Heartworms are a serious threat to all pets and all it takes is one infected mosquito to transfer the disease to your dog or cat via a bite.  Heartworm infection is a common health issue that affects dozens of mammals including ferrets, foxes, various wild animals, and on rare occasion, humans.

It  starts when one mosquito (carrying heartworm larvae) bites an animal and transmits the parasites inside the bloodstream.  Over a period of 2 or 3 months the larvae grows and eventually release more microfilariae, also know as the offspring.  The parasites contribute nothing but take up space in the heart or lungs where they continue to procreate more parasitic worms. The end result is often tragic for most pets as the heartworms will eventually kill the animal if not treated in a timely manner.  Read on further to find how to to prevent and treat heartworms.

The scientific name for the the parasite is Dirofilaria immtis and it affects both dogs and cats, although the latter has a slightly lower risk for the infection. The heartworm parasite usually nests inside the hearts of dogs or lungs of cats.  Oftentimes, it is hard to tell if and when a pet is infected with it because your pet probably won’t exhibit any clinical signs of the illness until the latter stages which can sometimes take 3 years or more. Some of the clinical signs include difficulty breathing, fatigue, and moderate to major weight loss. Of course, these general symptoms are vague and are in no way to indicate that your pet has heartworm. Check with your vet for more information.

If your veterinarian thinks that your pet has the heartworm infection, they will do either a blood test or ultrasound.  The good news is that there are many treatment options available for canines, unfortunately the same cannot be said for cats. Remember that the best thing you can do for your pet (cat or dog) is to put them on prevention medication. Your pet’s veterinarian will probably prescribe a once-a-month pill like Sentinel or Heartguard. Remember to consult your vet before administering any medications to your pet.

This  is one of the handiest pet owners’ references I’ve seen yet. Why?

• It lives up to its title and then some. The “remedies” are not only for medical problems, but for issues like boredom, fears, and the habit of jumping up on you when you come home.
• At 400 pages, it covers the essentials without being thick enough to discourage you.
• The introduction includes a vaccination chart, a list of safe and unsafe medications, and tips on everything from choosing your pet to pet-proofing the house.
• Topics are listed alphabetically, from acne to wounds, making them quick and easy to find.
• Plenty of experts have contributed to it — including some I’ve consulted for my own articles.
• The articles on sickness and injury have “When to see the vet” boxes. After all, home remedies can only go so far.
• Many articles have sections for cats only and for dogs only. After all, giving a cat a bath is not the same thing as giving a dog a bath. (The book doesn’t downplay how hard a cat bath can be, either — “like wrestling barbed wire”.)
• The book advises you to spay and/or neuter your pets — but also shows you how to birth puppies and kittens, if need be. Nobody’s perfect . . .
• The line drawing illustrations are clear and easy to understand.
• My cat liked the cat puzzler I made him following the directions on page 82 (you just cut some holes, big enough for a cat to reach into, in a shallow box and put a small ball inside).

This book is written by the editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books and published by Rodale.

Summer is the season of fun, and its no exception for your pets! Whether it’s taking them out to frolic in the sun or bringing your pet with you on vacation, its very important to keep your best friend’s safety in mind. Read below for a few tips to keep in mind.

1- Never Leave A Pet In A Car

You’d never leave a baby or toddler alone in a car on a hot summer day, so why would you do the same to your pet? Because animals are smaller and don’t really sweat the same way people do,  it doesn’t take much for them to suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke.  Also, leaving your pet inside a hot car is considered illegal in many states.

2- Protect Your Pet

Its not always the best idea to let your pet cat outside, but many people do anyway.  So if you must let Fluffy out, take caution and make sure your cat gets a microchip tag.  Your vet can easily implant a microchip tag in your cat’s skin.  If your pet gets lost and winds up in an animal shelter, the people at the shelter can scan your pet for identification information and contact you so you can pick up your pet.  That said, microchip identification shouldn’t be your only source, make sure you get a classic collar with ID tag.

3- Keeping Your Pet Safe During A Vacation

Once you’ve decided on your summer vacation plans, its time to think about your pet. If you have a dog, you’ve got a choice to bring them or leave them, but if you’ve got a cat, your best bet is to leave them home.  If you’ve decided to bring your pet on vacation, make sure you book a pet friendly hotel, and don’t forget to bring the essentials like pet medications and the vet’s emergency number.  If you’re leaving your pet at home, make sure you hire a trustworthy pet sitter or keep your pet in a local kennel. Check to see if your veterinary office has one or could recommend a trustworthy company.

You may have seen the YouTube video of a cat trying to revive another cat who’d just been hit and killed by a car. For pet owners, it’s sad and touching, and it raises questions in our minds: Do our pets understand what’s happening when another pet dies? Do they feel grief?

To both questions, professionals say sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Dr. M. Duffy Jones, an Atlanta vet, says, “They have a strong instinct for individual survival and sometimes that will carry over to other pets or people.” Dr. Jones has seen pets that seem to understand an animal companion has died, and others that don’t understand — or don’t care.

