right now at 9:00, on the chopping block, congress back in washington this morning, and as the deadline for sequestration draws nearer, we're getting a clearer picture of how it will impact people in our area. melanie alnwick is live with a look at the contentious cuts. >> reversing diabetes. losing weight. keeping your lips moist in the cold weather. the doctor is in this morning. dr.oz answers your pressing health questions coming up at 9:15. >> as we focus on our own health, our furry friends need checkups, too, right? coming up in today's pet project, is there a cure for doggie breath? notoriously bad. can you teach your dog to bark only when necessary?

and why do pooches love to eat paper products? we'll have those answers at 9:45. >> plus, a few spoils and spills at the 85th academy awards. "life of pi" took home the most awards. good morning, i'm tony perkins. >> i'm alison seymour. kevin's predictions, i think he did well. >> yeah. >> our tucker barnes is watching things downstairs in the weather center. good morning. >> how did i do, pretty well? >> you do great every day. >> thank you. >> i don't know about the predictions though. >> that's what i was looking for. let's get to the weather forecast. we look fine today. should be lots of sunshine to start the day. should be plenty of sunshine throughout the monday. quiet weather. high pressure building in for at least for the day today. changes tonight and tomorrow. more sunshine ahead. plenty of sun yesterday with temperatures in the mid-50s. not quite that warm today. we'll probably top out in the

upper 40s to about 50 later. 37 now at reagan national. dulles 34 degrees. 36 at bwi marshall. overnight most of the area in the 20s and low 30s. had a cold start. plenty of sun in the forecast. you see clouds to the south. not going to be a perfectly sunny day. we should be nice and dry. partly to mostly sunny this afternoon. with highs in the upper 40s to about 50. we'll cloud up tonight. by tomorrow afternoon, some rain will return to the forecast. for parts of the area, it could initially start as a wintery mix. off to the west and north where we're thinking that will likely occur. more on that coming up. afternoon forecast, plenty of sunshine. less wind than yesterday. 48 the daytime high in washington. 45 in leonardtown. more on the weather in just a minute. back to you and tony. happening today, prince george's county police will announce two major breaks in two murder cases. >> police are expected to

announce arrests in both cases, including the murder of 18-year- old marquel ross. he was shot and killed september 11th as he walked to school. he is one of six students there killed this school year. the police chief will also announce an arrest in the murder of gerladine mcintyre. the 71-year-old was killed inside her capitol heights home earlier this month. also in maryland, school officials are expected to release information today about the death of a d.c. teacher. david draa was a teacher at high road primary and middle school. police say he and another man identified as steven hickman were found dead sunday morning at a home on flower drive. both had been shot. police believe the incident may have been a murder-suicide. this morning police are looking for a person of interest in the deaths of an elderly couple. they want to talk to john

jeffries. fox5 has learned jeffries was a former neighbor of 74-year-old ethel slack and her husband, 80- year-old nelson flak. they were found dead yesterday. both had injuries to the upper body. they are calling john jeffries a person of interest in this case. the d.c. council meets today to decide whether to punish one of its own. the council will consider a resolution disapproving of jim graham's conduct related to the city's lottery contract. investigations have found that graham told a developer he would support his bid for the lottery contract in exchange for the developer dropping out of a project around a metro station. graham disputes the findings. tony? allison, the count down keeps ticking to sequestration. we inch closer to the deadline. only a few days left until the cuts take effect and looks like

they will happen. fox5's melanie alnwick is live on capitol hill with the latest. good morning, melanie. >> reporter: good morning, tony. president obama is going to host the nation's governors at the white house later today. he says he's looking for a few good partners to help pressure congress to stop the crest ration -- sequestration. the white house has released the possible impacts. lawmakers will return to capitol hill today, looking for ways to perhaps rework the cuts that will hit every line item in every federal agency. administration leaders say the spending reductions will furlough hundreds of thousands of government workers and contractors, clog air travel and slash education funding. locally here in d.c., maryland and virginia, could mean billions in lost pay from the furloughs. families missing out on things like day care and vaccines. and cuts to environmental efforts. the region's governors are frustrated. >> this sequester stands to wipe out a lot of hard fought

