Our 4-year-old doberman, Fritz, is too skinny. Our vet checked
him for parasites and says he’s
”
clean.
”
And he’s otherwise very healthy, but he’s at least 10 pounds
underweight. We feed him six cups of kibble every day. He has a
great appetite, and he never gets sick to his stomach. Our vet says
we should see a specialist; maybe he’ll need to have a scope
exam?
Q: Our 4-year-old doberman, Fritz, is too skinny. Our vet checked him for parasites and says he’s “clean.” And he’s otherwise very healthy, but he’s at least 10 pounds underweight. We feed him six cups of kibble every day. He has a great appetite, and he never gets sick to his stomach. Our vet says we should see a specialist; maybe he’ll need to have a scope exam? We aren’t ready for that just yet. Is there anything else we can do?
A:
There are several possible causes for Fritz’s poor condition. And even though he’s had a fecal exam to check for parasites, another stool exam should be done. Occasionally, this test ends up with a “false negative” result. That’s because gastrointestinal worms don’t always release the ova (eggs) that are detected on a fecal exam. A wormy dog can test negative as much as 10 percent of the time.
But there are several other conditions that could be his problem, so further workup is needed. One condition in particular, called pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, is easily diagnosed with a simple blood test. And this problem is seen once in a while in dobermans.
The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes that are crucial to absorption and utilization of the nutrients in food. If the pancreas doesn’t provide enough of these enzymes, food passes through the intestines only partially digested. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats can’t be fully utilized, so the dog eats well, but still loses weight. And many of these patients have a normal stool, even though they are emaciated.
A blood test is available to determine if Fritz has this condition, and the good news is that it is easily treated. If he had this condition, he would only need a tablet containing some of these enzymes with each meal. So ask your vet to test for pancreatic insufficiency. If that’s his problem, Fritz can take a pill and once again, become fat and sassy.
Q:
Is it true that animals have a higher body temperature than people? How much higher?
A:
It’s true, domestic animals and farm animals have a higher basal temperature than humans. For example, dogs and cats are normally somewhere between 101 and 102.5 degrees fahrenheit, depending on stress, excitement and surrounding temperature. Horses are a little lower, closer to 100 degrees. Goats are often much higher with a normal reading of about 104 degrees. When they are sick, their temperature is often 105 to 106 degrees!
But birds get the prize for the high basal temperature. The average body temperature for many parrots and macaws is 106 degrees.
And the highest? How about the crow and the sparrow. Their temperatures can hover around 110 degrees! Pretty toasty, at least by our standards.
Q:
I heard that some exotic pet birds can live longer than their owner. How long can they live?
A:
You heard right. Many exotic avian pets live a very long life. Take, for example, the macaw. These birds live around 50 years. Cockatoos outdo that with an average lifespan of up to 70 years. And how about the double yellow head amazon parrot? This bird often lives more than 80 years!
SPECIAL NOTE
This past year has been challenging for many of us. Throughout all of it, I feel lucky to be able to continue doing something that I have always loved. Pets are such a vital part of all our lives. They provide us with emotional support and in so many ways they enrich our lives. Caring for pets has been my passion since I was a young boy. And I’ve been fortunate enough to live my dream. To each of you who read this column, and especially to all of you who have written me over these many years, I say thanks. May we all have a healthy and happy 2010. And I hope you can always give your pets that special hug when you need it most. Happy holidays to you all.
