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My cat’s nose is dry. Should I be concerned?

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cat

My cat’s nose is dry. Should I be concerned?

Cat owners frequently ask if a dry, warm nose means their cat is sick. The short answer is no. A healthy cat’s nose can vary between wet and dry several times over the course of a day. And there are many reasons your cat can have a dry, warm nose that have nothing to do with health. Here are a few:

  • Lying in the sun
  • Spending time near a source of heat
  • Dwelling in a room with poor air circulation
  • Licking — saliva quickly dries on skin

Things to look out for

There are some things your cat’s nose can tell you about its health though. If your cat’s nose is cracked and there are scabs or open sores on it, your cat may have a skin problem and you should take her to the vet to have it checked out. If you know your cat is sick, her nose might be dry due to dehydration.

When examining your cat’s nose, another thing to look out for is nasal discharge. If your cat’s nose does run, the mucus should be clear. If she is producing bubbly, thick, yellow, green or even black mucus you should certainly have her checked by a veterinarian.

Source: Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Household Objects Can Be Dangerous for Dogs

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Objects

Household Objects Can Be Dangerous for Dogs

Dogs explore their world by tasting and chewing and as a result, they may swallow foreign objects that can potentially make them sick. Although some objects may be small enough to swallow and pass through the digestive tract with minor consequences, others may get stuck or do damage at some point—in the mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach or intestines and time is of the essence.

Recently, a dog came through to our animal hospital with a canned tin lodged in his mouth, after attempting to lick into the tin to get the last bits of food. The dog was sedated and examined. The opening of the lid had lacerated the dog’s tongue, however due to timeous and appropriate treatment the tongue was thankfully able to be salvaged. With a few days of medical care and hospitalisation, the dog was able to go home with its tongue intact.

Help! My dog ate an aluminium can. What should I do?

If your dog eats something sharp and pointy, such as cooked chicken bones, or a tasty canned tin that he found digging through the waste, you’ll want to prevent further damage by taking them to your nearest vet as soon as possible. Anything a dog swallows can be dangerous and can kill them, so it’s important to go to the vet as soon as possible. Attempting to treat your dog at home could have irreversible consequences.

Objects

Tips for Preventing Your Dog from Eating Dangerous Household Objects

Although it’s almost impossible to stop dogs from putting things in their mouths, here are some preventive measures you can take:

  • Always supervise your dog while they’re chewing on toys or treats.
  • Avoid keeping moisture-swollen (well-chewed) dog chews around your home that can break apart easily.
  • Be diligent in picking up items like socks and underwear.
  • Remove large pips from fruit and dispose of them safely.
  • Take away chew toys and natural chews before they reach a size small enough to fit fully inside your dog’s mouth.
  • Don’t leave dog toys lying around when you are not home to supervise.
  • Place your waste in places that they cannot rummage through to avoid them from ingesting foreign objects.

Our SPCA Animal Hospital in Grassy Park offers affordable rates for pet owners who can’t afford the services of private vets. The cost of treatment will depend on your income.

In the event of an emergency, your sick and/or injured pet can be brought to the hospital between 8am and 4pm weekdays.

Our hospital can be contacted on 021 700 4145 or email hospital@spca-ct.co.za

Source: Cape of Good Hope SPCA 

Cat Cold – What to Do

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Cat Cold – What to Do

Tips for cat owners: how to help your feline friend recover

 

Colds – Triggers and symptoms
The common cold in cats describes diseases of the upper respiratory tract, the symptoms of which are usually caused by a virus or bacteria.1,2 Feline patients show similar signs of illness to humans with a cold, such as sneezing, sniffling, watery eyes, a runny nose and mild fever.3

How do cats catch a cold?
This primarily happens through infection. Animals that spend a lot of time outdoors and are more likely to meet other cats that are sick are primarily affected as well as house cats that live in close quarters with other cats.

A cat can catch a cold if its immune system is weakened. Immune deficiencies can be inherited or caused by stress, malnutrition, insufficient supply of mother’s milk, toxins, or serious illnesses such as cancer.4 In these cases, the body is unable to fight cold viruses.

