Pointers And Paws
Transcript for:
Pointers And Paws MR. SAM LITZINGER
12:17:39
Welcome back to "The Animal House." I'm Sam Litzinger with Dr. Gary Weitzman. We want to hear and read your pet questions at 1-877-610-3647. Our email address is animalhouse@wamu.org. Again, that number is 877-610-3647. Our email address is animalhouse@wamu.org. You can check out our Animal of the Day at facebook.com/wamuanimalhouse. How are you?
DR. GARY WEITZMAN
12:18:06
I'm good, how are you?
LITZINGER
12:18:07
I have a little cold, so you have to do all the heavy lifting today.
WEITZMAN
12:18:08
Okay. Wait, I should I get you some tea and honey. I think that happened to me a few months ago.
LITZINGER
12:18:11
I was gonna sing a lot today...
WEITZMAN
12:18:13
Oh, good.
LITZINGER
12:18:13
….but now I can't. I can't because I don't have the high range.
WEITZMAN
12:18:15
So we're all lucky.
LITZINGER
12:18:17
(laugh) Yes, you are.
WEITZMAN
12:18:18
Okay.
LITZINGER
12:18:18
You don't know how lucky you are.
WEITZMAN
12:18:19
All right.
LITZINGER
12:18:20
Let's take a telephone call if we can from Carol. Carol, glad to have you with us in "The Animal House." Question for Dr. Gary?
CAROL
12:18:25
Hi, Dr. Gary.
WEITZMAN
12:18:26
Hi there.
CAROL
12:18:26
We have a six-year-old German Short-Haired Pointed named Summer.
WEITZMAN
12:18:31
Oh, those are great.
CAROL
12:18:31
And the problem is, is that she wants to enter into my telephone conversations by barking and refusing to stop.
WEITZMAN
12:18:41
Oh.
CAROL
12:18:41
And I've tried petting her and tried asking her to stop and...
WEITZMAN
12:18:46
So what does she do? She just -- she interrupts, she barks at you when you're on the phone?
CAROL
12:18:49
Yes. Yes.
WEITZMAN
12:18:51
Oh, interesting. Has this always happened, or is it new?
CAROL
12:18:53
Well, it started escalating since I retired because I'm home more now. I think that because people call during the day...
WEITZMAN
12:19:02
She got used to it. You're home, you're giving her attention, and she doesn't appreciate it when someone interrupts that.
CAROL
12:19:07
I think that's what it is.
WEITZMAN
12:19:09
So what's happened? Are you able to actually get through a phone call? Are you now just emailing and on Facebook instead of getting on the phone?
CAROL
12:19:15
Well, it depends. If it's a short phone call, and it's not every phone call. It tends to be when it's longer phone call, and also, what I find is that she -- now, for instance, right now she's curled up asleep.
WEITZMAN
12:19:31
Okay. And you are on the phone. (laugh) So, okay.
CAROL
12:19:33
And I'm on the phone.
LITZINGER
12:19:34
But we only have about 10 more seconds I assume, Carol...
WEITZMAN
12:19:35
(laugh) Right.
LITZINGER
12:19:36
...before she starts barking.
WEITZMAN
12:19:38
We have to hear her in action. Okay. Well, you actually -- you've already figured this out. It does sound like you're home, and she wants your attention. You get on the phone and she doesn't appreciate it. You know, my favorite thing is actually using a clicker. Do you know what I'm talking about, those little snap...
CAROL
12:19:52
Yes.
WEITZMAN
12:19:52
...things you get them -- I think they're like .69 cents. You can get them at every single pet store. You can get them at animal shelters. You don't have to use it, but it's a really good way to focus a dog. Get a big bag of treats, get your clicker, and then start before you get on the phone call and do some role playing and some pretending with her, and just get her used to you clicking and treating her so that she'll be quiet.
WEITZMAN
12:20:12
So you have to time it really well. You got to have great reflexes. But you do with training dogs anyway. But you have to click, treat her when she's quiet, and honestly, a German Short-Haired Pointer, they're kind of -- they're smart dogs. You ought to in about 15 to 20 times be able to get her to just sit and focus on without making nose, and then see how it goes. But you ought to be able to get this dog to refocus on something besides you being on the phone.
