Tag: health

Feeding the Skinny, Older Cat

Posted on May 20, 2021 - 2:30 pm by
Taste of the Wild

Cats are living longer, with some of them ticking past their twentieth birthdays. As they age, cats often lose weight, especially after about age 11, becoming frail, bony versions of their younger selves.

Sometimes this can be attributed to one or more underlying diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), diabetes or cancer. Pain from arthritic joints can make it difficult to amble to the food bowl, and dental disease may mean the cat can’t chew hard kibble anymore.

Age-related losses in taste, smell or eyesight can also make food less appealing and put a damper on the appetite. But sometimes nothing can be found to explain the weight loss. What’s going on? And can the right senior cat nutrition help?

Trouble digesting nutrients

As is common in any aging being, some organs just don’t work as efficiently as they once did. This can be true for the digestive system, although no one is sure why, exactly, this happens.

Some older cats may have more trouble digesting protein and fat than their younger counterparts, so they may not absorb all the nutrients in their food. That’s why older cats may need a more energy-dense diet that’s designed to be easily digested — and not just more cat food or human food.

Stress in the household

Cats can be creatures of habit, so changes in the home can cause stress. Home remodeling, inter-cat aggression or a new baby can all upset your cat’s regular routine, often leading to stress and a loss of appetite.

A loss of lean body mass

Cats need lean body mass — essentially everything in the body excluding fat, such as muscles, organs, skin and bones — to serve as a storehouse of proteins. When needed, cats can use these proteins for essential cell functions.

As cats age, they can experience sarcopenia, which is the loss of lean body mass and strength that is not caused by disease. It’s not always easy to tell if your cat is losing muscle mass when there’s still a layer of fat. However, losing lean body mass can compromise the immune system and put cats at greater risk for disease and death. Older cats with chronic inflammatory conditions or diseases can lose lean body mass, too, although this process is called cachexia.

Minimizing the loss of lean body mass, through eating appropriate dietary protein or treating underlying diseases, can help keep cats healthy as they age and perhaps even help them live longer.

Although it’s still not clear how much dietary protein older cats should be fed, one study suggested that older cats should receive higher levels of protein to help maintain lean body mass. The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends that mature adult and senior cats that are healthy be fed a minimum protein allowance of 30 to 45 percent dry matter. This may not be true for cats with underlying diseases such as chronic kidney disease.

Helping your older cat

When you see your cat every day, you may not notice subtle changes in weight until a significant amount has been lost. It’s also important not to confuse weight gain with your cat’s primordial pouch, which may become saggier as your cat ages. As your cat grows older, especially after 10 years of age, make a point to monitor their weight on a regular basis, using your scale at home.

Same goes for your cat’s food and water intake, litter box use and behavior. If you notice any changes, bring them to the attention of your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Your veterinarian will give your cat a thorough exam and recommend diagnostic tests to rule out underlying diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment of those diseases may help stop or slow the weight loss. In some cases, such as chronic kidney disease, your veterinarian may recommend a prescription diet and possibly other therapeutics to help slow the disease process.

If your cat is losing weight or lean body mass despite being healthy, your veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist can determine your cat’s dietary energy and protein requirements and recommend a diet and daily feeding amount tailored to your cat. Ingredients such as antioxidants, probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids may also be helpful for older cats, to help them remain healthy for as long as possible.

A Legacy of Healthy Pups Requires Nutrition They Can Trust

Posted on July 9, 2020 - 3:00 pm by
An interior infographic detailing various facts about breeding dog nutrition.

The Matthews family knows a thing or two about pet nutrition.

When your family motto is “Work hard, play hard,” and part of that work and a lot of that play involves multiple litters of goldendoodles at a time, you need to make sure that everyone — especially those on four legs — is happy and healthy. You need nutrition you can rely on and trust.

The Matthews have been breeding goldendoodles for several years, and they’ve relied upon Taste of the Wild since day one. McKinley Mantell and her sister, Tori Matthews, got a pet goldendoodle, Dixie, 12 years ago — way before goldendoodles were a wildly popular breed. Dixie gave McKinley and Tori a passion for the breed, and that passion became a dream to give other families the opportunity to love a doodle just as much as they loved theirs.

The sisters spent hours researching the best way to breed and raise goldendoodles. “We wanted to raise happy healthy puppies to be service dogs, emotional support dogs, and life-long companions.” Tori says. “We started with two female golden retrievers, Sadie and Rue, and fell in love with their happy personalities and even temperaments,” McKinley says. “We knew they’d be perfect mothers.” And so the Matthews Legacy Farm breeding program began.

