Posted by Sue, on May 4th, 2012
We’ve all had it drummed into us how important it is to self-check various parts of our anatomy regularly and to report any strange lumps or bumps to our doctor. Well, it’s equally important for us to keep an eye out for potential problems with our pets too.
Just like us, there are all sorts of things that can cause lumps and bumps in our cats and dogs and also some things that we can easily mistake for a lump such as a tick or even a mass of tangled hair or fur. Also, just like us, if you do discover a lump, it is usually something quite simple and easily dealt with, so don’t always assume the worst! Most lumps will be caused by cysts, allergic reactions, benign tumours, or possibly an infection from a cut or a bite or even a grass seed embedded under the skin:
What pet owners should know about lumps
Of course, the golden rule is better safe than sorry so, if you do find an unidentifiable lump on your pet that is bleeding/weeping, obviously painful to the touch and/or which is noticeably increasing in size, and you are not sure what is causing it, pop along to your vet and have it checked out.
Posted by Lou, on April 30th, 2012
With all this torrential rain we’ve been having, resulting in an increase in the number of slugs and snails, we wanted to remind you all of the dangers of Lungworm. Lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum (also known as French Heartworm) can cause major problems in dogs, and, left untreated can even be fatal. Take five minutes to look at the attached link and make sure your dog stays safe.
Lungworm
Lungworm can also affect cats. Visit the link below for further information:
Feline Lungworm
Posted by Sue, on April 13th, 2012
Here we are at the start of, hopefully, yet another lovely Spring and, once again, we need to be on our guard against parasites such as fleas and ticks. I was actually quite surprised to see a long piece about ticks on the BBC news last week:BBC News – The Great Outdoors
I say surprised because, although we do have ticks in the UK, we don’t seem to have had the same issues with them in the past as in other countries, such as the USA. However, according to this report, not only are ticks on the rise here, but also cases of Lyme Disease transmitted by tick bites have been increasing too. Both humans and dogs can get this illness, which can be difficult to diagnose, extremely debilitating and very hard to cure, so it is not something to be taken lightly. Tick-borne disease in cats used to be less common, but cats can get both Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis from tick bites too so, with a rise in tick numbers, they will also be at greater risk.
Last year I also mentioned my worries about concern over the safety of some products used to protect our pets from ticks and fleas. Many contain pesticides, and evidence is mounting to suggest serious long term health risks can be attributed to their use on animals. Reading some of the horrifying stories about pets that have suffered serious side-effects from the application of tick and flea treatments, my immediate reaction is that I don’t want to use any of them on my dog. However, especially now, with new warnings about tick numbers in the UK, I don’t want to take any chances with Lyme Disease either.
If you have an opinion on this topic, or a story about either adverse reactions to treatments or illness caused by these parasites, we would love to hear from you. Also, if you know of any ‘chemical free’ or natural treatments that actually work, please do share these with us.
Tick Removal - Here is a useful tip I was taught by a veterinary nurse friend of mine a few years ago to remove a tick from your pet:
Place a metal pet comb flat against the animal’s skin and slide it gently under the tick until the tick is caught between two teeth of the comb. Carefully rotate the comb anti-clockwise and, after a couple of twists, the tick will be ‘unwound’ and fall off.
Dispose of the tick carefully! If you want to really play safe, you can place it in a sealed jar with some alcohol. Should your pet then become ill from the bite, you will have the culprit on hand to give to your vet.
It is also possible to purchase a tick removal tool that is used in much the same way as the comb, but has a shaped handle that makes it even easier to do:
Posted by Lou, on April 2nd, 2012
Having a puppy and therefore being on the receiving end of her clumsy young mouth while playing with her with her toys led me to write this post. Those baby teeth can be incredibly sharp and I’m forever willing her adult teeth to come through!
Puppies have 28 teeth which break through their gums at between 3 and 6 weeks of age, and at this point, because they are fed a soft diet, do not have molars.
At around four months old, 42 (depending on breed) adult teeth start to come through, replacing the puppy teeth. The incisors come through first, followed by the canines and finally the molars. During this time, puppies tend to chew alot – from toys to their owners’ favourite shoes – in an attempt to relieve the discomfort of those new teeth breaking through, and can often drool, be irritable and their appetite may also be affected. What shocked me at first when our puppy started teething was the amount of blood that there ‘appeared’ to be. In fact there is not a huge amount of blood, but when mixed with saliva it certainly appears that way.
