Abscesses A: Your cat probably has developed an abscess. The skin of a cat usually heals so rapidly after a wound that bacteria can become trapped in the tissues, resulting in an infected pocket of pus. The skin may appear red, hot and swollen, and the area around the abscess may be painful. Often cats with abscesses become depressed, lose their appetites and might try to hide from their owners. Some of the most common causes of abscesses are bite wounds or other lacerations from fights. Abscesses may be located on any part of the body that has been wounded, especially the face, legs and base of the tail. You should take your cat to a veterinarian immediately. Shaving the area will reveal the degree of tissue damage, and puncture wounds or lacerations may become obvious for the first time. Usually it is necessary to lance the abscess to flush and drain the wound. Often a tube is inserted to allow drainage of the pus. Antibiotics will be needed to fight the infection. Your veterinarian might have you flush the wound at home with an antibacterial solution or apply warm compresses to aid healing. While your cat is at the veterinary clinic, it would be wise to have him tested for the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline AIDS (FIV), and receive any appropriate vaccinations. Deadly viruses can be transmitted through bite wounds and also can cause recurring abscesses. In addition, you should consider having your cat neutered, which probably would make him less interested in roaming and fighting. Itching
& Scratching A: Itching and scratching often is caused by combinations of allergies, which can make specific diagnosis and treatment especially challenging for veterinarians. Itching can be caused by an allergy to fleas (flea allergy dermatitis), pollens, dust and other particles in the air (inhalant allergies), foods (food allergy dermatitis), and substances that touch the skin (contact allergy dermatitis). Flea allergies are the most common. Pets that suffer from flea bites are actually hypersensitive to the saliva that the flea injects into the animal's skin when it takes a blood meal. After the animal is allergic to the flea's saliva, itching will result. One flea bite can set off an allergic reaction that lasts for two weeks. Loss of hair from scratching on the back above the tail is a common symptom. Pollen and dust allergies also are common. People react to inhaled allergies by developing respiratory signs such as sneezing, hay fever and asthma. Most allergic dogs itch and scratch instead. Pollen allergies usually begin as a seasonal problem, but as time passes the pet becomes more and more allergic, and the allergy can be present all year long. Chewing the front paws and rubbing the face are common symptoms. Food allergies are not as common, but if your pet is allergic to a certain ingredient in the diet, severe itching and scratching can result. Some of the most common foods that cause allergies in dogs are beef, wheat and corn, but almost any food can cause the problem. Even food dyes and other additives can trigger an allergic reaction in some pets. Food allergies last as long as your pet is exposed to the offending food. Contact allergies usually affect the areas of the body that are less protected by hair, such as the lower abdomen. Whenever sensitive skin comes in contact with grass, for example, a red, inflamed rash and itching can result. Frequently dogs with allergies develop secondary skin problems, such as dandruff, hair loss and infections. Consult a veterinarian to determine which problem or combination of problems is causing your dog to itch and scratch. Flea
Problems A: The key to preventing flea problems is to follow a three-step plan to eliminate fleas from your pets' environment, keep them off each pet and use the proper skin care products to promote beautiful, healthy hair coats. Step one is to treat your house and yard against fleas. There is no way to win the annual battle against these blood thirsty little parasites without eliminating them from the environment. For every single flea that you see on your pets, there are hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of other fleas and little white worms, or flea larvae, in the surrounding area of your home or yard. Fleas don't live on your pet -- they just hop on to take a blood meal. Professional flea control products vary in quality and toxicity. Consult your veterinarian for a recommendation on what products work the best and are safest for you and your pets. For many pet owners, professional exterminators are the best choice. Others prefer to spray their own yards and flea bomb their homes themselves. In any case, be sure that the treatment kills not only the adult fleas, but also the flea larvae which otherwise will hatch in a week or two to reinfest the area. Repeated treatments may be necessary depending on the level of infestation. One non-toxic treatment that is very effective, especially for carpeted areas, consists of a borax-like powder that actually kills the fleas by desiccating or drying them out. In addition, vacuum your carpets and furniture thoroughly before the treatment of your home, and throw away the vacuum bag. Use premise spray in hard-to-reach areas. Wash your pet's bedding often. Step two is to coordinate the extermination effort with baths to eliminate fleas from all of your pets -- including all cats. Flea baths don't have much residual effect and only kill fleas on your pet at the time of the bath. Flea dips have very short-acting residual action. They can dry out the pet's skin and hair coat, and actually may be a cause of itching in some cases. The best choice is to use a shampoo to eliminate fleas and soothe the skin without harsh chemicals. Your veterinarian can provide two very effective prescription products to control the flea population and keep fleas from hopping on your pet and taking a blood meal:
All of these relatively new products are very safe and effective. Step three, after the fleas are under control, is to eliminate itching with the proper choice of a hypoallergenic shampoo, moisturizing conditioners and a food supplement that contains marine lipids, borage oil and essential fatty acids added to your pet's diet. These ingredients have natural anti-inflammatory properties that can replace the use of cortisone (steroids) in treating itching caused by flea allergies. The effectiveness of using yeast, garlic and B-vitamin food supplements to control fleas on pets has long been debated. Many pet owners swear that this remedy is helpful, while others report no noticeable results. University studies have been inconclusive or even contradictory. One theory is that the natural sulfur contained in these ingredients can repel fleas. However, it is important to avoid products that add inappropriate amounts of sulfur because of potential damage to the kidneys. Limited use of cortisone can be helpful to stop the itch-scratch cycle, but if steroid injections or pills are the only treatment over an extended period of time, serious side-effects can result. Food