When the sisters started the program, McKinley and her husband, Matt, had been feeding Taste of the Wild to their own goldendoodle, Bear. “We’d been looking for a brand with a clean nutrition panel,” Matt remembers. “So we tried Taste of the Wild, and we quickly noticed Bear’s thick, shiny coat. And she just seemed healthier.”

“If we were noticing how great it was working first hand for our own dog, then we knew it would be great for our program,” McKinley says.

A Caring Environment

Matthews Legacy Farm is an animal haven. The 15-acre plot where the farm sits is home to cows, horses, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, and cats. “We have a little bit of everything,” McKinley says. “But they’re all pets. Every one of them.”

But let’s not forget the dogs. While Bear, Sadie and Rue are the constant canine companions, there have been up to 20 goldendoodle puppies goofing around the farm at one time. “Both dogs had litters, and one was huge. 11 puppies! That was fun,” McKinley remembers.

In addition to their own personal dogs, the Matthews created a “guardian program,” meaning that they place potential mothers in pre-screened homes. “This way, the mother has an amazing quality of life and a great family to create many lasting memories,” Matt says. Part of the screening process for a potential home is that the mother and any subsequent puppies be fed high-quality food. “We recommend Taste of the Wild.”

Wild at Home, Wherever Home Might Be

The Matthews have placed doodle puppies all over the United States (with their first international placements to Canada and Mexico coming this fall). No matter where the puppies make their new homes — from New York to Oregon to California to Washington, D.C.— one thing stays consistent: Every new pet family is sent home with a “Matthews Legacy Farm Puppy Package” that includes a toy, teething bone, shampoo, training treats, a bandana, poop bags and pee pads, puppy folder with records, birth certificate and training guide, all in a sturdy Matthews Legacy Farm canvas bag. And they also get two sample bags of Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Puppy Recipe with Smoke-Flavored Salmon.

“There are a few reasons for this,” McKinley says. “With puppies going to a new home and leaving mom and siblings for the first time, having the same food helps them adapt to new family and strange living space more easily.” But it’s not just the puppies who are adapting to change; the new puppy parents are as well. “So taking the guesswork out of the puppies’ nutrition for the owners brings them comfort and helps them get started on the right foot.”

Another reason the Matthews prefer to send the puppies home with Taste of the Wild is a little more practical. “We love the distribution,” Matt says. “Whether they’re going to Vegas or New York, we’re confident that if the new owners want to stick with Taste of the Wild, it will be available to them. Whether it’s at the local store or online, we like knowing that it’s there.”

But another reason is because the puppies love the Pacific Stream Puppy recipe. “We start feeding puppies at 5 weeks,” Tori says. “We soak the food with warm water and they just jump right in, like it’s a natural-born instinct. We’ve never had to force-feed a puppy. They love the flavors. They just crave it.”

The new owners seem to recognize how much the pups love Taste of the Wild. The Matthews stay in touch with every family who has adopted their puppies, and whenever nutrition comes up, it usually turns out that they stuck with Taste of the Wild. “Every time we hear from owners and they say they’re still on Taste of the Wild, we consider it a success,” Matt says. “It tells me that we’re doing it right.”

As for the Matthews’ adult dogs, there isn’t a Taste of the Wild recipe that they don’t like. The pregnant mothers get switched to puppy recipes to get extra nutrients into mom and her milk while the other dogs have yet to turn down an adult recipe. “We try to mix it up for them from time to time,” Matt says. “And they just down it no matter what.”

More Puppies, More Fun on the Horizon

There is a lot of puppy action happening at Matthews Legacy Farm. With two litters due in July and two more by October, it’ll be worth your while to follow the family and all the puppies on Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven’t already, look us up on Instagram, Facebook and X.

An interior infographic detailing various facts about breeding dog nutrition.

A new puppy text graphic with a white, tan and black puppy lying in the grass.

Pet Diet Mistakes: 8 No-Nos When Feeding Your Pet

Posted on April 2, 2020 - 3:00 pm by
Taste of the Wild

For pets and their owners, the universal language of love is often spoken with food. A scrambled egg on top of kibble. A bite of your turkey sandwich. These are all ways we tell our pets we love them. And our pets dance on the kitchen floor to show us their love in return.

Harmless fun, right? Well, not always. See if you’re making any of these pet feeding mistakes.

