I was at someone’s house recently and their Labrador retriever let loose with some gas that was so potent it cut the cocktail hour short! As everyone was hustling out of the living room, covering their noses, the host shrugged as if it was nothing unusual, a natural occurrence everyone should simply accept, and said with a smile, “Ah well, dogs will be dogs, that’s normal.” It took me no time to set him straight that intestinal gas may be a sign of poor digestion or a medical problem — but that there are simple remedies, starting with evaluating the dog’s diet.

Low quality or excess amounts of carbohydrates contribute to gassiness. It is normal for a dog to make gas inside the intestines, but in a healthy dog the gas escapes her body unnoticed. The dog’s large intestine is where normal, harmless bacteria break down those parts of the dog’s food that weren’t digested in the stomach and small intestine. This bacterial fermentation naturally produces normal gases like carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane — but can also create hydrogen sulphide, known for its odor of rotting eggs. Your dog may be over-producing this gas as a result of eating an excessive amount of highly processed carbohydrates — which can happen on an all-kibble diet of lower quality dry food made primarily of corn and “food fragments” — the leftover debris after starchy foods are processed for human use.

Two common reasons a dog will produce nasty-smelling ga is from an improper diet or from parasites. Some breeds of dogs are renowned for having their “foot on the gas pedal” — the English Bulldog being the most frequently blamed for emptying a room with a symphony of tooting. You may believe this is one of the less-charming but unavoidable attributes you have to tolerate for love of a breed — yet in many cases all you need to do to achieve an emission-free dog is improve the overall quality of the food.

The first remedy is to switch to a higher quality, more digestible food with low carbohydrate and fiber content. Giving canned food as a third or half of the meal is also important to get your dog’s digestion working odorlessly. Temporarily stop adding fruits, vegetables or other “extras” to the food you choose for your dog, which could make matters worse.

Intestinal parasites are something your dog can pick up from drinking standing water, including puddles, ponds and lakes. The single-cell organisms “giardia” and “coccidia” can be responsible for chronic, malodorous gas; an infestation with roundworm and whipworms is also a possibility. Medical conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic insufficiency, or even a lack of specific digestive enzymes may also cause a dog to produce excess intestinal gas.

Your first order of business is to improve your dog’s diet by lowering the amount of kibble (even a really good one like HALO) and making up the difference with a good canned food (like Spot’s Stew).

If your dog is still gassy after making those adjustments, you need to consult with your veterinarian to rule out medical issues. However, one way or another you need to treat a “gas-powered” pooch as having a problem you can solve. Your dinner guests will thank you for it!

–Tracie Hotchner

I got this appeal from Dee in North Carolina — the length shows how attentive she is to her pets’ symptoms and how aware she is of dangers and nutritional issues too — a really great owner!

One of our cats, a 2 year old neutered male named Pumpkin (picture attached), has not been eating well the past few days. He’s one of three cats (two boys and one girl, all siblings) who each eat a normal 5.5 oz can of wet cat food (Friskies) twice a day — totaling 6 cans/day– and the only one not eating the food. We have a variety of flavors so I thought it was a specific one and changed which one he was eating. Still not interested… Would try to take some bites but then walk away. His urine and fecal movements are okay and we do have water down for them, too. Out of frustration and desperation to get him to eat, I cooked up some ground beef and he’s had about 1 C worth over the past 24 hours. Also ate a vienna sausage (I use those to give my12 year old dog a daily pill — gave him one without a pill obviously), and some baked ham so I know he’s hungry. Turned up his nose to some turkey gravy (also opened up a can of this out of desperation), but I’ll try him on some chicken tomorrow — still frozen.

Fur feels kind of oily like it gets when they are sick but not overly oily — he’s normally a very soft (almost angora like his sister) and fluffy kitty. I had been adding in the oil of one fish oil capsule to the boys’ food as they were having a bad time with flea dermatitis (their sister doesn’t like the fish oil at all) so I’ve stopped that for the meantime. He’s really not changed behaviors, just a little sluggish at times. Just gave him some more hamburger and he’s happy — I’m just glad he’s eating! What else should I give him besides chicken? He’s the known butter thief in the family too — but I’ve had it locked up and he can’t get to it (room temperature butter for spreading on toast — locked it in the cabinet above the toaster).

