What is kidney disease?
Any disease process, acute or chronic, that prevents the kidneys from functioning properly. Every wonder what the kidneys do? Well, the kidneys have multiple jobs, but their primary and most important role is to filter the blood and remove toxins.

What are the most common causes of kidney disease?
Before discussing, it is important to understand the difference between acute and chronic kidney disease. In acute cases, the onset is sudden and clinical signs are usually more severe, since blood toxins build up quickly. In chronic cases, the disease usually progresses slowly and clinical signs may go unnoticed for months.

Most common causes of acute kidney disease are ingestion of toxins such as certain foods or plants. For example, raisins and grapes can be extremely toxic to dogs. In cats, ingestion of lilies can cause kidney failure and even death. Other causes of acute kidney disease include infectious causes, such as leptospirosis, lyme disease and pyelonephritis. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection usually spread by infected wildlife and concentrated in areas with rivers, lakes and/or streams. Leptospirosis is not common in Nevada. Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks, this is why tick prevention is important in areas where tick burdens are high. Pyelonephritis occurs secondary to a lower urinary tract infection, when bacteria ascend up into the kidneys, causing sudden and often severe illness.

Chronic kidney disease usually occurs over a long period of time. In many patients with chronic disease, the underlying cause may not be determined. Chronic kidney disease is more common in aging dogs and cats.

What are signs of kidney disease?
During the early stages of kidney disease, the signs are usually non specific, such as increased thirst and urination, and decreased appetite. In acute cases, or when the disease process progresses, you may notice vomiting, lethargy and weight loss.

How do you diagnose kidney disease?
Since chronic kidney disease may go unnoticed, it is important to include annual veterinarian care. IF your pet is over 7 years of age, it is recommended to have routine check-ups every 6 months. Your veterinarian may perform a physical exam, complete blood profile, and urinalysis. In addition, imaging, such as radiographs (x-rays) and ultrasound of the kidneys may be performed. However,
many tests may be normal in early stages of kidney disease.  A newer blood test, called SDMA is now routinely used to aid in earlier detection of kidney disease.

What are treatment options?
The mainstay in treating kidney disease, is good hydration and dietary modification. If an underlying cause is determined, other treatments may be used. Occasionally, your pet may need hospitalization for more intensive care.

If you think your pet is showing clinical signs of kidney disease, please schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.

Did you know? Ethylene glycol, a common ingredient in anti freeze, is severely toxic to dogs. In addition, giving your pets over-the-counter human drugs, such as aspirin, may cause kidney failure. Please make sure to keep these products out of reach of your furry friends.

This event was created by the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association with support from HomeAgain to encourage pet owners to check their pet’s microchip information annually and keep it up-to-date. By doing this yearly, you increase your pet’s chances of returning home if lost!

Adventure is out there, protect your pet!

– By Alexa Rabini

Once upon a time there was a dog named Daisy. She was a happy pup with a loving family! Daisy spent her days begging for food, going on neighborhood walks and playing outside in the yard. But one day while she was chasing a bird, it suddenly got dark and started to rain. Daisy was so scared she panicked and crawled under the gate! Looking for her family, she just kept running and running. When the rain finally stopped, she didn’t know where she was or where her family went. Luckily for Daisy, Alexa was out taking her dog Lily for a walk. She found Daisy and took her back to her house to keep her safe until she could find her family. Daisy was given a warm bed and a fresh bowl of water. But she was very sad and missed her family very much. Daisy’s family returned home from dinner and couldn’t find her anywhere. They called their neighbors and asked if anyone had seen her. Fortunately, Daisy’s family had her microchipped the year before and the registration information was current. The next morning Alexa took her to the nearest veterinarian and they found her chip. Alexa called Daisy’s family and told them that she was safe. Daisy was so happy to see her family! Because of her microchip and an up-to-date registration, Daisy and her family were reunited.
August 15th is National Check The Chip Day Microchips are the size of a rice grain and do not cause your pet any pain. ID tags can easily be damaged or removed.

Alexa Rabini is Pet Care Consultant at Pets of Las Vegas. www.PetsofLasVegas.com

Celebrating Presidents’ Day
Presidents’ Day originally was established in 1885 to recognize President George Washington. The day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

It gives us an excellent opportunity to learn more about our presidents and their pets. It is interesting to learn about the variety of pets that were part of their lives. Since 1800 the White House has been home to more than 400 animals including cats, dogs, alligators and others. We often view our presidents only as historical or political leaders. Learning about them as pet parents and animal lovers offers us a glimpse into the lives of the men, women, and children who occupied our nation’s capital.

Our Presidents and Their Pets
President Washington, known as The Father of Our Country is also considered to be the Father of the American foxhound. In addition to his 36 dogs he also owned and loved horses. The Washington household also had birds; one parrot in particular was a favorite of the first lady. Polly often spent time sitting with Mrs. Washington even when she was entertaining guests.

