From our friends at PetMed. I attached the link for you to view on how to figure out your babies weight. It is so important to not let them get over weight even though it’s easy to give them treats pro table scraps. Oh those eyes…..

Fur babies weight

On channel 5 they did a story about coloring your dogs fur. Something Europeans have and do.

Fur color competition

A pup or kitty can look amazing with a festive doo or highlights. I have a min pin so not much to color.

I’ve been concerned in the past that people use regular hair dye. Please go to a groomer, buy dog fur dye or vegan.

Make those fur babies stylish.

When it comes to floors, our Coco would lick the floors which I didn’t panic because we always used non-toxic cleaners or white vinegar which left a film.

I never thought about air freshener but if it can hurt our animals it can’t be good for us. That’s my thinking anyway.

How Air Fresheners Can Affect Your Pet’s Health

PetMD EditorialApr 29, 2016Share this:   

Reviewed and updated for accuracy on May 28, 2020 by Jennifer Coates, DVM

As parents and caregivers, one of the earliest lessons we learn is the concept of “baby-proofing”—keeping toxic substances and dangerous situations well out of the way of our children. As pet parents, we need to do the same. But unlike children, instead of this being a temporary obligation, it’s something we’ll need to do throughout the lives of our pets.

Some of the things we do to improve our environment, such as cleaning or using chemical air fresheners, can pose dangers to our animal friends, whether furry, feathered, or scaled. So, do pet owners need to forever do away with their room sprays, plug-ins, candles, oils, and solids? That’s a question that’s not so easily answered. However, there are some ways to play it safe when using these products in the home.

“If we are putting some kind of chemical into the air merely to mask scents, then we have to be concerned about the negative implications for our pets,” says holistic veterinarian Dr. Patrick Mahaney of California.

Sadly, some forms of air fresheners can be quite toxic, especially to animals (and children!) who might ingest the substances or not have the wherewithal to avoid parts of the home where they’ve been used.

The Ingredients That Makes Air Fresheners Dangerous for Pets

According to Dr. Mahaney, one of the main offenders in the ingredient list for most air fresheners are volatile organic compounds (VOC). VOCs are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. This causes these compounds to easily turn into gasses or vapors from a solid or liquid form. This transformation is called volatility. In other words, volatility is just how air fresheners are meant to behave: dissipate into the air, thereby changing its scent.

Unfortunately, this is the same volatility that occurs in paints and varnishes, fossil fuels, benzene, formaldehyde, refrigerants, aerosol propellants, cigarette smoke, and the dry-cleaning process. You wouldn’t open a can of paint in your living room to improve the quality of the air, but this isn’t too far removed from what happens when you break out an air freshener.

These substances can cause a laundry list of maladies. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the health effects of VOCs may include:

• Eye, nose and throat irritation
• headaches, loss of coordination, lethargy and nausea
• damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system
• Some VOCs can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.

And in a study published in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review, testing of top selling air fresheners and laundry detergents “found 133 different VOCs emitted from the 25 products, with an average of 17 VOCs per product. Of these 133 VOCs, 24 are classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal laws, and each product emitted at least one of these compounds. For “green” products, emissions of these compounds were not significantly different from the other products.”

Natural Alternatives to Air Fresheners: Are Essential Oils Safer?

For the air freshener industry, the latest catch phrase is “essential oils.” Despite this natural-sounding name, these products are by no means entirely safe. Essential oils are also defined as volatile, and while these substances are extracted from flowers, bark, berries, roots, seeds, and woods, and do have some potential medicinal and positive effects, they can still be very toxic to people and animals, particularly when they are used improperly.

“Essential oils, which are included in many air freshener products, can be very toxic, especially to cats. If you simply have to have essential oils in the home, make sure they are kept in a location where your pets cannot come into direct contact with them,” says veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Coates of Fort Collins, Colorado.

“Also, birds are more sensitive to potential airborne toxins than are other animals, so I generally recommend a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach with the use of air fresheners around them.”

When it comes to using these products around our pets, a little information is your best defense. “Read the instructions on the side of the bottle and be sure you are spraying the recommended amount,” says Dr. Mahaney. “When you walk into a room that’s been heavily sprayed with air freshener, what does it do to your eyes and lungs? If it’s doing that to you, it’s also going to do that [or worse] to your pets.”

