Q: Is heartworm prevention really necessary? My dog stays in the house most of the time and is never around any other dogs. Why do I have to keep him on it?

A: Unlike other worms that live in a dog’s gastrointestinal tract, heartworms actually live inside a dog’s heart. They are only spread by mosquitoes, and cannot be transmitted directly from one dog to another. Heartworm disease can be devastating, even fatal, but it can be treated. Treatment consist of a series of injections of an arsenic derivative, followed by a minimum of thirty days of cage confinement. It can be very hard on a dog’s body, and is usually very expensive, sometimes costing more than $500. Compare that to $2 to $8 per month for heartworm preventative.

Q: Recently my son had to put his cat to sleep because it had AIDS. Could my son get this from his cat? Should he also be tested? What about his other pets? I had a cat with feline leukemia several years ago, and the vet told me that it was cat AIDS. Is this the same thing?

A: Feline AIDS is caused by infection from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Although this virus is in the same family as HIV, it is only known to infect cats. If your son has any other cats, then it would be wise to have them tested. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is another virus in the same family as FIV, and it can have similar symptoms. An in clinic test for FeLV became available in the mid-1980’s during the rise of HIV in humans, and many veterinarians referred to it as “cat AIDS”. When FIV surfaced several years later, the terminology was updated. Both FeLV and FIV can be spread by intimate contact between cats, including fighting and breeding. There is a vaccine available for FeLV, but not for FIV. The best ways to prevent these diseases is by vaccination, spaying/neutering to decrease high-risk behavior, and limiting contact with strays.

Q: My pet cockatiel has been sleeping a lot lately, and stays all puffed up. She is still eating her seed, but she doesn’t want to play much anymore. Is she just cold, or could she be sick?

A: Yes, your bird is sick, and it needs to be seen by an experienced bird veterinarian immediately. With the exception of domestic fowl, all pet birds are still instinctively wild animals, and they tend to hide their illnesses as long as possible. This is a survival trait that keeps them from being attacked by predators or underlings in their flock. If your bird is noticeably sick, then chances are it has been sick for a while, and it needs immediate attention. Your best chance of keeping your bird healthy would be to know its normal behaviors, eating habits, and droppings, so that you can identify abnormalities and address them immediately. It would also be wise to consult with your veterinarian concerning a more healthful diet for your pet than seed.

Q: When I went to get my rabbit out of her cage the other morning, I saw her eating her droppings. What would make her do this?

A: This is normal behavior for rabbits. Rabbits utilize bacteria in their intestinal tracts to digest dietary fiber. This process occurs mainly in the cecum and colon, which are at the end of the intestinal tract. Because of this, the nutrients produced by the bacteria are lost in the feces. Rabbits normally have two bowel movements daily, one in the early morning, and one in the late afternoon. The morning feces, called cecotropes, are rich in nutrients from the digested fiber, and is usually consumed immediately as it is produced, so that the rabbit can assimilate the nutrients. The afternoon feces is a normal bowel movement, and consumption of these droppings may indicate a dietary deficiency, usually inadequate dietary fiber. Diarrhea is never normal in rabbits.