Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Sep 16

So, you have all the essentials worked out for your new little kittens - but there are still several things that are virtually essential although they don’t contribute to just keeping your kitten healthy - they keep them happy and safe.

Toys - Yes, you can drag old shoelaces along the floor, or you can roll a screwed up piece of paper across the floor - but nothing beats a few specially designed kitten toys to entertain your ball of fluff.

Catnip filled toys are almost an easy answer - as the kitten will just play by itself for hours with these, same goes for a ping pong ball that bounces of everything and gets moved by the wind or passing feet!

Gloves with toys dangling on the fingers makes for a toy to use while you are watching TV and a fishing-rod type toy is perfect for those folks who want to play but can’t bend all the way to the floor!

Scratching Post - Not everyone thinks that these are worth getting - but I always say that a kitten needs to grab with it’s claws and if you don’t supply it with something to use - then it will find something else: your couch, table leg, bed post, staircase, etc - they will use them all.

You don’t need to get a 4 storey one with a bed and rope ladder, but at least get a simple post of around .5 of a meter so that they can stretch right up. And it’s tall enough to wedge infront of whatever it is that they were scratching instead as a diversion!

Collar & Tag - Some people don’t want their kitten (or cat) to wear a collar everyday.

There are stories of them getting snagged or caught (which they do) and there are pussy cats that shed their collars almost every week (which there are), and you can identify your kittens with micro-chips anyway (which you can) - so why make your kitten wear one?

There are so many cats in built up areas these days that it is almost certain that you will come home one day to find someone else cat in your house eating your food of spraying up your counters! And the only way to stop this is to either close all your doors and windows and board-up the cat flap - or get a magnetic cat flap.

Which means your cat needs to wear a collar to put the magnet on.

Therefore, if you have got your kitten used to wearing a collar when it is younger, it won’t mind wearing one when it is older - saving you the effort of training your grumpy older cat to stop pulling his off with the expensive magnet on it!!!

Some people also like their cat to wear a bell on it’s collar to prevent them catching birds and bringing frogs home (which they will)! You’ll find them in your house!

Cat Carrier - You can make do with a large cardboard box when you first collect your kittens, but it is in no way suitable for continued use. For a start you can’t wash it!

Ideally, once you have found your kittens for sale and have agreed a collection date, you should head out to a pet store and buy a plastic cat carrier.

Ideally avoid the wire-cage style as if can be very worrying for your kitten to be so exposed - particularly at the vets where they are on the floor surrounded by legs, people, telephones and (worst of all) loads of dogs!

The more suitable plastic ones have closed in but vented sides and just the one open end for entry. The whole top unclips so they are ideal for storage as well, and with the door detached, they can be used for a cosy kitten bed allowing your felines to get used to using it rather than having an almighty struggle when you need to go to the vets!

Kitten Food - Although this is essential for your kitten - and it will be discussed in detail in a later article - you should really continue to feed you lovely kittens on the food that they are already eating. For at least 4-6 weeks really.

That way they won’t get an upset tummy when they move to your house. They will already be a bit nervous of leaving their mom and starting out in a new home - so the last thing they need is to be fed a totally different food as well.

You should decide what premium kitten food you want to move your kittens over to and have that already in stock after collecting your kittens. Make sure that you have read up all about weaning them over onto it so it all goes smoothly.

posted by admin on Sep 9

Using the list from the introduction, here is a summary of what you need and why you need it. They are covered in 2 groups: Absolute Essentials and Useful Additions.

Absolute Essentials: Your kittens cannot do without the following items (even if they are second-hand). And there are a few tips for each to make sure everything runs smoothly for your new addition!

Water Bowls - It is essential that your kittens have at least one water bowl with clean fresh water in it at all times. Many felines prefer bathroom water or rain water to kitchen tap water as it contains less chemicals - so maybe try different options to see what the cuties prefer.

Also a combined food and water dish is not the best option as the food can fall into the water while eating and then the kittens won’t drink it. And all the while you are washing the food dish - which with wet food can be several times a day - there is no water bowl anyway!

