Natural Treatments for Dog Itching and Cat Bladder Infections
The skin: why your dog is itching
The skin is the largest organ of your pets’ body and reflective of what is going on in the body. Regularly brush your pet looking for fleas, lice or ticks. The hair coat should be soft and shiny.
If you are seeing areas of excessive shedding in your pet then you may be dealing with certain skin conditions such as mange, ringworm, hypothyroid disease or allergies; treatments for these are discussed in detail in my book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed.
If your pet has areas of hair missing around the face that are not itchy, then he may have a type of mange called demodex. This small parasite shows up in pets with depressed immune systems.
One very safe effective treatment is Vitamin E given at 400IU per 40lbs once daily for 3-4 weeks.
If your pet has an excess of flaky skin (dandruff), then she may be in need of a essential fatty acid supplement. Flax is the best source for dogs at a dose of 1 teaspoon per cup of dog food. For cats use the liquid supplement (such as fish oil).
Take note of any palpable lumps or bumps.
Lipomas (benign fatty tumors) commonly occur on the chest wall. If your dog has a soft moveable lump on her chest, then it is probably a fatty tumor.
Sebaceous cysts are another common lump; they can often be distinguished by squeezing out a cheesy substance. They are also very soft. Lumps and bumps become more prevalent as your pet ages and their immune system weakens.
The most important thing in helping your pet is having them on a premium quality diet and supplementing with additional antioxidants. The ones I suggest using are Vitamin E, Vitamin C and specific flavonoids.
Any lumps that are firm, rapidly growing, not easily moveable should be considered serious and examined by your veterinarian.
Allergies are one of the most common reasons that I see pets. There are a huge number of allergens. The 3 main classes are Food, Fleas and Environmental. The most common signs are excessive scratching, paw and anal licking, hair shedding and excess dandruff.
If you suspect that your pet has an allergy, then the first 2 things that I suggest are to eliminate external parasites as a cause, and to feed a hypo-allergenic diet for 4-6 weeks (there are many available).
Some very helpful at home remedies that I often use are:
TO THE BATH. An oatmeal shampoo with cool water will ease the itchiest skin. Leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes then rinse well. With the most severe allergies, bathe your pet twice weekly.
SOOTHE IT TOPICALLY. Calendula ointment is a herbal medication that has been successfully used to relieve the itch. Apply a thin coat twice daily to affected areas.
THE SUPPLEMENT CONNECTION. Fatty Acid supplements are very helpful in decreasing the level of inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids are most important. A great, inexpensive source is ground Flax Seeds; I give 1 tsp per cup of dog food. Cats are unable to metabolize Flax, so I only recommend the liquid supplement for them. Other sources include fish oil, primrose oil and specific veterinary supplements.
Evaluation of the Genital and Urinary system – cat bladder infections…
In male dogs look at the sheath of the penis to ensure there is no abnormal discharge. This is more common in intact males, so an easy remedy is to have your dog neutered. In female dogs examine the vulva. A common problem is skin fold infections.
These can be treated by washing the skin folds twice daily with an antiseptic such as Hibitane and applying a soothing cream such as Aloe Vera.
The urinary system is more difficult to evaluate, but there are some things you can do at home. Signs of a bladder infection are frequently urination, which may have blood and may be painful.
There are a number of home remedies for bladder infections, the most effective are Vitamin C and Cranberry juice. The Vitamin C acidifies the urine making it more difficult for the bacteria to grow, as well as dissolving the more common type of crystal, struvite. The Vitamin C dose is 250mg per 20lbs daily.
If you have a male cat, then it is imperative to determine that he is not completely blocked up. Using your thumb and other four fingers, palpate the entire lower abdomen. An obstructed bladder will feel like a firm distended balloon. If your male cat has this condition, it is an emergency and he must be treated by a veterinarian!
I discuss ways to prevent your cat from getting obstructed in my book; the most important thing is to feed a diet higher in moisture. This is accomplished with canned food. Then depending on the type of crystal he has it is important to either acidify the urine (with struvite) or make the urine more alkaline (oxalate crystals). An easy way to acidify the urine is to raise the meat protein level. Making the urine more alkaline involves decreasing the protein level and adding a supplement, potassium citrate.
If some of these tips and treatments have helped you, then get your copy of my book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed, today.
