Natural Pet Health

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.

Asthma, or chronic bronchitis, is a devastating disease that affects both cats and dogs. What happens is that the tiny airways in the lungs become inflammed and more thick than they should be. Breathing in oxygen becomes a lot more difficult and your pet has a hard time catching his/her breath. If the asthma becomes severe then mucus and muscle work in coordination to restrict breathing.

Any cat or dog can get asthma but the most affected ages are the ones who are young to middle age. Many holistic vets blame the food we feed our pets. The artificial preservatives and colorants found in commercial pet food is not healthy for cats and dogs. Also, in the United States our animals receive far too many vaccinations. These two things combined can cause serious damage to your pets immune system and make them less resistant to things like asthma attacks.

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.

Cats experience much the same symptoms as we do when we have a cold. They get snotty runny noses, runny eyes, sneezing, temperature etc. And like humans they also are susceptible to the sinus and chest infections that are sometimes the result with a humans cold.

These infections are called secondary infections. It is important that when your kitten gets a cold that they receive the proper treatment.

Your cat cannot blow it’s nose, so you need to keep the mucous and discharge clean by wiping the nose as needed with a damp, warm rag or tissue. Be gentle!

Just like in humans, a cat cold will last from 7 to 10 days.

A lot of people would like to know whether their dogs and cats can catch common colds like humans do. The answer is YES and NO!

Symptoms like a runny nose, sneezing and coughing can develop as a result of a viral, bacterial or fungal infection in the canine or feline respiratory system. But while human colds are usually associated with a change in season, cat and dog colds are independent of seasonality and are usually caused by a virus.

Many pet owners bring their dog or cat to a vet, kennel or cattery while traveling. The risk of infection increases greatly. In addition, the holidays are often a time of high-travel, and pets may come along for the journey.

Nasal infections in cats may be viral, bacterial or fungal. The primary symptom of all these infections is a nasal discharge which turns from serous (thin and clear) to purulent (thick with yellowish green pus) if the infection continues over a period of time. Other symptoms include sneezing, coughing and gagging. Nasal infections usually lead to refusal to eat as the cat is not able to smell food.

Any feline respiratory disease that originates in the nasal cavity causes irritation and consequently inflammation in the turbinates, the scrolled spongy bones in the nasal passage. These delicate bones are easily twisted and pressed out of shape or even destroyed. This easily allows bacteria that are normally present in the nasal cavity to grow rapidly, leading to secondary infections.

The throat is the passage to the stomach and lungs and is closely associated with the cat respiratory system. This is the reason why throat problems are a bit difficult to differentiate from feline respiratory diseases. Generally speaking, the term throat problem is used to define hoarseness and difficulty in swallowing.

In anatomy, the throat is the frontal part of the neck. It consists of the larynx and pharynx. The throat also contains several pharyngeal muscles, blood vessels, esophagus and the windpipe (trachea). One of the important features of the throat is the epiglottis, a cartilaginous flap that covers the trachea while swallowing.

Generally a cold is an inflammation of the nose and throat characterized by increased production of mucus. While human colds are associated with a change in season, cat colds are independent of seasonality and are usually caused by a virus.

The most important thing to note is that a virus must run its course and cannot be killed by drugs. Treating viral infections, especially in the feline respiratory tract is futile.

That said, cat owners should remember that although the symptoms of cat colds are similar to those experienced by humans, there is a vast difference in how feline colds should be managed. One of the common viruses that cause cold-like symptoms in cats is feline calicivirus, which belongs to a family of viruses that continually change their compositions. Moreover, feline upper respiratory infection tends to progress due to a vulnerability to secondary infections.

Homeopathic vaccine temporarily relieves feline flu symptoms including sneezing, nasal congestion and fever – natural cat flu remedy

Viral support for your cat

All cats are exposed to different viruses during their lives. Just as for humans, the younger or the older the animal, the greater it’s susceptibility to illness.

When a feline’s immune system is battling a virus, the mouth, nasal passages, sinuses, and upper airways can be affected, breathing can become hampered, and airways can become increasingly blocked and congested.

Conventional vaccines are not recommended for young kittens or for pregnant queens, leaving these cats at a greater risk for ill health. Symptoms may be mild or severe, and are unpleasant for the poor animal.

Colds are bothersome both for humans and cats but cat colds are different from common colds, the characteristically seasonal illness that humans experience.

The difference lies in the fact that common colds are not dangerous for humans but they can prove to be the harbinger of serious infections in cats.

If the cold has been caused due to a virus that is producing cold-like symptoms of watery eyes and nose, sneezing and coughing, then the only care that you can provide for your cat is to symptomatic treatment as there is no drug that is effective against viruses.

The infectious viral agent must live its course for the infection to disappear. The rule of the thumb to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections is that the nasal discharge in the latter is thick, opaque and yellowish green in color.