Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Itching and scratching in dogs is a nothing short of a nightmare for pet owners. It can keep the owners up all night, driving them crazy. If it can be so painful for the pet owners, then just think how the dog must be suffering. All the dog does the entire day is itch and scratch, bite and lick leading to a complicated and aggravating situation if not attended to at the earliest. If your dog is itchy and scratching all the time, it is important to find out the cause of the itch. This can be quite difficult.
These are the symptoms of severe pruritus (itching) according to veterinarians. There are a wide range of causes and severity of itching and scratching in dogs with skin and coat trouble. The top ten worst itching offenders are:
Fleas
Airborne allergens
Parasites, such as ear mites, scabies or cheyletiellosis
Skin infections caused by bacteria
Ticks and lice
Food allergies
Fungal infections, including yeast infections
Seborrhea
Contact allergies
Whole-body illnesses, such as liver disease, immune-system problems and some cancers.
There are several types of scratching and itching that can affect your dogs. They can be broadly grouped under General Itching, Persistent Itching, Chronic Localized Itching and Chronic/Severe Itching.
In General Itching, the dog scratches the skin regularly but hardly shows any visible signs of localized problem. The most common reason for this could be fleas and ticks.
In Persistent Itching, the itching is more localized and the dog scratches a particular area but the visible signs are negligible to non-existent. This type of itching results in thinning of fur and flaky skin and more or less associated with allergies.
In Chronic Localized Itching, the itching is chronic and extremely painful for the dog. The symptoms include skin rashes and infection. These spots emit pus are make the dog smelly, ultimately resulting in hair loss.
In Chronic/Severe Itching, the dog experiences intense itching. The most common reasons for these are mange or microscopic mites, which lead to crusty and scab-like skin.
There are some other severe itching problems such as fungal infections. They are less common, but also require a vet's attention.
The best possible ways of treating itching in dogs is a combination of proper medication and skin treatment. Persistence in treating the itchiness topically while you are addressing the underlying causes through diet, supplements and medication will greatly benefit your dogs' ability to heal and reduce his or her stress as well
If your pet is suffering from Itch or Flea trouble I strongly recommend the
product Neem flea
spray
Dogs Who Suffer From Fire Crackers During Festive Season - Safe Dog Keeping During Festival
Festivals bring in a lot of joy and celebration. In the midst of all these promp and show, we sometimes forget about the safety of our canine friends, which becomes all the more important during this time. As you are aware, dogs hear so well. They can differentitate between the noises of engines of two cars of same make and prick their ears when their master's car arrives a feat impossible for most of us. They can hear about 40 times better than us.
So now we know, our canine friends can hear the noises or sounds beyond our capacity and have a very wide spectrum of hearing. They can be greatly startled by the noise of crackers burnt long distance away. We all should behave responsibly and avoid the noisy crackers completely.
Festival fears
What disturbs our pets mostly is the loud music. As common sense prevails what troubles humans is hell for pets. There are loudspeakers everywhere during festive season, which contribute to the heavy sound pollution. These are the circumstances that need to be controlled.
I have seen cases of dogs hiding as noise levels become higher and that is very traumatic for them. Dogs tend to stray away from their homes when frightened, hence, it becomes important to ensure they are safe and secure.
Some dogs can get very nervous and try to chew on things or bite people or even their owners on the slightest provocation during such times. I have also encountered cases of dogs attacking live crackers trying to take them in their mouth, biting the crackers and getting burnt in the process. Always remember that crackers can cause fear, aggressing or mental depression in dogs, so keep your pet monitored at all times.
I even came across a case where a puppy chewed on the ornaments kept in front of deity during worship and 'ate' them. The guardians of the dogs could not understand where the ornaments disappeared until I suggested having the puppy X-rayed. So be careful on this issue as well.
Feeding during festivals
Other important precautions during festive season would be regarding feeding of dogs.
Do not give sweets or fried, spicy foodstuff to dogs as it can upset their stomach.
