Feb. 26/2025

 

Dandruff in Cats

By Katie Grzyb, DVM

Published 4/ 27/ 2023

Seborrhea, otherwise known as scaling of the skin, is an uncommon condition in cats. This scaling is made of dead skin cells (called corneocytes) that accumulate on the skin, hair follicles, or hair coat. When this scaling builds up on the hair coat, it’s called dandruff. Dandruff can be caused by several conditions that affect a cat’s entire body.

Is Cat Dandruff Just Dry Skin Shedding?

Dandruff often appears as small white flecks or flakes that appear throughout a cat’s fur or attached to their skin. You may see it all over their body or in specific areas, most commonly the base of the tail or hind end. Sometimes these flakes are paired with skin irritation, such as lesions, redness, or scabbing.  

Dandruff can be caused by dehydration, stress, malnutrition, &/or poor grooming habits. It can also be a sign of more concerning medical conditions that require investigation.

Cat Dandruff or Cat Dander?

Cat dandruff differs from cat dander. Dander refers to the microscopic dead skin cells from normal shedding. Dander is an allergen & often the underlying cause of human allergies to cats. All cats produce dander, but not all cats produce dandruff. Dandruff can be seen by the naked eye, while dander is microscopic.

Cat Dandruff or Flea Dirt?

Cat dandruff also differs from flea dirt, but often, these 2 conditions happen together. Flea dirt, which is the feces of fleas, is often seen as small black or brown flecks on the skin or at the base of the fur.

Most commonly, flea dirt is found at the base of the tail or hind end. Fleas & flea dirt often cause allergies in cats, leading to redness, fur matting, itching, & scabbing. Thus, dandruff often happens alongside fleas & flea dirt.

Why Does My Cat Have Dandruff?

Causes of dandruff in cats include:

Primary seborrhea, an inherited condition in Persian cats

Secondary seborrhea, caused by:

Allergies: flea, food, genetic, or environmental

Hormonal issues: hyperthyroidism or diabetes mellitus

External parasites on the skin: fleas, ticks, mites

Internal parasites: worms, giardia, coccidia

Malnutrition or poor diet: diets lacking omega-3 fatty acids

Temperature/humidity changes

Obesity: Overweight animals have a difficult time grooming themselves, leading to dandruff buildup.

Orthopedic disease such as arthritis: Pain can deter cats from grooming appropriately, leading to dandruff buildup

How Vets Diagnose Dandruff in Cats

Taking a thorough health history & doing a physical examination are the first steps in diagnosing dandruff in cats, followed by investigating the underlying cause. Testing may include:

Full blood work: complete blood count, serum chemistry, thyroid levels, & electrolytes to assess for systemic disease

Fecal testing: to rule out intestinal parasite infection, which can lead to dry skin & poor haircoat

Skin scraping or hair plucking: to assess for mites, lice, fleas, or ticks

Skin culture: to assess for bacteria or ringworm on the skin

How to Get Rid of Cat Dandruff

Treatment of dandruff is based on the underlying cause, which often requires investigation by your veterinarian. If blood work & skin testing uncover no obvious medical conditions, your vet can recommend diet changes, environmental/grooming changes, &/or holistic supplements to help treat the dandruff.

Over-the-counter treatments that can be considered include omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Your veterinarian can make recommendations for feline-specific options that avoid heavy metals or other elements that may be toxic to cats but are often found in human supplementation.

Anti-seborrheic shampoos & topical treatments such as Douxo-S3 or DermaBenSs can be helpful. Sometimes oral antibiotics, steroids, &/or immunosuppressive medications need to be considered if holistic supplements, appropriate grooming, appropriate diet, & appropriate temperature/humidity maintenance fail to help.

Veterinarians may recommend changing to a novel protein (such as duck, whitefish, venison, rabbit) or a hypoallergenic diet if food allergy is suspected. Brushing & flea prevention are also recommended, especially for outdoor cats &/or cats that cannot groom themselves appropriately due to arthritis or obesity.

If your cat has dandruff lasting more than a couple weeks, if it is paired with scabbing, itching, changes in behavior, vomiting, lethargy, or decreased appetite, or if you see fleas, mites, or ticks on your cat, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.