The bottomless bowl. Most pets aren’t known for having self-control. If you leave food out all day, every day, it can lead to overweight pets, although cats are better at self-regulating than dogs. Pets will often eat out of boredom, even if they’re not really hungry. And it’s not just a matter of growing too fat for their collars — obesity can lead to diabetes, joint damage, heart disease and other health problems in pets.

The homemade diet. It sounds so wholesome, doesn’t it? But unless it’s been formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, a home-cooked diet can lack the right balance of protein, energy, vitamins and minerals for your pet. And pets with special nutritional needs, such as pregnant or nursing animals, puppies or kittens can develop serious health problems if they’re not fed a nutritionally balanced diet for their life stage.

The vegetarian diet. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need dietary meat to live. Dogs are able to produce certain amino acids such as taurine and arginine, some of the building blocks of protein, and therefore can be healthy with a meat-free diet. Cats, however, lack the enzymes to do so and need a meat source in their diets to obtain these required nutrients. That said, cats shouldn’t be fed a diet of meat alone. They also need carbohydrates and other nutritional ingredients for a balanced diet.

The dairy fallacy. Everyone knows cats love nothing better than to lick a bowl of cream, right? Not exactly. Most cats are lactose intolerant and dairy products can actually lead to vomiting and diarrhea.

The “I can’t resist those brown eyes” diet. Who can blame you? But feeding your pet table scraps and treats throughout the day can lead to digestive problems, weight gain and begging, which started the cycle in the first place. Remember: what’s on your plate isn’t always safe for your pet. Foods like grapes, raisins, chocolate and onions can be toxic for pets. If you really want to give human food as treats, opt for safe, low-calorie options such as raw apples or carrots. Treats should also account for no more than 10 percent of pet’s total daily calorie intake so you can make sure they get the full nutrition from their regular food.

The real-bone treat. Real bones from the butcher can harbor bacteria such as Salmonella that can sicken pets and people. Bones are also often harder than your dog’s teeth, and chewing on them can result in tooth fractures. Splintered bones, if swallowed, can cause damage to the digestive system that requires emergency surgery.

The follow-the-label diet. Just like people, adult pets have different activity and metabolism levels. That’s why the feeding recommendations on food packages could be too much, or too little, for some pets. It’s best to consult your veterinarian about the right food and amount for your pet. You can also check out the Pet Nutrition Alliance calorie calculator to determine exact calorie counts for your pets. Then, watch for changes in your pet’s body condition score so you can tell if your dog or cat needs to back away from the food bowl.

The single bowl approach. Having multiple pets share one food bowl is asking for trouble. Some pets may be food aggressive, resulting in that pet hogging all the food while the other one is forced into a hunger strike. Plus, changes in appetite can be a sign of a health problem, so it’s important for you to know just how much each of your pets is eating.

If you have any questions about your pet’s diet, always ask your veterinarian. They can help determine the right food — and the right amount — to keep your pet healthy and happy.

Cruciate Ligament Ruptures in Cats

Posted on January 30, 2020 - 4:00 pm by
Taste of the Wild

Cats have a reputation for always landing on their feet. One cat, in fact, fell 32 stories, suffering only a minor lung puncture and a chipped tooth. It was released from the hospital in two days, according to the Animal Medical Center of New York City.

What makes cats so lucky? They have an innate righting reflex, whereby the vestibular apparatus in their ears enables them to determine which way is up. They then turn their heads and their bodies follow, often enabling them to land feet first.

Of course, not all cats fall from great heights or survive a fall without injury. It’s possible for your cat to injure itself simply from jumping off the kitchen counter. Among the myriad of injuries that can happen when they do stumble is a cruciate ligament tear in the knee. While it’s more common for people and dogs to experience this kind of injury, it does happen in cats, and it can be the cause of hind limb lameness.

What are cruciate ligaments?

Inside the knee, there are four bands of fibrous connective tissue, or ligaments, that help stabilize the joint. Two of those ligaments, the cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments, help connect the top leg bone (the femur) to the lower leg bone (the tibia). Along with the surrounding muscles, they help keep the knee joint stable during movement.

What causes ligament tears or ruptures in cats?

The cranial cruciate ligament may tear, or partially tear, for a number of reasons. Most often, the ligament may rupture due to trauma, such as getting hit by a car or if a cat jumps from a height and lands the wrong way. Or the ligament may become weakened from wear and tear over the years.

Sedentary, obese cats have a double whammy: ligaments can be strained from carrying too much weight, and they may lose muscle tone from lack of exercise, which requires the ligaments to work harder to support the knee. Often the menisci, or cartilage that cushions the two bones, can become torn as well, which adds more pain.

How can you tell if your cat has a problem?

Cats are experts at hiding signs of pain. Even so, the signs may depend on whether your cat has a full cruciate tear or a partial tear. With a full tear, your cat may suddenly stop using one rear leg or intermittently favor one rear leg. Or your cat may shuffle or crouch in the rear when walking.

With a partial tear, the signs may be more subtle, such as your cat may not jump up or down like it used to in the past. The signs can also be more general, such as lethargy, unwillingness to walk or aggression when touched.

If you suspect the injury, your veterinarian will examine your cat’s knee for signs of pain, joint laxity, swelling and muscle atrophy. He or she may also recommend X-rays to look for extra fluid in the joint.

How are cruciate tears treated?

Surgery is generally recommended to stabilize the joint, because painful osteoarthritis will most likely develop as long as the joint is unstable. Also, it’s possible for your cat to tear the other cruciate ligament because it may put all its weight on the opposite leg to relieve pain in the affected limb.

In the case of a partial tear, your veterinarian may recommend conservative therapy. This may consist of restricted activity, cage rest, physical therapy, weight loss if needed and appropriate pain medications. If there is no improvement after several weeks, surgery is usually recommended.

Of course, your veterinarian is the best person to advise you on the best approach to help your cat. And just to be on the safe side, remove access to ledges and balconies, so you won’t have to find out if your cat can really land on its feet.

Even on Hypoallergenic Food, My Pet’s Still Itching. What’s Wrong?

Posted on November 1, 2018 - 4:37 pm by
Dog scratching

You’ve plied your pet with one delectable diet after another. But the itching, scratching, licking and gnawing at the skin continue. Despite your best efforts, your pet is still miserable — and now you are, too. How can you get this food allergy under control?

The Facts About Pet Allergies

Pets can have three different kinds of allergies, all of which can lead to paroxysms of itching in dogs and cats.

With a food allergy, the pet’s immune system identifies a protein in the food, such as chicken or pork, as a foreign invader and mounts an immune response against it. This often leads to itchy skin and, for a small percentage of pets, gastrointestinal signs like vomiting or diarrhea.

But food allergies are actually very uncommon in pets. Only 0.2 percent of dogs and 0.1 percent of cats suffer from food allergies, according to the Banfield Pet Hospital 2018 State of Pet Health Report, based on medical data from more than 3 million dogs and cats examined in 2017.

Allergies that are far more common in pets include flea allergies, in which pets mount a reaction to flea saliva and environmental allergies, or reactions to pollen, mold, dust mites and other irritants. In the last decade, there’s been a 12 percent increase in flea allergies in dogs and a 67 percent increase in cats, according to the Banfield report. At the same time, environmental allergies have jumped 30 percent in dogs and 11 percent in cats.

To complicate matters, pets can be allergic to more than one thing. Thirty percent of pets with food allergies, for example, have another type of allergy that impacts the skin. And some breeds, such as Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and cocker spaniels, can be genetically predisposed to allergies.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

The best way to help your pet is to start with a visit to your veterinarian. He or she can provide your pet with medications to help relieve the itch while you work together to determine what’s causing it. Here are diagnostic steps your veterinarian may take:

  1. Check for fleas and mites. You don’t always see fleas on your pet, and mites can only be spotted with a microscope. Your veterinarian may recommend examining your pet with a flea comb, taking a skin scrape to view under the microscope or trying a flea treatment for at least three months. If the itching stops, you have a diagnosis and there’s no need to go further.
  2. Test for bacterial and fungal infections. Both of these can cause itching and usually respond to medications.
  3. Try a food elimination diet To check for a food allergy, your veterinarian may recommend an 8- to 12-week diet trial. While there’s technically no such thing as a hypoallergenic diet, a hydrolyzed diet, in which the proteins have been broken down into pieces small enough to avoid detection by the immune system, is as close as it comes.

During the trial, it’s important that your pet doesn’t eat anything else besides the assigned diet. That means no treats, rawhides or table scraps that might contain the offending protein. If your pet’s itching improves, then gets worse when your pet is fed the original diet, a diagnosis of food allergy is typically made. Your pet will need to stay on the recommended diet for the remainder of life.

  1. Consider environmental allergies, also known as atopic dermatitis. If your pet is still itching despite the special diet, it’s likely that he or she has environmental allergies. While pets with food allergies tend to itch all year long, those with environmental allergies often experience seasonal signs.

At this point, your veterinarian can submit a blood test to determine what, exactly, your pet is allergic to, or refer you to a veterinary dermatologist for the gold standard of allergy testing, a skin test.  Based on the findings, special “allergy shots” can be developed to help your pet potentially overcome the allergy. Otherwise, there are several new medications that can help keep your pet more comfortable.

All of which goes to show that if your dog or cat is itching, there may be other things at play besides the pet food.

Fall Pet Safety: A Checklist for the Changing Season

Posted on October 3, 2018 - 3:08 pm by
A Dog and Cat in a Pile of Leaves.

It’s the time of year when the scent of pumpkin spice wafts through the air and dogs are wont to roll in piles of crispy leaves. It’s also a great time to protect the safety and well-being of your pet from potential seasonal dangers. Here are ten items that should be on your radar:

What to Do With the Kids Back in School — With fewer playmates around, is your pet napping the day away on the couch? Consider hiring a dog walker to take your pooch on a stroll around the neighborhood during the day. Schedule a game of laser chase with your cat over your lunch hour. Or consider dropping your dog at day care so he or she can romp, socialize and burn off energy while you’re at work.

Walking in the Dark — As the days get shorter, you may find that your usual morning or evening walk takes place in the dark. Consider buying a reflective leash, collar or coat to make sure your pet is visible to nearby cars and cyclists.

Tick Checks — Just because the leaves are falling doesn’t mean the ticks are hibernating. Help keep your pet protected with regular tick prevention and thorough tick checks when they come indoors.

Allergies — People who suffer from hay fever and ragweed allergies can be miserable until the first frost. The same goes for pets who have environmental allergies. If your pet is itching, scratching or chewing on his or her skin, consult your veterinarian for medications that can help bring your pet relief.

Fur Coat Care — Many pets shed more in the fall as their winter coat comes in. Take the time to brush your pet regularly, so there will be less to clog your vacuum cleaner.

Bundle Up — As the mercury drops, dogs and cats who have thin coats or are hairless can start to shiver. To keep them toasty, stock up on pet sweaters or booties before the first snowflake appears.

Human Cold and Flu Medications — In this season of sniffles and sneezes, remember that your over-the-counter drugs may contain potentially dangerous ingredients for pets.

Acetaminophen can be problematic to dogs but especially toxic to cats, where it can lead to liver failure and poor oxygen delivery to the body. Ibuprofen and naproxen, often combined with decongestants, can cause ulcers or liver and kidney damage. And certain decongestants, in high doses, can cause seizure and death in pets. Why risk it? It’s best to keep all cold and flu meds out of the reach of curious pets.

Wild Mushrooms — Although many wild mushrooms aren’t toxic, some common backyard species can be poisonous and even deadly if eaten by dogs and cats. For example, as little as half of a fresh “death cap” mushroom (Amanita phalloides) can be fatal to an adult dog.

To see photos of other poisonous mushrooms, check out this slideshow. But since many mushrooms can look alike, it may be simpler to remove them from your yard and keep pets on a leash when hiking in the woods.

Other Four-Legged Creatures in Your Home — When there’s a chill in the air, rodents are drawn inside where it’s warm and there’s plenty to nibble in your cupboard. Make sure to place rodenticides out of your pet’s reach. Depending on the type of poison, they can lead to internal bleeding, kidney failure, seizures and death if eaten by pets.

Antifreeze and Windshield Deicers — Are you getting your car ready for winter? Antifreeze and other car products may contain ethylene glycol. Many dogs and cats find its sweet taste inviting, but ingesting a large enough amount can lead to kidney failure. Be sure to clean up any spills on the garage floor and lock all car products away from wandering pets.

With a little planning, you can help protect your pet from seasonal incidents. And that should make you feel as warm and comfortable as your new flannel shirt.

Can Your Pet Catch the Flu From You?

Posted on June 29, 2017 - 10:38 am by
Taste of the Wild

When you’re sick, your dog or cat is often the best medicine. The soothing purr of your cat or the warmth of your dog’s chin on your lap can help you rest and recuperate. But did you know you could make your pet sick?

SHARING THE LOVE — AND THE GERMS

You may have heard the term “zoonosis,” referring to the spread of infectious agents from animals to humans. These include parasites such as hookworms and roundworms, fungi like ringworm, bacteria and even viruses such as rabies. But diseases can also leap the other way — from people to animals — in a process known as anthroponosis or reverse zoonosis.

