Pet Lovers

Learn about medicinal herbs for dogs. You can boost your dog's health or alleviate common conditions by using herbs sold in grocery and natural food stores.

Herbs prove beneficial in all aspects of life to any animal. Ginger is known to help with nausea and vomiting. There are many others out there. Medicinal herbs can help with everything from depression to anxiety to urinary tract health to joint health.

Herbs for Dogs with Arthritis

If your older dog is showing signs of arthritis, many medicinal herbs will help. Alfalfa contains high amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and silicon. With strong antioxidant benefits, alfalfa is used in many situations to help alleviate the pain and swelling associated with arthritis.

Licorice offers anti-inflammatory benefits. It helps reduce the pain and swelling of arthritis.

Burdock is used to treat many problems dogs face including arthritis. It's also beneficial because it expels toxins from the kidneys and bladder.

To reduce the pain dog's with arthritis feel, sprinkle dandelion flowers on your dog's food. The flowers are rich in lecithin and help relieve pain.

Flax seeds are rich in essential fatty acids that help with joint health. They help with arthritis and even improve heart health.

Rashes and Skin Problems

Homeopathic veterinarians insist that pet owners keep calendula salve in their cabinets. The medicinal herb stops bacterial and fungal skin rashes. It's an astringent that works well at cleansing wounds and soothing insect bites, including fleas.

Red clover works well on eczema, psoriasis and dry, itchy skin. Some feel it is also beneficial for battling cancer because it is rich in beta carotene and vitamin E.

Relieving Anxiety and Nervousness

If your dog suffers from separation anxiety, sprinkle catnip on his food. Up to one-half teaspoon per pound of food will help alleviate tension. In addition, catnip is good at helping a gassy dog.

Purchase some chamomile tea bags and soak it in water. Offer these herbs for dogs when they are nervous. Chamomile is a mild sedative that is safe for any dog, including puppies. In addition, chamomile helps reduce gas and nausea.

Herbs for Dogs that Stop Bleeding

Cutting your dog's claws too short is traumatic to both dog and owner. Stopping the bleeding is also difficult. Use cayenne powder to stop the blood flow. Powdered yarrow also works.

Nettles are helpful in a number of situations. Dogs with cuts or nosebleeds benefit from a nettle poultice.

Kidney Health, Viruses and Bacterial Infections

Echinacea is antimicrobial and helps the body's immune system. An echinacea mouthwash is great for oral health. They're also good herbs for dogs battling colds and other viral illnesses.

Dogs who have frequent ear infections benefit from Mullein weed. The flowers offer antimicrobial properties. It's also useful in fighting mange.

Hawthorn helps increase blood flow. It's been proven beneficial to dogs with heart problems stemming from heartworm, viral or bacterial causes.

If a dog is having liver problems, milk thistle is the best choice. Milk thistle helps protect the liver from damage and also stimulates the cells into repairing themselves.

also see Rheumatoid Arthritis in Dogs

also see Tramadol for Depression in Dogs

also see Canine Arthritis Treatment with Chondroitin

also see Dog Arthritis Treatment With Prednisone

also see Choosing an Arthritis Medicine for Dogs

also see Treating Canine Arthritis With Adequan

also see Choosing a Canine Arthritis Treatment

also see Treating Dog Skin Infection With Over-the-Counter Products

Frontline Plus for cats can help with constant itching. Fleas and ticks not only cause irritation to the skin, they can also carry potentially harmful diseases. So, it is important that your cat has flea and tick preventative treatment.

How Do Fleas and Ticks Affect a Cat?

Itching and scratching are some of the smaller concerns when it comes to fleas and ticks. It is the disease carrying capability of these pests that can make a cat owner uncomfortable. Not all ticks carry Lyme disease, but a lot of them do. Just one bite from an infected tick can cause your cat to become infected with Lyme disease.

Fleas are equally dangerous to your cat because they can carry the tapeworm parasite. If a flea is infected with the tapeworm parasite, and your cat ingests it while grooming, your cat has just been infected with tapeworms.

Uncontrolled fleas and ticks can lead to a variety of consequences for your cat. Not only can they cause Lyme disease and tapeworms, but they can also cause allergies and an unsafe loss of blood.

What Is Frontline for Cats?

Frontline for cats is a topical treatment that is effective at killing both fleas and ticks. Although there is also a spray version of Frontline, it can sometimes be difficult to get your cat to actually sit for being sprayed. While it is just as effective as the topical drops, most cat owners prefer the topical drops to spray because it is easier to use.