CAROL
12:20:36
All right.
WEITZMAN
12:20:36
The other thing you could do is you could have a stack of jerky treats or actually they're those Flips, where's my knowledge going, Sam?
LITZINGER
12:20:43
Like bacon Flips or something?
WEITZMAN
12:20:44
Well, you know, the rawhide ones...
LITZINGER
12:20:46
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:20:46
...that can actually take your dog a little bit of time, although my dogs now are finishing those things in about three-quarters of a second.
LITZINGER
12:20:51
And just inhaling them.
WEITZMAN
12:20:52
I mean, they can look like the Flintstones and that, you know, but they'll inhale it. But that's really kind of dodging the question. That's really just sort of avoiding it by giving her something to put in her mouth because she's vocal.
LITZINGER
12:21:04
And here's a quick question from me. If Carol's on the phone and Summer starts barking, what should Carol's response be?
WEITZMAN
12:21:09
It should clicking and treating.
LITZINGER
12:21:11
Okay.
WEITZMAN
12:21:11
It's only when she's quiet. So that's why you've got to do the practice before the phone call happens, so quiet, you get a clicker and a treat, and the whole thing about clicker training is eventually you can rid of the clicker.
CAROL
12:21:21
Okay.
WEITZMAN
12:21:21
Yeah. So pair it with a hand signal, or even better, because this is the way the world works, our dogs will associate a particular activity with something pleasurable, i.e. food. So she will start to associate you get on the phone and food's a comin'.
LITZINGER
12:21:34
Oh, I see.
CAROL
12:21:36
That's what I was thinking though, because I think she's bright enough that when she hears the phone call -- or the phone ringing, she may expect a treat.
WEITZMAN
12:21:45
Yeah. And that's okay, as long as she expects a treat and she pays for it by being quiet.
CAROL
12:21:49
All right.
WEITZMAN
12:21:50
Let us know. Give us an update.
CAROL
12:21:51
Thank you.
LITZINGER
12:21:52
So as Gary was saying, not many times, but a few times, so after you've done this for a while, give us a call back and let us know how it goes.
CAROL
12:21:58
I sure will.
LITZINGER
12:21:59
All right. Very good, thanks.
CAROL
12:21:59
All right.
WEITZMAN
12:22:00
Assuming you can actually have the conversation, (laugh) we'll know how it goes.
LITZINGER
12:22:03
I was thinking -- what I was thinking is we'd leave Carol on hold for the rest of the program...
WEITZMAN
12:22:06
Right.
LITZINGER
12:22:07
...until Summer starts barking, and then we put Summer on the line and as what the problem was.
WEITZMAN
12:22:10
That's the way to do it.
LITZINGER
12:22:12
Our telephone number is 1-877-610-3647. Our email address is animalhouse@wamu.org. If you like to send us an email we would encourage you to do that. We have an email question from Chris. "My cat, Jake, has a habit I totally don't understand. While he drinks water he put his left front paw in his water dish no matter how full or deep it is. Any clue why?"
WEITZMAN
12:22:35
Oh, interesting. Okay. Left front paw.
LITZINGER
12:22:37
Left front paw.
WEITZMAN
12:22:38
I can't...
LITZINGER
12:22:39
Not the right front paw. You could answer it if it were...
WEITZMAN
12:22:41
I can answer water...
LITZINGER
12:22:42
If it were the right front paw you would know.
WEITZMAN
12:22:43
Absolutely. Well, we all know that. Yeah.
LITZINGER
12:22:46
Mm-hmm.
WEITZMAN
12:22:46
Chris wouldn't even have to email that question.
LITZINGER
12:22:47
Mm-hmm.
WEITZMAN
12:22:48
You know, it's interesting because what I can answer is that cats, in spite of what we think, actually love water, and we've grown up thinking that water and cats is like oil and water -- well, oil and water, and it's really not.
LITZINGER
12:23:00
Or cats and water.
