when it comes to their care and overall needs. It doesn't seem fair that they need be inured by that notion.  I was doing research for another piece on aquatic animals when I had the realization that perhaps I should focus on one core facet of their care that seems to be ignored: what they eat (or should be eating). Pet food is something that comes up often when I'm chatting with those that share life with dogs, cats and birds, but with fish, never.  In my research, I discovered that there's a lot of information out there — pet stores, books and yes, the internet — and too much of it seemed questionable, so I decided to dig a bit deeper by seeking a reliable source. Aquarist veterinarian Dr. Charlie Gregory has always been fascinated by the ocean and what goes on beneath the surface. And in a conversation with him, his enthusiasm about the creatures that inhabit a wo...

No matter if an injury to your dog's paw results in a few stitches, or something more serious, keeping the area dry and protected from the elements is crucial in healing. Doing so can seem daunting, but you need only look to your kitchen to help make muddling through this aspect of the recovery more manageable.  Simply wrap the bandaged area with plastic cling film to make for a temporary, quick water and dirt-repellent shield when they go out to do their business. For a better adhesion, use the press-and-seal type.  Here are more of my life hacks to make your everyday easier: Exotic birds love fresh food. Some are fussier than others, and keeping their fruits and vegetables appetizing in hot weather can be a challenge. To extend the freshness of their grub, f reeze several bowls that have been filled a quarter of the way full with water, then stack one under each food bowl.  Use a carabiner to act as a fail safe in keeping your dog tethered to yo...

There are plenty of animals in our community that have jobs: service dogs, certified therapy dogs, those that specialize in search and rescue (including horses) — and those that work in law enforcement and military. Each have gone through extensive training, and although they use all of their senses to do their jobs, one in particular is essential — their sight. Even if smell is the predominant sense that is used, as in bomb or drug sniffing, these animals couldn't manage without good vision. An annual event will help the handlers and families of these animals stay on top of things where their animal's ocular health is concerned. Board certified Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and their staff have for the past several years, generously donated their time and services to provide free screening ocular exams to qualified service animals who are currently active. Rue, a black Labrador trained as a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD), is a testament ...

With spring officially here, there's plenty to look forward to. There's the weather, longer days, more outdoor activities – and with windows flung open wide (or is that just my house?), there are more sweet sounds of wild birds greeting the day. The latter is a joy, no doubt, but we humans aren't the only ones who find our feathered friends interesting. Our cats do, too, which is fine if they are kept indoors. Outdoors, they often stalk wild birds and yes, capture them and worse. In fact, in many articles that I've written about cats , there have been comments aplenty from folks in the Ann Arbor area asserting their displeasure at the numbers of outdoor cats roaming their neighborhoods and killing vast numbers of wild birds. Their feelings about outdoor cats are understandable, and the banter between commenters can get quite heated. The problem of outdoor cats offing vast numbers of wild birds is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, a reflection o...

"We'll need a urine sample from your pet, so you'll need to collect one and have it ready..." is a common refrain that's heard when talking to a veterinarian's office. Urine samples can yield a lot of helpful information from anything from a routine health check up, to sleuthing an unknown illness. They're easy to test and it's an inexpensive way to glean much-needed insight.  I found that getting one from the dog is relatively easy; I'll quietly follow said pooch outside and reach down with a clean container in hand to snag a sample mid-stream without their knowledge.  I'm imagining several quizzical-looking faces reading this and thinking, "How does one get a urine sample from a cat?" Though I'm lucky that at this point, my cat, Silver is non-plussed by my sneaking into his litter box area to catch some urine mid-stream as he's tending to business, it's safe to say that most cats are not as cooperative. I...