I’ve also attached two pictures of plants I’ve recently brought into the house when these freezing temperatures descended upon us last week. Nearly killed my huge Aloe plant and HUGE Macho fern (forgot them on the front porch — we use the carport for going in and out), two bridal veil plants (dark green pots), and my jasmine plant which I had in the back yard in full sun. Not sure if he’s chewed any of those — though the aloe is suspect as it was weeping for a bit when it thawed out (and STUNK! I need to trim the bad leaves off now), and he did play a bit with the macho fern (likes to play hide and seek under it). I do know someone or all three of them have been munching on my artificial Christmas tree as I’ve seen urps with that stuff in it on the floor. Nothing like more cleaning of carpets…

We have recently changed (in Nov) all of their flea meds from Frontline to Advantage and I’ve seen such a DIFFERENCE in their skin. They’re not breaking out anymore! We’ve been vacuuming (which the vet’s tech — their daughter — said activates the hatching of the eggs with the vibrations) every other day and cleaning the carpets with HOT water every two weeks to keep on top of it. The cats are indoors only but we have the large dog (1/2 Boxer- 1/4 German Shepard 1/4 Labrador Retriever) and our daughter’s year old Australian Terrier who do go in and out. We do try to remember to spray the yard during the spring and summer but it’s been a very tough season here in the south for fleas.

I do wish we could afford the Weruva and Vectra for the cats and dogs but we also have a horse (5 year old American Quarter Horse, sorrel/chestnut, named Buster) so our pennies are stretched out very thin for animal upkeep, and my husband will be retiring from the Army this next year. I don’t work, do homeschool our youngest daughter, and we have a wedding for our eldest daughter next year to pay for in October. Her dog and horse will go with her too–so then I could possibly afford the Vectra. which I’d like to invest in as we live in a very sandy soil area (“sand hills” of North Carolina). I’ve also looked into the cost of making our own cat food and have found the supplements I’ll need online — just need to buy a meat grinder and find who has the best prices for the meat. That will be a gradual transition, too. Until then, bonuses of homemade meat balls once in a while are given to all of them (they like them raw and I don’t add anything to them).

There were a couple of things I told Dee when she called into CAT CHAT® that night (she doesn’t have SiriusXM satellite radio but I told her anyone can call the toll free number 866-675-6675 between 8-9 PM EST any Wednesday night!) First, I think something is definitely up with Pumpkin — his greasy fur and change in appetite is a big tip off so I think a vet visit is need for a physical exam and blood work. Secondly, while I understand financial constraints, the science behind Frontline is 17 years old so it is markedly less effective than Vectra, which has been formulated and newly developed with the newest technology and research. Also, Frontline is now sold over the counter and on websites and there is no quality control and no way of knowing you are getting a genuine product (there are a lot of websites selling fake product), even if it is less effective than Vectra! (many people find it stops working after about 2 weeks so they put on another application which is really unsafe and unhealthy since it is a 30-day product, even if it does not work effectively for that long). The really awesome Christmas Stocking Stuffer news is that Dee is going to get some complimentary Vectra for her kitties from Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins (the Official vet of CAT CHAT® who is now the head of Vectra’s Veterinary Services — congratulations Elizabeth!) One reason why is that Dee knows about Vectra from me, would want to choose it over any other brand, and has budgetary concerns right now — we know she’ll one day be able to be a loyal and satisfied Vectra customer for her dog and kitty cats!

Lastly, if she wants to make food at home it needs to be chicken-based and the grinder she gets must be capable of grinding whole chickens, bones and all, with added organ meat. Beyond that, she is going to need to supplement with Platinum Performance for a fully balanced meal (taurine, etc.) and overall health benefits (Dr. Elizabeth and many vets I know suggest all their dogs and cats are on Platinum daily, as are my dogs and mini-donkey and my husband and I!) so there are monetary considerations in all this, too!

