Driven to Discover Q&A

Question: Why is it that my dog rubs herself on everything and scratches herself violently especially on her ears and under her front legs?

Answer: Dogs sometimes rub themselves on the ground, grass, carpet, furniture and other areas because they smell something desirable and wish to acquire the odor for themselves.  It can be a dog’s way of putting on perfume!  Often these odors are not appreciated nearly as much by the dog’s human companions.  Dogs will rub themselves on dead and rotting animals and fish, feces and other substances most people don’t consider very pleasant.  There is a theory that this behavior stems from long ago when dogs would roll in or rub on things to mask their sent when hunting other animals.  Alternatively, dogs will sometimes rub themselves on particular areas, in addition to urinating and defecating, to mark their presence.

When a dog scratches themselves violently, it can be for a variety of reasons.  Anything that causes skin inflammation may result in itchiness.  There are a number of medical conditions that can result in itchiness such as skin and ear infections, mites, allergic or anaphylactic reactions, environmental or food allergies, fleas or other parasites, a condition resulting in dry, flaky skin called seborrhea sicca, certain endocrine diseases, immune-mediated diseases or even cancer.  Dogs can also have psychogenic diseases which cause them to scratch themselves violently, even to the point that they cause wounds in their own skin.

Of course you should always contact your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about your dog. 

  Andrea Ellings, D.V.M, is an assistant clinical professor in the Veterinary Clinical Sciences department at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Question: What is my dog thinking?

Answer: No one can say for certain what a dog is thinking, says the University of Minnesota’s resident "pet shrink," Petra Mertens. But dogs and cats definitely do have thoughts and emotions.

"They readily display emotional responses like aggression or fear," says Mertens, an assistant professor and board-certified veterinary animal behaviorist in the University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. "Animals dream, too— you can see that when they sleep. Dogs have all the same brain elements we do and process things in a very similar manner."

These similarities don’t mean you and Spot are communicating at the same level, however.

"Humans see animal behaviors in anthropomorphic ways. A common example: A dog urinates in the house. The owner comes home and sees a spot on the carpet. The dog has his head down and his tail between his legs. Is he remorseful? No. The dog is responding to signals from the owner— stiffening, a more aggressive tone—with submissive gestures, trying to diffuse the tension he senses."

Guess the key to unlocking what your dog is thinking is to first know thyself. So the search continues.

Dr. Mertens and her colleagues Drs. Margaret Duxbury and Lorna Reichl offer pet behavior consultations at the U of M College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in St. Paul. Services include diagnosis and treatment of aggression, compulsive disorder, separation anxiety, fears and phobias in dogs, cats, birds, horses and other companion animals.

QUESTION: Can cats be autistic or have Asperger syndrome?

ANSWER: Currently, we do not diagnose cats with autism or Asperger syndrome.  These are very specific diagnoses that we are unable to make in cats.  There is a syndrome-like condition in kittens often referred to as failure to thrive or fading kitten syndrome.  Sometimes these kittens are simply termed as ‘poor-doers’.  The reason for these kittens to do poorly is likely multi-factorial and may be due to congenital anomalies, teratogenic effects, infectious diseases, poor nutrition or a great variety of other causes.

Kittens can have diseases or defects such as hydrocephalus, kidney disease, congenital heart defects, endocrine diseases, hormone deficiencies and many other problems that are never diagnosed because necropsies (autopsies) are not often performed on kittens.  It would be difficult to do testing in cats, similar to what is done with people, to be able to make a diagnosis of autism.  It is conceivable that cats could have a disease analogous to autism in humans, but it is not a definitive diagnosis veterinarians are currently able to make. 

  Andrea Ellings, D.V.M, is an assistant clinical professor in the Veterinary Clinical Sciences department at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

QUESTION: Can our cats or dogs catch a cold or the flu from us?

ANSWER: No, the viruses that cause the flu and colds in humans cannot be transmitted to dogs or cats.

There are, however, diseases that humans can potentially get from dogs and cats.  The term for this transmission, from animals to people, is zoonotic transmission.  Zoonoses are defined as infectious diseases naturally transmitted from animals to humans. 

Andrea Ellings, D.V.M, is an assistant clinical professor in the Veterinary Clinical Sciences department at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

QUESTION: Do dogs have a sense of humor?

ANSWER: They very well may.  Projecting meaning from one species to another can be misleading, particularly when comparing humans and animals.  Do dogs intend to be funny or are they just humorous to their people?  There is no doubt dogs have a desire to please their people.  They respond to smiles and laughter as well as a person’s body posture, facial expressions, and verbal responses.  Perhaps dogs demonstrate humor through play.  Dogs undoubtedly share some of the same emotions as humans; a sense of humor could very well be one of these similar behaviors.

Andrea Ellings, D.V.M, is an assistant clinical professor in the Veterinary Clinical Sciences department at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Question: My dog exhibits strange behavior shortly before a thunderstorm begins. Can dogs sense a change in the weather?

Answer: Dogs likely can sense storm-associated events such as a change in barometric pressure, lightning, electrostatic disturbances and even smells that may occur around a storm. They also may be able to hear sounds that are too high or low for human ears to hear. Some dogs develop a fear of thunderstorms and when they sense a storm coming, they may become agitated or exhibit abnormal behaviors. Even dogs that are not fearful of storms may display unusual behavior when they sense a storm.

Andrea Ellings, D.V.M, is an assistant clinical professor in the Veterinary Clinical Sciences department at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

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