Signs of a Toxic Reaction to Air Fresheners in Pets

According to Dr. Mahaney, the negative effects of air fresheners may appear immediately or within a few hours or days after use. When you first use them, a pet might immediately withdraw from the area or cower. A pet might cough, sneeze, produce discharge from the eyes and/or nose, or suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or lack of appetite.

Long term effects are also possible. Dr. Mahaney says “Cats have had an increase in feline asthma as a result of living in households where there are air fresheners, incense and cigarette smoke—or even just the aroma of cleaning products.”

However, these dangers don’t come from the air alone. They can also be caused by contamination from where air fresheners fall – where a pet might step, roll, or lick – or from products such as carpet shampoos and cleaners that are specifically made for surfaces.

“If you’re going to spray something that’s going to leave an aroma, I suggest that you don’t give your pets access to it,” says Dr. Mahaney. “If you’re cleaning, you don’t want to leave a significant residue—they could walk across it and potentially lick it off their paws.”

What to Do if Your Pet Eats an Air Freshener

Ingesting an air freshener can be even more dangerous than simply breathing it in. Any long-term usage products, such as solid or plug-in air fresheners, need to be closely monitored, and extra care needs to be taken when you dispose of them. If your pet is inclined to go through the trash, you might want to dispose of spent air fresheners directly in an outside trash receptacle.

“If an animal ingests an air freshener, I worry primarily about its effect on the gastrointestinal system,” says Dr. Coates. “The active ingredients and/or the packaging could cause vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Systemic effects are also possible depending on the chemicals and amounts involved.”  And that is not confined to chemically scented products. “Essential oils can not only affect the GI tract, but they also are associated with neurological problems like agitation, weakness, unsteadiness, and tremors in dogs—and especially in cats.”

“Anything with a fibrous nature to it can cause digestive distress, and some products may be absorbed through the small intestine and get into the blood,” explains Dr. Mahaney.

So, how do you know if the products you use around your home are relatively safe? Dr. Mahaney recommends doing some research on the ASPCA’s Poison Control Center Website. This resource covers all sorts of toxins that your pet might encounter, from air fresheners, cleaning products, human and pet medications, foods, plants, and other substances. In case of a poisoning emergency, there is a 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435, although a $65 consultation fee might be required.

And in the case of a true emergency, make sure to get your pet to a veterinarian as quickly as possible.

Do Ticks Jump?

Stephanie Lantry, DVMMay 8, 2020Share this:   

Image: Photo Grapher / via Image Bank

How do ticks end up on your pet? Some common misconceptions are that ticks jump, fly, or fall from the trees. In fact, these are all false.

Ticks have pear-shaped bodies and four pairs of legs. Their body design, combined with their feeding needs for each part of their life cycle, determine how they get to their host to feed.

However, none of these modes of mobility include jumping. And since they don’t have wings, either, they can’t fly.

Here’s a breakdown of how ticks get around and how they find and attach to their hosts.

Questing: A Tick’s True Mode of Travel

Ticks are unique in that they are opportunistic creatures. They wait for their host to come to them. This is a process known as “questing.”

The very patient tick uses its rear pairs of legs to hold on to a leaf or blade of grass as it grabs on to the next host animal that brushes past it.

How Ticks Detect Nearby Hosts

The questing period is not completely passive and random. Ticks have perfected this mode of survival by using their senses to detect movement and carbon dioxide exhaled by animals.

This gives them a better chance of connecting with a host animal so that they can feed and survive. Many species of ticks need to feed on a bloodmeal in the periods between each life stage in order to grow.

How Ticks Choose a Host

Certain varieties of ticks have preferred hosts. For example, the deer tick (also known as the black-legged tick), prefers to feed on white-tailed deer. But if a dog presents itself as a convenient host, the tick may feed on the dog.

The American dog tick prefers the dog as a host, but it can feed on a human if need be. These examples simplify the selection process for hosts, which can be quite intricate and can even differ with each type of tick (soft or hard) and each stage in their life cycle.

But overall, despite the fact that they might have preferred hosts, ticks are opportunistic creatures. They will get their bloodmeal whenever they can. It’s all about what animal happens to brush by them so they can attach and feed.

