Natural Pet Health

There are many different types of bacteria some of which are good for your pet and others which are not. Unwanted bacteria can cause your cat or dog to become ill or cause an infection which can lead to more serious health problems, if not taken care of quickly.

Some of the symptoms of a bacterial infection include: Lethargy, fever, skin abscesses, pain, infections in cuts or scrapes, inflammation, redness, loss of appetite, purging, coughing and a runny nose.

Skin infections are caused by the Staph bacteria. Normally, these bacteria live on your cat or dogs skin without causing any problem at all. The infection occurs when the skin is scratched with their paws and an opening is made for them to infect. You can identify it by the scabs, red skin, yellow pustules and skin lesions that suddenly appear. Protecting your dog or cat from fleas, stress and ticks will help to minimize the chance they get this type of infection.

In recent years, the vaccination of cats has become more popular. The three most common vaccines give protection against feline infectious enteritis (FIE), feline influenza (cat flu) and feline leukaemia (FeLV). An initial course of two injections, the first at nine weeks are usually given, and yearly boosters are recommended thereafter.

FIE causes vomiting and diarrhoea, and the cat develops a very high temperature. Before the vaccine was introduced, it killed a great many cats by dehydration due to the bowel symptoms. Cat flu is caused by two viruses: the feline rhinotracheitis (FCV). FVR is the more severe of the two, causing coughing, sneezing, and nasal and eye discharges.

Cats just like humans are prone to sicknesses. In fact, cats succumb to two cat viral infections that will be discussed shortly. The good news is that there is a cure.

These two common viral infections are Feline Herpes 1 virus known as rhinotracheitis virus and infection with the organisms called Chlamydia psittaci and mycoplasma.

When a cat is infected, they will experience a fever, have weepy eyes, a crusty nose and sneeze a lot. This can go away with or without treatment but this can come back.

When this happens, the condition is called Feline Keratoconjunctivitis the virus settles in the nerves around their face. Corneal scars can be seen to a little over a centimeter in diameter. This makes it hard for the cat to see and it usually happens due to stresses associated with boarding, weather change, a new pet in the house or as mentioned earlier other diseases.

What is Canine Distemper and what are the symptoms?

Canine distemper is a highly contagious, extremely serious viral disease which occurs in dogs and other wild canids (e.g.. foxes, wolves and coyotes), raccoons, skunks and ferrets.

It is an airborne virus, which affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system of the animal. Puppies between three and six months and elderly animals are particularly at risk.

Symptoms grow increasingly severe as the disease progresses, they include:

* Conjunctivitis (a watery, pus-like eye discharge) and inflammation of the eye
* Fever
* Nasal discharge
* Pneumonia (Coughing and labored breathing)_
* Lethargy
* Reduced appetite
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Seizures
* Hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli, such as pain or touch)
* Muscle twitching
* Progressive deterioration of mental abilities and motor skills
* Complete or partial paralysis

What is Lyme Disease and what are the symptoms?

Lyme disease is an infectious tick-borne disease that mainly affects dogs, although it is not unknown in cats and other animals. It is caused by a type of bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi.

Studies suggest however that only about 10 percent of animals exposed will actually contract the disease and the severity of the disease appears to vary with the animal’s age and the strength of their immune system.

Arthritis may develop in the short to long term and a few dogs develop severe progressive renal disease, which often leads to death.

The most common initial symptoms of Lyme disease include:

* Fever
* Joint Swelling
* Lameness
* Lethargy