THE_ ANIMAL HEALTH MAGAZINE HAPPY HOLIDAYS VETERINARY DIAGNOSIS CARE OF THE REJECTED KITTEN LOOK OUT FOR EYE DISEASES IN YOUR PUP rwmm EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK «feiDE Official Journal of the Animal Health Foundation on animal care and health. NOV/DEC 1975 Volume 6 Number 6 ARTICLES The How of-a Diagnosis, C. P. Ryan, D. V.M 8 EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK Caring for the Orphaned or Rejected Kitten, Jane Taylor 10 Problems with Tabby, Ruby Harris Arnoth 12 'TIS THE SEASON Be on the Lookout for these Eye Diseases in your Dog 14 Pannus in Dogs Studied 15 As the holiday season approaches, "Giving Power" 16 we have pleasant thoughts and reflec­ A Look at Canine Behavior, Michael W. Fox, M.R.C. V.S., Ph.D 17 tions of the recent months and years. How to Raise a Happy Hamster, Sue Kizer 18 Inevitably, some of the warmest A Marble Sarcophagus for a Pretty Cat, Mary Wells Geer 21 recollections relate to animals we have Solving Birth Defects in Cattle 21 encountered or owned. It is a time to sort of pull the Pet Doctors Respond Around-the-Clock 22 strings together and prepare for Cage Birds Need Special Attention Now 29 another year. We are hopeful that our Can Cats Be Trained?, Louis J. Camuti, B.S., D.V.S 30 readers will devote a little extra time and thought to their animals, being DEPARTMENTS sure they are in comfortable quarters, Editor's Notebook 3 properly fed, and their health pro­ Doctor's Advice 4 tected. Cavalcade Health News 6 Faithful, contributing members of Children's Page the ANIMAL HEALTH FOUNDA­ When Pets Were Gods, Letha Curtis Musgrave 24 TION, are protecting hard earned Book Review 31 avings during these burdensome times id, yet, are lending strong support to the FOUNDATION in its promotion of better health for all animals. The C. M Baxter, D.V.M Editorial Director ANIMAL CALVACADE magazine is Norene Karris * Associate Editor 3ne of the non-profit, educational Millwood A. Custer, D.V.M Small Animals Editor programs of the FOUNDATION. Charles H. Reid, D.V.M Equine Editor Our readers will find elsewhere in Robert J. Schroeder, D.V.M Ecology & Public Health Editor Oscar W. Schalm, D.V.M Research Editor lis issue of Cavalcade, interesting Wesley A. Young, D.V.M Exotic Animals Editor means of providing better health for animals, without 'pain' to the thought­ Bill Williams Art Director ful donor. Laura Tracy Advertising Director Here's wishing all our readers the Harry Maiden Circulation Manager best of health for themselves and their animals during the memorable Bi- entennial Year of 1976! Address all advertising and editorial communications to ANIMAL CAVALCADE. N $38 Rosemead Blvd.. Pico Rivera. Calif. 90660. All editorial correspondence and manuscripts must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. C. M. Baxter, D. V.M. Editorial Director COVER: Siberian Husky "Trisha" and American Short Hair "Long John." URGENT!!! Photo by MikRon Photos — Mike Lidster and Ron Bona — Palo Alto, California. Please notify Animal Cavalcade when you move! Failure to do SUBSCRIPTIONS AND CHANGE OF ADDRESS this costs the Animal Health Foundation funds which should Send subscriptions and change of address to ANIMAL HEALTH FOUNDATION, 8338 be spent on caring for sick ani­ Rosemead Boulevard, Pico Rivera, Calif. 90660. Be sure to notify us of your change of address at least six weeks before the change is made, including an address label clipped mals or for veterinary medical from your latest copy. Give both your old and new address and include your ZIP CODE. research. Send change of address informa­ ANIMAL CAVALCADE is published bi-monthly by the Animal Health Foundation, tion to Animal Cavalcade, 8338 8338 Rosemead Blvd., Pico Rivera, Calif. 90660. Single copies $.60. 12-issue Rosemead Blvd., Pico Rivera, subscription, $6.00; additional gift subscriptions (if ordered at the same time), $4.00 Calif. 90660. each. Copyright, 1972, Animal Health Foundation. _ varying proportions of which ac­ Q. Should I bathe my dog in the count for shades of gray to black winter? hair color. Gray horses apparently A. A dog should have a bath whenever have a genetic predisposition for it needs one, i.e., whenever it gets these cells to go awry, since about dirty. Whether in winter or sum­ 80% have such tumors by the time mer, you should be certain that the they are 15 years old. dog doesn't get chilled before it is completely dry. Q. Why do cows swell up when they Q. How should I handle an injured get indigestion and other animals stray dog to take him to the don't? doctor? A. Unlike horses, pigs and dogs, the A. Approach the dog cautiously, since cow (and sheep, goat, etc.) is a he may bite if handling causes