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Feb. 19/2025

 

14 Calmest Dog Breeds

By Leah Lopez Cardenas. Reviewed by Jennifer Coates, DVM

Updated 1/21/2024

The calmest dog breeds have an adaptable, gentle temperament & don’t get riled up easily. These pups love to lounge & aren’t known to be big barkers unless they’re alerting you to danger.

But remember that, just like people, every pet is unique with their own personality, so proper socialization & positive reinforcement training are key to helping your pup live their best life & be calm in new situations.

If you’re looking for a laid-back furry friend, check out this list of some of the calmest dog breeds to consider adding to your family.

Calm Dog Breeds

1. Basset Hound

The Basset Hound is a calm, gentle dog breed that’s adaptable to new surroundings & content with moderate exercise. These low-energy dogs aren’t very athletic, so don’t expect them to excel at sports! Their best asset (besides being an amazing companion) is their nose, which can sniff out just about anything. But Bassets do have a booming bark & bay, so this breed may not be your best option if you treasure peace & quiet.

2. Bichon Frise

While every dog needs regular exercise, mental stimulation, & playtime, a Bichon Frise is content to lounge around after these needs have been met. Though they do tend to bark, plenty of positive reinforcement training can help your Bichon learn more desirable behaviors (& have fun doing it). Bichons tend to be super social & love people, so they don’t get too anxious when properly introduced to new friends.

3. Boerboel

The Boerboel, also called the South African Mastiff, is a docile dog breed that’s enormous in both size & heart. While their calm temperament is great for families, they’re better suited for older kids & adults. Consistent socialization & positive reinforcement training are vital for these pups, as they can be skeptical with new people & pets at first.

4. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has been a favorite lap dog of British royalty for generations, & the breed’s affinity for laps remains true today. Their sweet, gentle temperament makes these calm, small dogs great for families with kids & other pets, & they are easy to train.

5. Clumber Spaniel

Calm is not necessarily synonymous with couch potato. In the case of the Clumber Spaniel, these hunting dogs need plenty of playtime & exercise, including a long walk each day. Clumber Spaniels make great family pets for active pet parents who love the outdoors just as much as they do.

6. English Bulldog

A well-socialized English Bulldog is generally a calm, low-energy dog. While napping is one of the English Bulldog’s favorite activities, they also need to get outside for a walk & some playtime each day to stay happy & healthy.

Just be careful not to overexert these sensitive pups or expose them to high temperatures. Their brachycephalic (flat) snout makes it harder to breathe & makes them susceptible to overheating.

7. Great Dane

The giant Great Dane is one of the calmest dog breeds. Their gentle, quiet nature makes them good family dogs, but they do need plenty of space to live & play. Great Danes also need long walks regularly, & their calm demeanor helps make that a generally hassle-free process when encountering other dogs & new people.

8. Greyhound

Greyhounds are traditionally known as racing dogs, but that doesn’t mean these sighthounds are a rowdy bunch. The Greyhound Club of America describes them as “even-tempered, quiet dogs that are gentle around people.”

However, be wary of bringing a Greyhound that’s trained to chase into a home with other pets, as it can be challenging to curb their prey drive around cats & other small animals. A fenced yard is ideal for the same reason.

9. Irish Wolfhound

Irish Wolfhounds are giant, calm dogs with a tender, sensitive nature that makes them great therapy dogs. But while they’re gentle in temperament, a body that can reach 130 pounds & 35 inches tall can easily (although accidentally) knock down a small child, so these pups are better suited for families with older kids or adults.

10. Newfoundland

Newfies, as Newfoundlands are affectionately called, are well-known for their sweet temperament & gentle demeanor around children. Their social nature makes training fun, which can help ensure your pup is calm & comfortable in new environments.

11. Pekingese

Pekingese pups are the definition of lap dogs. In ancient China, Pekingese were the companions of emperors—& they still love being pampered by their people today. You probably won’t have to worry about excessive jumping with these laid-back pups; just be sure to socialize your puppy so they’re used to different sights & sounds, & regularly reinforce desired behaviors with love & praise.

12. Saint Bernard

Saint Bernards are one of the very calmest dog breeds—which explains how they stay cool, calm, & collected during the avalanche search-&-rescue missions they’re known for. These chill dogs are often called “nanny dogs” because of their affinity for children.