Here were Dr. Elizabeth’s comments on Pumpkin:

The Friskies is not a bad alternative to dry food if the owner can’t upgrade to whole chicken or similar. The Platinum only costs 5 cents/day/cat so that really shouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, I doubt that cold weather is affecting this cat’s appetite. Hot weather can, but generally cats will eat more during cold weather. She doesn’t say how old this kitty is but I suspect there is something medical going on and if it persists, she will have to take him to be examined as it may be serious and it will be cheaper and easier to deal with the earlier she acts. The change in the fur is also troublesome so I think unless he snaps out of this soon, a vet visit is in order.

Here is a comment about Pumpkin from Dr Donna Spector, DOG TALK® and CAT CHAT® Official Second Opinion Vet (www.SPECTORDVM.com):

While the decreased appetite does happen to some cats… I wouldn’t necessarily want to just chalk it up to that. I took a look at the picture and he is looking a little greasy/unkempt. Being a young cat… they can get into a lot of things… sometimes GI foreign bodies look like this, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, etc. These are the questions I would ask of a client: with the holidays… do they have tinsel up or other decorations that he might have nibbled on? Does he have access to the tree / tree water? I once had a 3 year old cat who ate so many pine needles from the Christmas tree he was impacted from the stomach up to his mid-espophagus. No vomiting… just didn’t want to eat. So this isn’t necessarily something like that… but this can be a digestively stressful time of year… any parties? People who fed fatty treats? New treats recently?

I don’t think trying a different brand of food is a bad idea and in the short term (one or two weeks) she can home cook for him… especially if he is sick (like with a pancreatitis, etc) the very best thing would be lean meats she cooks at home. Sounds like he liked the burger she gave him and he actually ate a decent amount. But I think she needs to get the vet sooner rather than later.

Thank you to my wonderful veterinary colleagues who are so swift and generous with their time and knowledge! And wishing good health to Pumpkin, of course.

UPDATE: Pumpkin Pulled Out of It!

I was so happy to get this message back from Dee in North Carolina — who was ready to take Pumpkin to the vet, but was very glad not to have to!

Last night Pumpkin came and slept with us, something he’s not done in a very long time. This morning he ate an entire can of food (gave half with the others at breakfast and then the other half about an hour later), and again this evening he just ate a full dinner without any problem. His fur is feeling and looking almost normal again. Whatever it was it has passed (of course I was praying for him, too . I’ll still continue to monitor him and will call in tonight as promised.

I am so thankful for this gift of Vectra! Honestly it is a true surprise as I was not expecting anything but a suggestion of what to feed Pumpkin, etc. I am truly thankful to both you and Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins for this unexpected but very welcome gift.

We have two vets we use. One is the vet clinic on the Army base (Fort Bragg) where my husband is stationed and retiring from and they only carry Frontline for the cats. I take the cats there for their annual shots, but we can’t do much beyond regular check ups and minor things there. I can pretty much say it will be a no go for the military to add Vectra to their clinics — they’re extremely tough to get things changed there.

I will look into the Platinum Performance supplement Dr. Elizabeth mentioned, and the fish oil was normal human fish oil by Sundown Naturals (1000 mg). Obviously I have listened to you about fish oil but thought this would be as good as Nordic Naturals and even more obviously now I have a LOT MORE to learn! My cats have been off “kitty crack” since March and I will look more into what would be best for them at the level that I can afford. If it’s staying with Friskies then so be it unless there is something better out there which is better and pretty comparable in price. I can say our cost for cat, dog, and horse food/litter/meds is pretty expensive each month, but I love them all as I do my children. They are my furry children! I’ll be calling in tonight, I promise. Thank you, again, for all of your generosity and helping me get them on the right track.

I replied:

Dear Dee — It was terrific that you called into CAT CHAT® tonight – wonderful to get to know you in person! I have three things to straighten out for you which I didn’t have time for on the air.

1)   The vet on the base is WAY “OFF BASE”! No cats should be getting annual shots of any kind — holistic vets and health-conscious vets of any kind have known for years that yearly vaccinations are unnecessary and possibly harmful. The AVMA (which is the organization all vets belong to) has a stated policy that vaccines should only be given every 3 years (although many of the more educated vets would say that is often overkill for many pets). So you can save some money and definitely some potential harm to your kitties right there!