Chris Hamer, a dog behavior consultant, shares a story of death among her own pets:

“We recently were faced with the death of our 17 year old lab. I feel that my other dogs knew that Ember was close to dying . . . I watched the other dogs closely for signs of grief. The human family members were certainly grieving but other than curiosity about Ember’s blanket that she went to the vet on, they didn’t display any unusual behavior.”

She has, however, had clients report grieving in their pets (though this may be a projection of the owner’s feelings onto the animal). Dr. Jones also reports that some animals seem deeply affected by the death of a companion, to the point of getting physically sick — but says this may be a reaction to the owner’s stress and any change in routine. Dogs especially, as we’ve seen before, are very sensitive to the moods of humans. They’ll feel better if the family sticks to its usual schedule as much as possible, though maybe with a little extra playtime for the surviving pet.

So you’ll have to play it by ear if you find yourself and your pets in this situation.

If you own a dog, you’re likely to find yourself dealing with pain medication for it at some point. Sadly, one out of every five adult dogs in the U.S. is affected by arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation reports. Of course, pain and inflammation can also have other causes, like surgery. At times like these, your vet may prescribe Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) to help your dog feel better.

NSAIDS work by blocking the body’s production of prostaglandins, which cause inflammation in response to injury or irritation. There are several of them approved for dogs in the U.S., and the different names they go by can be bewildering, so here’s a list from the Department of Health and Human Services:

* ETOGESIC (etodolac)
* RIMADYL (carprofen)
* METACAM (meloxicam)
* DERAMAXX (deracoxib)
* PREVICOX (firocoxib)
* ZUBRIN (tepoxalin)
* NOVOX (carprofen)

Your vet is likely to use one of these words instead of telling you he’s prescribing an NSAID, so it’s good to be aware of them. As with any prescription, you should take the time to ask the vet what the NSAID is prescribed for, what your dog should avoid while taking it, and what side effects might be.

Side effects, unfortunately, can be an issue. The DHHS says they are mostly mild, but can be serious. You’ll need to stop giving the drug and call your vet if you see any of these symptoms in your dog: Loss of appetite or a change in drinking pattern, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, black waste, a yellow color in the gums, skin, or whites of eyes, or irritation in the skin. It’s probably a good idea to call your vet any time you see one of these symptoms, whether your dog’s on an NSAID or not.

A poster with this information and more is available in pdf here.

Exotic pets being abandoned in the wild – how often does that happen? Who would do a thing like that?

When you realize that most fish sold in pet stores are considered “exotics” – it just means they’re not native to the country – you can see it’s really not an unusual event.

At least 185 exotic fish species have been found in U.S. waters, says the U.S. Geological Survey, and over half of those species got there through “release or escape of aquarium fishes”. Lots of people, apparently, have been slipping their unwanted pet fish into the nearest river or lake.

Most of them probably would never dream of dumping a cat or dog in the wilderness. It seems less cruel, somehow, with fish – but that’s an illusion. Releasing a pet fish is always harmful to it or some other creature.

First, 90% of exotic fish don’t survive after being released, as scientist Paul L. Shafland told the U.S.G.S. They’re stressed and an easy target for predators.

The ones that survive may compete with native fish for food, or even prey on the native fish. They may spread exotic diseases or parasites. They also can contribute to overcrowding, especially if they start breeding (75 exotic species have).

If you need to re-home your fish, search online for “fish rescue”. If there’s no fish rescue society in your area, try these U.S.G.S. suggestions:

· Pet stores
· The local zoo or aquarium
· Schools, nursing homes – even prisons might want the fish.

If your fish is sick, a vet can euthanize it if necessary. You can do this yourself simply by putting it in a container of water in the freezer. The U.S.G.S. says, “Because cold temperature is a natural anesthetic to tropical fishes, this is considered a very humane method of euthanasia.” Still, let’s hope you don’t have to do this!

There’s always a better way than abandonment.

After a $550 bill from the vet – for an exam and tests, not surgery — I began thinking about getting insurance for our cat. (The one that’s legally ours, that is – the other is just living with us in long-term foster care, and has her bills paid by the humane society.)

When I began researching insurance companies, it looked like a good deal – typically about $18 a month for the first level of coverage above “accident only”. That seemed like a small price to pay to avoid another huge bill.

Then I did the math.

$18 a month is $216 a year; we’d be paying that much even if nothing happened to the cat. Then, every insurance plan I checked out had a $200 deductible for illness (less for accidents). So, if we’d had insurance this time, we’d still have to pay at least that much.

Of the other $350, the plan would pay 80%, or $280, leaving us with $70 to pay, for $270 in all.

