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. What is false pregnancy in female dogs? What are its symptoms and what is the period when it is likely to happen? Is there any medicine that the vet can prescribe to control it? Is it the same as hormonal imbalance? Nidhi Mishra
False pregnancy or pseudo pregnancy is a hormonal disturbance mostly in bitches of any age seen in the late heat/estrus cycle. This happens once or twice a year when bitches come in heat and passes through a diestrous phase of the cycle. Some of the bitches become habitual of this problem. Bitches behave as if there is pregnancy and they are carrying babies. Also, a bitch starts digging the land, floor; sofas and tears papers as if she has to deliver pups. This may happen because of pain. Mammary or breast enlargement is also seen. Since it is a hormonal-based complicated problem, you should consult your veterinary doctor for specific treatment. One of the permanent solutions could be to sterilize/spay bitches once the heat cycle is over.
Q: Is it true that breeds like St. Bernard are not supposed to be kept as pets in India as they can only survive in foreign countries? I live in Shimla. Is it illegal to adopt this breed or unethical? What care should I take if I can get a pup? Girish Chandra Riyaal
St. Bernards are giant breeds of dogs with lots of fur and heavy musculature. As such breed is not banned and hence it is not illegal to keep this breed. But since it's a heavy giant breed with fur, they require low temperatures @2-10*C. They are also called mountain dogs and therefore nature has provided fur to protect themselves from the snowy chill. Shimla temperature is quite comfortable most of the year and hence you won't have any such problem in rearing and/ or later on breeding it. You must take note that your local municipal corporation has given any guidelines for this or not but in general it is not illegal.
Q: I own two cats. Earlier they used to stay within our compound but have lately started venturing over to our neighbours' house as well. My neighbours object to them and tell me to keep them away or they will harm my pets. However, I am unable to stop my cats. Are there cat trainers as well? Can cats be put on leash? I am very worried, please help with a good suggestion. Mohd Irfan
Well, cats are of straying nature and rarely get adapted to the house environment. They simply come into the house to eat and rest and for recreational activity, then they venture outside. This happens as they attain adulthood characters. Behaviour changes as they become adult after 5 to 6 months of age only. Therefore, if you want to keep them indoors, the best advice would be to sterilize them at the earliest age. This is the standard practice followed abroad. Or otherwise let them breed every time, which would further add to your agony. Therefore, sterilization is the best technique to modify their behaviour. Leashing cats is not advisable however you can keep them in standard cages.
Q: I will be going out of the station for a couple of weeks and wish to keep my Labrador pair in a dog creche. Are the creches in Lucknow professional enough to take good care of the dogs? What if the dogs don't eat or are sick? Also, will it be very costly to keep them there for 14 days? This would be the first time I would be leaving my dogs in a creche. Vandana Tripathi
From a medical perspective, you and your lab pet would be suffering from separation anxiety. This may be temporary in many cases and lasts long in very few. Labrador breed loves to be in a good hygienic, healthy and peaceful environment. Therefore, they overcome the anxiety factor very fast. One creche which is professionally sound is ‘Zol Paradise’. They do take care of food, exercise, and other amusement. The cost is all reasonable which justifies the services.
Q: I have adopted a five-month-old Spitz of my friend. The problem is, it is just not adjusting with us. What should I do, get a trainer or return it? The dog has been with us for almost a month. Mani Srivastava
Spitz is quite an active, agile and intelligent breed. Adopting pets at a late age may cause some problems related to adjustments, new food patterns, new pet parents and new environment. They take it as a punishment as if something wrong he or she has done to the previous parent. And that is why it takes time to adjust. But, if you remember from the film ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’, this breed was very popular before pugs got into the market. Hence you can give it a fair chance to adjust.
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