WEITZMAN
12:23:01
Or cats and water, exactly. But they actually do like water. We've got -- our whole shelter is water. Our cat room has a wall of water with perches that the cats actually sit on and play with the water, and bat the water with apparently their left front paw. So I'll have to go back and check that when I get to the shelter.
LITZINGER
12:23:17
Mm-hmm.
WEITZMAN
12:23:18
But they do like water. So this whole thing that we think they don't like it is kind of not true.
LITZINGER
12:23:21
Hmm, all right.
WEITZMAN
12:23:22
But why the left one, I don't know.
LITZINGER
12:23:23
Cats apparently like water, as Gary suggested. 1-877-610-3647. Animalhouse@wamu.org is our telephone number. Joe's on the line. Hi Joe, glad to have you with us in "The Animal House." Question for Dr. Gary?
JOE
12:23:36
Yes, thank you. We have lost two Poodles to bloat over the last 15 years.
LITZINGER
12:23:40
I'm sorry.
JOE
12:23:41
Cassie, and eight-year-old, 75-pound female, and Scout, a 13-year-old male.
WEITZMAN
12:23:46
Really? Were they related?
JOE
12:23:48
No.
WEITZMAN
12:23:49
Same breeder or anything like that?
JOE
12:23:50
They came from different breeders. Different breeders.
WEITZMAN
12:23:50
Okay. All right. Oh, that's an awful disease. Well, so for those who don't know, bloat, what gastric dilatation and volvulus, actually, with our without volvulus means twisting, is the most horrific thing that can happen to your dog because your dog's healthy up until that happens. And you had no idea this was happening, right?
JOE
12:24:08
Right. The morning he died, he wouldn't eat, he stayed by my side all morning. We went out for about three hours, came back and found him in full bloat, just moaning with his head against a wall.
WEITZMAN
12:24:18
Oh, yeah. It's awful. Absolutely awful. And what happens to these poor dogs, and often it's a Poodle or a German Shepherd, you know, I've got a Shepherd. The, what we call, deep-chested breeds, so the ones with a very large thorax. And the reason I ask you if the dogs were related is we think there may be a genetic propensity for this. I'm not sure if that's been verified or not. It doesn't matter.
WEITZMAN
12:24:38
We really don't know what causes it, but we do know a few things that might contribute. One is potentially overfeeding, or a dog's just natural tendency to gorge themselves, and that can happen with a lot of influx of food, or exercise immediately after feeding. Don't go on a big run, but I don't even know how verifiable that is anymore. Those have been the classic ways that we thought bloating could happen. But we really don't know, and all that we do know is that anatomically, there's the tendency for the stomach to engorge and bloat with gas and food, and then it gets to a point that it can actually twist and cause horrific results, and even if we can fix these dogs, it's a really terrible prognosis. Do you have dogs still?
JOE
12:25:21
We don't. We just lost Scout about four months ago, and we want to get another standard Poodle, and wondered if there's anything we can do to prevent bloat once we get the next dog.
WEITZMAN
12:25:29
Yeah. Well, one thing is obviously like I said, don't overfeed and don't exercise before or after a meal immediately. It's the things our mothers used to tell us. Don't go swimming after you just ate. And again, we don't know how verifiable that is, but at least I wouldn't do that. But the second thing is, if you get a female, ask your vet to do what we call a gastropexy and actually tie that stomach wall to the wall of either the thorax or abdomen and actually stabilize it so it can never twist.
WEITZMAN
12:25:56
They can still bloat, but they can't twist, and that's something to do at a spay. So I think since you've had two dogs -- and I'm really sorry to hear about that -- you've had two dogs that have suffered this, I would say definitely if you get a female, since there's gonna be probably a spay surgery there, just have your vet do a quick tacking. If you get a male, do it anyway just so that this doesn't happen. But I'm glad you called because I think people should know if they see their dog standing looking uncomfortable or gagging and maybe look at the abdominal cavity, and if it looks distended at all, this is a terrible issue and go to your vet right away.
JOE
12:26:28
Yes.
