Natural Pet Health

About Parvovirus

Parvo is a viral disease that affects dogs. This illness can cause severe digestive symptoms, as well as fever and shock and may even prove fatal. Parvovirus attacks rapidly dividing cells like those in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract as well as developing white blood cells.

In this way Parvovirus leads to symptoms like bloody Diarrhea, Vomiting and loss of proper Immune System functioning. Puppies are more commonly and more severely affected than adult dogs due to their still-developing Immune System. Puppies can easily succumb to this disease, especially when the virus infects the muscle of the heart.

The first indications of Parvo in an infected dog are usually high fever, lethargy and loss of appetite. Later, Vomiting and Diarrhea develop. The stool is often bloody and may have a yellowish color and noticeably foul odor. Without effective treatment, dehydration, shock and even death may follow.

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Sinus Infections

The sinuses are bony cavities in the skull that meet up with the nasal cavities and are prone to infection, especially after a cold or other upper respiratory tract infection.

In cats and dogs, Sinus Infections may be caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses and are sometimes even associated with tooth abscesses. Sinusitis (Inflammation of the sinuses) may also be caused by non-infectious ailments such as allergies.

How will I know if my pet has a Sinus Infection?

Typical signs of a Sinus Infection are Sneezing, discharge from the eyes and nose, coughing or gagging and a postnasal drip. If your pet has never had such an illness before, it may be wise to have your vet investigate with X-rays or other tests to confirm a Sinus Infection.

If your pet has had Sinusitis before, you will probably recognize the signs. Cats with a sinus infection may stop eating due to a decrease in their sense of smell.

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Echinacea is among the best known supplements and has been touted in people for helping in the recovery from a variety of illnesses, especially the cold and the flu. Echinacea is usually prescribed as an immune-boosting supplement for pets.

I use it for a number of disorders, especially bacterial, fungal, and Viral Infections, and chronic diseases of any organ. It’s also one of my favorite supplements for pets with demodectic mange.

Echinacea is generally considered safe when used under supervision. In the older literature, there is a warning not to use this Herb for certain immune disorders (autoimmune diseases, Diabetes) and disorders with diminished immune systems with low white blood cell counts (Feline Leukemia and immunodeficiency diseases.)

However, echinacea has been used in these instances without obvious harm. Generally, echinacea is not meant for long term use and most doctors limit its use to a few months at a time.

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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.

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Asthma in pets

Asthma is not just a human disease and can also affect animals, including dogs and cats. When your pet suffers an Asthma attack, it is due to Inflammation and spasm of the airways as well as excessive production of mucus. This leads to difficulty in breathing.

The sign that most pet owners first notice is coughing. Your pet may also develop Wheezing, a whistling sound produced by air traveling through narrowed airways. This sound is usually loudest as your pet exhales. In a severe asthma attack, respiratory distress may occur.

Your pet may begin breathing with difficulty through the mouth and you may notice a purple color to the tongue and gums due to a lack of oxygen reaching the blood. This indicates an emergency and your pet should receive medical attention right away.

How will I know if my pet has asthma?

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The smell of Skunk Odor is terrible to the human nose! After reading this, you should be able to use some or all of the techniques to get rid of the odor. Our human nose is extremely sensitive to this smell, able to pick out even a Concentration of just one part in a billion, making it very important that the smell is eliminated.

Everyone knows about the skunk’s defensive spray of odor. Skunks are known to have sprayed humans, animals, cars, property etc when they are alarmed. The spray is a yellow oily musk, which they either release as a mist or as a spray. They can spray the target up to 20 feet away. Normally there are warning signs before the skunk will spray, unless it is alarmed suddenly.

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You want a nice, disciplined dog, who doesn’t chew on anything and everything in the sight and doesn’t deafen you with his needless barks. These are one of the most common dog problems and can be really irritating at times. They can, however, be corrected by proper training. Here are a few effective ways of bringing in correction in your dog’s habits:

Barking Barking come naturally to them, and what use is a dog that doesn’t even bark. However, at time dogs overdo it and keep Barking without a reason and sometimes even after their barks have been taken cognizance of and the offending element removed. Then, it is high time he had his lessons in “barking habits.”

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For those that feed the raw diet to your pets and claim that they do not need vegetables and fruits in their diets, I beg to differ. Let’s examine the actual “diet” of the wild canines and felines.

They do, indeed, hunt their meat “on the hoof,” as it were, but they do not, I suspect, empty the stomach contents of their prey, nor the bowels of their prey, before consuming it. At least, not entirely.

That is one of their sources of vegetable matter. You think they don’t need it? Have your dogs ever eaten the feces of other animals? Why do you suppose that might be? Because they crave the vegetable matter, perhaps?

Many years ago, we had a beagle-terrier mix that ran loose. She was free to eat the kibble dog food we provided, or hunt. We know that she hunted rabbits, squirrels and other wild prey. But, I was amazed to see her, one day, laying in the field in front of our house eating something.

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Bhabani wrote to me with her question about her dog and submissive urination:

She wrote: “I have a mixed-breed puppy (German shepherd/border collie mix) which is 4 months old. It’s very friendly with people but when it approaches people, it urinates all-over. The same happens when I come home in the evening. It becomes very excited and urinates on the carpet. Is that a submissive behavior? How can I solve this problem?

-Bhabani

Dear Bhabani,

Just for peace of mind, have him checked by your veterinarian to make sure the problem is strictly behavioral and isn’t medically related. Once you have the results from the tests, you can start from there.

If your dog is otherwise house-trained, it is more likely a submissive behavior. You can help reduce this behavior by increasing your dog’s confidence level.

Take the dog out more and socialize, socialize, socialize with other humans.

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Does your dog mind taking tablets?

I don’t know why it is, but medicines for both humans and our pets usually taste bitter or otherwise revolting. And dogs are notoriously suspicious when it comes to being asked to take tablets of any description. Remember, your dog has an acute sense of smell! It’s difficult indeed to persuade the average pooch to swallow any medication designed to cure any illness, disease or disability from which he/she is suffering. Your poor dog doesn’t understand that you’re trying to assist him/her. No, they invariably view such treatments with utter contempt and disdain.

My Rottweiler, Kara, is actually not too bad with tablets. Mostly I can easily prise her mouth open, drop the medication onto the back of her tongue and then hold her mouth closed for a few seconds, and she’ll generally swallow it without too much fuss. Or if it’s a really nasty tasting one, a lump of peanut butter around the tablet will generally do the trick quite nicely.

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