Food Bowls - Each kitten should have their own food bowl - and it only needs to be a small one. Avoid buying dual feeding dishes as many felines prefer not to eat face to face with another feline - it’s like us eating off the same plate as our sisters!

Dishes that are too deep are no god either as they can affect the amount and frequency your kitten eats - imagine having to scoop your dinner out the bottom of a big barrel at meal times! And kittens need to eat a lot of food spread over the day, so it is essential to get the bowls right otherwise they won’t gain weight at the correct rate.

Bed or Blanket - Many kittens won’t always sleep in a bed just because you brought it for them. They like to sleep in a high location out of the way - and preferably somewhere warm and cosy.

So if you decide that you want the cat to sleep in the hallway on the floor and stick a bed there - if it’s too busy, too cold, too low or too near the dog (!) - the cat probably won’t use it. It will just sleep wherever it wants to. And this is where the blankets come in.

You can lay a blanket over the back of the couch, on a window ledge, book shelf, airing cupboard or your bed and it keeps off the hairs!

Litter Tray - As the little kittens will be too tiny to go outside for the first few weeks (and it isn’t advised until after their vaccinations anyway) - they will need a place to go to the toilet in your house somewhere.

It needs to be in a quiet location ideally and away from their normal eating place.

Depending on your needs there are many different shapes and sizes of litter tray available, some are small trays, others and protected tray and others are fully hooded contraptions (which might frighten smaller kittens). It all depends on how clean and scent-free you need the tray to be.

There are different types of cat litter available as well, but your kittens will soon tell you whether they like it or not! It’s best to start with a wood-based or paper-based litter for ease and for absorption, but some older cats prefer the heavier clay variety - so it depends if they have to share!

Even if they intend to be an outdoor cat it’s always good to have trained them to use a litter tray when they are young incase they are ever house-bound due to illness or house-moving and need to stay indoors. Some older cats just won’t be trained!

Other additional accessories for litter trays can include filters, odor eaters, fresheners and litter bags as well as scoops and exit mats! All designed for human comfort. They mean that not only do the owners not have to smell a fresh stool - but they can put the litter tray in places where it otherwise wouldn’t be suitable.

For example, the hooded litter tray with odor eaters and litter bags could be left in the kitchen as an alternative to an open shallow tray with a fresh doodle sitting in it! And when ready to change, just lift the bag out and throw away - no spillage anywhere.

Also, the exit mats and high sided litter tray would mean that litter wasn’t tracked or kicked all over the carpet after each visit!

See you next week to complete your Perfect Kitten Essential Kitten Kit!

posted by admin on Jun 12

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Even though they may still look active and healthy - you must treat your elderly pets differently.

I don’t mean to ignore them or give them more treats - I mean an aging animal has very different requirements to a normal adult dog or cat, in terms of energy needs, general health, amount of exercise and heat tolerance to name a few.

Bearing in mind you may well have had them for 10 years or more since they were a kitten or puppy - surely you want to make the latter years of their life just as enjoyable but not quite so fast-paced or energetic.

What’s Different?
Well, commonly the whole body will be aging, so not only will the bones and joints be a bit worn out - but so could things on the inside.  And of course you can necessarily see these so think that they are ok.

As with humans, they need different levels of vitamins or minerals as they age - as their internal systems start reacting to changing hormones and a general slowing down.  Their mind should still be sharp but their body might not be doing to well to keep up!

The Signs Of Aging:
Dogs and cats don’t get wrinkles and sagging skin, but there are many signs that your beloved oldie needs some special attention.  These include:

Sore Or Damaged Teeth & Gums: This may show up as reduced interest in certain foods or ‘not eating’ their premium dry foods. 

Owners may think that he ‘doesn’t like the taste of them anymore’ and so fall into the trick of commercial wet foods - they don’t prefer the flavour of the wet foods - it’s just that they are soft and don’t hurt their teeth and gums!  Why not just soak his premium dry food in warm water and voila - wet (but good for you) food!