President Lincoln was the first president to bring a cat into the White House. When he assumed office and traveled from Illinois to the White House, his son, Tad, asked his father to bring his cat (Tabby) along. President Lincoln agreed. He loved all cats and could play with them for hours. Once when a reporter asked Mary Todd Lincoln if her husband had a hobby she replied simply, “cats”. We know that Abraham Lincoln owned at least 2 dogs, Fido and Jip. A book by Matthew Algeo, Abe & Fido: Lincoln’s Love of Animals and the Touching Story of His Favorite Canine Companion depicts Lincoln as a deeply compassionate animal lover and shares the story of his favorite dog, Fido.

President Coolidge had a “personal zoo” that included more than 26 pets, including a bobcat named Smoky, six dogs, a goose, a donkey, a cat, an antelope, a wallaby, and two lion cubs called Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau. He also had a pair of raccoons called Reuben and Rebecca. Reuben didn’t like being around people but Rebecca loved posing for photos. Calvin often took her on a leash for walks on the grounds of the White House. Another one of his popular pets was Billy, a pygmy hippopotamus. Billy was donated to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

President Theodore Roosevelt’s household consisted of six children and numerous pets including a bear, badger, pony, hyena, pigs and birds. Guinea pigs were part of the family and President Roosevelt felt they made perfect pets for his children. The guinea pigs often were seen playing with the children outside on the White House lawn. One of the guinea pigs lived in a cage with Peter the rabbit. Sounds like a typical household of pets and children!

White House Gators!
The White House was home to three alligators – one was given to John Quincy Adams by the Marquis de Lafayette and lived in a White House bathroom. President Adams enjoyed scaring his guests with his unusual household pet.

Though President Hoover and his wife, Lou, were dog lovers, their son, Allan Henry, had a pair of alligators as pets. Normally they were kept in a bathtub but often escaped and were seen roaming the grounds of the White House. The alligators were eventually donated to the Smithsonian Zoo

Guess who had a Doggie birthday party in the White House. President Harding and his family had a birthday party for their dog Laddie Boy. The guest list included other dogs. A dog biscuit cake with frosting was served. Just a typical family celebrating the birthday of a family member!

I identified with President Lincoln and his love and enjoyment of cats. The image of guinea pigs and children playing on the White House lawn warmed my heart. I would have loved seeing President Coolidge walking his raccoon. Our presidents and their families indeed were pet people!

See the following for more interesting tales of pets and presidents plus photos:
http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/9-presidential-pets

Do you love the sound of Meow or Woof?

Recently while taking my two young granddaughters out to eat I was privileged to eavesdrop on their conversation. Allie, the youngest, stated that she was a dog person. She plans to have four dogs; one or two would be therapy or service dogs. Allie also loves horses, cats and all animals but she is a “self-identified” dog person. She looks at a dog and it’s an instant sibling-style connection. Her cousin, Laura, wasn’t sure if she is a cat person or a dog person. She loves her pet rats, and her other grandmother’s dog, Fritz. It takes a while for my cats to warm up to her but she likes them. She also loves horses. At this point I was included in the conversation. She stated emphatically “Grandma, you’re a cat person.” And I said, yes!

Later, reflecting on the conversation, I thought back to my pet experiences as a child. I was fortunate to have had dogs, cats, rabbits and birds as pets. I also had lots of opportunities to be around with cows, pigs, chickens, and goats. Yet cats hold a special spot in my heart.  I describe myself as an animal/pet lover but I identify myself as a cat person – there is a special connection.

Researchers are beginning to study the connection between personality and pet preference. There is increasing evidence suggesting that there are distinct personality differences between cat people and dog people. One study, Gosling-Potter Internet Personality Project, led by psychologist Samuel Gosling, University of Texas at Austin included about 4,500 participants who answered questions using the Big Five model to assess personality. The areas are:

Extraversion – talkative, energetic, assertive
Agreeableness – sympathetic, kind, affectionate
Conscientiousness – organized, thorough
Neuroticism – tense, moody, anxious
Openness – having wide interests, being imaginative

The volunteers in this study completed the personality test first and then self-identified themselves as a cat person, a dog person, both, or neither. The results: 46% dog people; 12% cat people, 27% both, and 15% as neither.

Some of the findings:
Extraversion: Dog people were 15% more extroverted than cat people. What it means: Outgoing, enthusiastic, positive, energetic
Agreeableness: Dog people were 13% more likely to be agreeable than a cat person. Agreeable people tend to be trusting, altruistic, kind, affectionate, and sociable
Conscientiousness: Dog people were 11% more conscientious than cat people. What it means: Self-disciplined, strong sense of duty, tend to be “planners”
Neuroticism: Cat people were 12% more neurotic than dog people. Neurotic people are: Easily stressed, anxious, worriers
Openness: Cat people were 11% more likely to be open. Open people tend to be curious, creative, artistic, nontraditional thinkers open to trying new things.

Interesting results – as a cat person I wasn’t sure I liked them until I got to the last section.  Yes, Laura, I still identify as a cat person!