2)   WERUVA, my favorite cat food, is definitely costly because of the very high quality ingredients it contains, but they also make BFF (Best Feline Friend), a less costly yet high quality cat food. Both these foods and even the Friskies your other kitties eat and many brands both value-priced and premium can be found at my newest sponsor www.PETLFOW.com! With a minimum $60 order you will pay NO SHIPPING even for litter (all the Dr Elsey Precious Cat litters are there and imagine how nice to not have to lug them home but let the UPS man bring them without charge!) Simply put dogtalk (one word) in the code box at checkout and you will not be lugging stuff home from the market anymore! Also, Petflow.com carries the kibble I feed my own dogs — HALO — which I’d love you to try because you can feed less of it because of the high quality of the real meat they use to achieve the protein level. The brand you have been using was recently part of a pet food recall and instead, I’d love to see your dogs getting the highest quality nutrition from a company that does no advertising and instead uses that money for charitable contributions through www.Freekibble.com (you should sign up for their daily quick quizzes — it’s seriously fun and HALO food is donated even if you get the answer wrong!).

3) Other fish oils are definitely NOT like Nordic Naturals — for you, or your pets. There is no comparison between the seriousness with which the Norwegians treat their oceans and responsibly choose the fish they will use for their omega-3 oil — it is a country with a centuries old tradition of making fish oil in a safe, sustainable and healthy way. The oil is filtered with the highest level of care and is third-party tested for purity — one of the worst things you can put in your body or your pet’s body is oil that is tainted with pollutants or has become rancid, both of which would do more harm than good. So please get Nordic Naturals — you can puncture one capsule and squeeze a few drops on the cat’s paw each day to lick off — for the dogs, each pet capsule is dosed for 20 lbs of dog, so feed accordingly. If you are going to make the really good decision to include the anti-inflammatory and overall health benefits of omega-3 fish oil in your diet and that of your pets, an important use of your resources is to make sure you have a really fresh, pure product or it’s better not to do it at all (but I do definitely recommend doing it!)

–Tracie Hotchner

Just another thought from David Forman, the owner of Weruva food, my absolutely favorite cat food, named after his adopted kitties, Webster, Rudy and Vanessa. Oh, and the also have a little rescued Chihuahua, who enjoy Weruva foods very much. Here are David’s comments:

Our cat and dog formulas are pretty much interchangeable for dogs and cats, meaning, cats can eat the dog food and dogs can eat the cat food. The only thing to look out for is the taurine. We add it to the cat food and do not add it to the dog food.

Our dog food is great for all dogs, no matter the size. Our 11 pounder eats it everyday. We are the food of choice of one of the Chihuahua clubs here in NYC. Because the food is so very different, we recommend a very gradual introduction. Our foods contain a higher protein and moisture content that most foods (more meat, no fillers). Cats can transition quite easily, but as with any dog food, we strongly recommend a really slow approach. Our cans last 4 days in the fridge, so we recommend nursing a small 5.5oz dog can over 8 meals or so with a gradual increase from serving to serving to make sure everything is agreeable.

I wish I could hear your radio, but I am deaf. Do you have articles or transcript of your shows that I could read. I have two dogs, 10 year old Choc Lab and 1 year old Chessie. Chessie needs to be trained and so does my children (8,4,2). Its been challenging lately with the puppy and kids. For example, my 8 year old is upset that I put a pinch collar on the Chessie but it works when used. We could use the help and guidance. My biggest problem is the Chessie and food. He is always looking for food (we do feed him 2x a day). I tried using the block method as instructed by “Me or my dog” program. He will be good for 2 sec then find another way. I have seen him on the table a few times.

Thanks for any ideas about reading your articles. Good luck with your radio show; sounds awesome!!