Painful Joints Or Arthritis:  This may show up as reluctance to go for long walks in dogs, not jumping up on the sofa or bed as often, not climbing the stairs or possibly not getting up to greet you in the morning after evening runs.

Basically the dog still wants to enjoy walks and playing with you but either gives up half way as it is too uncomfortable - or continues to chase ball after ball and walking for miles to be with you - but really suffering all night with the pain of it all.  Remember your aching limbs after that one-off mountain climbing session!

Lack of correct nutrients or organ failure: This may well start to show up as loose stools, poor coat or a change in character.  You may notice that your cat has started to soil closer to the house or not to cover it up.  Dogs may well lose weight or get dandruff or excessive molting.

Basically you could be feeding your dog the best food in the world, but if it isn’t scientifically designed for older animals or your pets internal digestive system or heart is not working properly these symptoms may be the first signs that you get to show that there could be something wrong.

Heart Disease:  This may show up as panting a lot, especially when hot.  Now I know that all dogs pant when they are very hot or after heavy exercise - but older dogs are more likely to suffer from some types of heart failure - and particularly certain breeds.

Many owners think that it is always best to take their dogs out with them wherever they go than to leave them at home, but that is not always so.  I would rather leave my dog at home on a sunny day than have her sit in a boiling hot car for the 30 minute journey to the park. 

Unless you have air-conditioning in your vehicle, it just gets too hot for elderly (or very young or hairy) animals to cool off.  Excess panting ensues because the heart cannot pump the blood around the body fast enough to cool it down.  The end result will only be making the heart worse, and we know where that leads!

Mental Boredom:  This may well show up a chewing their feet, over-grooming, destroying furniture or their beds and possibly soiling the house.

As you reduce their exercise due to age or injury they will need something to replace that stimulation - and it needs to be mental stimulation.  Rather than just throwing a ball around for less time or over shorter distances, you need to be stimulating their mind with tricks or new skills.

Why not invest in a Clicker (and a tiny torch for cats) and encourage them to learn a new skill that doesn’t involve too much strenuous activity. Maybe learning to turn in a circle or select a certain toy from the pile will keep them happy inside rather than let them waste away the rest of their lives.  Lack of mobility does not have to mean the end of their fun in life - or yours.

Treat them as you would elderly people.  Be patient, be encouraging and don’t expect them to do what they used to do.  Help them find new things to entertain and amuse them and keep your favorite pet happy!

posted by admin on May 7

The Feline Leukemia Virus is also known as FeLV and can infect any cat that hasn’t been vaccinated for this virus.

The virus is associated with lympho-sarcoma (lymph gland tumours) but can also affect the thymus, spleen and gut wall.  As the lymph glands are affected, this can lead to a form of immuno-suppression, making the animal prone to other infections.

Symptoms of Feline Leukemia:
An un-vaccinated cat will start to show symptoms of feline leukemia only after about 3 years!  It has a very long incubation period - although laboratory tests before this time can confirm the disease.

If your cat started showing symptoms they would probably include a high temperature initially, with noticeable lethargy (sleeping more than usual or not wanting to play and chase as normal).  It is possible that there would be a noticeable lack of appetite, although this could possibly be very difficult to spot when many cats are feeding from the same bowls.  

It is possible you will notice swollen lymph glands, but this would only be found with a proper check of the appropriate areas - they wouldn’t be felt with just regular stroking!

Persistent dental problems and gingivitis are common with this type of long-term infection.

If the virus remains active in the cats body, then the cat will be at risk of developing further disease.

Noticeable (clinical) signs of Feline Leukemia vary depending on where the Feline Leukemia virus is replicating - making more of itself - as this organ will be most affected and will probably develop a tumour.  The Feline Leukemia virus usually also involves the red blood cells in some way and can lead to related signs such as anaemia and immuno-suppression. 

If only found present late on in a cat, symptoms may well be secondary infections like bladder problems (cystitis) or other infectious diseases as the cat’s body can no longer defend itself from attack.

