A variety of agricultural insecticide products are utilised daily to control insects in crops as well as in our homes and gardens. Various products are also registered for the control of external parasites on dogs, cats, horses and livestock. A range of chemical active ingredients, including organophosphates and carbamates, are included in products for agricultural and household as well as in flea collars and other topical tick and flea control products.
Misuse and overexposure
result in animals and humans being poisoned. Many pet animals are targeted
annually and die as a result of toxin misuse for criminal intent such as house
breaking and theft.
Carbamates and organophosphates are related toxins that affect the nervous systems of animals and humans, interfering with conduction of impulses to the heart, muscle and intestinal tract.
Read more here on what these toxins look like, precautions, signs of poisoning, how should a poisoned animal be handled, what treatment is required, how should contaminated material be disposed of and how poisoning can be prevented.
Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious disease that spreads easily from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their faeces. Dogs become infected through oral contact with canine parvovirus in faeces, infected soil or fomites (object / substance capable of carrying infectious organisms). The virus attacks rapidly dividing cells such as those in the lymph nodes, intestinal lining and the bone marrow. This results in depletion of the white blood cells necessary for the immune system to function, delaying the recovery of infected puppies. The rapid death of the intestinal cells results in the sloughing (breaking away) of the intestinal lining, vomiting, diarrhoea and severe intestinal bleeding. This may eventually lead to the death of your puppy if left untreated.
What are the signs of parvovirus?
Lethargy
Vomiting
Anorexia
Bloody diarrhoea
Dehydration
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What is the treatment for a dog with parvovirus?
A diagnosis of parvovirus can be made with snap-combo tests, available at most veterinarians. There is NO CURE for parvoviral gastroenteritis as it is caused by a virus. Veterinarians can only treat the symptoms and try to keep your dog or puppy alive by preventing dehydration and loss of proteins.
Puppies infected with parvovirus need to be treated intensively and may spend a week or more at your veterinarian. Fluid and electrolyte treatment is essential and this is often combined with antibiotics. Infected puppies vomit excessively and will need to be treated with anti-emetics. These puppies are unable to absorb any nutrients from what little food they may keep down, hence it is vital to monitor their glucose, albumin (blood protein) and potassium levels and correct these as necessary.
Some puppies will require plasma transfusions to treat the low protein levels in their blood. Affected animals are normally very nauseous and are not inclined to eat on their own. Some puppies will accept force feeding while others require the placement of a feeding tube. Good nursing care is essential for puppies affected by parvovirus.
How do you prevent your dog / puppy from contracting parvovirus?
The only way to prevent parvovirus is through vaccination.
Puppies should receive their first vaccination at six weeks of age with two more vaccinations thereafter at 9 and 12 weeks of age. Your veterinarian will assess your puppy on its first visit and will provide you with the dates for the follow-up vaccinations.
Dogs are usually vaccinated on an annual basis thereafter. The parvovirus is included in this combination vaccine.
Should you have a puppy that has parvovirus, care should be taken when introducing new puppies into your environment as the parvovirus persists in the environment for long periods of time.
Dilute bleach is one of the readily available disinfectants that kills parvovirus but may take up to ten minutes to achieve full effectiveness.
With parvovirus, as with many other viruses that affect dogs, prevention is better than cure.
Pyotraumatic dermatitis commonly known as “Hot Spots” are bacterial infections of the skin associated with inflammation. It can be extremely uncomfortable for the animal.
What are the main causes of “Hot Spots”?
Commonly caused by Staphylococcus intermedius bacteria
Skin infections occur when the surface integrity of the skin has been broken
The skin has become macerated by chronic exposure to moisture
Normal bacterial flora have been altered
Circulation has been impaired
Read more on the risk factors, treatment, preventative measures etc here
There’s nothing quite like the glorious feeling of stepping out of your warm bed onto a cold, squishy, slimy hairball! Perhaps we should feel flattered that our beloved feline companion has left a piece of herself as a special gift for us, but frankly, most of us would rather bond with our cats another way!
What is a hairball and what causes it in cats?
Nature gave cats lots of wonderful, soft fur. Normally, when kitty grooms and ingests the dead, loose hair, it passes through the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract and comes out in the stool. A carnivore’s gut is designed to handle fur, its own as well as the fur attached to prey animals. (If you’ve ever been hiking and come across “scat” from a coyote or fox, it’s evident that it is mostly fur.) However, generations of directed breeding have created cats with much longer coats than ever conceived of by natural selection. And some cats, even shorthairs, just seem to have tender tummies. When too much hair collects in the stomach rather than passing out through the gut, it irritates the stomach lining and whoops — there’s a hairball, on its way back out the wrong end of the cat! By the way, the correct medical term for a hairball is “trichobezoar,” pronounced trike-oh-bee-zohr.
Read more on how to recognise hairball problems, are hairballs dangerous, treatment and prevention guidelines for hairballs in cats here.
Infectious canine tracheobronchitis (kennel cough) is a highly contagious, infectious disease that can be cause by a variety of viruses, bacteria, mycoplasmas and fungi. The two most common organisms that cause KC are canine parainfluenza virus and Bordatella bronchisepta (an infectious bacteria).
These are highly contagious organisms that are easily spread through aerosolised respiratory secretions, such as cough or sneeze droplets which travel through the air to infect other dogs in the vicinity.
