Remember to stay calm and do not panic. Take a few deep breaths before you begin if you are stressed.  Animals will sense your state and will react better t0 you if you are calm.

Safety is the most important thing to remember when dealing with a hurt or stressed animal. Even your beloved, trustworthy companion may try to protect himself if hurt or frightened. Always begin by approaching an injured or sick animal slowly and watch their body language for signs of distress. Further, it is advisable to apply a muzzle before moving an injured animal or working with the affected area. You can purchase cloth muzzles or, with a dog, you can use a slip lead to fashion a temporary muzzle for treatment and/or transport.

Always approach and work from the rear.  To make the safest muzzle possible, slip the lead over the dogs head like you are going to walk him.  With the lead tight, wrap the close (middle) end of the leash around the dog’s muzzle three to five times securely and finally bring the free end of the leash back to the neck so that you can hold the head from behind. You will need someone to keep a hand on such a muzzle to keep this makeshift muzzle secure.

For animals who are stressed or seem shockey, rescue remedy can provide some relief. Mix 4 drops with one ounce of spring water and mix.  You can dose several drops of the mixture in the mouth every 5 minutes as needed.  It is best to mix this before each use or just use one to two drops or rescue remedy straight from the bottle.  Note that rescue remedy tastes better when diluted.  The homeopathic arnica is also useful for trauma and shock.  A 30 c potency works well and can be dosed in the mouth every fifteen minutes or so if needed in the acute situation.

A digital thermometer is always good to have on hand.  A rectal temperature in a dog or cat will normally run between 100 and 102.5 degrees.  Be sure to lubricate the thermometer before inserting.  Lubricating or petroleum jelly works best, but in a pinch, oil from the kitchen will do.

Temperatures over 103 may just be stress or over 104 are highly suspicious for infection or inflammation in the body. Especially if the animal is not feeling well, a trip to the vet may be in order.   Animals with temperatures in the 106 range may be suffering from heat stroke and are critical.  You can try to begin to slowly lower the body temperature with some rubbing alcohol on the feet while on your way to the nearest emergency facility.  Be careful with temperatures this high not to lower the core body temperature too quickly or the animal may go into shock. Thus, be very careful of immersing such an animal in water.  If you do choose to do this, make sure the water is cool but not cold.

On the other side of the scale, temperatures less than 99 degrees may be dangerous as well.  Smaller animals and young puppies and kittens tend to be most susceptible to hypothermia.  In this case, and if you pet is depressed or lethargic, wrap them in a blanket, and/or use hot water bottles or a rice socks to warm them, and again see the veterinarian.  A rice sock is another handy item for a first aid kit.  You make this quite simply by filling an old sock with uncooked rice.  When placed in the microwave, it will heat rapidly and hold heat well.  A rice sock also works well on sore muscles and joints on which you wish to apply heat.  Always check that your sock is not too hot before applying.

Be aware that small dogs or young animals can be prone to hypoglycemia, low blood sugar.? In these animals,  a sudden weakness or disorientation can sometimes be treated with a bit of Karo syrup or honey on the gums or mixed with water for the animal to drink.  For young puppies and kittens or toy breeds treating for hypoglycemia is well worth trying in cases of emergency such as this when you don’t know the cause.

To apply cold to an area of acute inflammation or pain, keep an extra bag of frozen peas in the freezer or make a slurry out of rubbing alcohol and water to keep frozen in a sealed plastic bag as a cold pack.

Boric acid diluted to half strength or an eyebright solution make a good solution to treat irritation in the eye until you can get the situation checked by your veterinarian.  Flush eyes with contact lens saline solution to remove irritants or debris from the surface of the eye.  It is always good to get eyes checked by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Problems such as ulcers or glaucoma can be very serious, but outcomes tend to be better when the situation is identified quickly.

Moving on to items to treat cuts and scrapes, 3% hydrogen peroxide works well to flush a wound.  Note that it is not recommended to use after an initial cleaning or two as it will delay wound healing.  For repeat cleanings, I recommend a chlorhexiderm solution or scrub rinsed with water.? To decrease the chances of infection,?apply an antibiotic cream two to three times daily after cleaning.? Goldenseal or Calendula ointments can be found at?your local?health food store.

