The Top 5 Myths that Vets Hear- Part 1

By the Veterinarians at WAH

Myth #1: My cat can’t have fleas because she lives inside.

Although her risk is much lower than that of a cat or dog who goes outside, she is still at risk. We suspect that the reason we see fleas on strictly indoor cats is 3-fold:

First, the cat may have come to you with one flea, impossible to find. That flea will lay 2000-3000 eggs in its lifetime! You can see how this effect will multiply!

Second, owners can carry fleas on them, usually from visiting a location that has a flea infestation. We’ve heard many stories over the years of cats developing flea problems after the owners have visited friends’ homes, and the friends’ pets were having flea problems.  As above, it only takes one pregnant flea…

Finally, and perhaps the most common reason for flea problems, is moving into a house that had previous pets- who had fleas. These little insects lie dormant in the carpeting and crevices of the floors, arrested in the pupa stage of their life cycle, waiting for their favorite hosts (cats and dogs) to move in. As soon as they sense the vibration of their normal hosts, the pupa will instantaneously molt and hop on the pet, setting up a nice, ongoing flea infestation on your cat or dog.

Myth #2: I can’t be overfeeding my dog because he’s always hungry.

It’s normal for dogs to be hungry. In fact, this is what drives their cousins the wolves to go out and seek prey. It’s what drives the wolves to steel portions of the prey from other dogs in the pack. It’s these wild instincts that drive your pet dog to counter surf and raid the trashcan while you’re at work!

But the domestic situation involves no demand to hunt to avoid starvation. Our beloved companions never go a day (or even a half a day!) without being served a meal. We have to be trained to work around that hunger drive so that we don’t make our dogs overweight!

What can you do? Just feed your dog to his requirements.

Do: Look at his weight: Is he too heavy or too thin? If the former, then decrease his portions. If the latter, then increase his portions.

Don’t: Go by the recommendations on the package! These are all designed so that no dog will starve!

Don’t: Go by your feeling of what seems like a good amount of food. Some of these foods are so low in water content and do calorically dense that even a small amount of, say, a grain-free dry food will actually cause your dog to gain weight. You may need to feed a very small amount of a high quality food in order to maintain your dog’s slim physique.

Do: Look at your dog’s energy and exercise levels. The more active the dog, the more she will need to consume.

Myth #3: I feed dry food to my cat because I was told it’s better for his teeth.

While some dry foods may have a slight edge over some canned foods in the dental tartar department, their other attributes make them unsuitable for feeding cats on a regular basis. What are these concerns?

First, dry cat food is too dry. It’s about 10% water, and cats need at least 80% water from their foods. This is the water content that is present in all the little creatures they eat in the wild. Even though they may drink more water than if they were eating canned foods, they still never drink enough water. We know this from studying their bloodwork and urine tests, which typically show borderline dehydration.

Second, since dry cat foods are essentially synthetic diets, (they are not mice, moles, and birds!), they contain a host of synthetic ingredients. The carbs and minerals deposit on the teeth in the form of plaque and tartar.

Third, we want your cat to eat a diet that is good for the whole cat, not just the cat’s teeth. That’s why we recommend high protein, grain-free canned or raw diets. The raw diets in particular contribute very little to dental tartar, and there are many safe commercial options available these days.

Stay tuned for The Top 5 Myths that Vets Hear-Part 2!