Ever tried to convince an owner that weight loss is indeed possible for their 74-pound beagle? For their 21-pound cat? It’s only then that you’ll understand how stressful it can be to effect real change in a pet’s health with respect to their weight.

That’s why veterinarians find themselves in an uneasy position when it comes to even going there. When an owner is likely to be

It’s often a wasted effort, this weight loss concern. Ask any human general practitioner and they’ll likely agree. Medicare does NOT reimburse for the stress involved with respect to weight loss spiels, and veterinary medicine is no different. For all we do to counsel our clients on the merits of weight loss and the pitfalls inherent to obesity, we’re more likely to be rewarded with indignation than with success –– including that of the monetary variety. Weight loss is not a profit center.

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Research has shown that even pets get the blues during the time of year when the Earth is tilted away from the sun’s direct intervention. The waning light of winter certainly yields more depressive incidents among the human population, so why not our pets?

The study I cite, however flawed its methodology might have been, is at least illustrative of people who consider their pets to be depressed during these months. They report greater indolence, increased sleep time and less of an appetite in their pets. I question the study’s merits only because true Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is difficult to establish among humans, let alone their pets. After all, pets may merely be resting more, as many of mother nature’s creatures tend to do when faced with a diminished opportunity for play or prey time.

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It’s not just the simple bite wounds sustained during a brief brawl at the puppy park that can follow a dog fight. It’s also the crushing injuries, the broken bones and the bleeding lungs that are at stake when pets get into it.

The worst cases we see fall under the category of “BDLD” (big-dog-little-dog) interactions, or incidences when cats get handed the business end of a dog’s maw. In these cases the aggressors are usually out to kill — and they can make pretty neat (and expensive) work of it.

Then there’s the human-animal adverse interaction — as in, you’re taking in a civilized tea at your neighbor’s house and the severely dominant-aggressive cat hurls itself at your daintily outstretched pinky finger.

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It’s not easy for some of you. I get it. You want your pet to love her food. You stress when he won’t eat (even though he turns up his nose about once a week), so you feed table scraps and fridge fare to tempt him. Or you know she’s a pig, but you can’t keep your family from overstuffing her in your absence.

In any case, if you’re like a lot of my clients, you may be in denial over how plump your pet might be. That’s why I’m here to point out the obvious: your pet is better off too skinny than too fat––within reason, of course. but generally speaking, that’s the case. Thin pets tend to live longer. So you need not stress over a couple of pokey ribs or a waistline worthy of Ms. Monroe.

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No discussion of pain relief in pets would be complete without a discussion of the side effects of pain relievers. Because NSAIDs are by far the most commonly prescribed class of drugs for pain, it’s worth spending a whole post (or five!) on their untoward effects.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating anyone go without pain relievers based on the fear of side effects alone. NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) pain relievers are too crucial for too many of our pets’ comfort to discount their use just because of a possibility that a problem will ensue.

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Physical Characteristics

In the initial years of breeding, the Balinese had heavier bones and apple shaped heads, more akin to the former standard Siamese. They also had much longer coats than the Balinese breed today, with full ruffs and britches. Over the years, Balinese breeders have improved the physical form of the breed by outcrossing it with the parent breed, the Siamese, and the features of the Balinese have become leaner and longer, just as the modern Siamese has. The breed standard for the Balinese is identical to the standard for the Siamese in most respects, including overall body type and color, with the obvious differences being in overall coat length, and in the full plume tail. The coat is single coated, with only minimal shedding. In fact, the Balinese is noted for its lack of shedding amongst long coated cats.

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