If excessive bleeding is a problem, be sure to apply direct pressure with a sterile or clean 4×4 gauge pad and elevate the body part above the level of the heart if possible. Slippery elm powder can be applied to wounds and will serve both to keep the wound edges fresh and help with healing.  It can help remove toxins locally as well as reduce pain and inflammation.  It makes a wonderful medical dressing for wounds, boils, abscesses and burns.  On an active bleed, you can apply the powder directly to mix with the blood or better, make a paste with water and apply to the affected area.  Another option to use on scrapes and burns is a mixture of sugar and iodine.  The sugar will help keep flesh viable and healthy while the iodine prevents infection.  Vomiting and diarrhea are common problems faced commonly by pet owners.  These signs can be caused by anything from inflammation to infection, a foreign body, parasites or cancers.? The most common cause, however, tends to be “garbage gut” or dietary indiscretion.  With vomiting, it is generally recommended to hold off food for 12-24 hours.  Be sure to replace lost fluids with water or an electrolyte solution like pedialyte.  If your pet can not even keep fluids down, consider a visit to the vet.

To induce vomiting, 3% hydrogen peroxideagain comes into play.  1 tablespoon per ten pounds can be given every 15 minutes for several doses.  Animals should not be made to vomit certain things so check with your veterinarian or poison control for direction before proceeding.  The number for animal poison control is 1-800-548-2423 and should be kept handy.  They do charge for these calls and you will need a credit card number.

In cases of diarrhea, also remember to replace fluids.  Natural kaolin and pectate can certainly help ease diarrhea temporarily but beware of the new Kaopectate formulation as it contains asprin, which can be dangerous to dogs and must be avoided in cats unless under veterinary direction.  A more natural and safer alternative is slippery elm powder. 1/4 to 1/2 capsule twice daily can be used for cats and small dogs.  For larger dogs, 1 to 2 capsules twice daily are recommended.  You can open these capsules and mix them with water, an electrolyte solution or a little yogurt with active cultures to dose.  A natural yogurt or probiotic solution will help regenerate a healthy population of of intestinal flora and can regulate diarrhea or help prevent it in cases where antibiotics are being given.? Be sure in cases of GI upset, vomiting or diarrhea, to see your vet if your pet appears ill or the condition has be ongoing for more than 24 hours.

Always err on the side of caution and get your animal checked by your veterianrian if you are ever in doubt of what you should do.  This information is in no way meant as a substitute for proper veterinary care. 

With prolonged deficiencies of taurine, cats can develop central retinal degeneration,resulting in blindness.  Dilated cardiomyopathy is another real risk.  In this condition, the heart dilates, its walls become thinner and weaker, making the heart less effective and resulting in a form of heart failure.

It is considered fact at this point that cats do require taurine.  It is even fairly widely agreed upon that cats should consume 1000mg (1 gm) or taurine per 2.2 lbs of food.  The discussion begins with the question - Is my cat getting enough with the diet that I am feeding??

It turns out that this question is more difficult to answer than might at first be thought.  We know that taurine is supplied almost exclusively by meat and seafood.  Vegetables contain little to no measurable taurine as a group. Taurine is broken down by heat, thus, cooking meat will destroy over half to maybe 2/3 of the taurine that was available raw.  It is difficult to calculate the amount of taurine actually supplied by a particular diet given the variables- baking vs boiling meat results in losing different amounts of taurine, meat from the chicken leg has much more taurine than that from the breast, and the list of variables goes on and on.

