Natural Pet Health

Try this natural and aromatic spray. Pour the Essential Oils into a 1-oz spray bottle filled with water. Shake very vigorously several times before each use. Spray directly onto your dog, holding the bottle about 10 inches from him. Avoid spraying on the head and eyes.

* 10 drops Lavender

* 10 drops Geranium

* 6 drops Lemon

From Aromatherapy for Animals, Part 1: Healing Blends for Dogs by Françoise Rapp

This Daily Aromatherapy Tip is brought to you by http://www.AromaThyme.com

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Though canines and humans are very different in physiology, there are some universal truths that apply to both. And one such universal truth lies in the realm of diet and health.

Centuries ago, humans uprooted dogs from their natural habitat and domesticated them to help them in hunting and guarding. They were removed from the basic source that provided all nutrition that was required in terms of food. Human intervention continues to come in the form of comforts, food and safety. And unfortunately not all of it is actually beneficial for the pet.

There are a fair number of diseases that are unique to domestic dogs. These diseases have not been known to occur in wild dogs and therefore, it can be assumed that these are in some way, caused by human intervention.

Cushings disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is one such condition that ails pet dogs.

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Ear Mites in dogs is often caused by excessive wax that accumulates in the ears. Since the ear canals in dogs run horizontally and vertically, all the accumulated debris tends to go inwards. Hair growth in the inner ear, long ear flaps and the resulting dampness are also a breeding ground for bacteria.

Dogs normally respond to this condition by Itching near the ear. Vigorous Itching may even cause a blood vessel near the ear to snap. This results in bleeding in the externally visible portion of the external ear thereby causing localized Swelling filled with blood. This aggravated condition is called hemotoma.

Hematoma can also be caused by an injury to the external ear. In a few cases, hematoma may heal on its own. But your dog may be left with a shrunk external ear or a scar, altering the appearance of the dog.

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It is often easy to miss out on some of the symptoms that surface in your dog. Since dog has given companionship, loyalty and affection to humans, the least that man can do is to ensure that their pets are healthy and well taken care of.

Sometimes symptoms like excessive urination, Hair Loss and too much of huffing and puffing can be the first warning signs of endocrinal diseases like Cushing

s disease or Hypothyroidism.

Disturbances in the required levels of thyroid hormones cause Hypothyroidism (less secretion of hormone) or hyperthyroidism (increased secretion).

Most cases of Hypothyroidism in dogs results from an autoimmune system dysfunction. This affects the lymphocytes causing them to decreases in size in some cases.

Hyperthyroidism is extremely rare in dogs. But in most cases, the underlying cause almost always is a cancerous Tumor in the thyroid.

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The decision to have your dogs ears cropped is a matter of preference. Some pet owners believe that a boxer looks much better with cropped ears and therefore opt for a surgical alteration in the structure. Others feel that the soft floppy ears give a soft look to their pet.

Many who are sensitive to animal suffering explicitly voice their dissent about this cruelty that is being meted out to some breeds of dogs. I personally feel that the boxer has been provided by the floppy ears by nature to actually cushion the otherwise gloomy expression that the breed has.

But there are people who prefer to crop the ears of their boxer pets to allow easy cleaning of the ear and prevent dog Ear Mites. They normally want to do this because drooping ears aid in creating a favorable environment for Ear Mites to breed. Let me explain how it happens.

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Hyperadrenocorticism in dogs, commonly known as Cushings disease, is an endocrinal disorder caused by the malfunctioning of either the adrenal glands and/or the pituitary glands. There are natural as well as drug induced causes behind the occurrence of this disease in your pet.

Apart from the harrowing symptoms, there are numerous medical ramifications of Cushings disease in dogs that can potentially affect how long your dog lives

* High blood pressure and heart problems due to a weakening of muscles.
* Pancreas’ problems that are rare but can be fatal.
* Kidney problems that arise due to protein loss due to damage in the filtering system.
* Formation of clots in blood vessels due to malfunctioning kidneys.
* Infections caused due to suppression of autoimmune system by excess cortisol.
* Delayed healing of wounds due to excessive cortisol.

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Yeast infections in dogs can be detected by the presence of scales on skin. These scales give out a fetid greasy smell and can be extremely offending.

The scientific name of the yeast that is usually present in dogs is Malassezia pachydermatis. It can appear in the ear, rectum, vagina or anal sacs. The name pachydermatis comes from the fact that the yeast infected skin is similar to the thick skin that most pachyderms have. And therefore the infected area of the skin resembles the tough skin that elephants, rhinos and hippos have.

The mere presence of yeast usually does not cause any major problem for the dog. But in most cases the yeast infection indicates the presence of another infection. These other infections and allergies can cause abnormal Itching in a dog.

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Ataxia is the inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements. It can cause unsteady movements and a staggering gait. Ataxia in cats makes them move in circles and behave abnormally and this behavior is often very frightening for cat owners. Ataxia is usually caused by one of the following reasons.

* A Nervous system disorders
* General weakness and anemia
* Deformities of bones, joints or spine
* Inadequate diet
* Muscular atrophy

The different types of ataxia occur due to the impairment of different nerves in the Nervous system.

* Vestibular ataxia - a condition where the nerves related to the inner ear are impaired causing issues with maintaining equilibrium.
* Sensor ataxia - caused due to impairment of the nerves related to the limbs. This kind of ataxia causes unsteady gait.
* Cerebellar ataxia - caused due to disorders in the cerebellum. It can also cause explosive speech and nystagmus.
* Friedreich’s ataxia – is a sclerosis of the posterior and lateral columns of the spinal cord and occurs mainly in children.

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Cushings syndrome or hyperadrenocorticism is not as common in cats as it is among dogs. The treatments for Cushing’s disease in dogs is far more developed that those for cats. But that can hardly be reason for getting complacent since there have been a fair number of cases of feline hyperadrenocorticism that have been reported lately.

The best way to be prepared to tackle the syndrome is to understand the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. This helps in identifying the problem, confirming the presence and getting it treated effectively.

Causes

Cushings disease is a glandular disorder caused by excessive production of an adrenal-cortex hormone called cortisol.

A complex system of reciprocal interactions between the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands controls the cortisol levels in a cat’s body. An abnormal development like a tumor can disturb the fine balance of the amount of cortisol produced.

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Hyperadrenocorticism in dogs or Cushings disease is a serious condition that affects multiple organs. It has the potential of causing serious and complex medical conditions like Heart Failure, Inflammation of the Pancreas and kidney related disorders like Diabetes.

Cushings disease in dogs is instrumental in the weakening of all muscles including heart muscles that are required to pump blood to various parts of the body. In such conditions epinephrine is used to induce controlled contractions in the heart muscles to resuscitate and resume heart functions.

Epinephrine is secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to Stress. It stimulates the part of Nervous system that controls involuntary actions.

When secreted it enters the blood stream and prepares the body to take action in emergencies. Generally speaking, epinephrine is what makes an individual either fight or take flight in the face of danger. It is what induces reflex actions such as shutting eyes in bright light or removing body if a blow is expected from someone.

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