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DR. SLADE'S TERRIBLE TEN

By Dr. Jeff Slade

 

 

Years ago when I was in middle school in Orlando, I had a science teacher who used to give us surprise tests.  These “pop quizzes” were always ten questions.  He’d say take out a clean sheet of paper and number it from one to ten.  There would be an instant collective groan from the students.  Veterinarians in Indian River County take turns speaking to the public in periodic meetings held at the Vero Beach Humane Society.  Recently it was my turn and I ambushed the unsuspecting group with a ten question quiz of my own.  Since they asked me to speak about pets’ golden years and allergies, that’s what most of the questions were about.  Try your luck on the quiz below:

 

T or F: Approximately half of all dogs have itchy allergic dermatitis.

T or F: When dogs have allergic itching, they are usually allergic to just one

             thing.

T or F: The itchy disease, atopic dermatitis, is the canine equivalent of hay

             fever.

T or F: Mixed breed mongrel dogs are immune to allergies.

T or F: Cats are immune to atopy (atopic dermatitis).

T or F: There is a slogan in the veterinary profession “senior at seven

             years.”

T or F: Senior cats have the same nutritional requirements as kittens.

T or F: A milky gray color in a senior dog’s previously black pupil is usually

            cataracts.

T or F: Arthritis in a twelve year old cat is less common than in a twelve 

            year old dog.

T or F: Testing older pets for undetected illness may save their lives.

 

These are the ten questions I selected for a quiz that I gave to lecture attendees at the Humane Society back in February.  It served as the starting point for a discussion of common pet problems.  My answers appear in the following sentences. 

 

It’s true that about half of all dogs need veterinary help to soothe their intense itching.  Seldom, if ever, are they allergic to just one thing.  In fact, the things they’re allergic to can be grouped into four categories.  They might be allergic to things they inhale (mold, spores, pollen), things that bite them (fleas, mosquitoes, bees), things that they touch (weeds, grass, wood chips), and things they eat (beef, chicken, gluten). 

 

Mongrels suffer allergies just like the purebreds, but cats don’t get atopy like dogs.  It’s true that as a rule the veterinary profession considers pets senior at seven years of age, but it’s more true in dogs than cats, and there are lots of exceptions.  Senior cats have several nutritional differences from kittens. 

 

You should be suspicious if you see a food labeled perfect for all ages. 

 

The milky gray color in most older dogs’ pupils is an aging change of the lens known as sclerosis.  It could also be cataracts, but they are much less common. 

 

And to conclude our pop quiz: senior cats suffer far less arthritis than senior dogs, and testing your old-timer may indeed extend your pet’s lifespan the same way it does in humans, by detecting illness before it becomes a problem. 

 

How did you do?