Vet’s Views
Dr Kaushlendra Kumar
The doctor has been practising in Lucknow for the past 20 years in canine and other pet animal medicine and surgery
Q: My 2-year-old male Labrador is house-trained but has recently started peeing on the furniture. Is it a sign of some ailment?- Ankit Agarwal
Peeing habit can be a sign of incontinence, a behavioural problem, or an adult character. Incontinence comes from UTI, which is an infection in the urinary tract. If not properly trained, dogs do pee in the house, but this doesn't seem in your case. These days, in the rainy season, many stray bitches come into heat cycle. They attract male partners and vice versa, male gets attracted to females in this heat season. To mark their territory, they pee anywhere in the house. Treating infections is very important to control incontinence. Behavioural needs training and strict discipline for dogs not to pee. Seasonal behaviour, too, has limited scope for treatment.
Q: How should we care for pets during the rainy season, particularly when they go out to attend nature’s call while it is raining and the ground is wet and dirty? My dogs develop allergies and start scratching their fur.- Nilofer Khan
Taking care of dogs in the rainy season is a great challenge. Many dogs are so well-behaved that they never pass any excreta in the house, no matter how much it might be raining. In that case, you need to use a raincoat that is easily available in pet stores. After returning from outside, you need to dry your pet’s body and put some cotrimazole-containing powder on it to avoid allergies. It is also important to take care of the feet or paws of your pet. You need to towel dry and put powder. Properly drying the body itself takes care of many problems. Make sure that your pet doesn't drink rainwater, as it may be contagious.
Q: My 8-month-old St Bernard is shedding a lot of coat though I was told this breed doesn't shed. What should I do? -Lokesh Tripathi
Shedding at a young age of 8 months is not a good sign of health. You must see that your pet is dewormed properly and given a balanced diet with proper protein content of min 20%. Any allergic condition may be because of heat, ticks and fleas, or certain foods can also lead to shedding in dogs. Please work on all these factors and supplement the diet with essential fatty acids throughout its life to maintain a good coat, lustre, and to develop immunity.
Q: I have a 3-year-old female Labrador who was quite active. Of late, she has started panting heavily after every walk or even some play. Can that be a sign of some underlying health issue? -Hemant Kumar Singh
A three-year-old Labrador having a breathing problem on even a light walk is definitely a sign of an underlying health issue. This can start from obesity in dogs to a sign of exercise intolerance, leading to cardio-pulmonary symptoms. Labradors are prone to obesity, so check their weight, which can be managed by giving them obesity food and light exercise. The underlying bigger issues can be either cardiac or pulmonary/lung problems. They can best be ruled out by a vet after X-rays, ECG and echocardiography. After proper diagnosis, medication can be started. But my advice would be to get your pet thoroughly examined first.
Q: I am planning to adopt a Doberman pup. But the person I am getting it from tells me he would be docking (cutting) its tail. Is it necessary to do so? -Kamal Saxena
Dobermanns were once a very fast and furious breed. But, slowly, with inbreeding, its character got subdued or suppressed. In those times, docking was a necessity. Many breeders are still in the habit of getting Doberman pups docked. But now, for the past so many years, docking of tails and cropping of ears are banned and hence illegal. It is not at all necessary to get that pup docked. The tail is not going to harm it unless you are going into the jungle for hunting with your pet, which is again an illegal activity today.
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