Pet Health

I read about Major earlier this week, the poor little kitten who may lose his eye because of an infection. I didn’t know that could even happen. What caused it? Could it have been prevented? Will he be alright if he does lose his eye?

I was talking to a friend about my plans for a new garden this spring which I want to make safe and enjoyable by my cats, Tom, Dick, and Harry. (It is how I get through January and February without going nuts.) Anyway, I mentioned that I planned to include a big patch of catnip and she launched into a long and angry lecture about how I should not do that because it is a “drug” that makes cats “high” and is not good for them.

We were hoping that winter would be over by now, what with global warming and all that, but apparently not.  Darn it! So you probably already know much of this, but reminders about how to protect pets in the winter weather never hurt. The basic rule of thumb is this: If it is excruciatingly cold for you, it’s the same for your best friend.

So act accordingly.

I have terrible sad news and I thought maybe you could give me some advice.  My beautiful golden Retriever, Sadie, has just been diagnosed with bone cancer and my vet is referring me to a specialist but says she will probably recommend amputation of her leg to try to save her.   I am just devastated. Should I put my already sick dog through all that trauma?

I am about to adopt my very first pet, a yellow lab named Shirley, and I am so excited, but a friend asked me if I was going to get pet insurance for her and I acted like I knew what she was talking about, but really I had no idea. Is pet insurance a good idea?

We are off visiting with our grandchildren this week and way too tired to write a column. In the meantime, send us your questions about anything that is pet related. We love hearing from you!

You recently wrote about Section 353-b of the Agriculture and Markets Law which basically requires that all dogs left outdoors have to be provided with a dog house. I am writing to say that I personally think that law is ridiculous. I have a purebred Siberian Husky, Scarlet. She is three years old and I am here to tell you that SHE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH A DOGHOUSE!

Every party needs a pooper and here we are again with depressing but important advice about how to keep your pets safe over the holidays. We’ve already established that you don’t need to panic if they munch on the poinsettias. But what about all the other fabulous holiday stuff laying around?  What if they get into that?

Well, #GivingTuesday has come and gone and we let it go by without a lot of Hoo! Ha!, because, quite frankly, we thought, why should we harangue all you good people about giving on one day of the year when you all do so much all year long.