Dr. Andrew Jones
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/natural-treatments-for-dog-itching-and-cat-bladder-infections-123211.html
My Cat had red warm ears, itching and hair loss?
This problem with my cat has been an off and on again battle with him for years. He has done pretty good the past two years. It usually seems to happen in the spring and summer.
His symptoms are- ears red and itching, then he will get scabs around ears and back of neck. He also gets alot of hair loss that comes out in clumps, dandruff is present. When he shakes hair just flies off him.
He is an indoor cat, I do have a screened in porch which he has gone out in these past couple of weeks since the weather is getting warmer.
I have treated him for fleas and ear mites. Symptoms seem (red ears, itching) seem to get better off and on throughout the day. I have taken him to the vet numerous times. One vet gave him a steriod shot and antibiotic, it helped for a month or so and would come back. Another vet told me to treat him with with flea treatment, it worked pretty well, but this seems to come back every year. We have also tried him on a number of vet approved diets. Right now he is on a dry food diet with no cornmeal. Its a natural diet. He has a history of bladder infections.
I have one other cat, that is acting perfectly normal. No signs or symptoms whatsoever. She has never had any symptoms when he has had these outbreaks.
What in the world could it be?
A home treatment, as it seems like mites and infection perhaps, is swab out best possible with mild soap. Then applly baby oil. The oil traps mites and they die, also keep them from biting and moving around. Check daily and use cotton ball to wipe out. Im sure they are tender so he may protest some. and repeat as needed. Perhaps first trim cats nails , hook area only . The itching makes him scratch and irritate ears. You can use same antibotic sab like Neosporin we use for first aid on scabs.
I also suggest perhaps a vit supplement for cats, check pet supply at Wal Mart or pet store. Actually as much as you have done for cat in vet care Im surprised vet has not been able to cure him.
I put in cat ear infection on research and got long list from natural to even ask the vet type.
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my experiences, sites for cat ear infection
I share your concern. I had a similiar problem with my baby boy blue, every summer. He would scratch his ears, and neck and patches of fur would come flying off. Then of course, with all that scratching (I felt so sorry for him), he would get little patches of scabs and scratch more. What I ended up doing is getting some stop itch spray from the local pet store, along with some medicated shampoo. Now he didn’t like the bath, but I gave him several baths making sure he stayed warm. He didn’t like the spray either, so I ended up putting it on a sponge/rag to administer. It seemed like the heat was a part of the outbreak. I did that every day for several weeks, but it would come back each summer. I don’t have my baby boy blue any longer, but I wish you well with treatments of love and care, you sound like a beyond lovable cat lover to me. When I am ready, I am thinking about getting two kitties, more to love you know. I probably was not much help, but that is my story.
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U and my Pug has the same problem………..Very Weird………….lol
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Take him to a vet. My cat had the same symptoms and died because it turned out that she had feline luchimia and caught it from the rug being dirty from something that we couldnt find out. I am concerened also I hope he will be ok.
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It could be an allergy to a plant or something that he is rubbing up against if you have any on your porch, which would be why your other cat may not be getting it.
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There are also certain types of mange that are not contagious that they would do a simple skin scrape at the vet to test for. You should also test to make sure your boy cat is not getting something that your girl cat isn’t getting because of a weakened immune system from FIV or FLV. Something like ringworm or mites would surely be contagious to your girl cat no matter what so you would have known if that was the case.
Depending on where you live, it may be something as simple as dandruff caused by dry heat.
Good luck…hope you figure it out soon so he doesn’t have to suffer anymore
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it is allergies mine has the same thing , you can get some allergy meds from vet they not expensive at all, the vet tells me that it is three things they are usually allergic to and that is fleas food and environment usually all three, a bit of , change the food to non dye food , such as halo , or wellness diet plan, or you can do like me and give him or her regualr tuna , but make sure it is tuna in sprng water, as far as dry food goes ,i would get the wellness or the halo dry cat food for it, and also if you can get the cat to take benadryl but only a childs half tablet that will work also but i take him to the vet and get the allergy meds , lol the vet said try benadryl and he acted as though he has rabies foaming at the mouth and mad at me , you can also give the cat herbal allergy meds as well , echinacea drops are good for illnesses , but not allergies , good luck with your cat i know how you feel
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