pain, ruminant with a large forestomach and be careful about exposing your (rumen) that stores grass and hay as Readers with health and other pet hands, arms and face within range the animal eats. This is later of his jaws. Use heavy gloves if problems are invited to send in their regurgitated and reswallowed after questions to ANIMAL CAVALCADE. available, or you can reach your chewing, but a large accumulation hands into the sleeves of an old Those with the greatest reader interest of green forage, especially clover, in will be handled on this page by Dr. J. coat (and the coat in front of you the rumen may undergo fermenta­ will afford extra protection). Trans­ F. Smithcors, D.V.M., Ph.D., who is tion and produce gas which cannot technical editor of American Veterin­ port the dog in a box or wrapped in escape, thus causing bloat, which an old blanket, etc. ary Publications, Inc. may be rapidly fatal if not relieved by stomach tube or puncturing the Q. How should I get the hair mats off animal's side. my long haired cat? Q. Why are horses blanketed in the summer time? A. Small hair mats can often be combed or brushed out; larger ones Q. Why are some worms in horses A. Even with proper cooling off after may require scissors or clippers. called "blood" worms? exercise, a blanket would help prevent chilling under some condi­ Frequent brushing will prevent A. The Large strongyle (Strongylus tions, e.g., a drafty or damp stable, them from forming and lessen the vulgaris) of horses is commonly and some hot summer days are danger of the cat swallowing called the bloodworm because its followed by cool nights. A blanket clumps of hair, with the risk of larval form enters the blood vessels also will keep the horse cleaner, and hairballs forming in the stomach or supplying the intestine and causes it provides protection from flies. intestine. occlusion, which results in forma­ The horse books of a generation or tion of an aneurysm, a thin-walled Q. Is the new vaccine for "acute more ago all recommended that distention that may rupture and sniffles" in cats available yet? each horse have its own summer cause death. A. I assume you mean the vaccine for and winter blankets, and this still feline rhinotracheitis, which has Q. Do captive animals produce young seems a good idea. been available for a year or so. that can be returned to their Your veterinarian can advise you on natural habitat to help populate the its usefulness in your particular areas of endangered species? Q. Is it harmful to give aspirin to dogs and cats? situation. A. Generally not, or at least the young Q. Is there an explanation why many animals would have to be trained to A. Yes, except in very low doses if blue eyed cats and Dalmatian dogs cope with conditions they would recommended by your veterinar­ are deaf? encounter in the wild. This would ian. Aspirin may cause gastric be especially true for species like bleeding in both dogs and cats. A. Blue-eyed white cats are frequently the large cats, which must learn to One 5-grain (adult) tablet will deaf because deafness is associated hunt, whereas a young bison might poison many cats, and 2 may be with the genetic factor for white manage if added to a free-ranging lethal. Even one "baby aspirin" coat color. Some families of Dalma- herd. may be too much for a small cat. tions carry a gene for deafness, the specific cause of which is a defect in the sensory cells of the inner ear. Q. Why do gray horses sometimes get tumors around the tail? WHY NOT GIVE A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY A. These tumors are composed of cells "ANIMAL CAVALCADE" AS A VERY SPECIAL that produce melanin, a black CHRISTMAS GIFT? pigment widely distributed in skin, AS A COURTESY TO ITS SUBSCRIBERS, CAVALCADE IS MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO GIVE "BEST AVAILABLE PROTECTION INDIVIDUAL GIFTS OF A TWO-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION AGAINST LOSS OR THEFT" FOR $4.00. Since January 1966. Dogs tattooed with Social Security number. Owner registered with NATIONAL DOG REGISTRY BY DOING IT IN '75, YOU CAN SAVE MONEY ON THE 227 Stebbins Road, Carmel, N.Y. 10512 76 SUBSCRIPTION INCREASE. Phone: 914—277-4485 4 cmicm NEWS A $5,000.00 research grant has been given by a prominent breeder in Texas through the Animal Health Foundation to Dr. Pierre Lieux of Riverside. Dr. Lieux graduated from the French Veterinary School of Alfort in 1949. After a stage at the Equine Dr. Pierre Lieux Research Station in Newmarket, England, he came to the United States in 1951. He first spent three years in Lexington, Kentucky with the firm RAPID NEW DIAGNOSTIC they had been in steady contact with Haggyard, Davidson and M.