There are a number of products on the market to help sooth puppies’ teeth during this time. See our link to the Amazon pet shop for details on a number of teething products available: Teething toys for puppies
Once those adult teeth have come through, similarly to people, dogs can suffer from a number of issues with their teeth, such as retained baby teeth, gingivitis and tooth decay, so it is just as important that owners look after their dogs teeth like they would their own, and many vets recommend getting dogs used to having their teeth brushed from a very early age. Other things that owners can do to help prevent common tooth problems are to provide chew bones and dental toys and feed a mostly dry diet (always ensure that plenty of fresh drinking water is available at all times).
Posted by Lou, on March 26th, 2012
Last week we wrote an article on Kennel Cough in dogs. While Kennel Cough is a well-known disease, many people do not realise that it can also be found in cats – Bordetellosis (Bd), also known as Bordetella.
Found more commonly in multi-cat households, Bordetella is a respiratory disease that is transmitted through coughing and sneezing. However, what many people do not realise is that dogs can also pass on the disease to cats.
Although immediate treatment should still be sought, symptoms in adult cats are typically mild. In kittens, symptoms can be severe and quickly lead to bronchopneumonia and cause death. Some cats may also be ‘carriers’ of the disease; this means that they carry the disease and can pass it on to other cats but do not show any symptoms themselves.
Symptoms of Feline Bordetella include:
• Coughing and sneezing
• Discharge from the eyes and/or nose
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Depression
• Enlarged lymph nodes under the jaw
If your cat or kitten displays any of the above symptoms, make an appointment to see your vet as soon as possible. Diagnosis cannot be made based on symptoms alone as they are common in many types of respiratory diseases/infections, so a number of other tests, such as nasal swabs, may be necessary. If Feline Bordetella is diagnosed, it can be treated with antibiotics.
In addition, an intra-nasally administered preventative vaccine is available.
Posted by Lou, on March 19th, 2012
Kennel Cough affects the upper respiratory tract of dogs and is similar to a human cold. However, if not treated quickly it can lead to more serious health issues.
The name ‘Kennel Cough’ is mis-leading for many dog owners, who believe that their pet is only at risk when staying at boarding kennels. In fact, any dog can contract kennel cough whether or not they are staying at boarding kennels. It was only so named because when a break out does happen at boarding kennels, it spreads far more quickly due to the close proximity of the dogs.
The reason I decided to write this article was because my puppy, then just 4 months old, recently contracted a mild dose of Kennel Cough. She has never stayed in kennels and as far as I was aware, had never come into contact with an ‘infected’ dog.
Her mild cough was only apparent first thing in the mornings after grooming herself. At first I put it down to hairs irritating her throat and making her cough, but after a couple of days thought we should get her checked out, just to be on the safe side. When we took her to the vets, we were really surprised to hear that she had Kennel Cough and asked how she could have got it. They advised me that it is a highly contagious infection that can be caught simply by passing through an area that an infected dog has recently been, or by playing with an infected dogs’ toys.
I was also under the impression that dogs with Kennel Cough had a constant ‘hacking’ cough, which in some cases can make them vomit. While this is true in many cases, if caught early enough, the cough is very mild and can be prevented from worsening by quick attention from the vet.
The vet also advised that there has been a large increase in the number of cases in Berkshire during recent months.
We treated her as advised, and did not walk her for 10 days in order to avoid infecting other dogs, and she is now absolutely fine. We were also advised that a vaccination is available, however, while it does reduce the chances of dogs getting kennel cough, it doesn’t guarantee it.
In order to help you spot potential kennel cough in your dogs, here are some common symptoms to look out for:
- Hacking cough
- Phlegm or yellow-type discharge from the mouth
- Fever
- Reduced responsiveness/less alert
Please also remember that Kennel Cough is highly contagious and can be easily passed to other household animals, including cats who can contract their own type of Kennel Cough, known as Feline Bordetella. Look out for our article on Feline Bordetella on Monday 26th March.
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