The symptoms of a cat with a cold may include the following:

  • sniffles
  • sneezing 
  • nasal discharge
  • blocked nose
  • red, swollen or watery eyes
  • mild fever
  • ulcers on the lips, tongue, nose or oral cavity
  • fatigue
  • loss of appetite
  • increased need for rest and warmth
  • coughing
  • increased salivation

How to care for your sick cat
You can help your furry friend recover by providing a cosy and warm environment and encouraging plenty of rest. Gently clean their nose and eyes with a soft, warm and damp cloth. A humidifier (without essential oils!) can relieve nasal congestion and irritation of the airways.

To strengthen the immune system, you can offer your pet food supplements that are enriched with important nutrients and vitamins among other things.6 Be sure to consult your vet about this.

Under your loving care, your house cat should recover within a few days.

Pay attention to eating and drinking
Depending on the severity of the disease, affected cats tend to eat and drink less because they have problems with their sense of smell and taste.1 Test what wet food your pet still eats and offer it to them warmed up. You need to make sure that your cat continues to eat. You can also mix some water into the food to ensure that your pet does not become dehydrated.

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When a vet should be consulted
Cats with a cold can recover in a short time (approx. 5 – 10). Monitor your pet’s health and overall condition carefully. If you notice little or no improvement or a worsening of the condition within a few days, make an appointment with your vet. It cannot be ruled out that your cat may develop a more serious condition, like pneumonia, for example.7

Pay attention to the following warning signs:

  • Your cat has not eaten for more than 24 hours
  • It is dehydrated because it is no longer drinking or is not drinking enough
  • There is green or yellow discharge from their nose
  • It has breathing difficulties
  • The animal vomits or has diarrhoea that lasts longer than 24 hours
  • Your pet is no longer responsive
  • A word of caution

Never give your cat medicine for humans! Medicines are only given by the vet and only when they are necessary.

Source: FOUR PAWS

Tips for Giving Your Cat Pills & Medications

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Cat

Tips for Giving Your Cat Pills & Medications

Being sick is no fun, especially when you have to take medicine in order to feel better. It’s no different for your furry friends. Whether for an illness or allergies, medicine for cats is sometimes required to improve their health.

Use these helpful tips on how to give your cat a pill to make the process less stressful for both of you, and help get her on her way back to feeling better.

Holding Your Cat

For some cats, simply being held can create stress. Approach your cat carefully, speaking to her in a gentle and soothing voice as you scoop her up. Wrap her in a towel or blanket, fully supporting her legs so they don’t dangle freely, which can make her feel uncomfortable and insecure, Marilyn Krieger shares with Petcha.

How to Give Your Cat a Pill

Medicine for cats usually comes in pill form. With medication in hand, keep this in mind: cats are smart creatures that don’t take kindly to changes in their routine, and they won’t make it easy on you. Unlike your dog, who will happily scarf a pill down in a spoonful of peanut butter, you’ll have to approach your cat in a calm but calculating way.

If you have a cooperative cat, try putting the pill directly in her mouth. Don’t toss the pill into her mouth because you run the risk of a choking hazard (or she’ll just spit it right back out at you). Instead, place it on the center of her tongue near the back of her mouth, then gently rub her throat to encourage the pill to go down, advises the ASPCA Pet Health Insurance. Offer her a fresh bowl of water to wash it down.

The “Meatball”

Another method for how to give your cat a pill requires a stealthier move than putting the medicine into her mouth. Start by hiding the pill in her usual food dish with her usual food. Wet or semi-moist cat food works best, but if your fur baby only eats kibble, you can give her the moist food when she takes the pill, making it an exciting treat.

Another is to hide the pill in a small ball of cat food. This game of hide-and-seek can be played with a pill hidden in her wet food that you form into a ball and present to your kitty as a fun snack.

If your cat refuses the pill in her food, you may be tempted to feed her people food, like tuna, to tempt her. However, many foods can cause gastrointestinal distress in cats. Always check with your veterinarian before giving non-pet food to your kitty.

