Ask Dr. Brutus--Session 1

My dear furiend Daffy (@no_crybaby_doGs) suggested that I host an #AskDrBrutus column on Twitter. While I'm not an expert on anything at all, I love to talk and share my opinion so we'll give it a whirl! Anyone is welcome to submit questions of any sort by tweeting the hashtag #AskDrBrutus and I'll do some research, tell you what I think and we'll all have a great time.

*Of course, as I'm not a vet, medical expert, trainer, psychologist or any other expert please take my advice as you would that of your furiends and neighbors and consult a real expert if you have serious problems and issues. I don't want anyone to get hurt!

So, let's get started. We had a number of questions submitted this morning:

Question:
I am a 3 yo ToyFox. I never took a toy apart 2 see whas inside. Am I ok?
@no_crybaby_doGs

Answer:
Being a terrier, I'm surprised you do not have a strong prey drive but many of the smaller toy breeds have had that trait breed out of them. High prey-drive tendencies are more common in working breeds. We further discovered that Daffy had been treated very poorly in her first home and had a lot of fear prior to finding her forever home. That fear may be the reason she is less "curious" (destructive) than many doggies. You are completely fine my dear!

Question:
Do mollusks have stinky butts?
@AylaLab

Answer:
I first had to learn what a mollusk was myself. Mollusks are shellfish (not actual fish and some live on land) and can be any of 3 varieties:
Hatchet-footed - These live inside of two shells that are connected by a muscular hinge which can open and close the shell. They are referred to as bivalves. Lines on the shell tell how old the mollusk is as the shell gets bigger, the older the shellfish gets. Clams, scallops, oysters and mussels are bivalves.
Belly-footed - These have just one spiral shell and carry their shells on their backs. They are called univalves. The snail, slug, periwinkle and conch belong to this group.
Head-footed - These have a definite head surrounded by tentacles. The squid and octopus are two in this group.

So, now that we know what a mollusk is we must determine if they have stinky butts. Mollusks ingest food through a siphon system that takes it to its mouth before entering a digestive gland and the intestine. Wastes leave via the butt. Therefore, mollusks have stinky butts in the same way that we kittehs and doggies do!

Question:
I'd be interested in knowing the reason why Danes shouldn't have Nylabones?
@MadisontheLab

Answer:
This question was brought up because I said that the rescue organization I came from said that danes shouldn't eat them. After reviewing the packet that I came with when I was adopted, it said that we should not be given rawhides and pigs ears because they are hard to digest and may potentially cause bloat or blockages because danes are prone to bloat. There are many causes of bloat and no one knows for sure how to prevent it entirely so it was a caution against doing things that might cause more occurences. Fact: mom was incorrect when she said that the rescue said not to give Nylabones to me. However, doing some further research, I was particularly interested in this link:
http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/RawhideandChewyTreats.htm

which went into discussions on Greenies, Nylabones, rawhides, stuffed toys, etc.

Overall, given all of the data and opinions out there, it is probably safe to say that owners and their doggies should do some research, test out different products under close supervision and make an educated decision about what we should or should not chew on! Which leads into our next question...

Question:
Why is pet-parents so mean sumtime? Why dey get all upset 'bout little things like chewin' shoes?
@AylaLab

Answer:
Pet parents are territorial just like we pets are. Just like doggies may have their own favorite toy or bone or blankie, hoomans have their favorite belongings to. Many mommies (and some daddies) love their shoes (a lot). We like them too because they smell like our hoomans.

For example, yesterday, I ate my mom's new hardback book she had been reading. I didn't want to read it, I just liked the fact that it smelled like her and I missed her so I chewed on it.

The lesson to be learned here is that we need to respect our hoomans things in the same way that they respect our toys and don't take them away from us and throw them in the garbage when they are chewed up and stinky.

Question:
Do frogs toot?
@MadisontheLab

Answer:
The internet provides a wealth of information about frog poop but nothing about frog toots. Given that @cricketthetoad and @albinofrog regularly send me toots and #FartFriday greetings, I'm gonna guess that they must enjoy a good release of stinky gas now and then. If anyone has any scientific info to add, I'll be happy to post it!

That's all for this week's #AskDrBrutus! Don't forget to submit your questions by tweeting the hashtag #AskDrBrutus and/or post a comment below or tweet @BrutustheDane.

Love, Bru