Frontline uses an active ingredient known as fipronil. Fipronil spreads through the body’s oil glands underneath the skin. Once the fipronil reaches the oil glands, it is then dispersed to the hair and skin through your cat’s hair follicles. Frontline for cats is very effective at killing fleas and ticks before they even bite and is usually effective within 24 hours after dosing. It is given in monthly doses.

What Is Frontline Plus for Cats?

Frontline Plus for cats uses the same active ingredient, fipronil, to kill fleas and ticks. However, Frontline Plus also has an additional ingredient called (S)-methoprene. (S)-methoprene is an Insect Growth Regulator, or IGR. The Insect Growth Regulator prohibits fleas and ticks from maturing and being able to reproduce. With this added ingredient, Frontline Plus for cats offers double protection for your cat not only by killing the existing fleas and ticks that your cat carries, but also by interfering with their reproductive cycle.

Are Frontline and Frontline Plus Equally Effective?

Both Frontline and Frontline Plus for cats will be able to effectively rid your cat of his flea or tick infestation. With either product, the important thing is that you are treating your cat for fleas and ticks, rather than leaving him untreated and open to the diseases that they can carry.

also see Flea Shampoo for Cats

also see How to Get Rid of Fleas on Cats

also see Feline Ear Mite Treatment at Home

also see Tips to Stop Kitten Scratching

also see A Guide to Flea and Tick Control Methods

also see Why Cat Flea Powder Has Fallen Into Disuse

also see Bacterial Infections in Cats

also see Abscess and other wounds in cats

Treating Arterial Thromboembolism (ATE) is difficult if the disease is not caught early. Most cats act normal and then suddenly yowl in pain and become paralyzed in the rear legs. Once blood flow is cut off to the hind legs, there is limited time before tissue dies, leading to a new round of problems.

Arterial thromboembolism affects cats of any age. Depending on the cat's condition when he is brought into the veterinary office, euthanasia may be recommended. Many cats will survive the event, but it can be expensive to treat. If a cat is in extreme pain and the rear limbs are cold and believed to have tissue damage, some vets and pet owners decide to ease the cat's suffering immediately.

Understanding Feline Arterial Thromboembolism

With ATE, blood pools in a heart chamber causing a blood clot to form. This clot then travels through the arteries until it becomes stuck in an iliac artery that brings blood to the back legs. The lack of blood flow causes paralysis in the rare limbs.

A cat will be playing normally and suddenly scream in pain and fall over. Often, the pads of the cat's feet start turning bluish and become cold to the touch. No pulse is felt in the rear feet at all. At this point, the cat slips into shock. Pain is intense for the animal. It's important to rush your animal to the veterinarian immediately.

Treatments the Veterinarian Will Try

At the veterinary office, pain relievers are administered to make the cat comfortable. The veterinarian will check the cat's vital signs, and try to find a pulse in the rear legs. X-rays will be taken to find where the blockage is and if congestive heart failure is present. Echocardiograms are used to confirm heart disease if it is present.

When the cat is stable, blood tests are performed to check electrolyte levels and check for damage to the organs. In some cases, medications are given to try to keep the blood clot from growing bigger.

If tissue damage is present, the tissue must be removed. Amputation is always a possibility. Most cats will be in the animal hospital for at least a week for monitoring and treatments.

If heart disease is found, the cat will be put on heart medications to treat the condition and prevent arterial thromboembolism from occurring again.

Prognosis for a Cat with Arterial Thromboembolism

Cats that survive the first ATE episode are at high risk for another episode. According to a study done by the University of Minnesota, cats tend to have a 50 percent chance for survival providing the cat's temperature does not dip below 98.9 degrees before reaching the veterinary office.

Cats that go through treatment usually go on to have a life span averaging between 100 to 130 days. If a second blood clot forms, their chance of survival decreases. After the first episode, it's important for a cat to be put on daily aspirin supplements to try to prevent new blood clots from forming.

also see Cat Heart Problems

also see Cat Heart Murmur Symptoms

also see Managing Congestive Heart Failure in Cats with Lasix

also see Feline CHF: Understanding Cat Heart Failure

also see 12 Common Symptoms of Feline Heartworm Disease

also see Common Causes of Cat Limping

also see Cardiomyopathy

also see Feline Leukemia

The lyme disease in cats is caused by a tick that hasn’t been removed; the tick will spread bacteria and cause an infection. The tick needs to be removed and the treatment of the lyme disease consists of antibiotics. The disease cannot be transmitted from infected cats to humans; however humans may get the infection if they get bitten by a tick and fail to remove it in a timely manner.

