Fish are among the most popular pets in the world, and like all pets, sometimes they need veterinary care. Is that really possible? Yes! Here’s how I explained it to a reader.

Q: I saw a Facebook post recently about a fish being treated at a veterinary clinic. Why? How?

A: Hey, fish need veterinary care, too. People love them and develop relationships with them — really! — and fish can develop health problems that require veterinary care, just like any other animal. Fish can be examined, treated with medication, and even undergo surgery.

Fish should see the veterinarian when they lose their appetite, have their fins tightly clamped against their body, hide or spend time in a different part of the tank than where they usually hang out, don’t seem to be swimming normally, display rapid gill movements, or turn rapidly to the side, causing their scales to flash. Other possible signs of illness are a bloated appearance, spots or discoloration on the body, or ragged fins.

A common reason fish get sick is poor water quality. Just as you scoop a cat’s litter box, clean your bird’s cage or wash your dog’s bedding, you also need to perform similar “housekeeping” for fish. Each species has special environmental needs as far as saline concentration, pH levels, water temperature and cleanliness. All of those things need to be monitored, and partial water changes made regularly, to ensure that fish stay healthy.

Fish can also develop bacterial, viral or parasitic infections. To diagnose these, a veterinarian may perform a fecal test, skin — er, scale — scraping, or even a gill or fin biopsy to examine cell samples microscopically. Infections can occur when new fish are added to a tank, which is why it’s important to quarantine them first to make sure they’re healthy, just as you would before bringing in a new bird or cat, for instance.

If your fish needs to see a veterinarian, you can seek out a veterinary fish expert at fishvets.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?id=30.

There’s more – including myths about preventing and managing pain in pets – in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.

If you have pets in your home, you need to put poisons in your place. And that place is completely out of their reach. Here are some specific concerns about cat poision prevention.

Q: I’m getting my first cat. Are there any household poisons or other dangers I should be concerned about?

A: Cats are not as likely as dogs to scarf up any old thing they run across, but they are still at risk of accidentally ingesting toxic substances such as ammonia, bleach, cleaning agents, disinfectants, drain cleaner, gasoline, oven cleaner, paint, and rodent poisons — all of which can kill your cat.

Maybe you mop the floor with pine-scented cleaner and your cat walks across it while it’s still damp. He then licks his paws to clean them off, and the next thing you know, he has been poisoned from ingesting the cleaner. That can happen with many substances if your cat walks through them. Antifreeze drips on the garage floor are a big concern, for instance.

Any time you use cleansers on floors, counters or other surfaces, put your cat in another room until the surface is dry or you have thoroughly wiped up the residue. Clean up antifreeze spills immediately, and never assume that poisons are out of your cat’s reach. Put anything toxic, especially if it could leak, inside a locked cabinet away from your cat’s normal living area. That includes weed killers, pesticides, turpentine and dried-up paint rollers. If you have a rodent problem, use traps that kill instantly instead of rodenticides or sticky traps that cause cruel, painful deaths.

Other household dangers include washing machines or dryers with doors left open. We know of a very sad case recently where a kitten was drowned in the washing machine because no one realized he was inside it. A cat may also find the warm interior of a dryer an inviting place to take a nap, but it could be fatal if someone turns it on without checking first.

There’s more – including pet disaster preparedness tips – in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.

Do you know the best way to feed a puppy or adult dog? Here’s the advice I have a reader!

Q: How often should I feed my puppy? And when she grows up, is it better to feed her once or twice a day?

A: When puppies stop nursing and start eating on their own, the breeder usually gives them four small meals a day. Their little tummies can only take in so much food at a time, after all. By the time they go to their new homes, when they are 8 to 12 weeks old, they are usually eating three meals a day to fuel growth. Take the amount the puppy should receive for the day and divide it by three to determine how much to give at each meal. Eventually, your puppy’s gargantuan appetite will start to decrease. You may notice that she picks at one of her meals or starts to leave food behind. That’s a good time to cut back to two meals daily and adjust amounts.

Feeding measured amounts at set times instead of leaving food out helps establish pee and poop schedules in puppyhood and ensures that dogs don’t overeat. One thing I like to recommend is measuring the appropriate amount of food and placing it in a dispensing toy so dogs have to “hunt” for their meals. This engages their brain and encourages physical activity. If you want to feed only once a day, this is a good way to do it.

A related question is when to stop feeding puppy food and start feeding adult food. The answer depends on the breed. Large- and giant-breed dogs should grow slowly. They’re best eating a puppy food developed to promote slow growth. Smaller dogs who enjoy eating and have a tendency to become roly-poly may do better switching to adult food at an early age, often before they are 6 months old.

There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.