Dear Patricia – I’m so glad you found me but sorry I do not have a way to make my shows available to you in a written form. Perhaps there are organizations for the deaf which have technology that transfers spoken words to written ones? The first thing you should do is get a copy of THE DOG BIBLE (send me your mailing address and I’ll send you a signed bookplate inscribed to your dogs). The reason I tell you to buy my book is because I think you need to understand some basics of dog training and communication which you can certainly not get by copying the “quick fix” techniques of professional dog trainers on TV. This is why these shows worry me, because people do not take the time to learn the thinking and theory behind training methods and get the false impression from the television shows that there are a few quick tricks that will solve everything. Can you imagine if such a trick were available to teach table manners, for example, to those kids of yours? Instead, it takes hundreds of repetitions to train them to use a napkin instead of the back of their sleeve or cutlery instead of their fingers. So it is with dogs. Your 8 year old is a smart cookie – “pinch” collars are wicked – they do a lot more than “pinch,” they actually drive a series of sharp stiff metal spikes into the dog’s neck. And despite this pain some dogs will learn to ignore it and pull just the same. I urge you to look at the page for Canny Collar on my website and get one immediately. Even the 2 year old could walk the dog with a Canny Collar! A nice place to buy it is from www.Smartpak.com which is now carrying the collar, which works like a harness on the dog’s face without pain for either of you. As for food, I imagine the dog is actually really hungry because you’re probably feeding the dogs just bowls of dry food. THE DOG BIBLE and my website will explain clearly why this diet of only highly processed carbohydrates makes dogs hungry and ultimately fat. So please learn why you need to feed a diet with at least 1/3 high quality protein and only 1/3 kibble at most. There are loads of postings on my blog and on the Q&A section of the DOG BIBLE section of my website which explain all this. Also, without a huge amount of daily exercise, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever is going to be rambunctious and miserable. I’m hoping you learned something bout the breed before getting one and are prepared to give him that exercise that his body and mind require. SO being deaf will not hamper you from learning any of this from my extensive website or book – please take advantage of them and then let me know if you need further assistance. Best of luck with your brood!

Tracie

This was such a perplexing situation of constant vomiting and I shared Martha’s concern — but Cat Chat’s® own wonderful Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins gave us some insight into what might be bothering Rocky. (By the way, you HAVE to see how glorious this cat looks — see her on the kitty photos section of the website).

Dear Tracie: I am sure you get plenty of emails regarding vomiting cats. It seems it is something they like to do! I have a cat that is 3 1/2 years old. She started throwing up on a regular basis maybe 9 months ago (just about every day). I feed her twice a day with wet food (Wellness brand). I even feed her with a teaspoon at timed intervals. It had gotten to where she was throwing up sometimes both meals! I took her to the vet and they did an external abdominal exam and they also took stool samples. She came out with a clear bill of health. They thought maybe it was a hair ball, so I give her a natural hair ball remedy every day with dinner. But she is still throwing up. So now the vet has suggested just feeding here one flavor, chicken. Well we still get a few barfs a week. She does this pretty soon after eating. Sometimes it right after her first teaspoon.  I am afraid to feed her again and sometimes she has to wait until her next meal time for food. Her weight and coat are very healthy so I know she is getting enough food. Is it possible there could be something seriously wrong with her digestive system? I am really starting to worry. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I just feel at this point the vet really doesn’t know.

Thanking you in advance for your time.
Martha

I was speculating that it could be something in the Wellness itself – a binder? – that the cat is reacting to? I wondered whether changing cat food brands might not be a bad idea. And it certainly sounded as though the vet wasn’t “getting it.” But then I turned to Dr. H, who replied:

“If the cat seems well other than frequent vomiting, I’d try a more hypoallergenic diet (e.g. some raw or lightly cooked ground turkey or chicken) for a few days. She should also request some metacolpromide tabs from her vet OR she can try a quarter of a regular Pepcid (not the “turbo” new kind, but the old regular stuff) twice daily before each meal. This cat probably has an allergic gastritis going on and if the pepcid/metaclopromide (reglan)/raw meat trial diet doesn’t stop it, then the next step is to use prednisone or dexamethasone tabs to see if more anti-inflammatory effect is needed. If the raw/lightly cooked meat and Pepcid work, she will want to seriously consider a more complete raw diet as a regular diet since this cat is allergic to commercial formulas. I am assuming the kitty doesn’t have loose stool as well?”

I ordered your book today from Amazon. My Boston’s name is Madison for the autographed bookplate. Thanks for that.