Even worse, some diseases can travel back and forth between owners and pets like a tennis ball in a game of fetch. Although instances of reverse zoonosis are relatively uncommon, they can pose a serious risk for cats and dogs, especially young or old pets with compromised immune systems.

While little is currently known about reverse zoonosis, it is gaining interest in the medical community. Some viruses, for instance, may mutate and become more dangerous or more transmissible when they move from humans to animals.

FELINES WITH THE FLU

In 2009, the United States experienced an influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 virus. Sometimes called the “swine flu,” the virus was initially thought to have jumped from pigs to people. As it turns out, it also leaped from people to other animals.

In the first documented case, a woman was hospitalized with the H1N1 flu. While she was treated, her indoor cat died from pneumonia caused by the H1N1 virus. Since then, several more cats, a dog and a number of ferrets appear to have caught the virus from humans.

In people, symptoms of the flu include a sore throat, runny nose, coughing, fatigue, fever and chills. Pets with the virus typically show similar respiratory signs, often lose their appetites and, in extreme cases, may die.

Although there are only a handful of documented cases of the flu virus passing from people to animals, it’s possible that additional cases went unreported. To be safe, it’s a good idea to keep your cat out of your bed when you have the flu. And if your pet develops respiratory signs after you’ve had the flu, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.

ATTACK OF THE SUPERBUGS

Although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA bacteria, typically affect humans, they have been known to jump to animals.

These bacteria are resistant to many antibiotics, so treatment options are limited. In some cases, MRSA infections can lead to death. These bacterial infections can also move from humans to animals and back to humans, so an owner and pet could potentially swap the infection back and forth.

Both people and pets can be colonized with the bacteria, meaning they can host the MRSA on their skin or in their noses without actually becoming ill. MRSA can cause skin and wound infections, and the bacteria can be transmitted from contact with the skin or contaminated objects such as bandages.

TUBERCULOSIS GOES TO THE DOGS

A few years ago, a young Yorkshire terrier was brought to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for vomiting, loss of appetite and a persistent cough. When the dog eventually died, veterinarians were surprised to find it had the bacteria that caused tuberculosis, most likely transmitted from the owner, who was being treated for the disease. Cats can also catch tuberculosis from people, but it’s very rare.

PROTECT YOUR PETS AND YOUR FAMILY

The best way to help prevent zoonotic or reverse zoonotic diseases is to practice good hygiene. That means scrubbing hands with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after handling pets.

It’s best not to kiss your pet on the mouth or allow them to lick your skin or any open wounds. The same goes for food dishes: Don’t allow your pets to lick your plate clean, and wash your pet’s food dishes often.

Wear gloves when handling your pet’s stool or urine and dispose of pet waste in the yard and litter box as soon as possible.

Finally, schedule regular veterinary exams and keep up with vaccinations and parasite control to help keep your pets — and your family — in good health.

What to Do If Your Dog Has Been Stung By a Bee

Posted on May 25, 2017 - 5:38 am by
A close-up of a dog watching a bee hovering right above its nose.

Bees (and wasps and hornets) are helpful to the environment, which is why many people plant bee-friendly gardens teeming with nectar-filled blossoms to attract them. But to most dogs, bees are not so helpful. Bees won’t hesitate to sting any dog that noses around, paws at or otherwise disturbs their crucial pollinating work. For dogs who can’t leave well enough alone, insect stings are a painful way of being told to “buzz off.”

Pain, however, can be the least of the worries for some dogs. Bee stings may lead to a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that can lead to anaphylactic shock and even death. Here’s what you need to know when a curious canine results in you exclaiming, “Ah! My dog ate a bee!” or “Help! My dog stepped on a bee!”

Signs of Dog Bee Stings

Curious dogs are often stung on their face or in their mouth, resulting in a flurry of yelping and pawing at the muzzle or other affected area. Other signs can range from mild to severe, depending on the location of the sting, whether they received multiple stings and whether they have an allergy to the bee venom. Lucky dogs will get by with just a mild reaction localized to the sting site: redness, mild swelling, heat and potentially itching. This usually goes away on its own within a day or so.

Signs of a potentially serious allergic reaction usually develop within 10 to 30 minutes of the sting and include swelling of the eyes and face, which can lead to difficulty breathing. Other signs include drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and collapsing.