Transmission

The lyme disease is transmitted from tick to cat through a bite. If the tick is not removed 24 hours after the bite, it will infect the cat with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. These bacteria are found in mice and other small animals or deer. Ticks feed on the blood of these animals, so they become carriers of the bacteria.

Symptoms of Feline Lyme Disease

The ticks are characteristic to bushy and mountainous areas. Felines living in such areas are more exposed to the lyme disease, however if you take your pet out on a trip, you should check his fur and skin for ticks.

After the cat is infected, he may display symptoms such as:

• Joint inflammation or arthritis
• Fever
• Lameness
• Tiredness
• Dehydration
• Lack of appetite
• Swelling of the lymph nodes

The symptoms in cats may be subtle, however, in some cases, the cat may experience kidney disease caused by bacteria.

Detection and Diagnosis of Lyme Disease

If you suspect your cat has lyme disease, you should look for ticks on the skin and see if there are any symptoms; take the cat to the vet. A blood test will show if the infection is present. The red cell count will be low.

The vet will also inspect if there are any ticks on the surface of the cat’s skin. These need to be removed.

Treatment of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that may be treated with the administration of antibiotics. The treatment should last 10 to 14 days.

The red blood cell count should also be supervised and you may ask for some iron supplements.

Remove a Tick from Your Cat

If your cat has been bitten by a tick, the tick will hold on to your pet’s skin, so you will need to remove it. If you fail to remove the tick 24 hours after the bite, it may cause the lyme disease.

Make sure you wear some surgical gloves when you extract the tick, as you may get the infection also. Ticks are brown and visible on the surface of the cat’s skin. Get a pair of tweezers and grab the tick’s body. Make sure you extract the entire tick. While you extract it, make sure you don’t squeeze the tick, as it may release the bacteria and infect your pet.

After removing the tick, get some disinfectant such as hydrogen peroxide and apply an antibiotic ointment. The cat may have a rash or an allergic reaction, which may be treated with a steroid ointment.

Take your pet to the vet is you suspect he may be infected with the lyme disease.

also see Antibiotic Treatments for Lyme Disease in Cats

also see The Side Effects of Doxycycline for Cats

Dog acid reflux is relatively common in dogs, more common in younger dogs. Acid reflux consists of the reverse flow of gastric fluids back into the esophagus from the stomach. It can be painful and difficult to detect.

Causes of Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is usually caused by an esophageal sphincter that doesn't close properly. This allows the acidic fluid of the stomach to rise into the esophagus tube. Your dog's stomach is protected from the acidity of the fluids by a special lining, but the esophagus isn't, which causes a range of mild damage to severe ulceration. This can also be caused by chronic vomiting.

Foods that are high in fat contribute to acid reflux, so check the fat content of your dog's food and try to find a brand with a lower fat content. This might be a senior or diet brand.

Big, heavy meals also contribute, so instead of feeding your dog once a day, feed several small meals to help him digest.

Symptoms of Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is very difficult to detect because your dog can't describe to you that he has a burning feeling in his chest and throat.

Symptoms often include excessive vomiting, regurgitating food while eating, pain while swallowing, loss of appetite or weight loss. These are often difficult to detect without watching your dog eat.

If your dog frequently vomits a small amount of bile after eating, this can be another symptom. You may also hear a gurgling in your dog's stomach after meals. He may even seem a little uncomfortable after eating.

As you might suspect, diagnosis of acid reflux is often difficult because there aren't many obvious symptoms. A physical exam may not yield any obvious damage and may be diagnosed when other potential illnesses are eliminated.

The best diagnostic tool is an endoscopy, where a small camera is inserted down the throat of a dog to look for inflammation or ulceration of the esophagus. There may be unusual mucus associated with acid reflux, an irregular surface in the esophageal lining or active bleeding.

Management of Acid Reflux

The most effective treatment of acid reflux is often managing the diet by reducing the fat content and feeding smaller meals. There are some medications available, similar to the human medications for heartburn. However, don't give your dog an over-the-counter medication without consulting your veterinarian. Some human medications are harmful for dogs.

Once your dog has acid reflux, it will probably need to be managed for the life of the dog.

Acid reflux is a common illness in dogs that needs to be monitored. Since dogs often don't exhibit outward signs of pain, the pain is often much worse than it seems. Long-term acid reflux may lead to weight loss and loss of appetite since dogs don't want to do what is causing them pain—eating. Be aware of symptoms and make dietary changes if necessary to improve your dog's health.