Let me see if I understand what you suggest I do:

1. I am taking her to the vet Tuesday. I expect he will give her antibiotics.
2. I’ll start the elimination diet that same day. I believe you suggested 2 weeks to clean her out. Does this mean no milk bones, bullies or other treats during this time?
3. If I wish to purchase food, rather than cook constantly, is there a brand you recommend? Sounds like you are satisfied with the THE HONEST KITCHEN’s food. Please send me the sample you offered.  If not, can I cook a few weeks worth and freeze it in 2 day packages? I assume the rice you use is the whole grain brown rice??? Also, the carrots I mix (chopped), do they cook with the meat or serve them raw, mixed in?
4. I believe Platinum Performance™ CJ, is the correct one you suggest and not their other choices?  Sounds so good, I might try it for myself!!
5. Lastly ( I thank you for your patience), since the Platinum Performance has the Omega-3 oils. Do I still need to supplement with the Nordic Naturals. This seems redundant to use both sources.

Thanks again. I look forward to getting to know you and your website better.

I appreciate your desire to get this right! As far as the actual brand Milk Bones, that is not something I’d like to see in her diet ever. Biscuits and treats should be used sparingly – otherwise a dog just fills up and bulks up on empty calories – but I feel differently about WAGATHA’S – the organic kosher human-edible biscuits you’ll see linked on my website. You can buy at many pet stores or order directly from them for a very reasonable shipping fee. That should be Madison’s treat for life.

If you read some of the other Q&A’s and BLOGS on my website – which I really encourage everyone to do, it is chockful of information about how I feed. My dogs get a scoop of The Honest Kitchen in every meal, plus a small scoop of high quality kibble (not for Madison right now) and then a cooked vegetable and healthy starch like sweet and/or white potato, rice (brown or white), oatmeal, pasta, etc. If she’ll eat raw carrots as a snack that is fantastic – the ones in the vegetable stew can be grated in a food processor or chopped and then cooked in the pot with all the other vegetables.

If there are no joint issues, then I recommend the regular Platinum Performance to protect the joints and balance the diet. If there are some lameness or joint pain issues, then I suggest Platinum Performance Plus. If a dog has a chronic lameness then the CJ (which is stronger, newer technology and also more expensive) can do wonders.

As for the Omega-3 fish oil from Nordic Naturals, dogs need it in the pure concentrated form in the capsules or bottle, to aid in joint issues but it is also an overall health tonic that helps in many visible and invisible ways. Platinum has a good dose of omega-3′s against joint inflammation, but getting the oil directly protects so many bodily functions and organs. We are all deficient in these omega-3′s, as scientists and doctors are only now realizing, so it’s actually a really good idea for you to take the human version of Nordic Naturals (the only truly reliable bottler of the fish oils). I do – and I take the human version of Platinum, too, and haven’t had to use Advil for a year now.

Tracie

I got this hilarious and heartfelt letter – and I do hope the Bibles help with peoples’ ignorance – they just don’t know any better, plus they may be hard-headed – I’m hoping there’s a chance they will call in??

Hi, Tracie -

I am requesting the bookplate for The Cat Bible and The Dog Bible. I ordered The Dog Bible for my ex husband, since he has about 3 pugs and doesn’t believe me when I tell him about the yearly shots and what food to feed them. Two of his pugs are so obese that their back legs drop out from under them. He is planning on getting joint surgery for them, instead of giving them a proper diet and exercise. He is a truck driver and it’s hard for them to exercise. His pugs are Tank, Dozer and Leiah

I also ordered The Cat Bible for my girl friend who has a cat that looks like he ate a basketball. She also doesn’t believe me about the food issues and declawing her cats… how horrendous. She has 3 other cats that look fine, but need to be informed about the inoculations and good food. Her cats are named, Sneakers, Frodo (he is the basketball), Astro and Starship.

I am hoping that these books will get my point across without them getting mad at me. I tend to be a bit of a ranter when it comes to these issues.

I love your show and listen to it every Wednesday night on my way home from work…

Hugs to you and thank you for giving my family and me all this information!!

I also am trying to order from Pet Food Direct but forgot the code to put in… I used radio pets. But it doesn’t work.

NOTE: The discount codes are DOGTALK or CATCHAT and are also posted on my website along with a bunch of other stuff.

Tracie

When I got this email I thanked my lucky stars that little Chi-Chi didn’t get ill from eating grapes, which can sicken even a large dog. As for the bananas, The Honest Kitchen has slices of dehydrated banana in their food so I figure it must be a pretty healthy ingredient – maybe not so wild about them being fried.  The Dog Bible has all this nutrition information and more at www.TracieHotchner.com)

Hi Tracie!

