Fleas and Ticks and Mosquitoes- Oh My!
Ah, spring.... The sun is shining, birds are singing, bees are buzzing, fleas are hopping, and the ticks are lurking! While we're all excited to be spending more time outside, some of the less-than-friendly critters out there are just drooling at the thought of your poor furry pet's visit to their neck of the woods. Fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes aren't just irritating biters, either ---they all can carry and transmit some pretty serious diseases as well! And as if diseases like Heartworm, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Erlichiosis, Babesiosis, Hemobartonellosis (who comes up with these names?) weren't enough, many dogs and cats have severe allergic reactions to flea bites, leading to horrible rashes and skin infections. But that's nothing compared to the fate that befalls hapless dogs in northern Australia bitten by the appropriately named "paralysis tick...." If the tick isn't found and removed promptly, whole body paralysis and suffocation will slowly ensue! Now, that's what I call a bad bug bite!
So what's a poor mammal to do?
Stay tuned, and I'll give you a few tips....
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of House Call Of The Wild.
So What Is "Clicker" Training Anyway?
We’re experimenting with clicker training for our dog and here are a few things we have learned:
- Before you begin, you have to teach your animal what a “click” means. We did this by having several sessions of just clicking and giving a treat without any commands involved.
- You are setting up a training bargain with your pet, so click means the animal gets a treat, even if you mess up and click at the wrong time.
- It is very important that you click at the right instant. If you click to soon, your pet will think they have completed the task before they actually have, and if you click too late it will be unclear to them what exactly they have done right.
- One of the benefits of clicker training is that even though you have to click at exactly the right moment, the treat can be slightly delayed.
- You can reward behavior that you have not taught a command for yet. If you see your pet doing something that you want to teach them, click and give them a treat. After you have done this a few times you can start naming the action that they have done. For example the dog sits, you click say, “Good sit!” and give a treat.
If you’re interested in learning more, you should take a look at this site: http://www.clickertraining.com/ You will find a ton of information, books, and products related to clicker training.
And the winner is...
Jodi who says “I love the block print in Tide pool (green/blue). It's so cute. This tangerine one would look awesome on my kitty. Great giveaway!”
Congratulations Jodi and kitty who will look awesome!
Ask The Vet: Bengal Cat With Allergies
I suspect that our Bengal may have a food allergy. I’ve been doing research and it’s common for the breed. They are very sensitive to immunizations and pesticides etc. and ours is very allergic to Advantage Flea treatment. She has some spots that she is licking the fur off of on her arms only. No open sores though. I’m wondering if they are itchy and I’d like to put some cortisone on them and see if it helps. Do you know if it’s okay to put cortisone cream (the human kind) on a cat? The skin is maybe the tiniest bit bumpy in spots. Hard to tell there is still a short layer of fur. I don’t want to do tons of expensive and unpleasant medical testing on her if I don’t have to just yet...
Answer:
Assume that anything you put on the outside of a cat you are feeding to a cat, since they lick themselves so much. I wouldn't use steroids, I would attempt to eliminate the allergies. Steroids are a band-aid, and have bad side effects when used long term, including thinning of the skin and hair loss (with topical application; systemic use adds muscle wasting, immunosuppression, and impacts the liver and pancreas, as well as increasing risk of diabetes, etc).
A good omega3 supplement from fish oil is the first step (to reduce inflammation, give 50-150 mg of EPA+DHA per kg of cat per day; the average cat is around 4 kg, so 200-600mg ---the typical fish oil capsule is 1000mg of oil, containing 300mg of EPA+DHA, so 1-2 capsules per day). That would take a few weeks at the soonest to show effect, and I would start low (half a capsule per kitty per day) and increase the dose gradually. It should also benefit the kidney failure cat. Once the cat's symptoms go away I try to reduce to a lower maintenance dose of the oil, usually half a capsule a day per kitty.
Getting the cats off of the grain/potato based foods onto a more meat based, less processed food should also help a lot to reduce the food allergies, since those are most commonly the culprits. If they don't go outside there is no need for flea meds. If they are allergic to flea meds they probably shouldn't go outside. Revolution is another option, and covers more types of bugs (ie, mites), few cats are allergic to it (it's related to ivermectin).
Most likely a big part of the problem is actually inhalant allergies (called "atopy"), and a good HEPA air filter, along with the omega 3s, should help a lot. Add in improving the diet, and most of these problems go away within a couple of months. Standard Process Dermal Support is a good additional supplement, too.
