How do I know if my pet has worms?

Cats: A number of intestinal parasites will produce no visible symptoms in your cat at all – or at least not at first. Other parasites such as the tapeworm will usually be visible in your cat’s feces and in the hair or on the skin around his anus.

Other symptoms of worms in cats may include:

* Vomiting
* Persistent dry cough
* Swollen abdomen
* Anemia
* Diarrhea
* Persistent scratching around the anus
* Weight loss
* Eating a great deal without putting on weight
* Breathing problems
* Bad breath

Dogs: In many cases you may not even know that your dog has worms without having a sample of his feces analyzed. Certain intestinal parasites such as tapeworm however are usually clearly visible either clinging to the skin or hair around the dog’s anus or in a fresh feces.

Other symptoms of worms in dogs may include:

* Weight loss
* Gastrointestinal disturbances
* Diarrhea
* Anemia
* Scratching, particularly around the base of the tail
* Vomiting
* Mild to severe coughing
* Eating a great deal without putting on weight
* Bad breath

Feline parasites, such as roundworms infest cats in almost the same way as worms in dogs. This process is usually completed in three ways.

* The cat can consume worm eggs from the soil. These roundworm eggs generally come into the environment from the excretion of other infected dogs and cats. The eggs have the capacity to withstand environmental changes and are immune to mild disinfectants. The sticky egg shells cling to the paws or to the fur of the pet. Cats generally ingest the eggs by licking the places where these eggs cling to.
* Most kittens are infected through their mothers. Roundworms have a long migrating lifecycle inside the body of a cat. Larvae get encysted in tissues and can remain there for years. The litter of an infected mother is already infected in utero. Larvae can also be passed on to the kittens through milk during the lactation period.
* A cat can ingest an infected host animal like a rodent. Larvae in the host develop into roundworms within the cat’s body.

The first stage of the roundworm lifecycle is while it is dormant in the environment. This is the period before it actually infects the host. This fact means that fresh feces are not infectious.

Symptoms of asthma in dogs include heavy breathing, panting, use of chest muscles to breathe, odd gum color and lethargy. Learn about treating an asthmatic dog with help from a staff veterinarian in this free video on dog health and pet care. Expert: Dr. James Talbott Bio: Dr. James R. Talbott is a staff veterinarian at Belle Forest Animal Hospital and Kennel in Nashville, Tenn. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge

By Sue Martin

Please be wary of any animal practitioner or supplier of essential oils claiming that their products or techniques are completely safe to use with cats: the statement is both inaccurate and unsafe. No matter what their claims say, nothing will change the unique physiology of a cat.

Generally, essential oils consist of hydrocarbons or monofunctional compounds from mono-and sesqui-terpenes, together phenylpropanoids and other volatile aliphatic and aromatic substances.

Many terpenoids are rapidly absorbed orally and dermally by the cat’s system and are metabolized in the liver. Due to their volatile nature, inhalation of essential oil components is also possible, and these enter the bloodstream via the lungs, also to be metabolized in the liver.

The terpenoids and their metabolites are often conjugated with glucuronic acid (glucuronidation) and glycine depending on the type of terpenoid and animal species involved. The conjugated metabolites are usually more water-soluble and are easily excreted through the kidney and feces.

Cats are known to be deficient in their ability to eliminate compounds through hepatic glucuronidation (they lack enzyme glucuronyl tranferases) . Glucuronidation is an important detoxification mechanism present in most animals except cats. Lack of this important detoxification mechanism in cats may result in slower elimination and thus build up of the toxic metabolites in the body causing toxicity problems.

Respiratory infections in pets

If you have noticed signs of lethargy, coughing, sneezing, fever and runny eyes or nose, then your pet is probably suffering from a cold or upper respiratory infection. This is an infection of the nose, throat and upper airways similar to when humans get a cold or flu. Cats are particularly prone to respiratory infections, but dogs can also contract them, including the common problem of kennel cough.

You may also notice that your pet has stopped eating; this happens particularly to cats because their appetites are primarily driven by smell. If a cat’s nose is blocked and he cannot smell, he will probably become more picky about what he will eat or stop eating altogether for a few days.

Like humans, pets are also susceptible to secondary sinus and chest infections that can result from an untreated cold or initial upper respiratory infection.