To give you an idea of the amount of taurine in foods, I will provide this list but please understand, these numbers are not concrete.

beef muscle 10 mg/oz raw 1.7mg/oz cooked

beef liver 5.5 mg/oz raw  

lamb13.5 mg/oz raw         3.6mg/oz cooked

chicken 9.5mg/oz raw      2.3mg/oz cooked

fish  36mg/oz raw

shrimp 48mg/oz raw

nutritional yeast 30mg/tablet or 1/2 teaspoon

Given the inexact science behind figuring these numbers  and the known dangers of under-feeding this essential amino acid to cats, I do recommend supplementing taurine in cats who are on a homemade diet.  For most cats, I find that 75-100 mg of taurine per day is about right, although for some cats, I have seen this number climb close to 300 mg per day.  Taurine is not stored by cats and would be very difficult to overdose.  Many times you will find that you are dosing a “pinch” given the capsule size you are able to find.  This approximating approach should work just fine.  With taurine and cats, a little excess is definitely preferable to not quite enough.

 Happy feeding.

Bus having been lying on his back for surgery will benefit from chiropractic adjustments.

I’m going to start at the head and feel him chiropractically to make sure he’s doing okay.

An adjustment with these guys is not hard to do, and will correct the imbalance.

Chiropratic is a very low force adjustment. Most dogs and cats don’t mind at all.  It’s very rare for pets to get upset. The dogs and cats who receive chiropractic adjustments dont need to held in place. Most dogs and cats even start to like it…once they learn what’s going on. Most pets actually get better and better as this go on. 

Bus has never been treated before this is the first time I have performed chiropractic adjustments on him.

Technicallythe term chiropractic can only be applied when referring to humans. Thus, chiropractic is a term which does not technically exist within the field of veterinary medicine. While the term cannot be used, however, the art of chiropractic care is most definitely alive and well within veterinary medicine. To get around the semantics, we refer to chiropractic work on animals as spinal manipulation. So these terms can be considered are one in the same.

Lets complicate things further and look at veterinary orthopedic manipulation (VOM). This is a technique which uses a chiropractic activator- a high velocity, low force instrument- to affect an adjustment. This is a valid method of adjustment which some animals actually find preferable to manual hands on manipulation. I personally have an activator which I use on occasion. The difference between using the activator as a chiropractor would and using it as one would when preforming VOM is vast. I have taken the VOM weekend course to see what this technique was and I did gain some insights. This method, as taught, however, is unrefined and very nonspecific. You are not taught to feel misalignments and correct only those areas which have problems. Furthermore, no attempt is make to even begin to instruct students how to direct the applied forces so that you can use the least amount of force to affect your desired adjustment. I have seen results in using VOM as taught, but for my dog, I would consider it a poor cousin to a true chiropractic adjustment.

I do not doubt that veterinarians offering VOM services are doing so with the best of intentions and that many of their patients are benefiting. That said, I worry that not enough has been taught to make these practitioners aware of the need for caution in their treatments. As a pet owner it is your responsibility to be aware what is being offered to you so that you can make informed choices for your pet.

According to Eastern medicine, when an animal is healthy, there is a strong and even circulation of energy, life-force, or Chi which runs along well defined channels on the body surface and deeper within the body cavities.  These channels are called meridians.  These meridians are associated with internal organs, muscular and joint structures, and the nervous system.  Acupuncture points lie within the meridians, and are areas from which the flow of Chi can be influenced.  Thus influencing the associated organs, joints and the like.

For those who prefer to look at this from a more scientific point of view, we can shift and assess acupuncture from a western viewpoint.  Specific acupuncture point stimulation has been shown to produce many measurable results within the body.  These include increasing oxygenation and blood supply to areas treated; aiding in production of endogenous cortisone and other anti-inflammatory substances; releasing internally produced pain killers such as endorphins; and improving immunity by increasing white blood cell and antibody production.

Check out the Recommended Products section for more information on Juice Plus for pets.

Ahhh the dreaded flea.

Know your enemy

By the time you can identify fleas on your pet, it is likely that your home is already infested.  While adult fleas reside on your pets, the earlier life stages of the fleas live and grow in your carpets, pets’ bedding, etc.  A single female flea can lay 10 to 50 eggs per day and upwards of 2000 eggs in her lifetime.  Thus one adult flea can literally lead to an infestation of tens of thousands.  Only 1% of the flea population will actually live on your pets which leaves the other 99% lurking in your house and yard in various live stages.  The adult female will lay eggs on your pet, who will then act something like a salt shaker, spreading the eggs in the house.  The larval stage will emerge within 1 to 10 days.  The flea will remain in this stage for 5 to 11 days.  This stage is the period of vulnerability where you can kill the juvenile pest.  Next the flea will spin a cocoon where they will safely rest for one day to six months.  During this stage your only hope is to vacuum or wash bedding where the cocoon lies.  The flea will remain in the protective cocoon until conditions are right and then emerge to begin the life-cycle all over again..

