HELOISE: Dogs need to take heartworm medicine

Dear Readers: If you have a dog, it should be on a heartworm preventative medication no matter where you live. It used to be that if you lived in areas with harsh winters, you didn’t have to give the pet the medication during the winter months. Now, the American Heartworm Society (www.heartwormsociety.org) says you should give your pet heartworm medication all year long. The disease can still be spread by wildlife or when you travel with your pet. Pets become infected when they are bitten by mosquitoes that are carrying the parasite.

Yes, heartworms are parasites that can set up camp in your pet’s heart and lungs. They can multiply rapidly, numbering into the hundreds, and each worm can measure 12 inches.

Some symptoms of heartworms are coughing, lethargy, fatigue, weight loss and difficulty in breathing, but some animals show no symptoms.

Please have your pet checked for heartworms regularly. If untreated, heartworm infestation will kill your pet. However, an annual blood test from your veterinarian can diagnose heartworms, and treatment can begin.

The heartworm condition is very preventable! A chewable pill that can be given daily or monthly is available by prescription at your vet’s office and will keep heartworms away.

Heloise

Dear Readers: Joan Keuch of Winslow, Maine, sent a photo of a 1-year-old Shih Tzu named Buffy sleeping with her little doll. Joan says: “Buffy’s doll was given to her by the breeder when I first got her. She is the dearest one!”

To see Buffy and her doll, visit www.Heloise.com.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I bought a pack of catnip for my cat, Tinkerbell. The package said to spread it on the ground for your cat to roll around in. I refused to put it on the carpets, so my mother came up with a great idea.

We put some of the catnip in a leg on a pair of old stockings, cut out the foot and tied it closed. Tinkerbell loves to play with it, and there is no mess on the carpets.

Emily in New Jersey

Dear Heloise: In regard to the question about cat scratching, use foil! When my cat first started to scratch furniture, I covered it with foil — wrapped it around the wooden legs or dangled it from the upholstery. He hates the sound of rustling.

Initially, he liked to jump up on tables, dining room included, and my kitchen countertops, so they, too, were covered in foil for about a week, and then that was that. Never again in eight years has he tried it.

Cats can be trained — it is the owner who allows the cat to train him or her!

M.K.M., via e-mail

Dear Heloise: We have twin tuxedo cats, called Pit and Pat. It’s for Pitiful and Pathetic. And the names fit them to a T.

M.C., via e-mail

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate