Difficult to Learn If Stray Dog Was Spayed

Q. Is there any way to tell if my dog has been spayed or not? We have to get her licensed, and it is cheaper if she has been fixed. We got her two years ago when I found her wandering near my school.

Kevin Barr, Stanton

A. Without exploratory surgery, it would be difficult to verify that your dog has been spayed. Most often, a surgical scar on the abdomen is an indication of a spay surgery, but any abdominal surgery will leave a similar scar. If she hasn’t come into “heat” or estrus since you have had her, your veterinarian may be able to issue you a sterility certificate, if he or she believes that your pet has been spayed.

Q. I have a 6-year-old cat that is spayed. The last two years, she has developed scabs, mainly around the neck and back areas(none on her legs). The vet put her on prednisone and, in time, the scabs cleared up, then later appeared again.

I got the medicines refilled, and she cleared up again. I feel that I can’t have her live on this, nor can I afford it. I use a flea comb regularly, and she did have some fleas this summer. Now, however, I use it to just get rid of the scabs.

My daughter suggested giving her Ovaban. Would this help, or what can I do?

Blanche Bentley, Santa Ana

A. What you have described is most likely a condition called miliary eczema, which is a very complicated disorder with a wide variety of causes.

This condition causes small crusts or scabs to occur mainly over the back, the neck, the base of the tail and the back of the rear legs. Most afflicted cats are generally very itchy and lick or chew themselves excessively. The skin becomes very inflamed, and there may be some hair loss from the chewing.

The causes are many, and an individual cat may have more than one source of irritation. The most common cause is a sensitivity to fleas and their bites. Food allergies, diet deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, secondary bacterial infections and fungal infections have all been listed as potential agents for causing miliary eczema. In some cases, no cause is ever identified.

Cats of either sex can be affected, but in our practice, the spayed female cat is the most common patient seen for this problem.

Treatment involves removing the source of the skin problem.

Flea control, both on the cat and in the environment, is essential if treatment is to be successful. Medicated shampoos may be necessary, especially for severe conditions. Antibiotics are used if the skin is infected or severely damaged.

The use of cortisones is generally very effective in reducing the inflammatory skin condition. Ovaban (megestrol acetate) is commonly used as a maintenance drug and is given once every three days to once a week to control the cat’s skin disease. A dosage of 2.5 to 5 mg per week is common, depending on the weight of the cat.

Talk to your veterinarian about the use of Ovaban in your cat’s case. There is always the possibility that your cat has a type of skin disorder other than miliary eczema.

Q. This may sound silly, but do dogs cry when they are hurt? I have seen what seem to be tears from my dog’s eyes every once in a while but I don’t think that I have seen him cry tears when he got hurt.

Connie Montejaro, Westminster

A. Dogs and cats do produce tears in response to eye irritants, injury to the eye, or an obstruction of their tear ducts, but I don’t believe that dogs actually produce tears or “cry” in response to pain or sadness. Crying that we know is generally considered a human emotional response. Generally, dogs produce tears normally or in excess as a physical response to some sort of stimulus.