A positive diagnosis would need a blood or saliva test in a laboratory.

Is Feline Leukemia contagious?
Yes, and multi-cat households and breeding farms are most at risk.

A persistently infected cat can pass it on to all other cats in the household, and the only effective action is to permanently remove the infected cat from house. 

The virus is passed on through close intimate contact such as intercourse, saliva and blood.  So cat fights, same dish feeding and breeding can all spread the disease.

Feline Leukemia Treatment:
There is no cure for Feline Leukemia, and surviving Feline Leukemia is likely to be treatment that is symptom related, so removal of tumours, a course of anti-biotics for infections, etc.  The cats life will no doubt be shortened and possibly filled with illness.  It can sometimes shorten the cats life to just a few years after initial symptoms were spotted.

Sadly, the readily available vaccination would have prevented initial infection with the virus anyway, but not everyone vaccinates regularly, thinking it ‘won’t happen to them’.

In addition, make sure that any new cats entering your home or breeding cattery have been tested clear for FeLV and are vaccinated before putting your own cats at risk.

posted by admin on Apr 25

If you are after the greatest pet show - that includes all sorts - not just dogs - then head for the NEC in Birmingham on the 4th, 5th or 6th and May 2009.

The Ultimate Pet Show will include horse stunts, duck herding and ferret racing as well as rabbit show-jumping, spider handling and pet fashion show on the Sunday!  It really has it all.

What Else?
Well, there are many hands-on sections for every type of pet as well as medical advice from the experts.  Seminars, demonstrations and competitions, as well as fun activities and displays including birds of prey.

Also the chance to buy products from all the big names in the stands, free samples and money-off coupons, with names like James Wellbeloved, Pet Plan and The Dogs Trust.

There is also the chance to see the winner announced on the Saturday for ‘Britains Most Talented Pet’ as the finalists all arrive for the judges - which includes TV vet Mark Abraham.

The online price is just £12 - and kids under 5 are free - so you can bring the kids along too - no excuses!

See you there?

posted by admin on Apr 19

Traveling with your cats or dogs can be fun, but taking them into another country needs careful planning.  However, travel around Europe just got much easier with the PETS Travel Scheme - and here is a quick run down….. 

If you are thinking of entering the UK with your cat or dog, you have 2 options to legally do so:

1) 6-months Quarantine
2) A PETS Passport

Basically, the UK is rabies-free and they would like to keep it that way - so they make sure that all possible carriers (mainly carnivorous mammals) are regulated on entry.

This includes both domestic and wild animals that enter the country (by human intervention) and as a result cats and dogs are included in these regulations and as a result need to be proved to not carry the virus.

The only way to guarantee this is to successfully vaccinate the animal and wait 6 months before giving it the ‘all-clear’.

Why 6 months?
The incubation period for the rabies virus (the time it takes from infection to the animal showing symptoms) is around 6 months.  It can be shorter or a bit longer - but 6 months is the accepted incubation period for governmental legislation.

Therefore, if the dog had contracted rabies the day before it entered the UK, it will very likely become symptomatic within 6 months.  As it would have been in quarantine kennels all this time, there is no risk of that dog having passed it on to any other dogs, cats or other mammals.

So Why Is There No Quarantine With The Passports?
The reason is simple.  To acquire the PETS (Pet Travel Scheme)Passport, the cat or dog still needs to wait for a 6 month period to elapse before being allowed to freely enter the UK.

This means that if you find a stray do in Spain and want to bring it to the UK, you have to obtain a valid PETS passport - which takes over 6 months.  Basically the period of ‘quarantine’ is still there, but the dog or cat doesn’t have to spend it in a kennel.

How To Get Your PETS Passport:
Obtaining a PETS passport is very simple and involves 5 simple steps.  Basically you are individually identifying your cat or dog permanently and then proving it has enough rabies anti-bodies in it’s blood to protect against a new rabies infection.