13. Tibetan Spaniel

You won’t find a better apartment dog than a Tibetan Spaniel. Known for their happy, playful attitude, the breed makes a devoted companion that loves their humans. Tibetan Spaniels can be unsure around strangers, so it’s vital to facilitate slow, gentle introductions with new people & other pets to keep them calm.

14. Whippet

Whippets are fast, but that energy doesn’t last long. If you give them space to expend short bursts of energy exercising, they’re content to lounge around the rest of the time. These sensitive pups love a calm, quiet home as much as you do, so they’re the perfect match for a low-key family without younger children or lots of noise.

How To Help Your Dog Be Calm

Every dog is an individual, meaning there’s no guarantee that a particular dog of a certain breed will have the expected personality & temperament. However, there are certain things pet parents can do to reinforce calm behavior, including:

Consistently socializing your dog—as a puppy & throughout their life—so they get used to unusual sights & sounds

Ensuring regular exercise & mental stimulation

Offering positive reinforcement training to practice repetition of desired behaviors

Giving your dog love, praise, & attention each day

Providing a laid-back home environment with minimal stress, noise, & raucous activity

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Feb. 12/2025

 

Can Horses Drink Beer?

By Amanda-Jo King, DVM

Published 10/5/ 2023

petmd.com

Yes! Horses can drink beer. It’s a long-standing tradition for many horsemen to give beer to their horses. To some it is an “old-fashioned” remedy & to others a gesture of goodwill toward their 4-legged steed. When given in moderation, giving beer to horses may offer some health benefits.

Though none of these reasons are based on scientific evidence, common reasons owners give beer to their horses include:

Treatment for certain medical conditions

Vitamin supplement

Gastrointestinal supplement

A special treat

Post-workout recovery

Does Beer Affect Horses?

Due to a horse’s size, it is unlikely that a beer a day will have a significant impact on its body. The calories & nutrients in one beer are only a small percentage of what is required for the average 1,000-pound horse. Since a beer is an insignificant amount, horsemen are merely hoping for the following benefits:

B Vitamins

Beer is a rich source of B vitamins. B vitamins are responsible for helping the body’s metabolism to function properly & generate energy, as well as, to help the body maintain a healthy skin & hair coat.

Horses that are on a good quality feeding program will produce their own B vitamins in their gastrointestinal tract through fermentation of the food they eat. While horses do not need additional B vitamins, a little extra won’t hurt. Any B vitamins the body does not need will be eliminated through the urine.

Yeast

Yeast is a vital component of beer-making. This single-celled fungus consumes sugars from the hops & barley in the beer. During this process, it produces carbon dioxide & alcohol.

One of those strains used to make beer, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is also used to formulate equine probiotics. This strain of yeast has been shown to help stabilize the equine hindgut & may be useful in medical cases of colitis. It may also be used as a supplement to promote a healthy gut.

Before we get too excited about the benefits of yeast in beer, remember that most commercial beers are filtered & pasteurized. Due to this, the helpful live yeast is no longer present in the actual beer. You may be able to find an unfiltered beer for your horse; but there is no guarantee that there will be enough live yeast present to make an impact on your horses’ large digestive tract.

Barley

Beer is made of grains, & grains are delicious to horses. Many horses do enjoy the taste of beer & may even show preference for which ones they drink. If your horse is a known beer-drinker, you may add a little to their bucket of water, especially when dehydration is of concern, like when traveling, enduring strenuous exercise, or during cold winter days when horses are not as interested in drinking. This is one of the most useful reasons to give your horse a beer.

Hops

Hops are the flower part of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus). Hops add a bitterness, aroma, & flavor to beer. Equine researchers at the University of  Kentucky have been investigating the potential for hops to control gastrointestinal imbalances as well as in helping prevent pasture laminitis.

Research is still in the early stages, & even if hops were found to be a treatment for this disease, beer would not be the best source for them. Additionally, it is important to note that while hops have been fed to farm animals in small proportions, they are toxic to dogs; so it is best to be careful about having them around the barn where a neighborly canine may get into them. 

Alcohol

Unlike humans, horses cannot easily get drunk from beer. Horses produce an enzyme in their liver called alcohol dehydrogenase. This enzyme is good at converting the alcohol in beer to simple sugars for the body to absorb. Furthermore, a horse would have to drink a lot of beer to get drunk since their bodies are so big.

Why Do Farmers Give Horses Beer?