What about you? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at Editor@lvpetscene.com and share your thoughts with us.

http://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-truth-about-cat-people-and-dog-people

https://news.utexas.edu/2010/01/13/personality_dogs_cats

Have you ever wondered about your cat’s personality and behaviors? I have! Ever since I adopted Rowdy, a cute affectionate kitten, I’ve wondered about that age-old scientific nurture vs. nature debate about animal behaviors. A cat’s nature is the temperament and personality that they were born with. Other behaviors are learned or acquired by training and nurturing.

I decided to do some reading and found that a lot has been written about this topic. Each cat is an individual but it seems that there are common traits that have a genetic basis. There are certain innate characteristics based on the breed. The term “domestic” cat is used to describe cats of unknown breed; they can still have characteristics and traits based on their breed mix. For example, Persians are affectionate and love sitting on your lap. Siamese cats communicate with their “meow” and body language.  Another breed that is popular is the ragdoll. Their most adorable trait is that it goes limp when it is picked up. They’re considered to be the most affectionate, gentle, and huggable cat you could get.

Let me share a little bit about Rowdy. He was described by the cat rescue as a little “love bug” who loves to snuggle as fiercely as he loves to play. He’s a jumper and loves to flip his body in the air when he plays. He has dog-like characteristics like fetching and chasing toys. Orphaned as a young kitten, he was bottle fed and fostered by a family who had two young boys.

Were his cute yet unusual personality traits due to his early nurturing? Every morning I hear him in the litter box scratching the side for about five minutes. He knows he is supposed to scratch but he doesn’t know why he is scratching. He hops out leaving his poop uncovered. Fortunately for him, Solly, his adopted brother hops in and covers it for him. He didn’t have a mommy cat to teach him Litter Box Basics 101. He is an explorer and I often find him on high shelves sharing space with many breakable items. My attempts to get him before he knocked items off the shelf were met with a limp cat. My guess is that he is part Ragdoll. He truly is the most huggable cat I’ve ever had.

There is also some evidence that suggests that coat color is linked genetically to temperament and traits. This was extremely interesting to me since Rowdy is a Tuxedo cat. This isn’t a breed but a color pattern that is found in almost all types of domestic cats. Tuxedos have an outgoing personality; they’re relaxed and have dog-like in personality traits (that fits him perfectly)

Another popular cat is the Ginger Tabby. This cat is not a breed either but a color coat pattern. They are also called orange tables. They are usually easy going and friendly, they like to be stroked and petted but dislike being held and cuddled. This fits my older cat, Solomon, perfectly. He is my sensitive, shy gentleman. He loves to lie beside me but hates it when I try to pick him up to hold him. At first, I thought Solomon was having problems bonding with me because of trust issues. I adopted him after his second rehoming experience. I expected him to become more huggable after a period of adjustment. Recognizing that it was probably due to his nature rather than a bonding failure helped me relax and enjoy this handsome companion cat without putting unrealistic expectations on him.

Learning more about our cats helps us appreciate their unique personalities and character traits. ©LVPSM 2017

In early January the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) announced the publication of the 2016 U.S. Animal Protection Laws Rankings Report, The eleventh edition of the Animal Protection Laws compendium contains the general animal protection and related statutes for all of the states, principal districts and territories of the United States of America, and for all of Canada.

The report highlights the top, middle, and bottom tiers of jurisdictions and notes the “Best Five” and “Worst Five” states overall. Nevada is #24 – in the middle tier!

Animal Protection Laws of Nevada: http://aldf.org/wp-content/uploads/compendium-map/2017/usa/NEVADA.pdf

For more information about the report or the American Legal Defense Fund: http://aldf.org/press-room/press-releases/best-worst-states-for-animal-protection-laws-2016-report-released/

Brr!  Baby, it’s cold outside! Even in Las Vegas we can experience some very cold weather especially at night. Before going outside most people check the weather and dress accordingly. Dogs are unable to check the weather. Yes, they have fur coats but dogs that are outdoors for any length of time need extra protection against the cold. The temperature can feel worse than what the thermometer reads – check the temperature and the wind chill factor to determine what your dog needs to stay warm this winter.

Dogs use up more calories in the winter trying to stay warm. Feed him a little more in the winter if he spends a lot of time outside. Caution: Indoor pets conserve energy by sleeping more in the winter. They may also exercise less when they go outside so you might need to reduce the amount of food you give them to avoid weight gain.

Wearing a sweater for shorthaired, senior or frail dogs will help keep them warm when they go outside. However, dogs lose most of their body heat through their paw pads, ears and through respiration so they are still vulnerable to the cold even when wearing a sweater. Cold weather can be especially difficult for young puppies, senior pets and those with certain health issues like arthritis or diabetes. Take extra precaution to protect them from getting too cold.

Watch for signs that your pet is uncomfortably cold. Shivering is often the one we notice first since it is the primary way dogs use to produce heat. Others include whining, anxiety, slowing down or stopping, and looking for a warm place to burrow.

Snuggle with your pet, stay warm and safe! We’ll be complaining about the heat soon enough!

Note: If you have an outdoor-only pet, please consider bringing them indoors when our temperatures drop – if that is not possible make sure they have insulated shelter, warm bedding, water, and extra food. It takes more energy to stay warm when it’s cold and outdoor pets eat more during the winter.