My Pet World: Education is the best way to discourage declawing

Q: I appreciated your recent column about declawing cats and your stand against this procedure. But you didn't state what we need to do - namely to ban declaw as some other countries have done. Don't you believe the U.S. ought to act tomorrow? -- V.H., Seattle, WA

A: Certainly, many nations have banned declaw surgery (onychectomy), including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, England, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain.

It's a fact that declaw is a choice to amputate a cat's toes, cutting them off at the equivalent of the first knuckle of a human finger. However, in my opinion, as wrong as declaw is, I don't believe it should be banned by law. Changing law doesn't change culture.

Some cat owners won't adopt a cat unless the pet is declawed. I agree with the sentiment that perhaps such people shouldn't have a cat. Then again, I feel it's more important that as many cats as possible have homes. Doctors with HIV-positive and immune-suppressed patients and elderly patients might order them to declaw the cats they already have, or adopt only cats that are declawed. (I'm not defending this practice, just suggesting that it occurs.)

In my opinion, it's all about continuing to educate the medical community, as well as cat owners, and even veterinary professionals.

Increasingly, veterinarians no longer declaw as a matter of "routine" in conjunction with spay/neuter surgery (as per recommendations from the American Association of Feline Practitioners). Increasing, veterinarians offer behavioral advice as an alternative to declaw for cats who are scratching in the wrong places (as per recommendations from the American Veterinary Medical Association).

To directly answer your question, as I understand it, even if I advocated passage of a national law to ban declaw, that's unlikely to happen. In the United States, declaw can be banned in individual communities (as has occurred in several cities in California), or this might happen state by state (including a proposal in New York State).

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Q: Recently, I had an extreme allergic reaction to a friend's cat, with horrible itching. It felt like sand had been thrown into my eyes. I'm very fond of animals and don't know what to do. Any suggestions? -- F.B., Laughlin, NV

A: Ask your doctor about medication you could take before visiting your friend's house. Much depends on the extent of your allergic response, but especially for infrequent exposure (I assume you don't visit the friend weekly), medication might do the trick. Of course, I'm not a doctor and have no clue about your medical history.

Your friend could help by bathing the cat, or at least wiping down the pet before your visit and thoroughly vacuuming the house using a vacuum with an HEPA air filter. This is a type of mechanical air filter that forces air through a fine mesh that traps harmful particles such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites and tobacco smoke.

You're likely allergic to the Fel d 1 protein found in feline saliva. Cats groom themselves, so the protein sticks to their fur. It's a sticky substance. so when the hair sheds, it sticks to carpet, walls and objects in homes.

Also, once you visit your friend, don't touch the cat. I know this is easier said than done. The one person who ignores the cat is the one person the cat will insist on schmoozing.

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Q: Seb, our 2-year-old dog, went through four adoptive families before we met. He's a great dog but has begun to eat poop. Could being re-homed so many times have something to do with this? What can we do? -- P.M., via cyberspace

Q: Our Golden Retriever-mix is 9, so we've been through cold winters before. Why has he started eating his own feces now, and what can I do about it? -- C.D., Appleton, WI

A: The problem described by both readers is surprisingly common. It even has a fancy name: coprophagia.

No one knows for sure why some dogs begin to sample their own droppings or relish sampling the feces of other species. Once tasted, some dogs decide it's a delicacy. Some even have preferences, such as frozen poopsicles in winter.

There are several manufactured products on the market that you can sprinkle on a dog's food (such as a nutritional supplement called ProZyme), or you could try Lowry's seasoned salt (don't overdo it), but the results are mixed at best.

One website, www.dogpoopdiet.com, offers a supplement "guaranteed" to work.

You can also booby-trap a pet's feces by dabbing unpleasant additives like lemon juice and hot sauce on the poop. However, you have to catch a dog in the act to quickly apply the concoction. Some dogs then learn to snack immediately after their bowel movements, before the mix can be applied. And it's worth noting that dogs who find their own feces delicious might view hot sauce and lemon juice as merely yummy condiments.

Here's an idea I know is guaranteed to work: A leash with you at the other end. After your dog does his/her business, pick up the droppings. Once you get your pup out of the habit for a few months, you may not need to be so vigilant -- or you may be packing plastic bags and fast scooping for the rest of your pet's life. Some dogs only prefer the frozen snacks in winter.

As for why dogs eat poop, no one really knows. A recent study conducted by researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands determined common risk factors for coprophagia, including dogs that had been previously rehomed; dogs called "greedy eaters" by their owners; dogs with compulsive disorders (such as tail chasing and chasing shadows); and dogs that belong to members of the retriever family.

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