Animal Airwaves

If your cat has small, crusty bumps on her head, trunk or tail base, she may be suffering from miliary [pronounced like “military” but without the “t”] dermatitis. Other signs can include scratching, inflammation, hair loss or thinning — even behavior changes due to discomfort.

Miliary dermatitis is not a single disease but rather an umbrella term for the skin’s reaction to any allergy. The question is, allergy to what? Some cats are allergic to fleas or other parasites. Others have allergies to certain foods. And some of our feline friends suffer from atopic dermatitis — that involves allergies to environmental substances, like pollen, dust mites or mold.

Once your veterinarian helps you pin down the cause, treatment can address the problem.

You might think that dogs have an edge when it comes to playing fetch. But it turns out that lots of cats like it too. Just on their own terms.

Researchers in Great Britain surveyed nearly 1,000 parents of over 1,100 cats to see if their feline friends retrieved thrown objects. Nearly 95% of them did — and without any specific training — usually starting when they were less than a year old.

As opposed to dogs, cats usually decide when they want to play fetch. They also play fetch on their own, mimicking interactions with prey, while dogs prefer the social aspect, engaging with people or other dogs.

Whether or not your cat likes to fetch, playing together does wonders in strengthening your relationship.

The liver is the body’s recycling and detoxifying center. In normal dogs, the portal vein carries blood from the digestive tract to the liver where toxins are removed. Then the blood travels to the systemic circulation to nourish the body.

But in some dogs, blood draining the intestinal tract is shunted directly into the systemic circulation, bypassing the liver altogether. Affected dogs often present with neurologic signs due to the toxins in their blood. Portosystemic shunts are often congenital, so the classic presentation is a puppy that acts drunk after eating.

Portosystemic shunts are relatively easy to diagnose. And while treatment may involve abdominal surgery, some cases can be treated with minimally invasive techniques by using interventional radiology to close the shunt.

As cute as they are, flat-faced — or brachycephalic [brā-kē-sĕ-FӐ-lĭk] — dogs, like Frenchies, Boston terriers and pugs, have lots of health problems. One of them is sleep deprivation.

Caused by sleep apnea, it’s a result of the breeds’ shortened heads and resulting upper respiratory tract malformations. Brachycephalic breeds have longer periods of rapid eye movement sleep, which is associated with increased brain activity, compared with other breeds.

Affected dogs are often sleepy during the day and can have trouble learning. They’re more apt to snore. Some dogs sleep with a ball in their mouth just to help keep their airways open.

It makes you wonder: Does the cuteness factor in flat-faced dogs warrant this kind of suffering?

While cardiovascular disease in horses is less common than in people, dogs and cats, because horses are often expected to perform work or athletic feats, their cardiovascular condition may be relatively more important, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. On this show, Dr. Meg Sleeper, a veterinary cardiology specialist, will discuss how heart problems are most frequently diagnosed in horses, and some of the tools that specialists are able to use these days to both diagnose and treat different types of heart disease when it occurs in their equine patients.

Tendon injuries in any species have a tough time healing. The repair tissue is more like a scar than regular tendon — it’s less elastic and weaker, making it susceptible to re-injury. Some tendon injuries are also at risk of mineralization and adhesion — that is, hardening and sticking — decreasing the tendon’s range of motion.

Stem cells are being examined for potential use in treating tendon injuries in horses. Stem cells reproduce well, can develop into many types of specialized cells and stimulate the production of healing molecules. What’s more, local injection of stem cells could replace invasive repairs.

Who knows? If stem cells help heal equine tendon injuries, they may help in other species, too — including humans.

Every year, car accidents take a sobering toll on human health and lives. But sadly, there are no statistics on the number of vehicular injuries and deaths for pet passengers.

Although many pets ride with their humans, there are no regulations for their safety, only general recommendations. In an accident or even sudden breaking or swerving, a pet can become a projectile, seriously endangering their safety and yours. Deployment of air bags can also severely injure pets.

To avoid these risks — as well as driver distraction — veterinarians recommend restraining pets, ideally in crates anchored in the rear of the car. Other restraint methods have been evaluated by the Center for Pet Safety, so check out their test results online.

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, so it’s a great time to focus on our pet’s pearly whites.

Good dental health is a key part of any pet’s overall health. For example, periodontal disease — inflammation or infection of the gums and other soft tissues around the teeth — can spread to other parts of the body.

That’s why your pet should have a complete veterinary dental exam and cleaning at least once a year. More often if your pet develops bad breath, trouble eating, a reduced appetite, bleeding from the mouth — even general irritability.

One last thing: Veterinarians recommend that pets be anesthetized for optimal dental evaluation and teeth cleaning. Preventing movement, stress and pain makes the procedure safer.

Winter can be a tough time for cows, depending on their condition and fluctuating temperatures.

Cows in good condition with thick winter coats generally hold their own  in temperatures down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But for thin cows or those with wet haircoats, temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees can cause trouble.

For each degree below those temperatures, a cow’s energy needs increase by about 1%. So, if temperatures drop below 0 degrees, cows need at least a 30% increase in maintenance calories.

Producers can help by always having fresh hay available, supplementing with concentrated feed and ensuring easy access to unfrozen water. Sheltering animals from wind and precipitation decreases cold stress too.

When is poop too soft or too hard? Poop quality can be a source of worry especially for new pet owners. Is there something wrong with the diet or is the gut working normally? Is a visit to your veterinarian or even referral to an internal medicine or nutrition specialist a good idea? On this show, Dr. Richard Hill, who is board-certified in both small animal internal medicine and nutrition, will discuss what affects fecal form, different types of diarrhea and common reasons for changes in poop quality. More importantly, he’ll talk about what information you should take with your pet to a veterinarian to help come up with an effective treatment plan.