The first 4 steps are to get the passport in the first place and will take at least 7 months from start to finish:

1) Get your cat or dog micro-chipped
2) Get you cat or dog vaccinated against rabies
3) Get a blood test result to prove you pet is protected
4) Obtain an official PETS passport from a qualified vet

The final step needs to be carried out within a 24-48 hour window on your entry or return to the UK:

5) Obtain official Tick and Tapeworm treatment

What Next?
To travel around other countries in the EU does not usually require the PETS passport, but many have their own regulations for transporting your pets.  And these guidelines are mainly for your entry to the UK, so always check the current legislation with DEFRA (UK) or other national body before traveling with your pets.

The PETS passport is valid for as long as the rabies vaccine is in date, so make sure that you do not let it expire by even 1 day - otherwise you will have to start the process all over again!

posted by admin on Mar 24

Can Roundworms Infect Any Animal ?  Basically, the answer is Yes.

These ascarids (a type of nematode worm) occur in all animal groups, including mammals, reptiles and birds and in each case the worm is host specific. They have managed to colonise every environment on earth by using the species that live there - but they do have their limits….

Host Specificity in Roundworm:
Roundworms are very specific in the animals they can reproduce in, but the worms themselves can get into other species and cause illness.  For example the dog roundworm (Toxacara canis) can cause lesions and blindness in humans.

However - host specificity means that they can only fully complete their life-cycle - from egg to larvae to adult - in one or sometimes two species. As mentioned, they are able to stay alive in other species in their larval stage, but can only become adult in their specific host.

Larval roundworms are commonly found in humans - although are inactive - but are still known as a zoonosis - which is a general terms used to describe a disease that can be spread from animals to humans, like rabies and salmonella.

How Do You Get Infected?
As with most endoparasites, animals or humans become infected by close contact with feces.  The eggs are ejected from the host in stools and are protected on the ground until ingested by another creature. 

Dogs and cats continue the cycle by sniffing each other waste for scent, or eating grass or food off the ground in an infected area (the eggs can survive long after the actual stool has gone).

Humans who pick up their animals waste inside or outdoors are at risk from picking up an egg - and needless to say if they do not thoroughly wash their hands before handling or eating uncooked food could ingest the eggs themselves.  The egg hatches to a larva and wil move around it’s new hosts body!

Unfortunately, people do not always treat their pets for worms and so children or adults sitting in parks, doing handstands or generally just playing about could come into contact with the eggs.  As will those who stoke, play or sleep with a pet that has laid on grass and the eggs may be transferred that way.

How To Avoid Getting Infected:
Don’t stop having fun outside or playing with your pets - just take obvious precautions.

Worm your pet regularly with a veterinary approved roundworm treatment following the dosage chart properly and on dates recommended.

Grooming your pet regularly and washing it’s bed/bedding can also reduce the numbers of eggs brought into your home by accident.

Always wash your hands before eating!  If you can remember to wash them after playing with pets or in parks or woodlands, but if you get in the habit of always washing before eating anyway - then you could avoid a lot worse things than roundworms!!
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posted by admin on Jul 18

Heartworm And Heartworm Symptoms.

The heart-worm (Dirofilaria immitis) does not usually occur in the UK but is commonly found in dogs from warmer climates including the US. Cats in the UK are hardly ever found to have these worms, and even in the US it is rare for this species.

The adult worms live in the dog or cats heart as their name suggests, but these then produce immature larvae (microfilariae) which are dispersed into the hosts blood.

Most healthy animals can tolerate a certain amount of heart-worms, but treatment is the best option as they can start to block the action of the heart when their numbers increase, causing coughing to start, but also can induce fainting after exercise and eventually heart failure and death as a result.

How They Reproduce:
Heart-worm larvae are transmitted to new hosts via mosquitoes. Basically the mosquito sucks up the microfilariae when feeding off of an infected dog or cat, then when it next feeds it passes some of these into the skin of it’s next meal. Once inside their next dog or cat host they migrate to the heart and can become adults.

Due to this insect-transmission, the worms are only really passed onto new hosts during the peak seasons for the mosquitoes to be feeding - so in colder months this doesn’t spread. It is also the reason why it is not normally found in the UK as the mosquito involved is hardly ever found there to pass this worm around.