How Ticks Attach

In many tick species, larvae quest at ground level, while adults climb higher in hopes of grabbing on to a larger animal as it passes by. Some ticks will attach quickly, while others crawl around on the host, looking for thinner skin to attach to.

These differences in tick location and attachment make it especially important to check your pet’s ears and the bottom of their paws to remove potential ticks that may have attached. Ticks will find the most hidden spots on your pet.

Tick Prevention

The best way to not have to worry about tick removal and the diseases that ticks transmit is to protect your pet from them in the first place.

Some flea and tick products can be applied topically, while others are worn as collars or taken orally. Discuss with your vet which flea and tick control optionswould be the safest and most effective for your pet.

RESOURCES

www.cdc.gov and www.petsandparasites.org

Featured Image: iStock.com/DieterMeyrl

Arthritis in Cats: Symptoms and Treatment of Osteoarthritis in Cats

Cecilia de CardenasJan 12, 2009Share this:   

Image: Photo Grapher / via Image Bank

Reviewed and updated for accuracy on May 29, 2019 by Dr. Hanie Elfenbein, DVM, PhD

Senior cats have the highest risk for contracting osteoarthritis—a type of arthritis in cats that’s also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD).

Arthritis is the general medical term for inflammation of the joints, while osteoarthritis is the term that specifically refers to a form of chronic joint inflammation that is caused by deterioration of joint cartilage.

Osteoarthritis is defined as the progressive and permanent long-term deterioration of the cartilage surrounding the joints.

Symptoms of Cats With Osteoarthritis

Cats hide symptoms of illnesses, so you may not notice anything specific but rather that your cat is slowing down or doesn’t come up onto the bed anymore.

Cats with osteoarthritis are unlikely to exhibit typical signs of joint pain, like lameness (limping, favoring one leg), although a stiff-legged gait, decreased range of motion and increased irritability may be apparent.

But more likely is that your cat will start to have difficulty grooming, jumping onto furniture or accessing the litter box.

Osteoarthritis in cats does not have an immediate, severe impact. It is a slow deterioration; it will take a long time between the onset of DJD and when you can start seeing symptoms.

Causes

A cat with a history of trauma, or any other event that caused short-term limping or pain, is likely to develop DJD. Abnormal wear on joints and cartilage from a compromised gait—or a congenital defect present at birth, such as an improperly formed hip (also known as hip dysplasia)—leads to arthritis as well.

There is some evidence that declawing cats (amputation of the last knuckle of the toe) leads to DJD because it changes the way they walk, which can lead to more wear and tear on their joints.

Autoimmune diseases can also lead to osteoarthritis in cats. Though rare, proliferative periosteal polyarthritis (meaning arthritis at multiple sites) has been found in cats.

For some cats with severe arthritis, treating them for a possible underlying autoimmune disease can reduce their symptoms or slow progression of the disease. However, these types of diseases are rare in cats.

Obesity is another factor for DJD, as it increases stress on the joints. This is made worse as cats age and lose muscle.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian can diagnose osteoarthritis in cats by assessing the historical symptoms, such as decreased activity or stiffness. They will also do a physical examination to look for a decreased range of motion, stiff-legged gait, deformity of the joints, and swelling or pain in the joints.

Not all cats are cooperative for an orthopedic physical exam, so it is important to be able to describe the changes you have noticed. Your veterinarian may also recommend X-rays to confirm the extent of joint damage.

Treatment

Medical treatment of DJD is designed to control the signs and symptoms of the osteoarthritis in cats, as this disease cannot be cured.

In some cases, surgery may help alleviate symptoms and slow the disease’s progression. This can include reconstructive procedures, joint removal or replacement, and the surgical removal of aggravating causes, such as bone or cartilage fragments in a joint.

Physical therapy designed to maintain or increase joint motion in cats is very beneficial and may be done with various motion exercises, swimming and massage. Exercise designed to strengthen muscle tone is also useful. The pain that comes with arthritis can be managed using cold and heat therapy.

Long-term prescription pet medication may also be helpful in reducing joint swelling and joint pain in cats with DJD. Anti-inflammatory drugs, for example, are often recommended.

