Vet’s Views
Dr Kaushlendra Kumar
The doctor has been practising in Lucknow for the past 20 years in canine and other pet animal medicine and surgery
Q: We have three small breed dogs. We had adopted them as semi-adults. The breeder had told us to deworm them every month and had even given us a supply of deworming tablets. But then a friend told us that we must not give them deworming tablets before a gap of three months. What is the ideal period for deworming our pets? -Seema Singh
Deworming in adult dogs is done every three months in general. But if any symptoms of worm overload like cachexia, weight loss, loss of appetite etc are seen then it can be done monthly too. Deworming helps in improving the immunity of the animals. It keeps them active, alert and healthy in totality. Deworming is an important and basic requirement for every system viz GIT, respiratory, cardiac and more important in reproductive health of the pet or any animal. Therefore, every three months you must deworm your pet with a rotation of salt that is in different drugs and combinations.
Q: We have a black Labrador and pure white Spitz- both 7 months old. Please tell me what should be their hygiene routine and how often should I bathe them. -Kirti Tandon
Hygiene is a major subject though may seem small. Hygiene includes cleaning your pets, bedding materials, floors, and the accompanying person. Breach in any element will be dangerous for your pets. For example, if you give a regular bath every week with a gentle shampoo and the floor is not sanitized properly, it will adversely affect your pet's health. Bathing your pets every week is a good idea but grooming hairy dogs- like brushing & dusting powder- is more beneficial. Hygiene helps your pet get rid of all external parasites and internal as well. Feeding and watering bowls also require good cleaning. These days wet wipes are also used for regular cleaning if a bath is not possible. Just after cleaning with wipes, use a serum to make the coat shiny and healthy.
Q: I was bitten by a stray dog in my colony. The skin did not break but just got bruised. Also, the dog's teeth and saliva did not come in direct contact with my skin as the dog had gripped me by my pants. The dog is alive and active, though this incident is about a week old. I did not get the anti-rabies shots as I did not think much of the injury at that time. But now I am a little nervous. Are there any chances of my getting rabies? -Rishabh Sharma
Rabies is a viral disease which is very complex to understand. If I write some advice and you follow it, and not get yourself injected then it may be very bad advice. Because symptoms of rabies in our body either by proper cut, bite, or bruises may be reflected after 14 days to 14 years, therefore it is recommended that inoculation with full course must be done @ 0 7 14 28 and 90 days of intervals. It is always better to take human medical advice on this subject. But, never avoid a cut, bite or bruise by any stray dog.
Q: I have a five-year-old child who is very keen to keep a pet. She wants a puppy for her birthday. We have never kept pets. I hope it will not harm my child in any way, and which breed should be ideal? We live in a decent size apartment. -Anita Rastogi
Adopting a new puppy in your apartment house with your kid is a very good idea. There is a very strong relationship between humans and pets especially in kids' development. A kid's mental health and immunity increase manyfold if they grow together. Keeping a young puppy will amount to a little more burden on you but, the degree of happiness will have no parallel. I therefore recommend you to keep or adopt a puppy. Small breeds like Shih Tzu, Pug or Beagle can be easily manageable. Big breeds like Labrador are very good with kids but need lots of exercise and care.
Q: I adopted a five-month-old Spitz of my friend. The problem is that it is not house-trained. It also howls during the night. We have been trying to teach it but it is not able to understand the schedule. The dog has been with us for almost a month now. What should we do? -Mani Gupta
Adopting puppies at a late age, say after three months, becomes very difficult for you as well as for the pet. Adoption should be done at 45 to 60 days of the puppy’s age. It also depends on the types of breeds. Labradors, GSD etc are good at adaptation whereas small breeds are difficult to adjust to the new environment. In your case, spitz is five months old and entering into adulthood character. You need to keep a proper trainer who can teach him discipline. Try to find out his favourite food but a balanced one. All these along with a little outing will help him mix with your family better. It's all psychological. You have to have lots of patience otherwise he'll start biting out of insecurity. The last option would be to get him sterilized at 7 months of age and that will solve your major problem.
Q: There is a stray cat that frequents my house. She is very friendly but has scratched my son a couple of times while playing. Can it cause rabies? Should Stray cats be vaccinated too, and can I get her vaccinated? What is she does not turn up for the next shot?- Vinay Singh.
Yes, stray cats too need a full course of vaccination, especially of anti-rabies. Many infectious and contagious diseases get transmitted to human beings with contact, scratch and bite of cats. You need to give that cat proper deworming and vaccination to save yourself. Never take any wild or stray cat or an animal casually because it may harbour many wild viruses that can be very fatal to humans. Giving food should not be your last responsibility. Rather vaccination and deworming too should be done if they come into human contact.
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