Now you understand why flea bombs or one time sprays and treatments do not work to rid you of your problem.  These products only kill the adult and larval stages of the flea population leaving 8 to 10% of the population to later emerge from their cocoons and then we begin again.

 Treatment options

Treatment options vary widely.  There are a number of effective chemical flea treatments these days and generally they are much less toxic than the older organophosphate type treatments.  Many of these newer treatments work in ways that are specific to fleas and will not affect mammals (dogs,cats,people).  That said, side effects are seen and recognized with all of these treatments and many people continue looking for alternatives. 

Arming Your Pet for Battle

Let me first begin with a note that healthier animals DO repel fleas better and lets further this by recognizing that nutrition is the foundation for health.  Efforts to improve your pet”s nutrition and supplement with a vitamin, preferably a whole food supplement such as Juice Plus can help your pet repel these pests and greatly reduce your chances for re-infestation in the future.  Some supplements of particular value when fighting fleas include Fatty acid supplements to improve your pet’s skin and hair coat, Probiotics and Digestive enzymes to help your pet make the most of his meal, Garlic and Brewers yeast will make your pet “less tasty”. 

Of course this will not fix your immediate problem so let,s continue…

The Battle Begins

There are numerous natural treatments for fleas.  I will try to talk about some of the more reliable options that are out there.  Generally, when treating for fleas, you need to think of both killing the adults that are on your pets and also the younger life stages that live in your house.  As I mentioned earlier, the pupal stage that exists in your home is sheltered in a cocoon and is almost indestructible.  To complete eradication, you need to encourage these pupa to hatch by increasing the temperature in the house and allowing the animals to move around freely.   Both heat and exhaled carbon dioxide will stimulate hatching.  These young adults, ready for their first blood meal, will quickly jump on your pets and can then be killed.

The Battle in the Home

In the home, begin simply by washing all bedding that the pets sleep on and thoroughly vacuuming the house.  You can put moth balls or borax in the vacuum cleaner bag or better yet dispose of the bag outside immediately after vacuuming.  A safe cleaning solution for surfaces in the house can be made with  1 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 cup distilled water, 5 to 10 drops lavender, and 5 to 10 drops peppermint oil.  Finally, at night, set up flea traps in areas needed.  To do this you need a bright night light or a table lamp placed on the floor.  Place shallow bowls of soapy water around the lights.  The fleas will be stimulated to hatch out and come to the heat of the light and will die in the water baths.  This will work most effectively if there is not another heat source in the room- animal or other. 

Boric acid is a very effective way to treat the home.  Boron is generally considered safe with at least limited exposure.  What I consider Flea Busters signature product is a borate powder to spread throughout the home.  They claim it is 33% less toxic than regular boric acid.  This works by drying, or desiccating, the younger life stages of the flea.

The Battle on your Pet

Topically, a simple bath in any soap will kill many of the fleas on your pet.  Follow this up with a good flea combing to brush out the remaining slowed or stunned fleas.  I often recommend Neem shampoos.  The neem seed is generally considered safe although there are reports of neurologic toxicity when infants and young children have ingested neem products.  There are also neem sprays and powders that you can use to kill those fleas who linger or hatch out after the bath.

Dips made with 3 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar per gallon of water are sometimes helpful.  I have also had clients use a solution of 1% hydrogen peroxide saturated with borate powder.  Other people use Avon Skin So Soft at a concentration of 2 oz per quart of water to use to dip or spray.

Dr. Pitcairin  recommends making a flea powder with one part each eucalyptus, rosemary, fennel, yellow dock, wormwood and rue.  Use as many of these as you can find, put them in a shaker bottle and apply liberally as needed.