Many racehorses & performance horses are often given a beer after an event or race. Since beer is a good source of carbohydrates, iron, & vitamins that can be useful to help muscles recover from strenuous exercise, their trainers believe it promotes better recovery. It is also a tasteful treat for a job well done. Research is still ongoing as to what, if any, health benefits beer provides for horses.

Can Beer Help Horses Sweat?

Maybe. Anhidrosis is a potentially life-threatening condition seen in horses that live in hot, humid climates. This is a condition where the horse does not sweat. Horses with anhidrosis typically have an increased breathing rate & noticeable lack of sweat after exercising or being in the heat.

Sweating is a horse’s predominant method of cooling themselves. If they cannot sweat, they run the risk of developing heat stroke, which could lead to organ failure & death. What causes these horses to stop sweating is unknown & there is no proven treatment to get them to start sweating again. The most reliable way to get them help is to move them to a cooler environment. Since changing a horse’s environment or moving them is not always possible, equine scientists are trying to find a medication to treat them. 

One such method of treatment is to give them a beer a day. Unfortunately, using beer as a treatment for anhidrosis has not been scientifically proven.

Occasionally a horse that is given a regimen of a beer a day will start sweating again, but it is impossible to say whether they are responding to the beer, some other change in their environment, or whether the anhidrosis has resolved on its own.

Determining what percentage of horses may respond to this treatment is also impossible since there are no controlled studies or large surveys of equine veterinarians recording the use of beer as a treatment for anhidrosis.  Instead, it is often offered as an “old-fashioned remedy” that may or may not work.

Since there is no known harm in giving your horse a beer a day, & there is the potential to treat a severe disease, most veterinarians will agree to giving it a try.

What Kind of Beer Can Horses Drink?

Horses can drink almost any type of beer. Most fans of the idea recommend a dark, stout beer made with hops, barley, & yeast.

An unfiltered & unpasteurized beer will have more beneficial active yeast cultures & more B vitamins than a pasteurized one.

Light beers are generally not recommended as they are often made with rice, which is not as appetizing or nutritious as barley.

The best way to share a beer with your horse is to either mix it in the feed or water, or just pour it into a bucket to drink. If you are going to mix it in their water, make sure clean, fresh water is also available as an alternative.

How Much Beer Can Horses Drink?

If you are going to give your horse beer, do so in moderation. One to 2 beers a week would be suggested & certainly no more than one beer a day is recommended. Too much could have the potential for adverse side effects like weight gain & an upset gastrointestinal tract.

Also, one beer is not known to cause a positive drug test, but check with your local sports governing organization before taking your horse to a competition. As always, seek the advice of your veterinarian before giving anything to your horse.

Beer is best used as an occasional treat or to entice your horse to eat or drink in specific circumstances. Other proposed reasons to give your horse beer are mostly based on wishful thinking.

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Feb. 5/2025

 

Happy Chinese Year of the Snake

A San Francisco Airport Site Is Crawling With Snakes—& That’s a Good Thing

by Ashley Stimpson

7/ 27/ 2021

A San Francisco Airport Site Is Crawling With Snakes—And That's a Good Thing - Atlas Obscura

During a typical year, some 55 million people pass through San Francisco International (SFO), the nation’s 7th busiest airport. At some point during their journey to or from the terminal, each one of them will travel by a seemingly unremarkable 180-acre parcel of land, soggy & spartan, bounded by highways & train tracks, bisected by rows of power lines. It may look like any other overgrown vacant lot, but this one is home to the world’s largest population of the strikingly beautiful & highly endangered San Francisco garter snake. A recent study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the presence of approximately 1,300 snakes at SFO’s West of Bayshore property—it’s the greatest concentration ever recorded.

The data represents a hard-won victory for Natalie Reeder, who has been working to keep the site snake-friendly for more than a dozen years, first as a consultant & now as the SFO airport biologist. She says airports usually hire scientists like her to keep animals out; her job is to make them stay. Reeder & her team are responsible for managing the “kind of nasty” West of Bayshore lot in an attempt to support the resplendent but reclusive snake.

Simply put, the San Francisco garter snake is a stunner. Famed herpetologist & guidebook author Robert Stebbins—a man who had seen a lot of snakes—once deemed it “the most beautiful serpent in North America.” Though it appears ostentatious, wearing bold stripes of turquoise & red down the length of its 4-foot-long body, the snake is notoriously introverted, quick to flee, & hard to capture. This has made getting an accurate census of them difficult.

