Veterinarian Dr. Dana Koch answers readers’ questions

A dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth

Answer: It is commonly thought that the dog outside eating dirt, grass or bugs in the yard or the dog sniffing the rear of the dog next door has a magically clean mouth. Unfortunately, dogs have a great deal of bacteria in their mouths. The majority of this bacteria is very species specific and does not lead to disease transmission in humans. To be on the safe side it is best to keep your dog up-to-date with vaccines and deworming. The bacteria in your dog’s mouth also leads to the accumulation of tartar and plaque, which can cause serious periodontal disease. Lastly, dog bites have shown to get infected often resulting in the need for antibiotics for those sustaining the injury.

A dog that is wagging its tail is happy to see you

Answer: A dog’s tail is often a method of communication and an extension of their current state of mind or mood. A wagging tail can indicate happiness, excitement, nervousness or anxiety. Be cautious with any dog you are not familiar with to ensure no unwanted interaction occurs.

You can tell a dog or cat’s temperature by feeling its nose

Answer: This is generally untrue. Dogs and cats will often lick their noses causing them to feel wet or cold. The moisture on the nose helps intensify scents. Feeling the temperature or moisture does not necessarily give you an indicator of whether the animal is actually sick. The best way to gauge an accurate temperature is to use a thermometer and obtain it rectally (or have your veterinarian be the bad guy and do this, especially if your pet is not feeling well).

Feeding your animal dry food or dental treats will prevent the need for dental cleanings

Answer: Chewing on certain foods and treats can help break up tartar but does not completely eliminate the development of tartar or plaque accumulation from the gum line or help prevent gingivitis. Most animals do not chew on every tooth either (they have incisors, canines, premolars and molars). This will be mean some teeth will never have any significant chewing action. The best way to keep teeth healthy is to safely brush and have your veterinarian perform routine oral examinations.

Indoor-only cats can’t get fleas

Answer: This is a common misconception and often results in frustrating flea infestations in animal-friendly households. Flea and ticks can migrate into a house on other animals, humans or objects brought in from outside (such as grocery bags, clothing or yard equipment). Fleas can lay up to 50 eggs a day, which is equal to their body weight. The best way to prevent a flea or tick problem is to use a preventative on your animals.

Cats have nine lives

Answer: Cats truly only have one life, but this saying is rooted in the fact that cats are known for “always landing on their feet.” This is because cats are extremely flexible and have good balance. They are also known for their righting reflex, which is why cats are known to survive falls from impressive heights because they can twist their body mid-air to land on their feet.

Cats require milk in their diet for calcium

Answer: Cats do not require milk for a well-balanced diet. In reality many cats are actually lactose-intolerant and the ingestion of milk can cause gastrointestinal upset resulting in diarrhea. In terms of hydration, water is by far the best source of fluids. Water not only helps to keep cats hydrated, it also aids in digestion, temperature regulation and the distribution of electrolytes throughout the body.

Grapes and raisins are fine to feed to dogs

Answer: Dogs should not consume grapes and raisins because of the risk of acute kidney failure. Most dogs experiencing grape or raisin toxicity will begin to have vomiting and/or diarrhea within six-12 hours of ingestion. Other abnormal clinical signs include lethargy, abdominal pain, dehydration and tremors. Kidney failure develops within 24-72 hours of the initial ingestion. There are some dogs that do not experience these devastating side-effects and the reason for this has not been scientifically understood. It is best to contact your veterinarian or veterinary emergency facility if you believe your pet has ingested grapes or raisins.

Declawing is just a permanent nail trim

Answer: Onychectomy or declawing is the surgical amputation of the first joint of each of a cat's toes, this is similar to cutting off a human finger at the most distal joint space. This procedure is frequently viewed as inhumane and a form of mutilation. The most common reason for declawing a cat is because of destructive behavior. Cat owners should keep in mind that scratching is a normal feline behavior that often is used for territorial marking and stretching. There are alternatives to declawing including frequent nail trims, temporary synthetic nail caps and behavior training with the use of certain scratching posts and toys.

The bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine will prevent my dog from getting sick at the kennel or daycare

Answer: Kennel cough (also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis) is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Typically, mild cases of kennel cough are treated with a week or two of rest, but a veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection and cough medication to ease the symptoms. Although most cases of kennel cough are caused by bordetella, some are caused by other agents, including canine adenovirus type 2, canine parainfluenza virus, canine respiratory coronavirus, and mycoplasmas, so the vaccine may not prevent a dog from catching the disease. It is important to realize that neither form of the kennel cough vaccination will treat active infections.

Grain-free food is superior to any other type of food

Answer: Many food companies are marketing that grain-free foods are truly the superior diets to feed your animals. For some pets, grain-free diets can help with allergies or certain gastrointestinal issues, but across the board this is not necessarily true. In terms of food allergies it is more common to see allergies to chicken, beef, eggs, dairy and wheat in dogs. Additionally, many grain-free foods are actually made with starch from potatoes and lentils and may be higher in fat, leading to weight gain in certain animals. A recent study performed by Dr. Joshua Stern at UC Davis is showing evidence that certain grain-free diets are causing dilated cardiomyopathy (a serious heart condition) in golden retrievers due to taurine deficiency.

Dogs are color blind

Answer: In reality dogs can see color just not in the same way humans do. They are limited in the variety of colors they can see and these colors are also suspected to be less vibrant. Eyes contains both rods and cones. The rods are most sensitive to light and dark changes, shape and movement and contain only one type of light-sensitive pigment while cones differentiate color. Humans have three types of cones: blue, green and red. It is the overlap of cones and how the brain integrates signals from the cones that allows humans to see a variety of colors. Dogs only have two types of cones, which allows dogs to see the colors of the world as basically yellow, blue and gray. They see the colors green, yellow and orange as yellowish, and they see violet and blue as blue. Blue-green is seen as a gray.


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