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YORKSHIRE CAN EASILY LICK PROBLEM

Q–I have a 4-year-old Yorkshire. Lately he has developed a funny habit of licking. When my husband sits down, he wants to lick his pants knees and also my housecoat. The vet says he has a small throat and stomach. Is that the trouble?

A–I don`t see any connection between the size of your Yorkshire`s throat and stomach and his licking. It most likely is a behavioral change, though not necessarily a problem. Did you use a different fabric softener around the time he developed the habit? Something like that could have started his licking, or he may just enjoy this behavior.

I suggest that whenever he starts licking, firmly push him down and say,

”No!” Yorkshire terriers are very smart; so he definitely can learn what

”no” means. Just be firm.

Q–My 2-year-old parakeet is very small. She scratches her head a lot, and when she preens, her skin looks red and irritated. Also, every time she drinks water she sneezes. Do you think she has mites?

A–Mites in parakeets usually are on the face and the legs and generally don`t itch much. If the parakeet`s face, particularly above the beak, looks normal and if there are no lumps or bumps or other irregularities, then the scratching is probably not because of mites.

If her legs or face look rough, have her checked by a veterinarian for mites, which are readily diagnosed and treatable. If mites are not the cause, you may be facing a difficult problem. Self-mutilation, or feather picking, especially with parakeets, is difficult to diagnose and consequently frustrating to try to treat. Sometimes little restraining collars, which stick out from the neck to form a barrier between the beak and the body, are necessary to keep the skin healthy.

As for her sneezing, first compare the height of the perch and the level of the water. If she has to bend down to drink, it`s possible that some of the water trickles up into her nasal passages, making her sneeze. If that`s the case, change it so she`s able to drink in a more normal position–preferably with the water slightly higher than the perch.

Or she may have an abnormality of the roof of her mouth. Her palate, for example, may be incompletely closed or shorter than normal, permitting fluid to enter the nasal passages easily. This can be diagnosed by a thorough oral examination.

Q–My 9-year-old female cat has an ”overactive thyroid,” and our vet says there is no medication to help, only ”surgery or radiation.” What is your opinion?

A–Your cat is suffering from hyperthyroidism, a disease that is considerably on the rise in older cats. Fifteen years ago it was rarely if ever diagnosed, and now most vets see it regularly.

Surgery and radiation are certainly among the ways to control hyperthyroidism. There are, however, two oral medications that can be helpful, either as a prelude to surgery or as a permanent maintenance regimen. The drug most frequently used today is called Methimazole, an oral medication that can be given daily or twice a day and usually will suppress the overactive thyroid gland. There is another drug, but it has a few more side effects.

If Methimazole is not effective, then use the second drug. If you are relying on drug therapy rather than on surgery, it is important that frequent follow-up blood tests be run to make sure the overactive thyroid is under control.

In a 9-year-old cat, treatment can be extremely effective and give you a truly normal pet. Methimazole has been very effective. If it is not, don`t be afraid of the surgery. With the rise of this disease, the surgery has become far more routine.

Q–I was puzzled recently by the behavior of my 1 1/2-year-old part Labrador. In the past two years I have owned two other dogs. All three dogs have encountered porcupines in the country; all have returned home with their snouts covered with quills; and all have repeated cross-country porcupine chases over the years.

However, my dog recently came across a dead porcupine. No sooner had I called to her when she threw herself on the carcass and began to roll around on it. She was covered from head to tail with porcupine quills. A few weeks later she discovered a dead cat and again rolled around on the dead animal. Why?

Also, is it true that you should snip off the tip of a quill before removing it from your dog`s snout because this deflates the quill, thus making it easier to remove?

A–Dogs rolling in offal is very common, and many animals will find the smelliest matter available and delightedly roll in it. And carcasses are quite popular. I`m sure this is an instinctive behavior. If they did so merely because they liked the odor, you could expect them to roll in table scraps, which they don`t do. The instinct probably dates to the time they were wild animals. They would try to hide their traces and mask their own scent by covering themselves with something very pungent.

Other than keeping a dog under close supervision (on a leash or penned at all times), there is no good preventive solution.

I know of many dogs that will come home, having rolled in something foul, are bathed (sometimes it takes two or three times to get rid of the odor) and, when let out that night, they`ll go right back to the same spot and roll again. So if you have cleaned your dog, don`t make the mistake of letting it run out again in the same area.

I`ve never found it necessary to snip the tip when removing porcupine quills. There`s no doubt that when you pinch a quill with tweezers it collapses a bit as it has a somewhat hollow structure. In most cases, there are so many quills involved that to snip before pulling would make an already tedious task doubly so.

Dr. Huntington welcomes questions from readers. Although she cannot reply to them individually, she will answer those of general interest in this column. Write to Dr. Huntington, c/o The Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. If your pet`s problem is urgent or an emergency, consult your vet.