Many people like to use essential oils to treat fleas naturally.  PLEASE remember that natural does not automatically translate to safe.  Sassafrass and Pennyroyal oils have both shown efficacy in killing fleas but both can cause skin irritation and pennyroyal oil can cause liver and neurologic damage and can even be deadly when ingested.  What ever you put on your pet topically, you shouldexpect to be consumed as your pet licks and cleans himself.

Orally you can dose garlic safely at 1 clove per 40# per day for most animals.  Do be aware that garlic in excess can be toxic to dogs and cats and please check with your veterinarian to be sure that this dose would be safe for your pet.  1/2 teaspoon of brewers yeast per day can be dosed to cats.  1 teaspoon per day for a small dog up to 2 heaping teaspoons per day for a large dog.

The Battle in the Yard

The yard can be a source of re-infestation, so do not forget to address this as well.  Squirrels and other hosts are constantly spreading flea eggs where ever they roam.  To begin, keeping the yard free of debris will help.  Even a thorough watering can drown the larval stages.  Using a nematode product is another non-toxic method to explore.  Sold commercially as Flea Busters nematodes, Interrupt and Flea Halt, these products are quite effective.  These nematodes have wonderful appetites and love to help you clear your yard of juvenile fleas.  Many people also spread diatomaceous earth on their lawns.  Be careful to limit exposure to the dust when applying.

Chemical Treatments

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you need some help from science.  One of the breakthroughs of the newer flea control medications is that one product will affect both the adult population on the animal and also the earlier life stages living in the house.  Of these products, I find Advantage to be the safest and most effective option.  I am by no means suggesting that Advantage is a natural product or that it is without side effects.  That said, many of my clients have not been able to win the battle naturally or are looking for an easier way to treat fleas that is not too toxic and Advantage seems to fit the bill.  Given busy schedules and lives, regular pet bathing and more extensive house treatments may not be an option or just may not be working for you.  If this is the case in your situation, do not fret.  Try to minimize applications.  For those living with animals who do not have severe flea allergies, I often recommend waiting until you see the first signs of fleas to treat. Treat with chemicals when things get out of hand and try to use the more natural means to decrease your dependence on chemicals.

Lets begin by looking at the different causes of allergies and discuss the ways in which these can be diagnosed. General treatment recommendations will be given when possible, but given the difficult nature of these conditions, treatments often need to be individual patient based to be effective.

Allergies can be to fleas, food or the environment. All of these conditions can look very similar to each other as well to other disease processes that affect the skin. A veterinarian should be consulted to be sure that your pet does not have mites, an infection, or other diagnosable problem before concluding that allergies are the culprit. Keep in mind that even for a proficient veterinarian, diagnosis can sometimes be harder than you would imagine. These conditions are not mutually exclusive, and often a bacterial infection is actually caused by an underlying problem such as allergies.

This is not to say the skin problems can not be adequately diagnosed. There are often differences in the history or in the pattern of itch that is suggestive of one cause of disease or another, and with a good history and exam your veterinarian will be well on the way to determining the cause of your pet’s discomfort. For example, inhalant allergies in dogs (allergies caused by pollens, trees, molds or grasses) tend to be seasonal and often include itchy feet and ear infections as part of the history. Cats do not seem to suffer as much from inhalant allergies as do their canine counterparts. Flea allergies tend to concentrate around the tail base and stomach in dogs and often cats as well. Finally, with food allergies, you see year round problems which may show signs predominantly around the mouth, ears and anus.

I do encourage clients to work up the cause of the allergy. If an allergen can be identified, a change in environment or husbandry can improve the situation and certainly changing the diet is far simpler and better for your pet than forever fighting an allergy to the chicken you feed each day. Different allergies will need to be diagnosed in different ways. For example inhalant allergies can be readily diagnosed by a blood test while food allergies require a diet trial. Common food allergens in animals include protein sources such as meat and dairy as well as corn and wheat to name a few. A hypoallergenic food trial which lasts two to three months may be needed to determine whether a diet change may result in improvement in the skin condition. This diet needs to contain ingredients that the animal has not eaten before and thus has not had a chance to develop and allergy to. This food is most likely going to need to be homemade or purchased as a prescription food as most “lamb and rice” type formulas that you find in the pet store will have other ingredients in them which could invalidate your diet trial. Please note that food allergies can not be accurately diagnosed by blood tests. Many of these tests are available but are of little to no diagnostic value.