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of House Call Of The Wild.
A Pet Friendly Garden (Part 2)
Snail and slug bait: Even fans of escargot hate the slime trails and mutilated buds left by voracious snails and slugs. Every spring I do battle with hordes of snails intent on devouring my flowers before they even have a chance to open, so I do understand why people march off to the store in search of a chemical solution. Unfortunately, the snail bait they most commonly come home with is truly horrible stuff: metaldehyde, which causes severe seizures in mammals, and for which there is no antidote. Animals that eat metaldehyde generally die without treatment, and even with treatment end up unconscious in intensive care for days. Animals that survive the seizures can suffer liver failure weeks or months later.
The good news is that there are some effective, animal-safe alternatives; Sluggo is widely available, made from iron phosphate, a nontoxic, natural compound, and is quite effective if applied regularly. Copper strips around the bases of containers can turn back inquisitive snails and slugs, and if you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, a trench dug around the perimeter of your garden and filled with a few inches of wood-ash will keep the slimy marauders at bay. And if all else fails, there's always the beer approach.... some say shallow dishes of beer will attract the slugs to drown; others say that if you drink enough of it, you'll stop caring about the darned slugs!
Pesticides: There are several categories of pesticides commonly available for gardening, and some are quite dangerous, especially for cats. The most common pesticides work by disrupting the nervous system, and most are very nonspecific ---they are toxic to everything. Signs of pesticide toxicity can include trembling, excessive salivation, dilated pupils, watery eyes, urination and defecation, and seizures. Organophosphates are the most powerful, but synthetic pyrethrin derivatives can be quite toxic as well.
But never fear, less toxic, environmentally friendly alternatives abound. I mentioned in my last post that plants actually produce more nutrients when they have to defend themselves against pests, so we don't really want to get rid of all the bugs anyway! And remember, good organic techniques grow healthy, robust plants that are naturally more resistant to pest damage. Insecticidal soap can be quite effective, but needs to be reapplied regularly. Soft bodied pests like aphids can be controlled by simply spraying your plants with a good blast of water from a hose, and natural predators like ladybugs and preying mantises can be purchased at many garden centers or ordered online. Neem oil and diatomaceous earth are also effective and safe.
There are also companion plants that can help ward off pests, like catnip and strongly scented varieties of African and French marigolds, which can be planted with your other plants as a natural pest control. Of course, I can't guarantee that the neighborhood cats won't throw a party in your garden one night....
Come to think of it, plants aren't the only things that get doused with pesticides come spring.... In the next post, I'll talk a bit more about the hazards of pesticides, including flea and tick treatments, and finish up my review of garden and yard hazards.
A Pet Friendly Garden (Part 1)
Did you hear about the letter that agri-business lobbyists wrote, complaining about Michelle Obama's plans to have an "organic garden?" They encouraged her to consider using some "conventional" gardening techniques, including chemical fertilizers and pesticides. (as an aside: I've never quite understood why an approach to farming created within the past 150 years is called "conventional," when you consider the 7-10,000 year history of human agriculture.... Seems like the other 98% of human experience would be more appropriately termed "conventional!").
But Michelle Obama knows that studies have shown organic foods are substantially higher in vitamins and micronutrients than their chemically plumped "conventional" counterparts. In fact, recent studies at UC Davis indicate that part of the reason for that may be exactly those darned bugs the chemical companies are so keen to eliminate. Turns out that the stress of fighting off pests actually induces the plants to produce more antioxidant metabolites to ward off the bugs. So no pesticides in the White House garden, and a second helping of compost, if you please!
This is an approach we should emulate. It's springtime, and everyone wants to get out and dig in the garden.... some of us because we want to grow some pretty flowers or veggies, and others of us because we want to bury a tasty bone! There are some important things to consider before we start, to safeguard the health of our pets and the health of our environment.
It makes sense if you think about it ----many of the things that are bad for the environment are bad because they are toxic. And I don't know about your pets, but mine are quite good at immersing themselves in their environment--- they sniff it, they lick it, chew on it, roll around in it.... We go through a lot of Funky Dog Shampoo around here, oh yes indeed! But while the rugs are in constant need of protection, we know the pets are already safe.
