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Kate Wyatt-Burrows took a head-on approach to helping her son Wyatt conquer his severe fear of spiders in 2008: She bought him a tarantula. Nearly five years later, Fifi is a beloved family pet, and Wyatt (right), 10, and brother Raymond, 12, are very proud arachnid fans.
"We read up and learned as much as we could about spiders," Kate says. "The journey of fear conquering ended up in purchasing a rose-haired tarantula for Wyatt's 6th birthday. We don't know the sex, so we called it a him and named him Fifi."
Fifi had been a comfort word for Wyatt when he was little.
Fifi lives in Wyatt's room in Abingdon, and the boys love showing him off to guests, some of whom are more than a little surprised when they meet the spider. "They feel tough having a pet tarantula," Kate says. "Guests are excited or scared to see him. The boys don't hold him, but two friends of mine have. Fifi is very shy and skittish."
He does assert himself, though, when the family cat walks by his tank, raising his front legs in a threatening manner.
Fifi gets water regularly and crickets every two months, and when he molts, he leaves behind a skin that looks like another spider. The family thinks he's about 8 years old; he'll probably live to be about 20.
Kate says Fifi is easy to live with and care for, but she knows spider ownership isn't for everyone and cautions others to do their research before committing. That said, it was the perfect thing to get Wyatt over his fear. "He sleeps in the same room blissfully with Fifi every night," she says.
To have your pet considered for Collared, email information to sun.unleashed@gmail.com.
--Kim Fernandez (Christopher T. Assaf, Baltimore Sun photo /June 3, 2013)
What can I do to prevent my dog from getting carsick? She is fine for a short trip, but after 20 minutes, she gets sick.
Motion sickness is one of the undertreated problems that we see in pets. This can make a road trip a nightmare for the pets and their companions. Before trying to fix the problem, it is important to figure out what's making them to throw up in the car. Two main reasons for this are fear of the car ride and true motion sickness. The first is especially common in younger pets or newly adopted pets that have not had a lot experience in cars.
Try to get the pet used to car rides in an incremental fashion. The first few days, put her in the car for a short while without doing anything else. Once she is comfortable with this step, start the car but stay parked (with the door open for ventilation). Next time, start the car and move it a little; then the next, drive her a few blocks and come back home, again increasing the distance at a slow pace. Reward her after each step when she is calm and relaxed. At any point, if you notice her getting anxious or carsick, go back to the previous step. It could take several days until she is relaxed enough to ride without any issues.
You can also help ease the sickness by not feeding her anything at least a couple of hours before the trip; not letting her run or jump while in the car; and letting in some fresh air. Some pets will need help from medications. Your veterinarian can discuss these options and the common side effects. Alternative choices like acupuncture and ginger have some limited success, but may be helpful when the side effects from the medications are intolerable.
This week's expert is Dr. Padma Yadlapalli, Freetown Animal Hospital in Columbia. To submit a question for a local animal expert, email unleashed@baltsun.com.