job gains in virginia and in maryland, so for whatever our differences might be, we understand that this is an economic threat. this is going to hurt a lot of moms and dads in our region. >> have to cut. because we're in bad shape. $17trillionalmost in debt now. but don't put 50% of the cuts on defense. our men and women in uniform, while we're fighting a war in afghanistan. that's not the right way to balance the cuts that are necessary. find another way to do it and get it done now. >> reporter: there is talk of a possible plan here on capitol hill to give the federal agencies a little bit more flexibility in determining what part of of their agency will get cuts and which won't. i don't know how far that's going to go on capitol hill. also, former virginia governor and freshman senator tim kaine was on the sunday talk shows and he said the way to avoid this in the future is for the government to do it during the normal process of budgeting and he said he'll be part of the senate writing hits first

budget plan since 2009. tony? >> thank you very much. "argo" won best picture at the academy awards last night. today, two hostages from the iran crisis will be on capitol hill. the movie has refocused attention on the 1979 iran hostage crisis. at a press conference in two hours, two ambassadors will discuss the crisis and how it applies to today. they are expected to call for diplomacy to prevent war and an iranian nuclear weapon. meantime, the president of afghanistan is accusing u.s. special forces of torture and is ordering all american troops out of an important province. he wants soldiers responsible for abusing afghans to be handed over to his government. the pentagon is rejecting the claims, but is taking them seriously and says it will investigate the facts surrounding these claims. in the meantime, the new secretary of state is in london this morning. he met with his british

counterpart and sat down with prime minister david cameron. london is his first stop on a trip that will take him to nine countries. syria is dominating his agenda, but it's not clear if he'll sit down with syrian rebels. after his european visit, he heads to the middle east. new this morning, a major announcement from the vatican. pope benedict xvi has signed off on moving the date of the conclave forward. the pope says it can begin sooner if all the cardinals are in rome. typically, the process to choose a new pope does not begin until 15 days after a pope dies or leaves office. meanwhile, cardinals from around the world have begun to gather in rome. washington archbishop cardinal donald wuerl left from dulles yesterday. also on sunday, the pope delivered his final public address to a crowd of 100,000. the 85-year-old pontiff told him his decision does not mean he's abandoning the church.

he'll make his final public appearance wednesday, before officially retiring thursday. cold outside. if the chilly weather is taking a toll on your lips, dr. oz has the perfect solution. and it's probably in your cabinet right now. >> tucker and i sat down with dr. oz earlier this morning for a special edition of ask tony and tucker. coming up after the break, he answers your questions. it's 9:09. we'll be right back. ♪

[ female announcer ] at yoplait, we want you to feel even better about your favorite flavors. so when you call, tweet, and post, we listen. that's why yoplait light and yoplait original are now made with no high fructose corn syrup. and why we use only natural colors and natural flavors in yoplait original. so, anything else we can do for you, let us know. but you'll keep it to yogurt, right? 'cause we shouldn't really help with your love life. yoplait. it is so good! who areren't happy with their internet. hey steve. did you say, "my internet's so bad, i think it's giving my kids psychological problems"? [ chuckles ] yea. "my internet's so slow it would be faster to look things up at the library"? i did. "my internet's so slow it's like a car with no gas"? yes. [ male announcer ] well folks, you're about to get verizon fios quantum, america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet. the internet's really slow. it's lagging. so frustrating.

all right let's go to a speed test. okay. so this is the speed you had before, ♪ and this is the speed you have now. wow! that's what you used to have, and that's fios. wow! [ chuckles ] this is vable. oh my goodness! that is fast! that's the way to upload videos! this is unbelievably faster! [ male announcer ] well said folks, well said. supercharge your internet speeds. switch to fios and we'll triple your speed for free with an upgrade to fios quantum. plus get $250 back with a 2 year agreement. call the verizon center living life at quantum speed, for customers with disabilities that's powerful. at 800-974-6006 tty/v.

