Four Pet Myths Debunked

There are a lot of myths and mis-information about dogs and cats out there. Today, we look at four common myths about our favorite furry companions.

1. A warm, dry nose means your dog is sick:  We get this one a lot.  While a sick dog might have a warm nose, a dog’s normal temperature is naturally higher than ours (dogs and cats have a normal temperature range of 100-103F) so they often feel warm to the touch. The temperature and dryness of a dog’s nose can vary with activity, sleep and environmental humidity levels. An occasional warm, dry nose is normal. However, if your dog’s nose is constantly dry and cracked or if it is always running with clear discharge, these conditions are not normal and warrant a visit to the vet.
2. Dogs are colorblind:  It has been a long-held belief that dogs see the world in black and white and shades of grey, but it’s not quite true.  Dogs DO actually see some colors. Similar to red-green colorblindness in humans, dogs do not see much in the red color spectrum, but can see shades of blues and yellows. Their visual acuity or sharpness of what they see is also less than that of humans, so everything they see is a bit muted or blurry. So, all those popular red dog toys look brown or grey to our dogs!
3. Cats purr only when their happy: This is usually true, as cats definitely purr when they are content.  But cats will actually purr when they’re nervous or when they’re sick or painful as well.  It’s thought that the low frequency vibrations of a purr may improve healing and can be a self-soothing mechanism.
4. Cats always land on their feet:  While it’s true that cats have an excellent vestibular system which controls their balance and body posture and they can rapidly twist their bodies right side up if they fall, cats are sometimes clumsy and they can be seriously injured.  Interesting fact; cats have a better chance of surviving a fall if they fall from a higher height as it actually gives them more time to right themselves during the fall.  The most common injuries sustained when a cat falls are a broken jaw and thoracic injuries.

These myths have been around for a long time, but now we know that dogs can see some colors besides just black and white and that our feline friends may be using their mysterious purr for more than just telling us their happy to see us!

This blog brought to you by the Patton Veterinary Hospital serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding areas.

https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/cat-adoption/cat-myths/

https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/resources/dog-myths