A series of injections with a pain relief medicine called Adequan may help slow the process of degeneration and improve function. Stem cell therapies are also available and have shown promise in early testing.

Weight loss for those cats who need it will also reduce the severity of symptoms.

Living and Management

Continue to monitor your cat’s symptoms, as osteoarthritis is likely to progress with time.

A change in medication or dosage, or additional physical rehabilitation exercises, may become necessary. Limit physical activity to a level that will not aggravate the symptoms.

In addition, a diet that’s high in omega fatty acids (or a fish oil supplement) is often recommended for decreasing inflammation.

Prevention

Prompt treatment of DJD is an important part of reducing the disease’s progression of symptoms. Exercise and a healthy diet are essential for the prevention of obesity, which can add stress to the joints. Not declawing cats can also help slow or prevent DJD.

Tapeworms in Cats: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention

Stephanie Lantry, DVMMay 15, 2020Share this:   

Image: Photo Grapher / via Image Bank0:28

Tapeworms are common parasites, and they are among the few worms that you can often see with the naked eye. Cats (as well as many other mammals) can have tapeworm infections, and they typically settle in the small intestine.

Treatment to destroy tapeworms is a critical step in preventing transmission to humans (typically children), and for preventing damage to your cat’s body.

An infection with the most common species of tapeworms in cats is not transmissible to humans, and when treated promptly, the prognosis is good.

Here’s some info on tapeworms and what you can do to keep them away from your cat.

How Can You Tell if Your Cat Has Tapeworms?

As a tapeworm grows, pieces of its body break into segments and pass into your cat’s intestines. You may see dried, white or cream-colored segments of the tapeworm in your cat’s feces, or you may find them stuck to the fur under your cat’s tail.

Some tapeworm species will break into segments that are too small to see, while the segments of other tapeworm species will resemble sesame or cucumber seeds in size and appearance.

If a tapeworm has traveled into a cat’s stomach, and the cat vomits up the worm, it may come up as a large and moving segment.

Cats may bite or lick their anus, or drag their hindquarters across the floor. Keep in mind that a tapeworm infection is often asymptomatic and, contrary to popular belief, rarely a cause of weight loss in cats. 

If you notice tapeworms, take your cat to the vet for an evaluation. A fecal sample can be used to diagnose intestinal parasites like tapeworms. It’s always helpful to save any worms that you find and bring them to your veterinarian for diagnosis. They can be transported in a sealed plastic bag or jar.

How Do Cats Get Tapeworms?

The tapeworm requires an intermediate host before developing into an adult. So, for a cat to get tapeworms, they need to ingest the intermediate host. For example, tapeworm eggs are frequently ingested through adult fleas.

The fleas actually ingest the tapeworm eggs before jumping on a cat, and then the cat eats the flea and becomes infected. The tapeworm eggs then hatch once they have been digested in the cat’s intestines. 

Other hosts that a cat is likely to ingest include rabbits, birds, and rodents. Scavenging may also lead to an infestation of tapeworms.

How to Treat Tapeworms in Cats

Treatment for adult tapeworms is given on an outpatient basis in the form of an injection or oral medication. Deworming medications are effective at removing tapeworms and very safe for your cat.

After treatment, the tapeworms will normally dissolve in the cat’s intestines. You don’t usually see an expulsion of the tapeworms into the feces unless it is an unusually high worm load.  

You need to administer the full course of the prescribed medication to ensure that the tapeworms are removed from your cat’s body. 

How to Prevent Tapeworms (and the Fleas That Cause Them)

Keeping your cat free of flea infestations with flea and tick medication is the best protection against tapeworms. However, if infestation does occur, the environment must be treated along with the cat to prevent recurring infestations.

Since cats are fastidious groomers, you may not see the fleas that they are ingesting or know that they are contracting tapeworms until there is an infestation. 

Ask your veterinarian which flea and tick prevention products are safe for your cat. Keeping your cat indoors and away from dead animals and garbage may also help prevent them from ingesting tapeworms.

Featured Image: iStock.com/DebraLee Wiseberg

It’s Summer and I will be attaching articles from PetMD about ticks, worms and of course fleas. All those crazy Summer time headaches for us and painful discomfort for our fur babies.

As our states open up please be safe, keep your distance and stay healthy.