personal responsibility versus government. this morning governors from around the country condition expect a powerful speech from dr. oz at the national governors association. >> dr. oz wants to make it easy for you to take care of yourself and be as healthy as possible. so we asked him to stop by our studios to answer a few of your questions in our ask tony and tucker segment.

here are his doctor's orders. >> dr. oz is here. how are you, sir? >> good morning. >> good to see you. thanks for coming in. >> thanks. >> we are thrilled. i don't know if you're familiar with this segment. it's the most popular segment in morning television on the show. >> he keeps telling everybody that. >> usually tucker and i put our heads together to answer your pressing questions. but today dr. oz is here, and we knew you were coming in, so we've had viewers send in questions. we're going to get to as many as we can. the first question comes from deborah and she writes, i would like to ask dr. oz how to reverse diabetes and lower cholesterol. >> one of the most common questions i get asked. i have two good answers. we have a show tomorrow addressing allegations that the big food industry has purposely created foods that act in our brain like crack. crave that sugar boost, and they add sugar, salt and fat to our food. i think there's an interesting debate about whether we need to

be aware of the fact that some foods will literally draw us in. >> i can attest to that. certain foods once i start, i can't stop. >> yeah, you're right. >> in addition to that, because losing weight will help both those conditions, a lot of people in america are deficient in chromium. if you don't have enough in your body, you have more of a problem with diabetes and insulin. anyone with borderline diabetes or diabetes ought to think about taking chromium, and it's a smart thing to do. safe to do. let your doctor know because he can draw up the amount you need. >> found in natural foods? >> nuts and teas as well. once you have diabetes, the amount you need to help is significantly more. first line therapy by most of the major associations. type of b vitamin. natural products. safer profiles than a lot of medications. should be used as first line therapy. >> question number two, lisa

bail harper, and this is a great question. trying to locate the coffee bean pills you had recently on your show. where can i get the pure coffee beans, because i don't want to purchase something that is not authentic. >> as you all know, i don't sell anything or endorse anything. if my picture is next to it, don't buy it. they're cheating you. that stated, what you want to look for, and i think this is the most valuable summent for weight loss. in trials we did on our show, but we also see in other trials done, people who use the green coffee bean extract lose 1 pound per week extra. want to look for something with 45% coloritej huh genite acid. it doesn't have caffeine in it. it works in the body to help us metabolize food we are eating.

taken before meals, best time to take it. >> doesn't help you to stay awake, just weight loss? >> exactly. caffeine by itself helps with weight loss, but very little caffeine in this. a lot of these come from africa, but very effective. >> leslie writes in, my fiance suffers from ibs, and has tried many products to get help without success. i would love for him to be without pain or fear of not having a rest room close by. would you please offer advice and give this veteran some hope? this is a problem that you hear more and more about. >> comes back to major theme on the show this year, why we have so many chronic problems? and there's a big difference i think in the food that we're eating, which is partly responsible. i would start off with an elimination diet, getting rid of dairy and wheat products. that seems to help a lot of

people with irritable bowel. i would go a step closer, especially since he served our nation, a lot of times folks come back from the battlefields with a lot of posttraumatic stress disorder. it's a big factor for irritable bowel. your gut and brain are corrected. when you have anxiety, it will manifest itself with irritable bowel for a lot of folks. doesn't mean you're crazy. it's a real problem. having the ability to deal with that and cope with that has been shown to be effective. that's why either way, through medical therapy or talk therapy, there are ways of getting people past that moment in their life. >> all right. initially eliminate the dairy and the gluten products? >> exactly. eliminate the wheat itself. a big argument i have with folks, don't adult rate real food. for example, dare i, if you're going to have it, don't drink skim milk. there's no benefit. take all the fat out of milk, what are you left with? fat. left with sugar.