WEITZMAN
12:26:28
And really sorry to hear that you went through this, but I would definitely talk to your vet about ways to avoid it, and -- and try that gastropexy.
JOE
12:26:34
Okay. Thank you.
LITZINGER
12:26:35
Thank you, Joe. Yeah. That's terrible.
WEITZMAN
12:26:37
It's awful.
LITZINGER
12:26:37
And both circumstances, because, I mean, one's bad enough, but then to lose two dogs...
WEITZMAN
12:26:40
Two, I know. Awful.
LITZINGER
12:26:42
Our telephone number is 1-877-610-3647. Our email address is animalhouse@wamu.org. Let's take a telephone call from Jill. Jill, glad to have you with us in "The Animal House." Question for Dr. Gary?
JILL
12:26:54
Yeah. I wanted to ask a question about my dog, Teddy. He had a ruptured disc...
WEITZMAN
12:26:58
Oh...
JILL
12:26:58
...and we were really lucky to rush him to the neurological hospital, and he had disc material removed, and he is doing great.
WEITZMAN
12:27:07
Oh, that's good. What kind of dog is Teddy?
JILL
12:27:09
He's a Cockapoo.
WEITZMAN
12:27:10
A Cockapoo, okay. Has this been a problem for him and he just had surgery, or it just all of sudden happened?
JILL
12:27:15
He had had something similar that didn't require surgery a few years ago.
WEITZMAN
12:27:20
Okay.
JILL
12:27:20
And he was out running after balls in the parking having the time of his life. A few hours after he came home, he started looking weak...
WEITZMAN
12:27:27
Yeah.
JILL
12:27:27
...and that's when we realized that he was in trouble.
WEITZMAN
12:27:29
Oh, okay. Did he lose function of his back legs?
JILL
12:27:32
Exactly.
WEITZMAN
12:27:32
Oh, poor guy. Okay. Well, good for you. I'm glad you did the surgery. How's he doing?
JILL
12:27:36
He is doing so great that now we're worried we're not gonna be able to follow the recommendations of his surgeon.
WEITZMAN
12:27:42
Oh, he's doing too well. Okay.
JILL
12:27:45
Yeah. Exactly.
WEITZMAN
12:27:46
Yeah.
JILL
12:27:47
Yeah.
LITZINGER
12:27:47
So is he trying to jump up and run upstairs and so on?
JILL
12:27:49
Exactly right.
WEITZMAN
12:27:50
All right. Let me ask you, when did the surgery end?
JILL
12:27:52
The surgery was four weeks ago.
WEITZMAN
12:27:54
Okay. You still had a month of healing, so he's got a -- probably a month or more to go. All right. Are you using a crate to keep him quiet?
JILL
12:28:01
We are. We're using a crate when we leave the house...
WEITZMAN
12:28:03
Okay.
JILL
12:28:04
...and he just hates it.
WEITZMAN
12:28:05
Yeah, I know. Nobody likes bed rest, and dogs definitely don't understand it, but he's getting better, so it sounds like you're managing to get him healed regardless of his own inability to follow the prescription.
LITZINGER
12:28:16
Contain himself.
WEITZMAN
12:28:17
Yeah. Yeah. Any problems with him? Is he having any trouble?
JILL
12:28:21
No. He is actually -- he is walking well, and he actually has tried to jump. He's tried to go up the stairs, but our surgeons told us that they recommend lifelong exercise restrictions. No jumping of stairs for life.
WEITZMAN
12:28:34
Really? I would...
JILL
12:28:35
Four paws -- four paws on the floor.
WEITZMAN
12:28:38
Okay. Well then your surgeons are the ones for you to listen to, because they're the ones that actually examined and did the surgery on this guy. He must have had a really complicated disc, and they might be worried about other areas. So if that's the case, and of course, you probably have a six-story home.
JILL
12:28:53
Well, three.
WEITZMAN
12:28:54
It's -- it never -- okay. Three, that's bad enough.
LITZINGER
12:28:56
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:28:56
I would say, yeah, you've got to invest in some baby gates. You can train him not to use those stairs and to stay away from them, but it's kind of tough. How old is Teddy?