Add this to the monthly premiums and we’d be paying $486 a year in pet health costs – only $64 less than the original, uninsured bill. Now, I’m not saying that $64 is nothing. But is it worth the effort of getting the insurance, or having one more monthly expense, or carrying one more card around in my wallet? I’m still thinking about it.

Of course, all this is assuming the cat doesn’t have to go the vet again this year. That may seem like a risky assumption, but this was the first time he’d had to go in his whole 4-year life (apart from his neutering, which was covered by his adoption fee). Without insurance, two visits would cost $1100. With insurance, a year with two visits would be only $756 – saving $344.

Insurance may be the best thing to do when our cat is older, but for now, I think we’re going to bank on his staying healthy.

We’ve already discussed how to tell when your cat is stressed, anxious, or depressed, and what to do about it. But, of course, it would be better to prevent the stress in the first place. If it has a physical cause, that may not be possible. Mental stress, however, can be cut down with an enriched environment – and supplying that is not as hard or expensive as it sounds.

Dr. Lorie Huston, a long time vet and writer on pet health, says there are a few things cats need to be able to go about normal cat behaviors. If there is more than one cat in the house, each will probably need its own.

• A hiding place. This is why cats spend so much time under beds and other furniture – they need places where they can feel safe, or just private. Cat beds, open carriers, or even cardboard boxes will work.
• A perch – a high place where the cat can, again, feel safe, and also see what’s going on. He may find his own, somewhere on top of the furniture, or you may prefer to get a cat castle.
• Something to scratch (if you don’t provide this, the cat will start scratching anyway, so . . . ). It’ll sharpen claws and stretch muscles.
• Toys. These help cats feel like the predators they’re made to be. They also provide exercise and a chance for you and your cat to interact – which isn’t always easy with such a solitary animal.
• Food and water they don’t have to fight over. This may mean separate feeding places for each cat.
• An adequate litter box. Of course, it should be clean, large enough, and in a private place. But, if possible, have one more box than the number of cats. This is another thing they don’t like to share.

After losing his dinner a few nights ago, our younger cat began acting strangely – for him. Instead of sitting on the windowsill, mewing to be taken out or played with, he spent all day huddled with the older cat by the heating vent. He wouldn’t touch his food, either.

As I’ve learned through my writing, any behavioral change means a cat should be checked by a vet, so we took him to the animal hospital. I learned a few things in the process:

1. You can’t tell a cat’s body temperature by touch. Ours didn’t feel hot, but the vet’s thermometer showed he had a fever. And, of course, that means infection.

2. “Lethargic” doesn’t necessarily mean “easier to get into the carrier”. Once, about 30 years ago, I saw a listless cat get packed into a carrier without a fight. Most other sick cats, ours included, will spring to life and claw fiercely to avoid going in.

3. Eating mice or birds can make a cat sick. One of the first questions the vet asked – just after asking if the cat ever went outside – was whether it was possible he could’ve eaten a mouse or a bird. (Since he goes outside only on a leash, I thought someone would’ve noticed.) Though prey is most of a cat’s natural diet, it’s not guaranteed to go down easily, any more than “natural” food is guaranteed not to give humans heartburn.

4. If a cat is dehydrated, fixing that will go a long way toward making it feel better. The vet found ours was – maybe his stomach trouble had made him unwilling to drink — and treated it with an injection. The results were almost instantaneous. As soon as we got him home, he went to his food bowl for the first time in two days.

The cat is back to his old self now, though still on antibiotics for a few days. His blood tests came back normal, and everything should be all right for now.

Winterize your pets? Isn’t it enough that they have fur (and maybe a little extra fat this time of year)?

Though nature does equip animals with winter survival gear, there are also some things we can do to make the season a better one for our pets and the other animals around us.

These tips comes from Sheri Bolda, a technician at Ellsworth Veterinary Clinic, on Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota:

• When your pet comes indoors, check its paws for snow, ice, salt, or de-icing chemicals they may have picked up. These can get stuck in the pads, risking frostbite – or sickness, if the animal licks chemicals off its paws.
• If you think your pet does have frostbite, warm it up with a blanket.
• Before driving away, bang on the hood of your car and check underneath. Cats and wild animals sometimes crawl into these spaces to shelter at night.
• Wipe up spilled antifreeze, which tastes sweet but is harmful. If you use the kind with propylene glycol, however, it won’t harm animals that accidentally swallow a small amount.
• Make sure outdoor water bowls don’t freeze over – you can get heated bowls to prevent this.
• Speaking of water, don’t let your pet drink from the Christmas tree stand. That water may contain fertilizer or bacteria.
• Holiday decorations made of real plants – mistletoe, poinsettia, and holly – are dangerous for pets to eat. (Cats especially seem to want a few greens sometimes. Try getting yours some live cat grass.)
• Less well-known: Long, thin objects, like ribbons, can get into an animal’s digestive tract and cause serious problems.
• And, of course, don’t feed the pets table scraps. Get them some pet treats, and keep the turkey, stuffing, and pie for yourselves.