My friend Terri told me to email you if i have some questions regarding my pet Chihuahua. I hope you can help me. I gave my dog some grapes and fried bananas the other day… and they said its bad for dogs to eat grapes… it can kill them. I didn’t know fruits can cause that much damage to animals. So what fruits are not allowed for dogs especially small dogs?

Thank you,
Naini

I love my trucker listeners — can you imagine their devotion to their cats, taking them on the road and then embracing the logistical challenge of switching to wet food? What a great owner!

Hello Tracie,

I am the driver who has an 14 y/o Ocicat who was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism 3 months ago. Merlyn has been traveling with us for all his life Bandit has been traveling with us for the past 3.5 years. While listening to you I learned the importance of wet food so we switched him and our black and white cat over to wet. The reason I am writing to you is to find out if you have a recommendation as far as volume of food. Should we stick to the twice a day with him or should we be feeding him more? He seems to be thinning out as well as around 1400 starts asking for more. The photo is our boys on the bunk in our truck. Thanks for your time.

Richard

I wrote him back:

Congrats on making that change, it’s even more impressive knowing that you are on the road all the time and your wonderful boys get to share your life. As you’ll see on my website or even in the letter above, a cat should eat as much as he wants in a 15 minute period twice a day. Cats won’t eat until they explode like dogs — if he eats a whole can offer him a little more — if he eats half a can, offer him a little more. Let him show you how much he’ll eat at the two feedings — once he gets full that should be plenty until the next meal. Losing weight is what you want!! Our kitties are all too fat!

Tracie

This is one of the longer – more intelligent and caring – and heartbreaking emails I have gotten . I want to share it with you – along with my reply – as a heads-up that we really need to be advocates for our cats and that even when we are, it can still be frustrating, to put it mildly.

Hello Tracie –

I actually have a few questions to ask you, along with a little story.

About 8 months ago I lost my best friend of 16 years, a wonderful and absolutely crazy fun cat named Frisky. We went through a lot in the last 4 months of his life. I grew up with this cat, and always just listened to what my parents told me to do with him for the most part, until 6 years ago. I was becoming more of an adult and Frisky started gaining weight. I researched Feline nutrition and switched frisky over to a wet food (Castor & Pollux Organix). He slimmed down a bit, but he continued to stay a slightly larger (but my vet said -not overweight-) cat.

The last 4 months of his life he began to lose some weight. The vet said he was still in great health, and not to worry… but I did anyway. I didn’t really freak until I noticed changes in his appetite, his behavior, and he started to vomit yellow, which scared me. This is when I decided my vet didn’t know a damn thing and took Frisky to other vets. It turns out he was having liver problems. While every place I took him to told me the same things about his liver, none of the vets or animal hospitals could tell me why it was happening or how to help him. They all prescribed Hills Prescription diet (which Frisky would not eat) and sent me home. Eventually his illness progressed and he became unhealthier and skinnier and his kidneys began to fail. He was taking medication for that, but his appetite waned to barely anything and I had to begin syringe feeding him. All the while Vets and Hospitals still could not tell me what was causing this and how to help or what to change or what to do!?

Frisky went through weeks of ups and downs. Right before he died he went through a wonderful month long period of getting better. I actually thought that he was going to get better for good that time. He even started eating on his own again. Then, during his last week it all went downhill. The vomiting started again, he had absolutely no appetite and despite all of our efforts, it got to the point where I was afraid to sleep because I didn’t want him to die while I was asleep, alone and in pain (I think, at the most, I slept 3 or 4 hours that entire week). So, we took him to the animal hospital and had him euthanized.

This was the worst experience of my life. I don’t say that because of his death… I am okay with him dying now. He was an older cat and I wasn’t expecting him to last forever. But I knew my cat, inside and out, and he had never had a serious illness or any health related problems his entire life. Up until his last 4 months, Frisky was acting just the same as he always had… Rambunctious, sometimes a little nasty, but always had energy and a big bad boy “I own this place.” attitude. Up until the night he died, he was still trying to get up and jump around and do all of his little rituals and routines. I know he didn’t want to die, and that hurt me the most of all. Knowing that this cat wanted to be better, but the vets and hospitals and clinics had no answer after thousands of dollars (I don’t regret one cent!), dozens of scary tests, hospitalization, and months of his precious time left.