2% dairy. it's been shown to be helpful. skim milk doesn't help you lose weight. quite the contrary. >> interesting. >> looks like we have time for another question. perfect for winter weather here. i'm looking for something that won't dry -- not me personally -- something that won't dry my lips and give it moisture and gloss. i'm biting the skin off my lips. dr.oz, got any suggestions? >> a lot of the lip balms we use, on their own, want to put more on when you put a little on, because it dries out the top layer of skin, and because of that, your lips peel. shea butter. i happen to love and coconut oils are two effective tools. as long as you have the coconut stuff in your pantry, cook with as well, because coconut fats are shorter fats. shea butter or coconut butter. they nourish the lips.

>> i've been diagnosed with premenstrual disforric disorder. help, i don't know what this is. >> huge hormonal shifts that occur in women. cutting caffeine out effective. adding b vitamins probably the biggest single thing you can do. and you can take oral contraceptives, fairly effective for a lot of folks. if you're really having big problems. some of the anti-depressants work, not pause you're depressed, but work with the symptoms. it's a real problem and all the women out there know it. >> very good. lots of information in a short period of time. >> i learned a lot. >> you're great. happy to have you here. >> thank you very much. >> we'll watch your show every day and good luck at the governor's association. >> coming up, the first lady and education secretary sit down with dr. oz, and more tips

can be heard and seen every week day at 4:00. the super bowl of nascar was on display. >> all eyes were on danica patrick to start the race and she held her own. eyes went to the rapper 50-cent as he went in for a big kiss to erin andrews. highlights, if you want to call them that, from daytona are next. holly? >> reporter: forget about race cars. we're hopping on a different kind of transportation this morning. we're getting on the rocking railroad live at kidville in bethesda this morning. coming up, we're going to talk all about the importance of introducing music to your kids at an early age. it's never too young. we'll tell you about it live later on fox 5 morning news. stay with us. ♪ q lysol believes no toilet is complete,

until it's completely clean. lysol toilet bowl cleaner gives you maximum coverage from the rim down to the water line to kill 99.9% of germs. and removes stains better than clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. so if you want to do the whole job, lysol's got you covered. lysol. mission for health. and for an incredibly clean and fresh bowl with every flush, try the no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaner.

danica loses speed, and an awkward dis for a famous

rapper, so says everyone on the twitter blog, blogsphere. >> we're going to get into that 50-cent thing. i've done research in the past hour or so, might validate alison seymour's earlier claim. >> what do you know? >> that's a tease. danica patrick, the first woman ever to hold the pole position at the daytona 500. she is not a fluke. she was very, very good yesterday. early on, though, issues. lap 33, kasey khane and kyle busch get into it. that will knock ought harvick and stewart. they were two of the race favorites. because of this accident, they finished 41 and 42. on lap 90, danica becomes the first woman to ever lead the green flag laps. this is at lap 90. she held onto that lead for five laps. down the stretch she would finish in 8th. she was in 3rd in the final

lap. jimmie johnson took over, wins his second great american race. holds off dale earnhardt, jr. to win. danica talked about the position not to go low at the end. >> was nice to lead later on in the race, just to have done that, to lead laps. but it was steady. i mean, i spent most of the day half throttle, running behind people. so, you know, when you get in that line, that nice outside line where it's single file, didn't feel like it was a wise idea to drop low and try and figure out how to pass. >> you need help in order to do that. before the race, this is the moment that everybody has been talking about on twitter and facebook. the rapper 50-cent and erin andrews. it looks like 50 goes in for the full dollar kiss on the lips. but andrews turns her cheek. allison, i think you're right. i think what happened here was

erin did the turn. >> yeah. >> which made it look like 50- cent went for the kiss on the lips. i looked at this about a thousand times, and i think allison is actually right that it was 50 went for the cheek. she turned and had to do a double turn. >> i've done it a million times. >> it's getting a lot of play on twitter, and it's funny some of the responses. i think you're correct. >> good day, it's finally come! >> i see it a different way now. thank you. >> sure. there was a surprise presenter at the oscars. michelle obama crashes the show to help jack nicholson present best picture. her inspiring words to all the nominees ahead. enjoy this sunny start to the week. you may need an umbrella come tomorrow. tucker has the forecast, including a cool down later this week. we'll be back. 9:26. 

