Q. I am a vegan with lots of pets. It seems that every pet I have except for my bunny needs to eat meat. I know that you can feed a dog a vegetarian diet but my vet advised me that it was not a good idea. I feel sad when I read the ingredients on the dog food and see chicken as the first one. I know that you love animals. How do you deal with the issue of some of the pets that we keep needing to eat other animals?
A. This is not an easy question as there is no right or wrong answer. Yes, some dogs can live on a vegetarian diet, but not all of them can, and cats, ferrets, most birds and reptiles need to have a diet either entirely of animal protein or at least supplemented by it. There is even animal protein in goldfish food. It is the natural order of things that some animals eat others and if you ever see this happen in nature it is a very cruel and unfair process.
In a perfect world, we humans would do better than animals in the procurement of our foods. We show respect and consideration toward a pet dog or parrot that we may need to euthanize due to old age or an incurable illness. We should show that same consideration toward a pig or a turkey that we are going to kill for us or our pets to eat.
Raising animals that we eat or feed to our other pets in a humane manner and ending their lives with dignity and respect cost a lot more than we now care to spend. We as a society need to evolve enough to realize that the animals we eat are worthy of the same care as the animals we share our homes with and thus be willing to pay more for a package of chicken cutlets or a can of cat food.
Animal rights groups perhaps could use their resources to petition for laws to ensure the humane care of animals that we eat. As an individual who chooses not to eat other animals, you have helped to eliminate the suffering of a few chickens and turkeys and cows. It is a start and you should be proud of it. You should not judge other people who choose to eat meat or your pets that need to eat meat to survive as this is the natural order of the world we live in and sometimes the world is just not as nice a place as we would like it to be.
Q. We have two 4-year-old parakeets and they seem just fine. However one does not chew on its cuttlebone or the toys that we have in the cage and his beak seems much longer then the other bird's. How can we encourage him to chew more so that his beak gets worn down to the same length as his partner's?
A. This situation actually has nothing to do with chewing on the cuttlebone or the toys in the cage. Some mature parakeets will suffer from a metabolic disorder that causes a rapid abnormal growth of the beak. The beak gets long and slender and has a pithy feel to it. This situation will not go away by itself. Take the bird to an avian vet to determine the cause. The vet will be able to trim the beak to its proper length.
Q. I work a sales job and I often make phone calls in my home office. Every time I am on the phone, my 8-year-old German shepherd mix will come in and whine for attention. All other times she goes about her business (which is usually napping on the couch), but as soon as she hears me talking she comes in and starts her act. I will try to close the door, but that usually initiates a more intense, louder whine. Any thoughts as to what I can do?
A. This is actually a lesson in miscommunication. I doubt your dog is really whining for attention as much as she is reacting to your emotions. None of my dogs ever reacted when I am talking on the phone, but many of my birds do. They watch me very closely when the phone rings and if I am calm then they are calm. However these days most of my phone calls bring news that elicits drama from me. As soon as I react in an emotional way, no matter how subtle, the birds get excited and start to scream in alarm and continue until I hang up. If the call is a happy or uneventful one, then the birds quickly go back to their business. I would like to think that your dog is also picking up on your emotions and reacting to your situation in a sympathetic manner. If this is the case, there is not much that you can do except keeping the dog away from the office when you are working on the phone.