JILL
12:29:04
He's nine.
WEITZMAN
12:29:05
Oh, yeah. It's gonna be tough if he's been used to going up and down, but I'd say what your doctor has told you -- what your vets told you was really good preventive care, and I -- I would really follow their instructions. Get baby gates up there, keep him on one level. You can get him used to stopping at the top of the stairs so you have a chance to grab a towel and help him get down or pick him up. Hey, at least he's a Cockapoo and not a Great Dane.
JILL
12:29:27
I know. I know.
WEITZMAN
12:29:28
Yeah. Yeah. It could be harder.
LITZINGER
12:29:30
But it's more work for you, mom, because you're gonna have to keep an eye on him and, as Gary was suggesting, maybe rearrange the house.
JILL
12:29:36
How about jumping on furniture, because I'm concerned if we don't crate him, that he'll jump on the furniture.
WEITZMAN
12:29:40
Yes. Yeah. Good idea. Okay. I would do what we do for a lot of animals we don't to that, either get a carpet runner, a rug runner, and flip it over so that that rubbery part is on there, and put that on your furniture, like his favorite sofa, so he knows not to go up there. You can also get those little noise -- electronic noise things that actually make a noise when a dog is thinking about doing that, but you do not want to startle this guy and have him fall backwards. So I would say...
JILL
12:30:05
Oh, yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:30:06
...until you can train him and start doing that positively with treats, get him used to that he doesn't go on furniture anymore. You can also use tin foil and put that on the furniture, because dogs don't really like to touch that, and keep him off the furniture that way. But I'd say for now, you're gonna have to do a lot with crating and just watching this guy like a hawk.
JILL
12:30:24
Yeah.
WEITZMAN
12:30:24
Yeah.
LITZINGER
12:30:25
A lot of work ahead, Jill. I'm sorry about that...
WEITZMAN
12:30:26
I know.
LITZINGER
12:30:27
...but you're up for it, I'm sure.
WEITZMAN
12:30:28
But the wonderful thing is, he can walk.
LITZINGER
12:30:30
Thank you, Jill.
WEITZMAN
12:30:31
Good luck.
LITZINGER
12:30:32
Dr. Gary Weitzman will rejoin me later to answer more of your pet questions. Send them to animalhouse@wamu.org. You can call us at 1-877-610-3647.
MS. KAREN MUNSON
12:30:48
This is "The Animal House" Dateline. I'm Karen Munson.
MS. KAREN MUNSON
12:30:55
That's an excerpt from the new TV series "Wicked Tuna," which documents the controversial hunt for Blue Fin. The show's producer, National Geographic Television, is in hot water with conservationists who say the program glorifies the overfishing of a threatened species. A spokesperson at Nat Geo says the series will also have a message about the importance of preserving the species. Meanwhile, the price of Blue Fin has skyrocketed. One recently sold in Tokyo for $736,000.
MS. KAREN MUNSON
12:31:22
Science News reports that rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous system of fish species with serious consequences for their survival. Carbon Dioxide concentrations predicted to occur in the ocean by the end of the century will interfere with the fish's ability to hear, smell, turn, and evade predators. The main impact is likely to be felt by some crustaceans and by most fishes, especially those which use a lot of oxygen.
MS. KAREN MUNSON
12:31:49
Animal rights groups are praising the U.S. government for adding the Dama Gazelle, and two other exotic antelopes native to Africa, to the list of animals protected under the federal endangered species act. Well, in keeping with an upcoming segment on animal intelligence, in Deadwood, a South Dakota town, authorities investigated an apparent break in at a public library. The culprit was a 20-pound turkey.
MS. KAREN MUNSON
12:32:10
Deadwood Police Sergeant Ken Mertens said he didn't see any footprints near the broken window and figured a snow blower has tossed up a rock. A closer inspection revealed the winged defender which promptly fled on foot after it was escorted outside. More information about these stories is at wamuanimalhouse.org.
LITZINGER
12:32:25
There's new information regarding the intelligence and sensitivity of certain animal species, and we'll hear the details coming up in "The Animal House."
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