am so honored to help introduce this year's nominees for best picture and to help celebrate the movies that lift our spirits, broaden our minds, and transport us to places we have never imagined. this has been an exciting year for movies, and i want to congratulate all the nominees on their tremendous work. and the oscar goes to -- "argo." congratulations. >> the first lady surprising guests at the academy awards by appearing live from washington. "argo" directed and starring, directed by and starring ben affleck beat out the other nominees, including "lincoln" and "silver linings playbook." >> good for them. >> noticed a lot of beards last night. >> yes, they've made a comeback. >> he kept his from "argo," i suppose. >> yeah. >> interesting. >> what you got for us? >> maybe i should grow one.

sunshine today, upper 40s to 50. nice pleasant monday afternoon. not a lot of wind. and rain in the forecast tomorrow. >> good way to start the week. >> yeah, great way to start the week. still a little chilly. with sunshine we're warming up. 37 at reagan national. and generally mid-30s across the region. 36 leonardtown. 35 martinsburg and 38 in fredericksburg. upper 30s now. afternoon highs upper 40s to about 50. not quite as warm as yesterday. yesterday we were 54 degrees. however, less wind than yesterday. that should make it feel more comfortable for you, as we get into the afternoon. not going to be perfectly sunny. but generally sunny, with high pressure off to our north up into northern new england and a flow here out of the north. we should keep things dry this afternoon. not expecting our next area of storminess to get in here until 24 hours from now. i think early tomorrow afternoon before we start to

get a steady rain around here. we'll be on the eastern edge of that, so a warmer profile for us. generally a rain event around here during the afternoon tomorrow. i think the morning commute tomorrow should be fine. by afternoon, 5:00, 6:00, good steady rain tomorrow afternoon. to the west, western maryland, parts of the panhandle of west virginia, parts of northern virginia, you could be looking at a wintry mix that transitions over to rain. mainly right there, with temperatures in the low to mid- 30s tomorrow morning. we'll have to watch that. winter storm watch to the west for the day tomorrow. here's futurecast, quiet this afternoon. nice and quiet. 6:00p.m., and nothing going on for the evening commute. clear skies tonight. if you get a chance to see that full snow moon. and tomorrow afternoon, i think late morning, early afternoon, the rain showers. notice the whites and pinks to the west. that's that mix we're looking at. and steady rain around here. 6:00tomorrow night, good steady

rain. need the rain. still running a good deficit. about 9 inches or so. we'll take it. 48 today. plenty of sunshine. less windy. quiet day. enjoy it. 33 tonight. partly cloudy. just chilly overnight. winds out of the east at 5 to 10. cloudy start tomorrow and eventry rain showers. parts of the area could get a brief wintry mix, and will linger longer to the north and west. wednesday, thursday, a lot of clouds around with showers. won't be raining every minute. looks like we get off to a cold start for the month of march, with temperatures about 10 degrees or so below average. highs about 40. that's weather. allison, back to you at the desk. thank you. the gold envelopes have been opened, the statues awards, and some of the funniest and most awkward moments at the academy awards go down in history. >> kevin mccarthy joins us live from new york next in the buzz bin with a recap of hollywood's big night. it's 9:33. we'll be right back.

you're on timeout leo! ♪ ♪ some things won't last 25 years. ah! woof. some things will. save up to 20% on an ikea kitchen. i just had to write. you can't imagine how long i've been searching for something like this for my family. i'm amazed you make so many great flavors that are gluten free. my guys are crazy for chocolate chex and honey nut chex. for me, it's cinnamon. it means a lot to be able to give them something that's good for them, that also puts smiles on their faces. 'cause i really love those smiles. we're the harris family. and we love chex.

