Yesterday we discussed the signs and symptoms of feline asthma, a breathing disorder that affects nearly 800,000 domestic cats. Learning what to watch for that can signal feline asthma is great and all, but how do you treat it once your cat has been diagnosed? Today, Dr Carol shares her wisdom on treatment and maintenance for cats with feline asthma.

True asthma generally responds quickly to medications that are designed to open up the airways and block allergic reactions. Severe asthma attacks may require oxygen therapy be administered. In some cases where bacterial infections are present antibiotics may be prescribed to restore your cat to optimum health as soon as possible.

In an emergency situation, an injection of epinephrine can reverse a severe feline asthma attack within approximately 15 minutes. Though a bit slower acting, turbutaline is another medication that can open the cat’s airways in approximately 30 minutes. Corticosteroids are often relied up in less severe feline asthma attacks. These drugs work within 48 hours and the results typically last for ten to 14 days.

Long-term management of feline asthma is geared toward reducing the likelihood of future attacks while developing and using a treatment plan to control attacks that do occur. Just as parents maintain an adequate supply of asthma medications for their human children who are diagnosed with asthma, pet parents must also maintain a supply of medication to treat their feline asthma stricken family members.

To reduce the likelihood of feline asthma attacks, consider the following tips:
* Reduce indoor allergens by using an air purifier;
* Use dust-free kitty litter when possible;
* Avoid using  odor-controlling sprays;
* Don’t smoke or allow smoking in your home;
* Avoid allowing your pet outside during high pollen times;
* Clean your cat’s bedding frequently during allergy season.

Dr.Carol Osborne, DVM, is a pioneer in pet anti-aging medicine and longevity research for dogs and cats. From her research, she has developed and patented a 6 step revolutionary approach to pet health and wellness that optimizes longevity in dogs and cats and offers up to a 30% increase in healthy pet life spans.

For more information about your pets potential longevity bookmarkwww.carolonpets.com.

It is estimated that over 800,000 domestic cats suffer from feline asthma – is your cat one of these statistics? Feline asthma is a respiratory disorder that can range from mild to severe in the cat population. Could your cat be suffering from symptoms of feline asthma without you recognizing the disorder?

A chronic respiratory disease, the most common symptom of feline asthma is wheezing, or difficulty breathing. Allergies and stress are two potential triggers for wheezing episodes. Pollen, mold, and dust particles are often the most common allergen triggers found outdoors while perfumes, tobacco smoke, and dust from litter boxes and cleaning products contribute from within the home.

Signs and symptoms of feline asthma include:

* Coughing similar to that which typically produces a hair-ball, only no hair-ball is expelled;

* Wheezing;

* Shortness of breath;

* Changes in breathing patterns – breathing may be rapid or slow, but occurs with difficulty;

* Open mouth breathing.

If you believe that your cat may be suffering from feline asthma, seek the advice of your veterinarian. Feline asthma is a disorder which can be treated successfully with many cats living a normal life span; however, one severe asthma attack in your pet can end his life if not treated promptly.

Stay tuned .. tomorrow we will be discussing feline asthma treatments and long-term management of this condition.

Holistic veterinarian and researcher, Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM is available for pet health care consultations and pet health questions.

Call Dr. Carol’s office toll free at 1-866-372-2765 to make an appointment for your pet.

Yesterday we discussed causes of pet allergies and signs that you pet may be having an allergic reaction. Today, let’s look at what you can do to make your pet more comfortable if you believe your dog or cat has allergies.

When a food allergy is suspected, an elimination diet is most effective to detect the offensive food.  Hypoallergenic diets are indicated once the diagnosis is confirmed and are easily made at home; they are also available commercially.

• Hyposensitization is one of the best treatment options for allergies like pollen and mold that cannot be avoided.  Hyposensitization involves giving injections of small amounts of the actual allergen.  These allergy shots are dosed and given in increasing increments weekly or biweekly.  The goal is to stimulate the body to become immune or less sensitive to the allergen.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• High doses of Vitamin C can help reduce itching and antibiotics may be indicated to treat secondary bacterial infections. Weekly bathing with hypoallergenic oatmeal-based shampoos and using leave-on after-shampoos moisturizers with aloe vera and alpha-keri or Dermalustre help decrease skin irritation and are in this veterinarians experience one of the most effective and least costly options for allergic pet owners.  Omega 3 fatty acid supplements found in Salmon oil, along with the minerals Selenium and Zinc, the Antioxidant Vitamins A, C and E along with Bioflavanoids help to improve dry, flaky skin and hair coats. Consider all-natural, patented products like Paaws Pet Vitamins or VitaLife Pet Supplements, both of which contain all these vital nutrients and many more.