It still upsets me, to this day, how horribly every Vet, Animal Hospital, and Emergency Animal Clinic treated me and my slightly mean old cat. Why do they know so little? Why is there no proven treatment for these illnesses? What is wrong with the animal health care community that they cannot treat a failing liver correctly and my cat had to suffer for months? In Frisky’s own words “grrrrrrrrr”.

So, I have to admit, my main reason for contacting you is for advice in a new veterinarian choice and information on holistic / total feline health care and nutrition.

I’m about to adopt a beautiful Tortoiseshell female from Bobby & The Strays (no kill) Animal Shelter in NY. She’s 2 and a half years old and overweight. From picking her up, I’d place her anywhere between 16-18 pounds. She’s currently on a diet of [1] 3oz can of wet food per day and a free feeding bowl of kibble.

What is the best way to transition her to a good quality wet food and routine meals? What is the best brand of food and amount to feed for this size cat to help her get down to a healthy weight? Or should I keep her food consistent with what was fed in the shelter for the first month or two at home and then start a transition. She is a rescued feral and my first priorities are making her feel safe, giving her a home and people she can own and trust, and getting her in good health and wellness. I had my Frisky from 10 weeks old, and I had very minimal, easy experience changing him over to a wet food diet… (even when he was fed dry food, he still had feeding times). So, I’m really unsure of how to go about this with a cat that barely knows me and has a history of neglect. She is a sweetheart of a cat (I have visited with her over the past two weeks to get a sense for her personality) but I don’t want to screw her up. She deserves the best after being rescued and I really want to make her transitions as smooth as possible.

I also want to know if you can recommend any books (besides your own, which I absolutely love!), that give a reliable approach to total Feline Health during all stages of a cat’s life. When Frisky got sick, I was absolutely astonished at the lack of reliable information on Feline health risks and the illnesses of senior cats. Beyond even that, I was abhorred by how little veterinarians actually know about feline health and treatment. What should I be looking for in a new vet this time around? I want to try to do as much right as I can this time, and make sure my new girl is as healthy and as happy as can be. Any Advice is greatly, greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
(and sorry about the length of the email…)
-Adrianna

Dear Adrianna

I took some time before responding because I share your rage and horror at the incompetence and even seeming disinterest of all those vets who could not diagnose nor treat nor protect your lovely boy, despite your relentless efforts to do the best by him. I wish I had some words of wisdom, but all I can do is offer the comfort of empathy for what you both went through.

I am going to share your email with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, the official vet of CAT CHAT® and a seriously generous woman with her time, wisdom, advice and her own sense of moral outrage at how cats are often mistreated by her profession.

I will tell you right off the bat that the book you are looking for is YOUR CAT by Dr. H – it is linked on my website www.TracieHotchner.com on Dr. H’s own page as the vet of Cat Chat® – you’ll be glad to have this excellent book as a complement to mine (by the way,send you address and I’ll send you an autographed bookplate to put in The Cat Bible and some goodies as well.

As for The Transition: go cold turkey, as they say. Get that kitty crack right out of your house – literally out of the building or the cat will smell it’s noxious fumes from wherever you stash it and may beg for more of what he’s hooked on, with all its downsides. Give what’s left over to a feral cat rescue or a private shelter/rescue – they all have financial burdens and that can be of use to them.

My website is filled with Q&A’s and Blogs about feeding – you’ll get all the info you need on how to offer two wet meals a day and in your case there is no issue about rejecting wet food, so it’s going to be a piece of cake.

The only other thing I would BEG you to do is sign up right now for pet insurance – with your bookplate I can send you a card for Pets Best insurance with a discount as my listener but don’t even wait – call the toll free number on my website and let them give you a quote – it should be really reasonable for a young kitty and the rate locks in for 8 years. You know only too well the cost of quality vet care these days (even when the outcome is not “quality”) so protect yourself from day one, please. And I hope you never need it!

Keep up your good spirits and enjoy life with your lucky new pussycat – he’s got a great guardian in you.

Tracie