Do not shift from normal feeding practices.
Do not keep sweets in the box open as your lil' one can eat the whole lot and get sick.
Various treatments advised :
Homoeopathic:
Phosphorus: Use when the dog is easily startled by noise and leaps suddenly when you drop something.
Borax: Use when the dog startles greatly even if the noise is a long distance away.
Aconite: Main fear remedy. Use when response are rapid and violent. Use doses in low potency 3x, 6x, 3c, or 6c.
Ayurvedic: Mental syrup (Himalaya drugs) or Anxocare syrup (veterinary formulation) I tspfull three times a day or a tab each of medicines mentioned above is recommended a s a behaviour modifier, anxiolytic and mood elevator.
Allopathic: These are very potent and should be used under a veterinarian's guidance only.
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Ticks A Very Serious Threat to Your Dogs Health
Ticks are not insects like fleas, but arachnids like mites, spiders, and scorpions. A tick has a one piece body, harpoon like barbs around its mouth to attach to a host for feeding, crablike legs and a sticky secretion to help hold itself to the host. The United States has about 200 tick species whose habitats include woods, beach grass, lawns, forests, and even in some urban areas.
They have a four stage life cycle, egg, larvae, nymphs, and adult. Depending on its species, a tick may take less than a year or up to several years to go through its four stage life cycle. Adult females of some species lay about 100 eggs at a time. Others lay 3,000 to 6,000 eggs per batch.
Ticks can carry various infectious organisms that can transmit diseases to cats and dogs as well as humans. The four primary diseases and their symptoms are:
- Babesiosis lethargy, loss of appetite, weakness, pale gums
- Ehrlichiosis high fever, muscle aches
- Lyme disease lameness, swollen joints, fever, poor appetite, fatigue, vomiting
- Tick paralysis in dogs gradual paralysis and poor coordination
Of the four diseases, Lyme disease is the worst, as it can also infect humans. Studies indicate that dogs are 50 percent more susceptible to this disease than humans. Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of the deer tick, also called the black-legged tick. Symptoms in humans include fatigue, chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and a red circular skin rash. In June 1992 the USDA licensed a vaccine to prevent Lyme disease in dogs. There is no vaccine for cats yet.
If your dog is outside regularly, ask the veterinarian about the Lyme disease vaccine. Watch for the symptoms mentioned earlier, and if you suspect a tick-borne disease get your dog to the vet immediately. With early diagnosis, antibiotics generally work. If possible, dogs should be kept out of tick-infested areas. In areas where ticks are prevalent, yards where dogs exercise should be treated with appropriate chemicals to kill adult and immature ticks.
Dogs should be examined frequently for the presence of ticks on their bodies. Ticks prefer sheltered locations, such as inside the ears and between the toes of the host, but a heavily infested dog may have ticks anywhere on its body. When a tick is found it should be removed immediately. The proper way to remove a tick is to use fine-point tweezers, grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull gently, if the ticks mouth parts remain embedded in the animals skin, you should try to remove them as you would a splinter. Alcohol or other disinfectants should be used on the bite site, the tweezers, and your hands if you do not wear gloves.
Tick can and will survive after they are removed from the host. You should flush the tick down the toilet or drown them in a small container of alcohol. You should never squeeze a tick as it will release toxins that may contain any of the diseases discussed earlier. Hundreds of pesticides and repellants are available to control ticks on dogs and cats. Products range from oral medications that are available only from your veterinarian, to collars, sprays, dips, shampoos, powders, and spot-ons.
The chemicals Chlorpyrifos and Amitraz are used in several types of products and are very effective against ticks. Amitraz should not be used on dogs that are sickly, pregnant, or nursing. However, no matter what type of medication you use, always check with your veterinarian first.
Author Bio:
Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed Joncopets.com. On the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest designer dog clothes, dog collars, dog beds and more for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at http://www.joncopets.com