• Comprehensive, all-natural, balanced nutritional vitamin supplements, made in the USA, such as PAAWS andVitaLife that are designed for pets and cats, specifically based on their size and age help to boost overall immunity and have proven to reduce the incidence of allergic out breaks and itching by over 80 percent.

• For ongoing flea problems, monthly flea products such as Revolution,  Advantage and Frontline available through your veterinarian and over the counter and are generally  effective to prevent flea infestations.

Chlorpheniramine Maleate is a mild antihistamine available as a 4mg tablet that is both inexpensive and effective to help relieve itching in dogs and cats.

Environmental Allergen Control for Pets

Consider removing as many potential allergens from your pet’s environment and body as possible.

Distilled drinking water, available for example at Wal-Mart and K-mart for ~0.79 cents a gallon is just PURE water. It is helpful and far superior to bottled, tap and spring water. Distilled water contains no fluoride, which is another common pet allergen. Distilled drinking water also does not contain arsenic, cadmium, lead or mercury; all toxic chemicals found in FDA “allowable amounts” in tap, spring and bottled water. These chemicals are as harmful for pets as they are for people.

Pet food safety today presents pet owners and vets with a myriad of dilemmas. Aside from the offers high price tags, tainted food is being recalled by the FDA on a daily basis. Recent pet food issues involve bacterial contamination primarily with salmonella and/or E-coli, both of which can lead to explosive diarrhea that can be life threatening. Contamination also exists with toxic chemicals such as  melamine and/or glutamic acid – both of which were cited in the 2007 Menu pet food recall. These two chemicals caused pets to initially suffer with acute kidney failure after which thousands died.  It is relevant for dog and cat owners to understand that the same chemical, glutamic acid, was and is still approved by the FDA as a legally allowed pet food additive. Why you ask?…….to artificially raise the protein content of dog and cat food without adding any real protein at all!!  This year, the Nutro pet food recall was responsible for causing epileptic seizures and pancreatitis in an undisclosed number of pets and several died. Many of the pets that managed to live through the pancreatitis later developed diabetes as a result.

The vast majority of pet food commercially available today unfortunately offers innocent pet owners big price tags loaded with “empty” label claims.

Today’s pet food marketing campaigns cost multimillions of  dollars. Their new “natural” and “premium” pet diet names along with their fancy dog and cat food labels and colorful packaging look quite impressive. However, spending hard earned dollars to feed pets ”slaughter house floor scraps, inedible for human consumption” doesn’t make any sense at all to this veterinarian. What’s even worse is the recent surge of articles being spread all over the internet about “people foods toxic to pets.” This is simply more “marketing hype” developed by publicists hired by the pet food companies specifically geared to scare pet owners away from  making home-made pet meals for their dogs or cats. Why? So the pet food manufacturers protect their bottom line…pet food sales and revenue! Pet owners now not only fear inadvertently adding a toxic ingredient to their pet’s meals, but, in addition, how can they be sure their pets home-made meals are “balanced”?  As a result, loads of loving pet owners are educating themselves and many have found that home-made diets are not only safe and healthy, but are also economical.  In addition, balancing your dog and/or cat’s home-made meal can be as easy as adding a natural, balanced vitamin supplement like Paaws or VitaLife!

Making carbohydrate or “grain free” home-made meals for those pet owners who feel that “carbs” aggravate pet allergies is also as easy as ABC! Half of your pets home-made allergy diet would consist of lean protein. Sources could include: chicken, turkey, beef, duck, venison, or fish such as salmon. The other half of your pet’s grain free anti-allergy diet would consist of fresh vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans, string beans, spinach or carrots are all fine and may be available right in your own garden. Simply cook the ingredients any way you prefer: broiling, boiling, steaming, frying, baking, or grilling.  Mix the lean protein and vegetables all together and cut into bite sized pieces. Finicky feline cat owners can puree the diet in a blender.  Next, add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Why? Extra virgin olive oil enhances the smell and taste of your pet’s home-made meal and is a great natural source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. Finally, remember pets like food that smells good. So season it up!  The top three seasonings most dogs and cats enjoy are barbecue sauce, pasta sauce, or Tamari sauce. (Tamari sauce is the brown sauce Chinese carry out comes in. Most local grocery stores carry Low-Sodium Tamari sauce for about a dollar a bottle.)