Although respiratory infections usually resolve within about 7-10 days, very young or very old pets may be at serious risk when infected with a cold or respiratory infection. For this reason, one should never ignore a pet’s illness. Prompt attention and treatment will save your pet much discomfort and, in weaker animals, may even save their life.

Nature has provided man and animal alike with an immune system that can fight back diseases in many cases. But there are many ailments that the domesticated dog faces today due to the fact that it has been kept in an unnatural environment and bred for years. The breeding has given rise to changes that are not very conducive to dog’s health. One example is development of breeds with dropping ears.

The L-shapes ear canal protects the ear drum from foreign substances reaching the sensitive organ. However, this also means that whatever goes in the ear cannot come out on its own. Long droopy ears restrict easy flow of air. Large amount of hair that grows in the ear canal of Terriers, Poodles and some other breeds also inhibits air circulation. Water that enters the inner ear takes a long time to dry on its own.

Sometimes weeds and other organic substances enter the ear and result in ear canker. Canker is primarily a fungal disease of woody plants. In dogs it may cause a localized ulceration. Canker infection often results in a foul smell and a darkish discharge that emanates from the ear. Some weeds and organic matter can work their way into the inner canal and cause irreparable harm to the dog’s ear. It severe conditions it may also prove to fatal.

Feline toxoplasmosis can cause fevers, confusion, stupor and muscle pain in cats. Find out how toxoplasmosis can be a danger to the owner of the cat with the disease with help from a staff veterinarian in this free video on cat health and pet care. Expert: Dr. James Talbott Bio: Dr. James R. Talbott is a staff veterinarian at Belle Forest Animal Hospital and Kennel in Nashville, Tenn. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge

Tapeworms are intestinal parasites that can infect cats and dogs alike. However the kind of tapeworms that cats are most susceptible to are different from those that infect dogs in most cases. Cats are most likely to be infected by three groups of tapeworm species.

* Dipylidium caninum
* Taenia
* Echinococcus

In most cases the manner in which each of these groups infects the cat is different. The Taenia species infects a cat when it eats a prey that is already infected. Dipylidium caninum infects cats when they eat lice or fleas that carry larvae of tapeworms. Echinococcus infection is through eating raw meat or carrion of an infected host.

Tapeworms comprise of segments. The segments towards the extreme that carry eggs are shed off and these reach the environment when the host excretes. Tapeworms require a minimum of two hosts to survive. The intermediary carries the larvae that live in the tissues of the host. The larvae develop into adults when the secondary host is eaten by a primary host like a cat or dog.

The dog tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum, is the second most common tapeworm after the Taenia species in cats. Its typical lifestyle comprises of the following stages:

Swamp cancer is a relatively uncommon form of infection in dogs, horses, cats and humans. It is caused by a fungal infection known as phycomycosis due to pathogens that are present in stagnant water molds and fungi. The most common form of the disease is pythiosis that invades the body by contact and/or consumption of infected water. Although more common in dogs and horses, it can potentially occur in cats, cattle and even humans.

The most likely cause is the invasion of Pythium insidiosum. The organism needs stagnant water to reproduce and thrive. It can affect dogs swimming in swampy water or drinking contaminated water and also those coming in contact with grass that has been exposed to stagnant water. The organism, present in water molds, enters into wounds in the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. Gradually the disease grows in the stomach and small intestines and leads to symptoms similar to the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs and gastrointestinal cancer.

* Vomiting.
* Diarrhea.
* Lethargy.
* Loss in weight.
* A lump of mass in the abdomen.

You can make a bug repellent pillow for a cat or dog by adding equals amounts of Lavender flowers, Cedarwood chips and Pennyroyal herb (NOT THE OIL), to the stuffing of a pillow or small homemade pet mattress. If you are substituting essential oils for the dried herbs, us ONLY 5 drops TOTAL to pillow or mattress and again AVOID PENNYROYAL OIL. I know that Penny royal oil is used in many animals recipes but I feel that it is too strong to be used directly on an animal. Also AVOID using Citrus Oils.

While they are an ingredient in many flea repellents, they are used highly diluted. I once witnessed a small kitten go into convulsions after an unsuspecting owner applied orange oil to its fur. I would not use pure essential oils on young kittens and dogs. I tend to use homeopathy with my cats and seldom have the need to use essential oils on them.