This is why heart-worm prevalence in Ohio and Florida, for example, can be so different - it all depends on the mosquito to act as intermediate host, which ultimately depends on the weather.

Obviously using insect repellents on your pets can help to reduce transmission rates, but continuous treatment is the best course of action - as testing first then treatment could cost more than just routine wormers alone.

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posted by admin on Jul 15

Feline and Canine Whipworms.

Whipworm (Trichuris vulpis) is found in domestic dogs and cats throughout the US and Australia, but is not found in the UK, other than from untreated recently imported animals.

This worm is whip-shaped - hence the name and has one thick and one thin end and usually grow up to 7cm long and live in the large intestine or cecum as adults, where they bury their slimmer heads into the intestinal tissues leaving the thicker end sticking out into the intestines themselves.

A low burden (i.e. not many worms) is tolerated well by healthy adult cats and dogs, and most individual animals will not normally become ill with these worms living in their intestines. However, a large amount of worms - i.e a heavy burden - can lead to unpleasant bloody, mucus filled diarrhoea, which will need treatment from a vet.

How they reproduce:
The female adult whip-worms produce eggs which are passed through their thicker end into the intestines and subsequently are passed out in the stools of the dog or cat.

These eggs are characteristically oval in shape, and under the microscope can be seen to have a ‘plug’ at both ends. They are covered with a thick shell to help protect the larvae inside, and so are very resistant to damage from the environment. Once they leave the host and are dropped into bedding or onto the ground they are on their own, but are more than prepared for it.

In good conditions, eggs containing infective larvae can survive for several years outside a host before being ingested - either licked up or eaten - by an animal. So that is a pretty hardy little creature. They are host specific though, so will only survive and grow to be an adult whip worm in either a dog or a cat - even if swallowed by a bird or other animal.

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posted by admin on Jul 6

History of Rabies in Cats and Dogs.

Rabies - a word derived from the Sanskrit, ‘to do violence’ - which was also known in Latin as ‘the madness’ - is apparently one of the oldest documented diseases of humankind. The symptoms described in ancient literature are exactly the same as we see now in modern times.

Various people through the ages, tried to work out where it came from and how it was passed on, mainly due to the effect on humans, which was - before 1900 - madness and certain death!

During the early part of the nineteenth century, European scientists proved in experiments that saliva from rabid humans and dogs would infect healthy dogs. This confirmed the centuries-old suspicion that the cause of rabies being transmitted from one animal to another was associated with the saliva of the rabid animal.

Step Up Louis Pasteur…. 
Perhaps the most famous of all medical experiments involved the early use of a rabies vaccine in humans by Louis Pasteur, which had proved successful only in dogs. On July 6, 1885, he administered his first ‘human vaccine’ to a 9-year old boy who had been attacked by a dog - which almost certainly had rabies. The boy was given thirteen separate injections over the following 2 weeks, and survived.

However this isn’t the end of the rabies story. Only certain countries have cheap and plentiful access to the modern versions of these vaccines. Even now, only developed countries can get vaccinations at a low cost prior to infection at a low cost, and not every country even has access to the vaccine given after infection.

Facts like these go to explain why there were still 55,000 reported human cases of rabies last year alone, with no doubt a large number more that went unreported in isolated communities across the globe.

Rabies Today: 
WHO claim that a huge majority of infected humans last year were children under the age of 15, who were bitten, scratched or licked (on broken skin) by feral or domestic but free roaming dogs. Many of these children were just unable to get treatment either because of where they lived or the very high cost.

Even in areas where the vector animals are being targeted for oral vaccination in baited foods it is not always successful. Worldwide, the percentage of animals ingesting the vaccine is not above the necessary threshold for total control or eradication. Baiting has been successful in areas of Europe, but even the United States cannot seem to control this disease (Hawaii is only rabies free due to it’s isolated location).

It would seem as though the world will have rabies for some time to come.

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