In the second part of this post, I'll talk about some of the hazards commonly found in our yards, and we'll make sure that your garden is as healthy for your pets to play in as it is for you to eat.
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
Reduce Your Cat's Footprint on the Earth
Gardens are becoming increasingly important as providers of food and shelter to many birds, because of a decrease in natural habitats and food sources. Red-listed species such as the house sparrow, starling and song thrush are becoming more concentrated in gardens and therefore in closer contact with pet cats.
According to a poll conducted by volunteer cat owners from across the UK, a correctly fitted cat collar with a bell reduced cat predation by upto a third. Results showed that cats equipped with a cat collar and bell returned 41% fewer birds and 38% fewer mammals than those with a plain cat collar. (RSPB Public Affairs 6 June 2005)
Birds are most active in the garden an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset, so it is helpful to regularly feed cats indoors at these times.
The Great Litter Debate.
Clay litter- Traditional clay litters are not the best choice for the environment, as they are not biodegrade and instead pile up in landfills. The clay is obtained through strip-mining, a practice that causes adverse environmental effects on surrounding soil, water and air. Clay litter is also not the best choice for your cat because they produce dusts that contain silicon particles, which are known carcinogens.
Recycled newspaper litters- Recycled newspaper litter is biodegradable, flushable, burnable and 99 percent dust-free. Some people claim that this litter has poor odor control and that the Purina version, Yesterdays News, is way over priced. Fibre Cycle, out of Australia, seems to be well received and I like the ethos of the company; their primary mission is to find innovative and environmentally friendly uses for recycled paper. If you’re really motivated (or broke), I found this great tutorial on how to make your own here.
Plant-based litters- There are a number of choices of plant based litters such as corn, corncobs, cornhusks, wheat by-products, wheat grass and beet pulp. We used to use World’s Best cat litter, which is made from whole kernel corn, but had problems with flies breeding in it (I think because they ate it) and, no matter where we put the bag, the rabbits would find it, chew a whole in it, and have a tasty corn snack (I even caught Peter in the cat box eating it once(Gross!)).
Pine/Cedar saw dust litters- The pellets that pine and cedar litters contain are made from natural scrap materials that are biodegrade (this litter can be emptied into your compost or mulch pile). They also eliminate odor naturally—due to the innate ability of both pine and cedar to absorb and neutralize ammonia—rather than cover up odors with chemicals and perfumes. Feline Pine is a wood litter, made from 100 percent natural pine, that claims to have had the harmful wood oils removed; the veterinarian of the house is skeptical, though, as the great smell they boast is a product of the natural wood oils.
Organic Food is Not Just For People
Today’s factory-raised cow is not a solar-powered ruminant but another fossil fuel machine. Read our previous post on earth friendly bison, and this one on how to get cheap free range beef. There are tons of organic cat foods on the market now, so look around, some are not even that expensive.
Hemp Collar Giveaway
This giveaway has ended.
Happy Earth Day!
In celebration of Earth Day, we are giving away a Hemp Dog Collar or a Hemp Cat Collar!
To enter, simply visit TheModernPet.com and find your favorite earth friendly product. Come back and leave a comment containing the following information:
- The name of the product.
- What makes that product earth friendly.
- If you would prefer a dog or cat collar.
Good Luck!
Earth-Friendly, Pet-Friendly Cleaning
The grocery store shelves are loaded with toxic substances claiming to make domestic life easier, but do they really? Most of these cleaning products are just a soup of synthetic detergents that leave residues and attempt to mask odors with overly pungent fake floral or fruity scents. Take a note from your grandmothers book and go back to basics with homemade cleaning supplies. You and your pets can breath easy in your non-toxic home, and as an added bonus, you’ll spend about 1/10th as much on the homemade versions.
Don’t forget to store your creations in recycled bottles to make them even more earth friendly!
*Castile soap is natural soap made from olive oil.
Please click here to download a PDF version of these cards to print and cut.
Earth Day 2009
To celebrate Earth Day and the launch of our blog, we are offering a giveaway: One of our popular hemp dog collars or one of our soon-to-be-released hemp cat collars.
Be sure to vist The Modern Pet Blog on April 22 to enter!
(Pssst! Other giveaways are going on right now!)
Plus special Earth Day blog posts all week!
* Download free earth-safe, pet-safe cleaning product recipes to save money and the Earth!
