Dr. Connie's Top 10 Pet Myths - Debunked 

1.  One dog year is equal to 7 human years.

Dogs live on the same planet we do, and time passes at the same speed for all of us. Dogs just don't live as long as we do. They reach a level of maturity of a teenager their first year, then age according to their genetics. A five year old Great Dane is relatively older than a five year old Yorkie.

2. If a dog is wagging his tail, they won't bite you. 

A wagging tail must be interpreted in context with the rest of its body language. Sometimes when a person smiles, it means pain or nervousness. Likewise, sometimes a wagging tail is not attached to a happy dog.

3. A dog should go through a season before being spayed.

Any heat cycle carries risks, of uterine infection or unwanted pregnancy. It also increases the risk of mammary cancer later in life. 

4. Spaying & neutering makes a dog fat.

Taking in more calories than one burns off results in obesity, whether you are a dog or a human. Most mature dogs and cats are overweight to some degree- obesity is probably the most common health problem for our pets, too. It is easy to blame a surgery for overfeeding.

5. If a dog scoots on his rear, he has worms.

If a dog scoots, he probably suffers from one of three conditions: a soiled rear, full anal saccules or an itchy rear end. Fleas or allergies are usual causes of the itch.

6. A hot dry nose means a fever.

A rectal temperature over 102.F may mean a fever, but that is the only accurate measure. 

7. Dogs eat grass when they are sick.

Dogs are scavengers by nature, and normally will eat all kinds of stuff. Some dogs just like grass, and eat it all the time.

8. A dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's.

If this were true, people would not get infections from dog bites! The bacteria in dogs' mouths are responsible for all that nasty tartar on their teeth, and the bad breath that comes with it. 

9. A cat should not be in the same house with a pregnant woman or a baby (will suck all the baby's breath away).

First, the pregnant women: the concern here is toxoplasmosis, which cats in a household situation are rarely affected with. When they are infected, they shed the parasite in their feces for a short time, then they do not shed it anymore. Most people who contract toxo got it from eating improperly cooked meat. Maybe pregnant women should become vegetarian?         Second, the cats sucking baby's breath away: I pray for the day when we are not dumb enough to believe preposterous tales like this one.

10.Dogs who react fearfully to things were abused when they were young.

Somewhere out there, probably near Area 51, is a huge farm that abuses millions of helpless dogs every year. A more reasonable explanation for all these cowering dogs is poor socialization and genetics. Some dogs, like some people, are just nervous. Others are not handled as newborns, or are taken to their new home and never leave their own pen or yard. If you raise a child in one room, he is not likely to deal well with large deep-voiced men, strange situations or loud noises either. 

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