[ male announcer ] love chex? connect with us on facebook. it's your last t chance to gea $200 verizon visa prepaid card with verizon high speed internet and phone for business, both with 99.9% network reliability, for only $84.99 a month when you sign up online with a 2-year term. plus a basic second line. just order at verizon.com/bizdeal, or call 1.888.929.4404 for other offers. hurry, this offer won't last long. ♪

hurry, this offer won't last long. you're o♪ ♪meout leo! some things won't last 25 years. ah! woof. some things will. save up to 20% on an ikea kitchen.

cracking open the buzz bin, with tears, laughs and a few first time winners at the 85th annual academy awards. "life of pi" took home the most, but it didn't win the most coveted, which went to "argo," picture of the year. movie reviewer kevin mccarthy joins us live via skype in new york city with a recap. good morning. >> how are you, sir? >> doing great. i saw parts of the show, didn't see the whole thing. you watched from beginning to end. what were highlights and low lights as it were? >> well, for highlights, definitely seth mcfarlane's opening. i thought the element of self deprecating himself as the worst host of all time, and being able to be as crude and offensive as he could, i thought that was a brilliant

idea. and the les mis number was incredible. sang that beautifully live. as a low note, it looked like catherine zeta-jones was lip- synching. i couldn't confirm that. didn't seem as natural as the les mis or barbra streisand moment as well. my favorite thing of the night, i loved how they used john williams' jaws screen score to wrap people off the stage. i would be freaked out and not be able to continue my speech if i heard that. perfect wrap up music. >> would be effective. i hated it, because i thought it was rude. i think it's crazy on these award shows, it's the highlight of their career, after 25 seconds they're cut off and told to get off the stage. >> i agree with you that it's rude to cut them off. i feel like if you're going up there, you have to have a certain time limit. people don't want to hear over a two or three minute speech. if you have it going, keep it at a certain length. i thought it was a funny way to

do it. i understand the rude element. i thought it was clever, that's all. >> let's talk about the -- what's interesting to me, the six top awards went to six different movies. really spread it around. >> yeah. i completely agree. i was honestly very, very happy with last night. i was five for six in my predictions. obviously starting off with the best supporting actor category. this was very heavily favored towards tommy lee jones originally. deniro hasn't won since "raging bull," 1980. the best performance he had had in many years. deniro, everyone thought he might win. i picked christoph waltz. he was deserving. big night for "django

unchained." it won two awards. >> how about best picture, "argo," even though ben aflack not nominated as director? >> right. best picture for "argo," this was a huge win. the odds are against "argo," because only three times in the history of the academy awards had you had a film win best picture without having a best director nomination. this became the fourth film in history, the best thing that ever happened to ben affleck was being snubbed as best director. had that not happen, i don't think we'd see "argo" in best picture last night. >> all right. and speaking of best director, spielburg goes on empty handed. >> this was the biggest surprise of the night. this was the one i definitely got wrong. i predicted -- [ audio going in and out ] -- but spielburg once

favored. i agree with ang lee. that 3-d was done so perfectly. i was happy for ang lee. she was my should win for -- he was my should win for the evening. >> no surprise for best actor. what about best actress with jennifer lawrence? >> this category was split originally. you had -- [ audio going out ] -- lawrence won the sag. i was very happy with her win. i'm glad he didn't do the idea of a sentimental vote, her birthday. a career award. i think lawrence was deserving. her trip up stage, that was typical lawrence. that's her personality. i'm sure she was embarrassed. she's a nervous girl, not used to this whole thing. i'm happy she won. she deserved it.

>> very good. i also thought, talking about highlights -- let me ask you quickly, how did you get seth mack far lane did overall? >> i thought seth was good. i think the problem overall was pacing. they gave best supporting actor, and best supporting actress like almost two hours later. i feel like he was funny when he was on screen, but the pacing was off. got a little bit boring and tedious at times. i felt like the major' wards were rushed at the end. when he was on screen, he was final. overall the pacing was off. do you agree? >> i thought it was slow and awkward at moments. got to fix that thing. >> i agree. >> congratulations on getting five out of six and see you back here in d.c. soon. >> good to see you. >> we apologize about the glitches there when we're skypeing it happens. >> kevin looks cute in his tuxedo.