These infections spread rapidly amongst dogs in close confinement such as kennels, hence the name “kennel cough. It can also be spread through contact with contaminated surfaces and through direct contact with infected dogs.
How will I know if my dog has kennel cough?
A typical symptom of KC is a dry, hacking cough often referred to as “goose honking”. Other symptoms may include retching, sneezing, snorting, gagging and even vomiting after a coughing episode.
Should your dog be coughing or show and of the above-mentioned symptoms, you will need to take your dog to a vet for treatment.
Your vet may press lightly on your dog’s trachea (wind pipe) which may cause your dog to elicit a dry, hacking cough. This is a typical finding in dogs that have KC, although not diagnostic. Some dogs may have a fever and be reluctant to eat their food.
Your vet may also suspect KC if your dog has recently spent time at the kennels, however your dog does not necessarily have to have been at a kennels to pick up one of the infectious viruses or bacteria that cause kennel cough.
What treatment will my dog need?
Most Kennel Coughs are caused by viruses, although affected dogs are often secondarily infected with bacteria due to their immune systems being compromised.
Although most dogs presented with Kennel Cough have viral infections, it may be difficult to ascertain whether the infection is caused by a virus, bacteria or combination of the 2. For this reason your vet may decide to to place your dog on a course of antibiotics as a part of the treatment.
The disease may last between 7-14 days. If you have other dogs at home, they may also become infected and require a visit to the vet to be examined and placed on medication.
Your vet may also use anti-tussives which are medications intended to ease your dog’s coughing. Often dogs will also requite anti-inflammatory medications to decrease the inflammation in the upper respiratory tract.
How can I prevent my dog from getting kennel cough?
Many different types of vaccinations aimed at preventing Kennel Cough are available. Some protect your dog from viruses that cause kennel cough while others will protect from the bacteria, Bordatella bronchisepta, that cause Kennel Cough.
Should your dog need to spend any time at a kenneling facility, it is advisable to ask your vet to reccomend a kennel cough vaccine for your dog.
FIV and FeLV belong to a family of viruses called retroviruses. All retroviruses (including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus) produce an enzyme which allows them to insert a part of their own genetic material into that of the cells they have infected. Although the FIV and FeLV are related, they are different from one another in shape, genetic makeup and the way in which they cause disease. Cats infected with FIV and FeLV can be asymptomatic for many years; hence many owners will not even realise their cats have either virus as they may show no signs of being ill.
HOW IS FIV AND FeLV SPREAD?
Both FIV and FeLV are shed in high quantities in the saliva. There are slight differences in the way in which the two viruses are transmitted:
FIV is transmitted primarily through biting, as occurs during territorial fights. Transmission through intimate contact can occur but is unlikely, hence one cat in a multi-cat household may test positive for FIV while the rest remain negative for the virus. Infected queens may pass the virus on to her kittens in utero (in the uterus) and through infected milk.
FeLV may be transmitted through a bite wound, but more likely through mutual grooming, shared litter boxes and feeding dishes. As with FIV, infected queens can also transmit the FeLV virus to her live and unborn kittens. FeLV is easily transmitted between cats in a multi-cat household.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY CAT HAS FIV OR FeLV?
FIV and FeLV infect the white blood cells of cats causing an immune deficiency. This state of immune deficiency will result in your cat being vulnerable to any number of secondary viral, bacterial and fungal infections. Cats infected with either virus may have recurrent illness interspersed with periods of relative health. Cats with FIV or FeLV usually have a slow recovery period and may succumb to chronic infections. Cats infected with FIV have an increased risk of developing cancer such as lymphoma. Signs of illness will also vary with the stage of the disease. In the initial infection stage cats may have a fever and enlarged lymph nodes.
Later stages of the disease may show the following symptoms:
Loss of appetite
Slow, progressive weight loss
Poor coat condition
Enlarged lymph nodes
Persistent fever
Pale gums
Mouth infections
Infections of the skin, bladder and respiratory
tract
Persistent diarrhoea
HOW DO YOU TREAT A CAT WITH FIV OR FeLV?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for either FIV or FeLV. Treatment is aimed at keeping your cat free of secondary diseases and treating them appropriately as they occur. Ensure your cat has a healthy immune system by feeding a balanced and nutritious food, scheduling routine visits with your vet and closely monitoring the health of your cat. Should you notice any change in his/her health, alert your veterinarian about these changes immediately. Anti-viral therapy used routinely for patients with HIV is not routinely used in cats as some of these drugs are toxic to cats and are very expensive. Immune modulator therapy such as interferon can be used to try and improve the immune system of infected cats.
HOW CAN I PREVENT MY CAT FROM CONTRACTING FIV OR FeLV?
Owners can prevent their cats from being exposed to either virus by preventing their cats from roaming. Neutering of male cats decreases roaming as well as territorial fighting which aids the transmission of these viruses. Cats can be vaccinated against FeLV. This is usually advocated in townhouse complexes where cats come into close contact with one another.
CAN PEOPLE BECOME INFECTED WITH FIV OR FeLV?
Although FIV, FeLV and HIV belong to the same family of viruses they are very different. Both FIV and FeLV are feline specific viruses which do not infect humans.