Cat Food Gravy

If you’re looking for another option for how to give your cat a pill, you may be tempted to try crushing it into a powder form. But, as Animal Planet points out, “unless your vet recommends it, never crush or grind pills to put in food or water. Crushed medication can taste bitter, so your cat won’t get the full dosage.” Always get your vet’s express permission before administering medicine for cats this way.

You can crush the pill between two spoons or consider investing in a pill crusher/cutter at your local pharmacy. This tool makes crushing a little simpler and cleaner, as the medication is contained to the device.

Stir the crushed-up medication in a small portion of cat food gravy, which (hopefully) your kitty will lap up. The strong flavour of the gravy will tone down the gross taste of the pill. Never give your cat medication in milk, since many cats can’t digest dairy. If she refuses a spoonful of gravy, incorporate it into her regular food, either as a special topping for kibble or mixed with wet food.

Liquid Formula

When a cat refuses to take medication or if she can’t eat normally during her illness, the vet may prescribe the medicine in a liquid formula to be administered via syringe. Most forms of liquid medicine need to be kept refrigerated; however, cats are more likely to accept medicine that is at room temperature. Never microwave medication. You can warm it up by holding the syringe in your hand for a few minutes or submerging it in a cup of warm (not hot) water.

As noted earlier, hold your cat in a safe, comfortable way with the syringe in your dominant hand. Allow your kitty to lick the tip of the syringe so she can sample the medicine, then depress slowly on the plunger. Aim the stream of medicine toward the back of her throat, but be careful not to tilt her head back, warns Petful. This could cause her to inhale some of the liquid or choke.

Once the medicine is in her mouth, hold her mouth closed for a bit to make sure she swallows the liquid. Don’t worry if she spits out some of the medicine — it’s common. Even if some ends up on your lap, avoid remedicating her and wait until her next dosage is due.

Eye and Ear Drops

Sometimes, a cat needs to take eye or ear drops, particularly if she has allergies. Just as when you administer a pill or liquid formulas, you’ll need to hold your cat securely to administer them.

For eye drops, recommends Ernest Ward, DVM with the Newport Harbor Animal Hospital, place a hand on the top of the cat’s head (often best to come from above or below their head, rather than straight at their face so they don’t see it coming) “use the last two fingers of the same hand to pull back the upper eyelid. Place your remaining fingers under the cat’s jaw to support the head. The lower eyelid will act as a pouch to receive the drops.” Never touch the cat’s eye with the eye dropper or your fingers.

For ear drops, Dr. Ward says, “gently massage the base of the ear in a circular motion… You should hear a ‘squishing’ sound as you massage the medication deep into the ear canal.” Your cat won’t like either of these methods, but as with all medication for cats, it’s vital to her health

Injections

Certain illnesses, such as diabetes, require pet parents to inject medication under the skin. You’ll benefit from a second set of hands when giving shots, so enlist a helper to keep your pet in place with a towel or firm but gentle grip.

A cat can require a shot in the hip, neck or other site depending on the medication, so ask your vet to show you how and where you should give the injection. You will also need to know if the injection should go into a muscle, vein or a fold of skin. Always use a new needle for each dose and record the time and date of every shot.

After administering medication, give your kitty some extra snuggles. She also may want some alone time, so give her the time and space she needs if she wants to hide for a bit. Never throw a needle in the garbage when you’re finished. Dispose of it in an approved sharps container or bring it to your local pharmacy or veterinarian’s office.

If you suspect your cat is sick, first contact your vet to schedule a checkup and only give your pet the specific medicine prescribed by the doctor. You should never give your cat over-the-counter (OTC) medicines formulated for people (including eye drops), because many of these medications are hazardous to pets. These tips are intended to only be helpful thought starters. You should always have a conversation with your vet on the best course of action for administering medicine to your cat. Additionally, a thorough examination by a vet is the best course of action to correctly diagnose and treat your cat of any illnesses.

Whether it’s a short course of antibiotics or a lifelong means of managing a condition, medicine for cats is sometimes necessary. She may not thank you, but your kitty will be happy to be healthy!

Source: Hill’s Pet Nutrition