What conservationists have long known, however, is that the snake is in trouble. Endemic only to the San Francisco Peninsula, the showy creature has seen its wetland habitats filled in by farm fields or paved over by urban sprawl. Its primary food source, the California red-legged frog, has declined for the same reasons. Even when it could find suitable territory, the snake wasn’t safe. Prized for its exquisite colors, the reptile is a popular target for poachers & collectors.

These threats landed the San Francisco garter snake on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) very first endangered species list, published in 1967, though it would take the agency nearly 2 decades to draft a recovery plan for the animal. That 1985 document established West of Bayshore as one of the snake’s last remaining refuges & called for a moratorium on development there. (Just in time, too: Reeder says plans for a subdivision were in the works.) For 23 years, the land remained largely untouched, protected but neglected, filling up with invasive plants & harmful industrial runoff from the surrounding areas.

In 2008, after an unscientific but worrying population survey, SFO got serious about the snakes. They partnered with the USFWS to create an updated recovery strategy for the San Francisco garter snake & the animal most integral to its survival, the California red-legged frog, making plans to address concerns such as water quality, vegetative cover, & pollution. That’s where Natalie Reeder came in.

Since then, her team has worked to rebuild the snake’s Goldilocks-esque dream home—not too wet, not too dry, open banks for basking in the sun, but thick cattails for cover from predators. They built rainfed ponds, deepened existing wetlands, & cleared overgrown drainage canals, efforts that benefited both snake & frog. Instead of mowing a firebreak each summer—exposing the soft animals to potentially lethal blades & tractor tires—they brought in hundreds of goats to clear the land.

Reeder says that SFO also “beefed up security,” reinforcing the lot with gates & fences to protect habitat & prevent illegal collection.

Invasive plants looking for a toehold at the site will always be an issue, &, thanks to the surrounding impervious surfaces, Reeder & her team will likely never be able to insulate West of Bayshore from urban & industrial runoff. But the ecological improvements & increased security seemed to have tipped conditions there in the snake’s favor.

“It’s really encouraging that [the snakes] can exist among such a high level of urban density,” says Brian Halstead, a USGS wildlife biologist & one of the authors of the study. He & his colleagues spent 2 years surveying the population & genetic variation of the snakes at the 7 sites where they’re known to live. While the team had good news to report at SFO, they found less encouraging data elsewhere.

For one thing, populations at 4 of the sites surveyed were precariously low, with fewer than an estimated 100 snakes. Additionally, all 7 sites are geographically isolated from one another, scattered around the peninsula, preventing the movement of snakes to & from neighboring locations & possibly degrading genetic diversity. Halsted says that improving connectivity will be important for the snakes’ long-term prognosis, including possibly creating translocation or captive breeding programs.

With 1,300 individuals on the 180-acre site, Reeder thinks West of Bayshore “could be at carrying capacity,” for the snake. To prevent overpopulation & improve genetic diversity at other sites, she believes that, one way or another, “some of these snakes are going to have to start moving.” The USGS study also noted that the West of Bayshore property could be an ideal source population to provide other sites with an infusion of new snakes.

While Reeder calls the low population counts at other locations, “pretty scary,” she worries most about the impacts of climate change. She says the airport is updating its infrastructure as a buffer against sea level rise, but that the land at West of Bayshore is low-lying & particularly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, which would be fatal to the California red-legged frog. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the state’s increasingly long & intense droughts could prove catastrophic for both species & the wet places they need to survive.

More than snakes & frogs depend on West of Bayshore: Thanks to the enhancements by Reeder & her team, the site has enticed a bevy of other wildlife. The San Francisco garter snake now shares its home with 2 other snake species, the gopher snake & the yellow-bellied racer, as well as deer, foxes, birds, & thousands of invertebrates, demonstrating what is possible, Reeder says, if animals “have a little space & a little food.”

Reeder hopes that the explosion of life in this one, weedy lot might inspire people throughout the peninsula & beyond to support the protection of urban open spaces, no matter how small or unsightly they are.

“Nature isn’t a place you go to,” she says. “Nature is right here, even in some of the most industrial, commercial areas.”

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