Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Pet Health

So you know the Merck Manual, the trusty reference on health for docs and patients? As of this week, there’s a Merck Manual about pets.In cultural terms, it’s yet another sign of the humanization of pets. In publishing terms, it’s a consumer version of the Merck Veterinary Manual, an old standby for vets. In Health Blog terms, the book presents an opportunity to share some fascinating pet-health factoids.

The book (full name: The Merck/Merial Manual For Pet Health) is 1,345 pages long, so rather than plow through the whole thing, we cheated a little — we got on the phone with Cynthia Kahn, the editor, and Scott Line, a vet who was co-editor on the book. The factoids came fast and thick. (Merial, by the way, is the Merck/Sanofi-Aventis joint venture in animal health.)

Dogs can be poisoned by eating grapes and raisins. “It can cause very severe kidney damage with a relatively small number of grapes and raisins eaten,” Line said. Some dogs are more susceptible than others to this problem. Pennies are bad, too — new pennies are made with more zinc than old ones, which has driven up zinc poisoning in dogs, Kahn said.

There are vets who operate on fish, Line says. There are also techniques for giving fish anesthesia. It’s a trend driven by the popularity of koi, which can cost thousands of dollars. Who wants to flush that kind of money down the toilet?

There’s an animal called a sugar glider? Yes, and if you make it to page 1,039 (chapter 75), you’ll learn that it’s a little marsupial with a membrane (like a flying squirrel’s) that allows it to glide through the air. But don’t leap before you’re ready — sugar gliders (one’s pictured at right) are nocturnal and social, and the book recommends two hours of daily “interactive contact.” Also, they have particular dietary needs. “It’s a commitment,” Kahn says. “It’s not like bringing home a goldfish.”

Some cats are compulsive. Excessive grooming and chewing of wool or other fabrics are two of the most common feline compulsions. The behavior can be a sign of stress or anxiety, though Siamese may inherit a tendency to compulsively chew wool.

Rats aren’t just for subways anymore. “In some ways, I think they make a better pet than a hamster,” Line says. “They’re very social, very easy to handle, they make very good pets. You want to get one from a reputable source so you know you’re getting a healthy animal that’s been handled by humans from an early age.” So no matter how cute it may seem, don’t take home that rat that runs across the platform while you’re waiting for the R train.

Source Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Pet Health