Every year, veterinarians brace for a disease that has plagued our pets for decades. Yet this disease is easily preventable using affordable and safe medications. Occurrences of  Heartworms in both dogs and cats persist to escalate and the expenditure to treat (if recognized soon enough) is actually far greater that the expense to prevent. Consequently, how will you provide protection to your furry friend from the lethal repercussions of this now widespread parasite?

Flash back to 150 years ago when a scientist first identified the heartworm parasite in a dog. Then the parasite evolved and was then diagnosed in our cats 80 years ago. Even though heartworm prevention is available for both dogs and cats you would reckon that we would experience a reduction in the amount of cases, nonetheless each year thousands and thousands of dogs and cats are diagnosed and all too often die too soon from this dreaded parasite. Several researchers estimate that in North America alone, cases of heartworms in our pets may actually be in the millions.

The disease brought on by this heartworm residing inside your pet’s heart is devastating. Your pet can be infected with the sole bite of  only one mosquito. The worm will then migrate through your pet’s entire body eventually taking up residence in your pet’s heart chamber and the blood vessels leading to the lungs. This leads to your pet’s heart needing to pump harder to circulate the blood through his tiny body. The consequences on the lungs is even more severe with many pets gasping for breath as the lungs fill with fluid and tiny blood clots clog the vessels. Early symptoms may include coughing and exercise intolerance that some owners just attribute to the dog being lazy. More often than not, warning signs do not show up until the disease is well advanced and the dog is being affected by heart failure, fluid accumulation in the lungs and abdomen which often can ultimately result in death.

In cats, it only takes one heartworm to trigger damage. The early signs are asthma like symptoms and occasionally vomiting that the owners may attribute to hairballs. Whenever that heartworm lodges in the lungs, it can lead to a sudden death of the cat.

Treatment for heartworms is expensive starting from $500 for the smaller dogs, to upwards of $1500 for the bigger breeds. Complicated heartworm disease with heart failure is much more expensive and oftentimes there is only a 10% chance of recovery in the severely afflicted pets. As of yet, there is no treatment for cat heartworm disease, just supportive care.

Incredibly, veterinarians do have a remedy for this crisis. Safe, effective heartworm preventatives are available in a number of easy to use applications. What is even more amazing is that the expense of a lifetime of prevention for many pets is considerably less that a one-time treatment for the disease. And so, why do pets continue to suffer and die from such a preventable sickness?

With all internet beliefs, two radical hypotheses propose that either the heartworm medications are failing or that the parasites are developing a resistance to the medications. Although conspiracy theorists love these types of thoughts, medical proof for either theory is absent. Heartworm preventives possess a failure rate of less than 1 in 1 million doses. Furthermore, the intricate life cycle of the heartworm does not lend itself to creating a natural resistance to the medications. The truth likely lies in the remembrance of the owner to dispense the dose in a monthly manner and the climate.

Increasing temperatures in our climate has resulted in a lengthier mosquito season and a bigger potential for transmission to our pets. Here in Houston, our mosquito season is all year round. Some cities are presently experiencing significantly more mosquitoes in previously mosquito-free areas. Irrigation of dry areas and expanded plantings of trees in certain locations can certainly help to increase mosquito population. With a larger number of mosquitoes, there is a higher chance of transmission of heartworm disease.

When all of the facts are evaluated, the most obvious reason for our failure to control this fatal parasite falls on the humans themselves. We simply do not supply the preventive as we should. It could be attributable to forgetfulness, or perhaps one spouse assumed the other one gave it or it could be as a consequence of overall economy plus the financial constraints imposed on the family unit. Regardless of the reason may very well be, it can trigger serious implications for the sake of our pets.

Luckily, as pet owners, you do have powerful allies to help you fight the war against heartworms. With the help of your veterinarian, you can choose the best heartworm medication for your pet and your budget. Oral medications, like Heartgard, Sentinel, and Iverhart are available. In addition there are topical medications for example Advantage-Multi and Revolution that are formulated to also safeguard your pet from both heartworms and fleas. Proheart 6 is also available as a long lasting injection. The prevention of this disease rests solely on the pet’s owners to make certain the pet will get the prevention prior to the pet might be exposed to the parasite. That means that the prevention must get started in puppy-hood and be given each month, all year long.

You should not spend your time attempting to find “natural” or organic ways to prevent heartworms; they simply do not exist. Some people believe they can formulate ivermectin to offer to their pets, but incorrect dilution and storage can result in overdosing or underdosing. Follow recommendations by your veterinarian and the American Heartworm Society (www.heartwormsociety.org) Your pet is depending on you and prevention is more effective and cheaper than the treatment.

Cat dander is one of the most common problems affecting cat owners and can make your life really miserable. If you’re one of the unfortunate cat owners who have an allergy to cat dander, then good news, you may not have to give away your feline friend.

Cat dander are microscopic pieces of cat skin shed by your pet and propagated all over your home. It is sometimes wrongly diagnosed as cat dandruff. If you have an allergy, here are some ways to minimise the problem:

1) Don’t let your kitty into the bedroom or onto the bed. I know this is difficult especially for those who share the bed with the cat, but the close proximity of your body to the bedsheet and pillow means that you’ll be breathing in cat dander whenever you sleep. Try to train your cat to recognise your bedroom as a no go zone and you should see some improvement.

Also clean your blankets, pillow cases and bedsheets with hot water as much as possible.

2) Do you have carpets in your home? You might want to give them away as cat dander cling on to them and bacteria breeds easily there. If that isn’t possible, give them a good vacuum whenever possible.

3) Do you own fabric sofas too? The cloth of the sofa act as a breeding ground for cat dander. Change them with leather sofa sets or clean the fabric regularly.

