Dear Paws4Pets: This weekend I took my dog

“Marty,” a dachshund-beagle mix, out

to some property, where she sniffed and

sniffed and dug and sniffed and sniffed. I think

she had her nose buried in the rocky soil for so

long that she gave herself a rather large (maybe

the size of a nickel) blister on her upper lip. It’s

not puffy — just a raw patch under her nose, and

she licks at it. I saw something saying that canola

oil or olive oil might help chapped lips, but this

seems like a larger area. Any tips?

- Matt P.

Dear Matt P.: First, I have to caution that it’s always wise to consult your

dog’s vet. With that out of the way, I’d

say the best thing to do would be to

treat the raw patch like you would a

blister or a raw patch on your own

nose. Keep the area clean, rub a bit of

Neosporin over it two or three times

daily and watch it closely.

Marty probably will lick off the antibiotic ointment

within a minute or two of application, but in such small

quantities it isn’t a problem to ingest. A Band-Aid

probably will cause more discomfort and trouble

than it prevents. You also can ask your vet for

topical medicine to reduce any discomfort and

thereby reduce her licking of the area so it can

heal faster.

If it is indeed just a raw patch caused by

friction, the area should heal up within a few

days. But do keep a close eye on it: If the

patch looks like its getting infected

or otherwise changes for the

worse, take Marty to the vet

right away.

Send your pet questions,

observations and tips to

editor@theresident.com.

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Why do dogs eat dirt?

by Sam Mazzotta

Dear Paws4Pets: I have three rescued dogs that each dig a small hole, usually with their teeth, and proceed to eat the dirt. I feed them quality food, so I don’t know what they’re after. Is this typical behavior or are they lacking a mineral that the dirt is providing? I’m also not real happy about the holes in the lawn. I’ll bet I am not the only one with this issue.

- Jeannette V., Billings MT

Dear Jeanette: You’re right, this behavior is actually fairly common and a source of distress for a lot of dog owners. Termed “pica” — defined by the Angell Memorial Hospital’s Book of Wellness and Preventive Care for Dogs as “an abnormal desire to eat things that are indigestible” — this behavior includes eating dirt and rocks. Some dogs will eat sticks, socks or whatever is handy.

A common form of pica is coprophagia, a fancy term for “eating poop,” which many dog owners also deal with.
Pica is a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder, although a nutritional deficiency also can be a cause. So the first thing to do is consult the dogs’ veterinarian. The vet may ask you to bring in samples of the dogs’ stool to check for worms or other problems. (Separate each dog’s sample in plastic baggies labeled with their names.) Even if the vet doesn’t find a physical cause, he or she may recommend you add a vitamin supplement to their diets.

You’ll also need to address the obsessive-compulsive component. This means going outside with the dogs (or taking them out one by one for awhile). When they start digging or chewing at the ground, distract them immediately and call them over for a short spell of basic obedience training, rewarding them with either treats or praise depending on your training style. You also must fill in and re-sod the small holes in the lawn.

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Summer is over and fall is here! Have you thought about doing something extraordinary this harvest season?  How about raising a puppy with a purpose!  Guiding Eyes for the Blind is hosting a Puppy Raising Open House on Saturday, October 30th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 65 North Main Street, Wallingford.

Come join our volunteer raisers and some of our puppies on program for a fun-filled informational session and demonstration.  Contact Maria Dunne, at mdunne@guidingeyes.org for more information.  Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a non-profit organization that provides blind and visually-impaired individuals the gift of independence and the freedom to travel safely through the use of our superbly-bred guide dogs.  Every guide dog gets its start in the heart and home of a volunteer puppy raiser.  Won’t you join us in doing something extraordinary?

Visit our website to learn more about puppy raising at www.guidingeyes.org.

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by Sam Mazzotta

Dear Paws4Pets: I have a 1-year-old golden retriever, “Hal,” and he has contracted puppy warts. I have been told there is no treatment for this, and the only recommendations I’ve received are to give him multivitamins and an occasional treat with honey on it. I’m hoping this will clear up in the next few weeks, as I usually put him in doggy day care two or three days a week, and they won’t allow him as this is extremely contagious. Do you have any tips on any other form of treatment that would clear this up?

— Sue, via e-mail

DEAR SUE: Unfortunately, because puppy warts are caused by a virus, there is no treatment that will cure Hal quickly. The infection has to clear up on its own. Multivitamins will help keep Hal physically strong so that his immune system keeps working to get rid of the virus, but other than that, time is the only cure.

Puppy warts normally clear up after about 45 days. Be sure to just let them go away on their own, and don’t try to remove them yourself.

It is inconvenient for your puppy to be banished from day care during this period, but hang in there. If you’re unable to stay with Hal all day or check in on him during your workday, ask a friend to stop in and spend some time with him so he’s not by himself in the house all day.

If there’s one bright spot of news, it’s this: Once Hal recovers from puppy warts, he won’t catch them again.
Question about your pet? Contact Sam at ask@pawscorner.com

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by Sam Mazzotta

Dear Paws4Pets: I wanted to tell you a story about the cat who adopted us. In 1930, my brother and I lived with our parents on the fourth floor of a tenement building in the Lower East Side of New York City. We had a fire escape outside the bedroom window of our four-room apartment. In the summer, Mama opened the windows wide to let the fresh air in.

It was on one of these hot summer days that a pussycat brazenly came in through the open window. It looked starved, and my brother and I begged our parents to let it stay. They agreed. We fed “Cat” bread and milk, and later, scraps from our table. Every evening when my father came home from work, Cat would take a flying leap and land on his shoulder. My father loved the greeting.

After awhile though, Cat started leaving through the window again and coming back a few hours later. She also seemed to get fatter and fatter, until we realized she was pregnant. Cat delivered four babies on towels my mother laid out on the bathroom floor. My mother gave three of the kittens to neighbors and we kept the fourth, an all-white male we named “Whitey.”

Whitey stayed with us through the winter, but by the next spring he got as restless as his mother and started leaving through the fire escape window. One day he went out and never came back again.

- Pearl M., Morse Township, NJ

Dear Pearl: Things were so different for pets and their owners back then. Pet food was an unheard-of extravagance, and veterinary care was not so common for housepets. Thank you for sharing!

Question about your pet? Contact Sam at ask@pawscorner.com

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