Sac Paws - Pet Connection

While no medical procedure or medication – or even home remedy, for that matter – can ever be completely without risk, safer anesthetic agents, monitoring by specially trained veterinary technicians, and protocols that stress a pet's safety and comfort before, during and after anesthesia have minimized risks substantially, even for older and chronically ill pets.

We're considering purchasing a leather couch. We have two indoor cats that have completely destroyed our fabric couch. We have given them a scratch post recently, and although they use it, they still use the couch.

Cold weather is ruff, er, rough on older dogs, but they don't have to be miserable. Your dog's health in later years is not entirely in your control, but you can have a real impact on a pet's attitude by keeping him warm and comfortable and keeping his mind and body gently active.

Over the Labor Day weekend, a puppy joined my family. While he's still pretty small, he has a lot of growing to do, especially if he's to help fill the hole in my heart left by the death of my 16-year-old Sheltie, Drew.

A few months ago, we adopted a kitten from the shelter. We are not inexperienced pet owners. My husband and I both grew up with animals, and we've had many pets during our 32-year marriage. The problem? The kitten is very noisy. She follows us everywhere and has an "opinion" on everything. If we don't pet her or feed her, she gets worse. How can we get her to pipe down?

After losing a couple of cats (they disappeared and were never found), we decided to turn our remaining cat into an indoor pet, with the idea of adding another cat or kitten after we move after the school year ends.

Mud is my life because I share that life with retrievers. While many dogs enjoy swimming, few go to the extremes of a true water dog in maintaining a coat that's always damp if at all possible, and feet that are as muddy as can be.

Our cat's skin seems to be really dry and very flaky. Would a humidifier help? We live in a very dry climate.

Gravity being what it is, even a creature made for flying spends a lot of time on its feet. That is why it's a shame that too many bird lovers give perches too little thought, forcing their pets to spend their lives on the plain wooden dowels that come as standard equipment with most cages.

Exactly how much effort do I need to put into caring for a parrot? I have always wanted one, but I know they're very messy. Help me decide if I'm "parrot parent" material.

In the spring and summer, it is easy to enjoy greenery.

People are always asking me to recommend a good pet for a child – an affectionate animal that can be cared for with a minimum of adult assistance.

We already had an adult cat. We adopted a kitten, and now that she's half-grown, we have litter box issues, specifically wars over the box. What should we do to make them "share the bathroom"?

My parrot has bitten me badly when I've tried to clip flight feathers or nails. How can I make this easier on us both?

It's a sad fact of modern life that when we think about disasters, our minds now add terrorist attacks and mass shootings to the natural calamities for which we've long been urged to keep our families prepared – pets included, of course.

Parrots are incredibly intelligent. For anyone who doubts this, we point to the late Alex, Dr. Irene Pepperberg's well-known African gray, who showed by matching words to objects that parrots are anything but "bird brains."

Are you aware of any genetic problems with small dogs that cause them to have excessive plaque buildup? If so, are there any remedies?

When I was in high school, I signed up for physics and calculus. I knew that to become a veterinarian I would have to develop a far greater grasp of science and math than the one I seemed to have been born with.

Every fall as kids go back to school, we like to remind everyone of the importance of teaching youngsters how to be safe around dogs. And while children are 10 times more likely to be hurt in organized sports than be bitten by a dog, you can minimize the risk of the latter.

How can I get my dog to stop begging?

When we think of pets that need exercise and play time, cats do not automatically spring to mind.

Our condo association allows small dogs, cats and birds, but no rabbits, guinea pigs or "exotic" pets. I'm renting a place, and I would like to buy. Right now, I have my pet rabbit "in secret," but I'm not going to buy a place if I can't have the pet of my choice and stay compliant. How can I get this rule changed?

When you read about different cat breeds or check the personality descriptions of cats at a shelter, you may come across some that are described as "doglike."

I think I would know a veterinary emergency, but what I'm worried about is missing a problem that needs to be caught early. Can you suggest some signs?

Can cats and dogs get along? While cats and dogs scheming against each other is a comedic staple, millions of real-life cats and dogs live in harmony, and millions of people feel no family would be complete without at least one of each pet.

Why do so many little dogs want to pick fights with big dogs? Don't they know they can be killed?

How can I limit my border collie pup to a room where there are no doors? There's only a baby gate, which she can jump over.

After years of dreaming, planning and preparing, I moved onto a small piece of country property where I could have more – and more kinds – of animals than were previously allowed in my old suburban neighborhood.

Our dog has been "skunked" twice this year already. Is there anything that can get the smell off him fast?

Playing with a dog used to mean a game of tug-of-war or fetch. These days, canine sports are organized and televised, and top competitors have fans like any top athlete.