4) Now you need to check your curtains. If you own the heavy fabric ones, cat dander might stick to them easily. You might want to change them to another material or alternatives like blinds.

5) As cat dander can be airborne due to their tiny size, you have to consider cleaning the air too. It would be a great idea to invest in a good air purifier.

These five simple strategies should help you get started but they are not the only solutions. More information on cat dander can be found at www.catdandruffaway.com

Felix, Pickles or Milo? 

Searching for cat names is a lot of fun , but with so many possibilities , it can also be a challenge!  The most vital thing to remember is to choose a name that you think sounds good and that also suits your cat’s  appearance andcharacter. With this in mind, here are10 cat naming tips to help inspire you and keep you on the right course :

1) Find out the gender of your cat.  This may sound like a very obvious tip but many cat owners have suddenly realized, sometimes years down the line, that their ‘Jack’ is actually a ‘Jill’!

2) Short cat names are often best.  One or two syllable names are easiest to call out and for your cat to understand.  If you really want a long name like Spartipuss, make sure it can be shortened for everyday use, and that you like the shortened form.

3) Stay away from cat names that sound like commands.   Believe it or not, cats can be trained!   If you want to teach your cat tricks or commands, don’t choose names such as “Fletch”, which sounds very much like “Fetch”.

4) Don’t settle on a cat name that you will be embarrassed to call out in public.  I named one of my first childhood pets, a calico cat, “Chocolate Fart Bum”.  It was immediately changed to “Chocky” when my mother took her for her first trip to the vet!

5) Let your imagination run wild. You could choose humorous cat names, cute cat names, famous cat names, cat names related to your passtimes…whatever it is that sounds good to you!   

6) Look to your cat’s appearance for inspiration.  It may take you a while to learn your new cat’s true personality,and as your cat grows,  its behavior may change.  Your cat’s appearance, on the other hand, is much more likely to stay the same. For instance, Domino is a great name for a black and white cat.

7) Look to your cat’s breed for inspiration.  For example, you could choose a Thai name if you’re looking for Siamese cat names, a Scottish name if you’re looking for names for your Scottish Fold or a Persian name for your Persian cat.

Consult pet naming books and websites for ideas. These resources will give you hundreds if not thousands of ideas ranging from the most popular to more unique cat names.

9)Let your cat guide you.  Put together a shortlist of names that you like and then try calling them out to your cat.  Its response may help you pick the perfect one!

10) Be respectful – names that demean your cat are a no-no.

If you adhere to these cat naming guidelines, chances are you won’t go wrong. And if you do go wrong…don’t worry, you won’t be the first person in history to change their cat’s name. I should know!

What really should you be feeding your cat?
You should look at what cats will require inside wild to decide the finest food sources for them.

From the wild, cats will eat mice and birds, and drink water.
Obviously this really is a eating habits large in protein and it really is vital that your cat gets sufficient protein to maintain a excellent healthy eating habits.

What numerous people don’t realize is that cats can get diabetes from having a eating habits that’s too higher in carbohydrates.

By constantly feeding your cat carbohydrates it can become insulin resistant and unable to maintain its blood glucose levels at a suitable level. For this reason the best diet for a house cat is a raw cat food diet

Some signs that your cat is becoming diabetic consist of drinking a lot of water and eating considerably additional than they commonly do.
You could possibly also notice a sign of weakness inside back legs as they tend to wobble a bit when walking.

The only solution to be certain no matter whether your cat is developing diabetes is to give it a blood test.

It is the ideal strategy to decide no matter whether the cat has diabetes or not, despite the fact that you’ll be able to do a urine analysis to check blood glucose amounts, but this really is not as accurate.

Unlike humans and other animals it is feasible for cats that have diabetes to go into remission provided their diet has been changed with an elimination of great carbohydrate foods.
Additional protein will aid to stabilize the blood glucose amounts.

Dry biscuits are particularly bad for cats as they are usually quite high in carbohydrates and even though your cat may possibly love eating them, since from the additives which have been put into these dry foods, it certainly won’t do a cat health a good deal of beneficial.

The reason why these dry biscuits are so well-known is since from the convenience and also the fact that cats are incredibly fussy eaters, and most cats like dry biscuits except possibly those that have been discovered straying inside the wild.

It can be crucial that you simply hold your atmosphere safe for your cat, as they’re quite inquisitive animals and will get into all sorts of trouble given half the opportunity.

Living near a road is usually a major concern for any cat owner, as cats love to wander around the neighborhood in search of other cats or business from other folks.
It is not uncommon for cats to wander a long distance particularly at night, and also the greatest bet is probably to hold it confined within at night so you know wherever it really is.

This might require that you just keep it locked within the house or have an external location that is fenced, in such a manner that the cat can’t climb out remembering that cats are extremely beneficial at climbing and escaping from any enclosure.

They also have to have to be protected from other animals, and in specific dogs that will become quite vicious inside the pursuit of a cat.

You definitely need to use your typical sense and appear concerning the atmosphere that your cat is living in to ascertain any areas that could possibly be a danger to it.

Having a cat door that will supply your cat with unrestricted access to the home is vital for any cat that prefers to spend some of its time outside throughout the day or night. Cats that spend time outdoors usually supplement thier diet with raw cat food

Cats can pick up infections from other animals, or from the feces that has been left about by other animals, so you should know where your cat is wandering and whether those places might be endangering its health in any way.

By having your cat neutered there’s less probability that it will wander about the neighborhood seeking other cats.

If your cat isn’t kept within a confined area then you will will need some form of identification on it need to it ever get lost.