>> yeah. not sure where they're putting him up up there. looks like he's in a closet. holly is live in kidville where she is learning how music plays an important part in early childhood development. we're taking a ride on the rocking railroad next. >> first, what's that smell? and what happened to all the toilet paper? annie yu joins us. strangest tease i've read. we asked our facebook fans to submit questions about their pet. that's on the other side of the break. it's 9:43. the mo consistent spee indoors o ut. and, obviously, astonishing throughput. obviously... you know how fast our home wifi is? yeah. this is basically just as fast. oh. and verizon's got more fast lte coverage than all other networks combined. so it's better. yes. oh, why didn't you just say that?

huh-- what is he doing?

♪ ♪ [ woman ] looks like another glorious week in florida. ♪ that...was...awesome. ♪ [ female announcer ] how do you make your family vacation this epic? go to visitflorida.com.

we have a veterinarian here. good morning. >> good morning. >> it's dental health month, and you brought your dog sophie to the set as a visual and our model for later. doctor, we got a lot of questions, but we're going to start with one of the most common concerns we saw on the forum there. one writer writes, my dog eats toilet paper, paper towels and other page products. something missing from his diet? bad habit or does this pose a health threat? >> it can pose a risk if they're eating things that can get stuck. usually it's a sign of bother dom, behavioral issue. need more training or exercise. i'd recommend they take their dog out for a long walk before they go out for the day, try to burn off the energy.

most dogs are looking for attention and need a little energy burn. >> or keep the paper products away. >> keep them away. >> our second question is, my 3- month-old neutered kitten has used the litter box since we adopted him. recently he's been going on the rug in the bathroom. this is the only place i found any accidents and could something be wrong? >> typically if a pet is urinating outside their box, especially a cat, the first thing we'd want to do is check the urine to make sure there's no sign of infection. also it's a behavioral issue. some cats are department dependent on the texture and like rubber mats like in bathrooms. good advice would be to check out the urine at the veterinarian, make sure there's no infection. and may be a behavioral issue and may need to try different types of litter. >> do you hear a lot of cases

like this? >> inappropriate urination is a common problem with cats. many go outside their box for a variety of reasons, maybe a loud noise when they went in the box. >> all right. good information. our last question, our dog has really bad breath. that's pretty common. i've seen commercials that say this could be a sign of serious problems. what can i do to eliminate it without an expensive pet care plan? this ties in with a great topic, which is dental health. it's very important. can you quickly go over what is the recommended visit for a dog or a cat? >> february is national pet dental health month. pet periodontal disease is the most chronic disease we see in dogs. we definitely recommend that everyone have their pets on a plan at home to help dealing with the teeth. the teeth become infected and can lead to bacteria forming and can get infections on their

heart, other parts of their body. >> it trickles. dogs can't get cavities like we do, but get plaque buildup and gingivitis. what can we do at home to prevent this? >> treats can help. i brought an example. >> i have found that not all dogs like this. >> not all dogs do. there are a variety of brands of treats that are good for oral health. same for cats. there are products that can be added to their food, to their water. sprays that can be sprayed in the mouth to decrease plaque. best thing to do is probably brush their teeth. let's see in sophie will let us do it. >> this is a toothbrush for dogs? >> so you can put some of the toothpaste on. get the dog used to having its teeth brushed. you have to get back to the upper molars. >> she lets you get in there. >> she's pretty good. you need to get used to your dog at a young age, used to

having their teeth brushed. >> too late for my dog. >> taking them to vet for regular dental care is important. >> thank you, doctor. thank you so much. it is time for our pet of the day. this is ranger. you got to look at ranger. how cute is he? his mom says he enjoys chasing squirrels and watching fox 5. smart dog there. if you would like to be the pet -- or have your pet on, send your picture or video to petpics@wttg.com. back to you. >> how sweet. whether you are developing an appreciation or cultivating a talent, when it comes to music, it's never too early. >> it's why parents are taking their toddlers to special music classes. holly is live at kidsville in bethesda with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it's long been proven that music makes your kids smarter.