Signs of anaphylactic bee reactions can develop quickly, so it’s important to watch your dog and be prepared to seek veterinary care immediately. In rare instances, these allergic reactions may occur 12 to 14 hours after the sting.

How to Know If Your Dog Was Stung by a Wasp or a Bee

Are all stings the same? Not exactly. Bees have a barbed stinger that detaches from the bee and remains in the dog’s skin. For several minutes after the sting, the venom sac on the stinger can continue to pulsate, injecting venom into the area. Wasps, hornets and yellow jackets (which are specific types of wasps), however, don’t have barbed stingers. They retain their stingers and can sting multiple times. This can be especially problematic if your dog uncovers a wasp nest, because the stings can increase exponentially in number.

Dog Bee Sting Treatment

For bee stings, if you can find the implanted stinger, remove it as soon as possible by scraping a credit card along the skin or by using tweezers to pull the stinger out. For both bee stings and wasp stings, help minimize swelling by applying a cool compress to the area, made by wrapping a towel around ice, an ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables. You can also mix baking soda with water to create a paste that can be applied to the skin to help neutralize the acidic venom. If possible, bandage the area to prevent your dog from licking the paste.

Do not give your dog any medication without consulting your veterinarian first. If you’re concerned about your dog, contact your vet immediately.

Severe Reactions to Bee and Wasp Stings

If your dog is stung multiple times or experiences a severe reaction, such as facial swelling or difficulty breathing, it’s important to contact your vet immediately. Depending on your dog’s condition, your pet may need to be hospitalized and the vet may give your dog antihistamines, steroids or epinephrine as well as intravenous fluids and oxygen.

Be Prepared for Future Bee or Wasp Stings

For pets that have a history of severe allergic reactions to bee stings, including anaphylactic shock, your veterinarian may recommend keeping an EpiPen (an epinephrine automatic injector) on hand. However, an EpiPen must be properly dosed to the size of your pet. Although the EpiPen Jr. delivers a smaller dose, it may still be too much for small dogs and cats. Talk to your veterinarian about options for your pet.

Watch Out for Bees in the Fall

Bees and wasps are often more aggressive in the fall. And who can blame them? They’re busy preparing their hives for winter. Flowers and other food sources are harder to find. And hives are overcrowded. So they’re more likely to lose patience with a curious dog and slap prying noses with a sharp sting.

Seeing dogs stung by bees, especially dogs that have anaphylactic reactions to stings, is a scary sight. To keep your dog safe, try to keep curious noses away from areas that bees and wasps like to buzz about. Just like snake bites, a bee or wasp sting can quickly become an emergency situation, so always contact your veterinarian immediately if your dog shows signs of a severe reaction.

For Many Dogs, Summer Is Ear-Infection Season

Posted on May 11, 2017 - 4:11 am by
Ear infections in dogs

For dog owners, the only sound that epitomizes summer more than the shhh-tik-tik-tik-tik of a lawn sprinkler is the jangle of ID tags as their dogs shake their heads and scratch their ears. Why all the racket? Because summer often means ear infections for our canine companions.

WHAT CAUSES EAR INFECTIONS IN DOGS?

In dogs, ear infections are often caused by environmental allergies. When the air gets warm, pollen, mold spores and other allergens begin to thrive and waft around on the currents, causing allergies to flare up. These allergies can make the skin that lines the ear canal inflamed, opening the door for secondary bacterial and fungal infections.

And if your dog loves to swim, excess water in the ear canal can create the kind of dark, moist environment where yeast and bacteria thrive. (Food allergies can cause ear infections, too, but in these cases, the infections tend to occur all year long rather than seasonally.)

Dogs with pendulous ears, such as cocker spaniels and basset hounds, may be predisposed to ear infections because it can be harder for air to circulate in their ear canals. Health conditions such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone) and tumors or masses in the ears may also lead to ear infections.

While ear infections aren’t nearly as common in cats, outdoor cats can pick up ear mites in the summer, which can irritate the ears and lead to infection.

HINTS THAT YOUR DOG HAS AN EAR INFECTION

If the musky odor emanating from your dog’s ear doesn’t tip you off to an infection, your dog may resort to rubbing their ear on the floor. Other signs may include red, inflamed skin lining your dog’s ear canal, waxy discharge, constant head shaking, ear-scratching and obvious pain. In fact, your dog may shy away from having their head touched at all.

TIME TO SEE YOUR VETERINARIAN ABOUT YOUR DOG’S EAR INFECTION

Left untreated, the skin may become cobbled or cauliflower-like in appearance and the ear canals can become swollen and permanently calcified. If the eardrum ruptures, the infection can enter the middle or inner ear and lead to hearing loss, loss of balance and neurological signs.