For pet owners who are not against adding carbohydrates to their pets diet, choose long acting carbohydrates, Choices include any kind of rice, potatoes, pasta, macaroni, or oatmeal. Your pet’s diet would then consist of 1/3 lean protein, 1/3 long acting carbohydrates and 1/3 fresh vegetables. For example, a nice diet could be a fresh chicken breast (lean protein), a sweet potato (long acting carbohydrate), and green beans might be your choice for the vegetable.

Dr. Carol’s Tip: Avoid frozen and canned vegetables. Both are very high in sodium which most pets do not need. Fresh vegetables are a source of fiber. Fiber helps to keep the animal’s anal glands free of problems, provides energy, and adds bulk to your pet’s diet!

Holistic veterinarian and pet health researcher,  Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM., is available for pet health questions and pet health consultations for dogs and/ or cats.
Contact Dr. Carol’s veterinary office toll free at 1-866-372-2765 to make an appointment for your dog and/or cat today.

Allergic dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin that occurs after exposure to an allergen.  An allergen is something to which the body is allergic.  The number-one sign of allergies in pets is itching. Pets lick, bite, chew and scratch themselves to the point of self-mutilation when suffering from allergies.  The result is red, raw areas of skin with oozing sores and hair loss in your dog and/or cat.  The difficulty that vets face is isolating the allergen responsible for the reaction because in many cases there is usually more than one substance involved.

TYPES OF PET ALLERGIES

• Fleas are the number one cause of allergies in pets.  Over half of all canine and feline allergies are due to fleas. The pets are actually allergic to a protein component of the flea saliva.  One fleabite in these pets can cause intense itching lasting up to 14 days.
• Allergic Inhalant Dermatitis is also referred to as Atopic Dermatitis and/or Atopy.  These terms are used for allergies that develop in response to inhaled particles.  Inhaled allergens, like house dust, mold and pollen, are the second most common type of allergy in pets.  These allergies start at a younger age in pets and some breeds seem to be more prone, such as west highland white terriers and sharpeis.
• Food allergies account for 10-20 percent of dog and cat allergies.  Skin infections (Dermatitis) are the primary sign. Consider organic, natural diets for your pet as opposed to commercial grocery store brands. Home made diets take more time but are well worth the extra effort.

Dr. Carol’s TIP: Identifying the source of an allergy can be frustrating.  Pet bedding that contains cedar chips or other scented material can be responsible.

WHAT YOUR VET CAN DO

• Today, Intradermal skin testing is the most accurate method available to figure out what’s causing your pet’s allergy.  Small amounts of different substances called allergens are injected into your pets skin.  If your pet is allergic to one of the substances, the skin reacts by getting red and swollen at the injection site within 15 to 30 minutes.  Once you know what your pet is allergic to, it may be possible to avoid it, for example, pet beds with cedar chips.

TIP: An elimination diet is used to diagnose the offending dietary ingredient in a food allergy.

Holistic veterinarian and pet health researcher,  Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM., is available for pet health questions and pet health consultations for dogs and/ or cats.

Contact Dr. Carol’s veterinary office toll free at 1-866-372-2765 to make an appointment for your dog and/or cat today.

I’m giving the Paaws Vitamins to my cat, Sweetie.  She has been violently ill with allergies since December 2009 and we have been doctoring since then.  Nothing helped significantly.

I was considering putting her to “sleep” — she was beginning to suffer and I can’t have that.

I spent well over $1000.00 dollars on allergy testing and treatments and nothing helped.

Although I believe my vet used his best efforts, I also believe he is not sufficiently well-informed regarding pet supplements.

Sweetie, my cat, has shown immediate improvement to her allergic condition(s) since starting on the Paaws Vitamins back in July.

Amazing improvement.  Her missing hair is growing back and she has stopped the relentless scratching and chewing.

My cat is off all her other medications and when she sleeps, she is actually “under” and healing.  She is also alert and active again.

I have been putting the Paaws Vitamins in my cats food.  What Sweetie doesn’t eat has been cleaned up up by my other feline, who is an 11-year old male.

He is showing gross improvement to his “old age” stuff and he is he is running and playing like a kitten.

I can’t thank you enough.

Rita C.

Upper Darby, Pennsylvania