* Veterinary advice on how to feed your pet sustainably, while improving their health.
* Tips on how to reduce the impact your pets have on the environment.
* ...and more!
Presidential Pets
Tangerine Cat Collar Giveaway
This giveaway has ended.
It’s a beautiful warm day here in California. We were inspired to give away something bright and fun to match our mood, so here you go cat lovers...
Here are the rules:
Visit our website, The Modern Pet, and leave a comment below, letting us know which cat collar you would like to see in the next giveaway.
Winner will be announced May 1st, 2009. Good luck!
Encyclopedia Entry: Cat
Plants To Avoid On Your Walks: Foxtails
Another comon weed that is much more dangerous is the "foxtail." There are actually a number of species of grasses that create these sharp, barb-covered seedpods, and at this time of year, they are soft and green, looking quite pretty and innocuous, like some kind of wild grain. But within a couple of months, the long sheafs of seedpods will dry out and become stiff and sharp, and break apart into feather-light, long, skinny pods, tipped with a sharp point.
Woe betides the poor animal who encounters the foxtail then! Like burrs, they easily tangle in fur, but they also resemble porcupine quills, being covered with tiny stiff spines that ensure they only move in one direction. Once in the fur, they work their way down to the skin, and imbed themselves.
During foxtail season, we remove hundreds of these "awns" from every place you could imagine ---inside the ears and between the toes are common, as well as up the nose ---poor dogs, just trying to sniff some "pee-mail," and snuffle up a foxtail! I've pulled them out of tonsils, from behind third eyelids in the eye, and from assorted sensitive "private areas" (ouch!). It can be even worse ---once imbedded, they keep migrating, and the bacteria they carry with them can cause infections and abscesses throughout the body ---around the lungs, in organs, in bones ---I've even seen them imbedded in spinal vertebrae!
So do everything you can to rid your environment of these horrible plants; you might save yourself a lot of grief and expense in the process. Pull them up by the roots if you find them in your yard ---mowing just encourages them to set seed shorter and shorter, until they're seeding below the mower's level. Here's a picture of one I found in my lawn the other day (pic). And here's a link to a site with some great pictures of the plants in various stages of seed:
Dog Owners' Guide to California Foxtails
When you're out on walks, keep an eye out for these grasses, and don't let your dog sniff around in them. I commonly see them growing around the bases of trees on sidewalks, so you need to vigilent even on urban walks. Check over your dog when you come back from a romp in the park, and make sure you check carefully between their toes. Once we're into the dry western summer, any sudden shaking of the head or sneezing fits, especially if your pet sneezes blood, merits a quick trip to the vet for a foxtail check!
Meanwhile, enjoy spring, and take the opportunity to pull up any of these problem plants you see before they can cause any problems!
View the previous posts in this series:
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
Plants To Avoid On Your Walks: Burrs
Burrs are seed pods covered with spines, often with tiny hooks.... Just like velcro (which was actually inspired by burrs) it catches and sticks in anything fuzzy ---for instance, a passing animal's coat, allowing it to hitch a ride and spread its seeds. It's a very successful strategy, and as a result, there are quite a number of burr plants across the world; here's a link to a list of the more common varieties:
Burr (fruit) from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I had a very long-haired Newfoundland when I was in college at Cornell in upstate NY, and when he stumbled into a patch of burrs ---oh boy! Hours of grooming. Here in California, we don't have as many burr plants, and the most common one is a plant called Burr Clover (Medicago polymorpha) that produces small, disk-shaped burrs that just love to wedge themselves into dogs' footpads, where they tangle in the fur and can be hard to remove. If your dog abruptly becomes lame, always check carefully between your their toes, both on top and on the bottom of the foot. I've stepped on clover burrs while barefoot myself; they are quite spiky!
The plant looks a lot like clover, and is easy to overlook, but if you know what to look for, there's still time to get it out of your yard before it sets its innumerable burrs. Here are some pictures I took on a recent walk:
There are small yellow flowers at this time of year, and immature burrs forming (pic. 1). Notice that while the leaves look like clover, they branch off from a common stalk, and the stalks can be traced back to a rosette springing from a central root (pic. 2). The stalks often snake through neighboring grass, and if you detangle them and trace them back to their root, you can often pull up large masses of the plant fairly easily. Left to its own devices, these plants can become quite large; here's a pic of a massive clump we passed recently: (pic. 3)
So now that you know what to look for, keep an eye out, and pull these pests up before they scatter lots of burrs!