music is something you can enjoy for a lifetime. so why not introduce them at a young age? and if you come here to kidville, you can do so by hopping on the rocking railroad. which we are doing here this morning. it's an award winning music program they have going here. not every music class has a live band. this is just not your normal music class. >> right. we try -- we are original here and the children love it, seeing the live performance and being able to dance and sing along. we have puppets, bubbles, drum circle, a little bit of everything. >> reporter: i notice all the classes are like 45 minutes long. >> right. >> reporter: how are they structured? seems like that time goes quickly. >> sure. we have a team that focuses on tran assisting from activity to

activity. and see that they get a little bit of everything. >> reporter: which is good, because kids' attention spans are short. >> right. >> reporter: it's good to move from one thing to the next. in terms of music and kids, what is the importance of the connection there? >> sure. there's a lot of benefits. the cognitive skills, memorization, the rhythmic pattern and the socialization factor. >> reporter: i noticed looking at your schedule that you have more rocking railroad classes than anything. this must be popular. >> yes. it's original, different and appeals to all ages. >> reporter: do your classes fill up? >> yes, they do. we want every child to get a drum, we have a drum circle and instruments. >> reporter: i don't want to miss out on drum circle time. don't be offended. i'm going to make my way to

matt. hello, sir. >> hello, how are you? >> reporter: quite a bit going on here. >> yes, we do. >> reporter: where does the rocking railroad take you when you go? >> we go to two destinations. instrumentville, where we explore different instruments and the sound they make and the children play and explore the different styles. and we take a visit to grandma, where we learn a letter each day, a book with grandma and have a good time. >> reporter: clearly you are professional musicians. very good. >> yeah. >> reporter: what do you get out of doing something like kidville? >> so much fun. brings joy every day. you can't have a bad day if you start it off playing instruments. >> reporter: you're right. i heard you say rocking railroad stops by grandma's house. might we be able to stop by? >> yeah. hey, grandma, are you home? can we all see if grandma is home? hello, grandma!

>> hello, hello. >> there she is. >> hello. >> grandma, i understand one of your favorite things to do is check your mail every day, right? >> yes. >> look at these wonderful helpers we have here today. >> would you like to help me check my mail? >> great. there's another thing we have to do. we have to pass out grandma's magical star scarf. i found a pretty pink one for you. >> thank you. >> let's wave our arms in the air. >> reporter: go to myfoxdc.com, we have a link to their web site, and you can find out about the class opportunities and times and costs. they have a spring semester coming up and summer camp as well. and a great place to get your haircut, and they have open play time if you get a membership here so you can come

at different times and use the facilities. hopefully we've inspired your kids to be involved in music, art, and gym this morning. we'll have more fox 5 morning news when we come back. ♪ [ male announcer ] so there's lots of people out there

who aren't happy with their internet. [ spokesman ] are you lindsay? yes... did you say, "my internet's so slow it's like a car with no gas"? yes... [ male announcer ] well lindsay, you're about to get verizon fios quantum, america's fastest, most reliable internet. so that's what you used to have... okay. and that's fios. wow, this is crazy fast, almost unbelievable. [ male announcer ] that will put some gas in the old tank, lindsay! living life at quantum speed, that's powerful. [ female announcer ] supercharge your internet speeds with a great deal that gets even better. switch to a fios triple play

online for just $89.99 a month and we'll triple your speed for free with an upgrade to fios quantum internet. plus, get $250 back with a 2-year agreement. or, get the free upgrade and great price with no annual contract. fios brings 100% fiber optic power right to your door. that's why it can deliver the fastest internet in the nation plus unlimited internet usage. don't miss your chance to get this incredible deal. visit verizon.com/hotprice today call the verizon center for customers with disabilities for america's fastest, most consistent, at 800-974-6006 tty/v. most reliable internet: verizon fios.

there's a live shot. beautiful day. less wind than yesterday. upper 40s, lower 50s. perhaps a wintry mix tomorrow. primarily rain tomorrow afternoon as we look at our accuweather forecast. transitioning to rain tomorrow, with temperatures in the mid- 40s. >> nice into the course of today. >> can i just mention one thing that we have not mentioned all morning regarding