One last note regarding food. There are many animals whose conditions improve dramatically when taken off of processed food and are put on homemade. These changes may take a while to notice or may be almost immediate. I regularly see patients with frustrating skin problems who show such improvement.

Flea allergies are usually diagnosed by history, observation of the pattern of itch and finding evidence of fleas. Often this is seen as “flea dirt” which is actually flea excrement. This excrement does in fact resemble dirt. If you are unsure, you can be differentiate flea dirt from garden dirt by placing a small amount on a white cloth or towel and then wetting the dirt and towel. Flea dirt well run red onto the towel as it is actually digested blood.

There are numerous ways to combat fleas naturally. See post on Fighting fleas naturally. These methods do, however, tend to be more labor intensive and may prove insufficient to eradicate a stubborn flea problem. Of the pharmaceutical products out there, I find advantage to be the safest and most effective. This product is designed to kill fleas on the animal and, when the treated pet sheds skin cells it will kill younger life stages in the house as well.

NOTE:Finding evidence of fleas can be especially difficult on cats. They tend to be fastidious groomers and can also have severe, body wide, reactions to even one flea.

Inhalant allergies can be readily diagnosed by a simple blood test. The difficulty comes after diagnosis. Some of my clients choose to try allergy injections which can work effectively in about 60% to 65% of animals in my experience. In other animals, treatment involves detoxification, improving the quality of the animal’s diet, boosting the immune system with acupuncture and supplements, and using Chinese herbs to both control the symptoms and help the animal become less reactive to the allergen. This is a long term process. These problems have often been ongoing for years and have been driven deeper still into the body by masking signs with the “anti” system of repeated doses of anti-biotics and anti-inflammatories. Animals treated naturally, will see their allergy reactions becoming less severe year after year as they work toward “health”.

A daily diet should consist of four parts protein to one- two parts carbohydrates

This diet can be fed raw or lightly cooked depending on your cat and situation. Be sure never to feed any animal cooked bones. Always chop finely or blenderize raw vegetables to break down cell walls and make them digestible for your feline friend.

One part of protein is equal to

2 oz meat or fish

1 medium egg

1/2 cup yogurt- note that 1/2 cup of yogurt counts as 1 unit of carbohydrate as well

1/3 cup cottage cheese- note that 1/3 cup of cottage cheese counts as 1 unit of carbohydrate as well

2 oz organ meat-you can feed up to one unit of organ meat several times a week if desired.

Carbohydrates

You will need to feed 1 to 2 units of carbohydrates per day

One part of carbohydrate is equal to

1 cup vegetables such as-broccoli, brussel sprouts, greenbeans, peas, cabbage, spinich, squashes

1/2 cup fruits such as-melons, berries, bananas, tomatoes, apples. Also carrots at 1/2 cup.

1/4 cup cooked beans, lentils or chick peas

1/3 cup of grains such as-oatmeal or barley can be added if you wish. These are the best of the grain type carbohydrates for a cat but note that grains in general are the least favorable type of carbohydrate. Try to limit or avoid these carbohydrates if your cat allows . Whole wheat pasta or brown rice are other options although not preferred.

Supplements

1/2 teaspoon bone meal

multivitamin for cats- whole food source is preferred.  Your cat should be supplemented with 50-100 mg of taurine per day depending on the size of cat.  Meat loses much of its taurine content when cooked. Check your multi to see if it is supplied or if you need an additional supplement.

500-1000 mg fish oil

antioxidant as directed for felines

Please note that this diet will not be adequate or appropriate for all cats. Be sure to check with your veterinarian before begining this or any other new diet for your cat.