Your veterinarian will give your pet a full physical exam and most likely swab the ear canal for a sample. By viewing the ear debris under a microscope, they can determine if bacteria and/or yeast are involved. In some cases, they may recommend culturing the sample to identify the exact organisms and the best medications for treating them.

For some dogs, the ears may be so painful that a course of steroids may be required to help reduce swelling and inflammation before the ears can be handled. In severe cases, the dog may need to be anesthetized for a proper ear exam.

Your veterinarian may perform other diagnostics, such as blood or allergy testing to check for underlying health conditions. In some cases, X-rays or computed tomography (a CT or CAT scan) may be recommended to help determine if the middle ear is involved.

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY FOR DOGS’ EAR INFECTIONS

Treatment usually includes topical therapy with antibiotics, antifungals and/or steroids. Your veterinarian will be happy to show you how to clean your pet’s ears so the medication can reach deep inside the ear canal. In more severe cases, oral medications may be needed, and chronic cases can even require surgery.

Of course, treating the ear alone won’t solve the problem if you don’t also treat the underlying allergy or other condition that may be behind the ear infections. If your dog’s ear infections keep coming back, talk to your veterinarian about additional testing to help identify the underlying problem.

Solving an ear infection can be a big relief for your dog. Then they can get back to their favorite summer activities — like running through the sprinkler.

OTHER SUMMER SAFETY TIPS FOR DOGS

The dog days of summer can be tough on an unprepared pooch. To help dogs and dog owners navigate those steamy summer months, we’ve put together a Taste of the Wild Guide to helping your dog survive the summer. Inside, you’ll find summer safety tips, advice about dog diets, how to protect your dog’s paws from hot pavement, and more!

Everything You Should Know About Cat Constipation

Posted on February 23, 2017 - 7:25 am by
Taste of the Wild

It’s fairly common for cats — especially older ones — to become constipated. They may strain in the litter box to no avail, or eschew the box entirely because it reminds them of the uncomfortable ordeal. So why is your cat backed up and what can you do about it?

What’s behind it? It could be anything

Stress is a factor. Some cats may stop defecating because their litter box isn’t to their liking. They may not like the litter scent or consistency. Or it’s just not tidied up often enough for them. Adding a new baby, pet or workmen to the household can also cause stress that — you guessed it — makes it hard for cats to do their business.

In older cats, diseases such as kidney failure can cause them to become dehydrated, which can lead to hard, dry stools that are difficult to pass. Cats with arthritis may have difficulty climbing up and down stairs to reach the litter box or have trouble squatting. Other causes include diets low in fiber, trauma (such as a fractured pelvis), certain drugs, gastrointestinal obstructions and even lack of exercise.

An interior graphic detailing six different causes of constipation in cats.

Signs of a problem

In general, healthy cats should defecate at least once a day. Cats that stop eating for any reason will obviously have less in their digestive tracts, so they may go less often. But if four to five days go by without evidence in the litter box, it’s time to be concerned.

In addition to straining in the litter box, constipated cats may often experience vomiting, loss of appetite and depression. That’s when it’s time to see your veterinarian.

How to remedy the situation

The treatment for your kitty will depend on the severity and the cause of the constipation. Obviously, if there’s an underlying health condition, such a gastrointestinal obstruction or fractures, those need to be addressed.

With mild cases of constipation, your veterinarian may recommend adding a small amount of plain canned pumpkin (not the spiced pie filling) to your kitty’s food every day for additional fiber and moisture. He or she may also recommend switching to a diet with more fiber.

Despite what you might hear online, do not give your cat mineral oil because it can cause vomiting and your cat may subsequently aspirate (inhale) the oil.

For cats that are dehydrated, providing subcutaneous fluids, encouraging drinking and/or switching to a canned diet that contains more water can help reduce the occurrence of hard, dry stools. Still other kitties may need laxatives, stool softeners or medications to improve intestinal motility. In severe cases, your veterinarian may recommend an enema to loosen up and remove the “logjam.”

It could actually get worse

Cats who are chronically constipated may develop megacolon, a serious condition in which the colon diameter becomes so distended that the tissue loses its ability to move contents along. In those cases, surgery may be needed to remove that segment of the digestive tract.

That’s why it’s a good idea to keep your eye on the litter box and seek veterinary help sooner rather than later.