View the previous post in this series:
- Plants To Avoid On Your Walks
- View the next posts in this series:
- Plants To Avoid On Your Walks: Foxtails
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
Plants To Avoid On Your Walks
View the next posts in this series:
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
Glen Pet Placemat
Give your dog or cat a taste of the great outdoors with every meal when they eat on our Glen Placemat! The wildflowers of this glen will brighten your home spring, summer, fall and winter.
Placemat features a bright floral pattern on one side and reverses to a faux bois print with floral paw print appliqué. Ties have been added to one side, so this mat may be rolled for easy storage and transport.
Approx. 21” x 13.5”
Handmade in Northern California, USA
Free ways to donate to animal charity
Search & Rescue
Search the Web with Dogpile.com and they will donate a portion of revenue generated to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA®).
GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. There are several animal charities to choose from including: A Cause 4 Paws, .American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, A Chance at Life Animal Rescue Thrift Store
Each click on the purple "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button at The Animal Rescue Site provides food and care for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary.
Eco Cat Collection
Your furry feline can now go green too! Check out these fabulous earth friendly finds:
Our favorites (starting at top left):
- Eco Nap by West Paw Designs
- Organic Hemp Woodland Friends by The Modern Pet
- Organic Catnip by West Paw Designs
- Organic Free & Clear Bar Pet Shampoo by The Modern Pet
- Fresh Forage Carnivore Treats in wild-caught Alaskan Salmon by The Modern Pet
- Biodegradable cat pan liners by BioBag
- Eco Flower by West Paw Designs
- Natural Flea Powder by The Modern Pet
- Organic Cotton Bumper Bed by West Paw Designs
Grassfed bison benefits animals and the environment!
Nutritional studies show that grassfed and grass-finished meat contains more beta-carotine, more omega 3s, more CLA’s and more natural Vitamin E. Grassfed meat has less fat and cholesterol than its feedlot counterpart. Because bison carry most of their fat in their hump, they are especially low in fat.
The USDA has calculated the following values for various meats. Per 100 grams of cooked lean meat
Meat Fat Calories Cholesterol Iron Skinless chicken 7.41 grams 190 89 mg 1.21 Pork 10.5 grams 190 92 mg 1.1 Beef 9.3 grams 211 86 mg 2.99 Bison 2.42 grams 143 82 mg 3.42
Grassfed bison promotes humane treatment of animals:
Grassfed and finished animals remain on pasture their entire life and forage on a variety of grasses. Grain is not a natural food for ruminants; it is documented that ruminants cannot tolerate the high acid content of grain much more than 60-90 days, at which time the liver begins to fail. The liver, which cannot pass inspection, is rejected for human consumption, one of the reasons liver is rarely for sale in supermarkets (but is often made into pet treats).
Grassfed bison is good for the environment.
Bison were a keystone species, whose grazing habits profoundly shaped the ecology of the Great Plains. Grass seeds caught up in the winter fur of bison would be distributed when the fur was shed in the spring. Also, seeds ingested by grazing bison were later passed intact to germinate in their droppings. Their grazing kept the grasses short, allowing the other grassland plants to grow and thrive, plants which without bison would be choked out.
Studies indicate that bison and other native herbivores like to eat many nonnative, exotic plants, which helps suppress the invasions that plague grasslands.
Grassfed Bison Pet Treats
Plastic Toxins in the News
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
ECO PET PRODUCTS ARE SAFE FOR MORE THAN JUST MOTHER EARTH, THEY ARE SAFE FOR YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!
“The Öko-Tex Standard 100 Certification is an important component of our total ecological commitment,” says Spencer Williams, President of West Paw Design. “We strive to design and produce our products in ways that do not harm the Earth. Our Öko-Tex certification adds the reassurance that our products are also safe for the home environment and the people and animals who live there.”
West Paw Design's Öko-Tex certified Eco line includes Eco Slumber™ Beds , Eco Nap® mats, and Eco Toys for dogs and cats. Products in the eco line have fabric covers and filling made with IntelliLoft™, eco-fibers that are produced from recycled plastic. The eco line products are incredibly soft, machine washable, and come in an assortment of modern designs and colors for pets who want it all—environmentally-friendly, certified safe, and stylishly comfortable.