Allergies A: Diet and related deficiency of nutrients can definitely affect the condition of the skin and general health of both dogs and cats. Allergic reactions to specific foods also can develop. Food allergies can cause constant itching all year around. An allergic reaction to food can happen within minutes or hours after the pet eats, or there may be a delayed response that occurs several days later. Most commonly the pet becomes allergic to a food that has been a regular part of its diet for several years. Food allergies can cause a variety of skin problems, but the major symptom is severe, non-stop itching. Allergic dogs or cats can create so much trauma to the skin that they cause sores, "hot spots" and skin infections. Many pets also develop ear problems and scaly dandruff as a result. Some pets even have related intestinal problems and suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. To test for food allergy, your cat should be fed a hypoallergenic diet for about three to six weeks. These diets must be individualized for each pet's specific needs to avoid preservatives, colorings, flavorings and foods that the pet has eaten previously. Switching from one commercial diet to another is not satisfactory because most pet foods contain many of the same ingredients, such as beef, chicken, wheat or corn. Instead, the food allergy diet often will consist of lamb and rice or rabbit and rice. Consult with your veterinarian about the right hypoallergenic diet for your pet. Remember that cats need an amino acid called taurine in their diets to prevent heart disease. Hot
Spots A: The "hot spots" that result when your animal licks and chews herself usually are secondary bacterial infections that develop due to the damage that has been done to the skin. A hot spot can start off looking like a little red area the size of a dime, and quickly spread to become a huge, oozing lesion the size of your hand by the end of the day. Hot spots can be very painful for your pet and should get immediate attention. In addition, it is very important to control the underlying problem -- often allergies to fleas, pollen or food that cause the itching. Veterinarians typically prescribe cortisone, an anti-inflammatory steroid, to stop the itch-scratch cycle of the allergy, and antibiotics to fight the infection. Steroids can have serious side effects if given regularly over an extended period of time. Unfortunately, some topical sprays prescribed to treat hot spots contain alcohol, lidocain, hydrocortisone, or other harsh chemical ingredients that can damage, burn or dry out your pet's skin. A more natural approach is almost always more effective. Australian tea tree oil is a natural healing ingredient that has been used for centuries by aborigines to reduce inflammation and itching, treat infections, and repel fleas, flies, ticks and mosquitoes. Aloe vera and chamomile are soothing ingredients to reduce pain and promote healing. Even though hot spots can be eliminated, the problem will recur unless the source of the allergy is controlled. A wide range of flea control products are available, but it is important to remember that you must have a total plan to eliminate fleas. You must eliminate fleas on all pets in the household, eliminate fleas and flea larvae in the house, and eliminate fleas in the outside yard or kennel. Veterinary clinic and pet store staff usually are trained to recommend flea control products and extermination services that suit your individual situation. Some people prefer a natural, "environmentally friendly" approach to flea control, while others want to be very aggressive about eliminating the pesky little parasites, even if that means using some potent pesticides. Pets with pollen allergies can be skin tested by a veterinarian and hyposensitized with allergen injections. Or a food supplement containing marine lipids, essential fatty acids and borage oil can be added to their diets. Mange
(demodex) A: An inherited skin disease called demodectic mange can cause the symptoms that you describe, and often is seen in young dogs. Demodex, or red mange, is caused by a microscopic mite that looks like a little cigar with eight legs. A few demodex mites normally are found at the base of some hairs of both pets and humans. But a medical problem arises when a hereditary defect in the animal's immune system allows the mites to multiply rapidly. The result is hair loss in patches where the mites are most abundant, often accompanied by inflammation and infection of the skin. Demodectic mange by itself is not an itchy skin disease, but itching may result because of skin infection and related irritation. Demodectic mange may start on the face or forelegs, stay localized in several small areas and then disappear without treatment. However, if the areas of hair loss start to spread and become infected, this is called "generalized demodectic mange," and treatment should not be delayed. First, a skin scraping is necessary to determine whether an abnormal number of mites are present on the animal. If bacterial infection is severe, blood tests and cultures of the pus may be necessary to determine the best antibiotic. The tests also show if there are other related problems, such as low thyroid function and anemia. Medicated baths and special dips are needed, usually over a period of several months, to kill the mites. The hair loss in the affected areas will look worse when the mites are dying, before the condition improves. The immune systems of some dogs are so weak that they never can be cured completely, but most cases of demodectic mange can be controlled very effectively. Since demodectic mange is a hereditary disease, affected animals should never be bred. Pollen
Allergies A: When and where your pet itches can provide your veterinarian with valuable clues to the cause of the problem. For example, seasonal episodes of itching on the face and paws are typical of allergies to pollens from trees, grasses or weeds. Pollen allergies are inherited, and usually first appear when a pet is between 1 and 3 years old. By contrast, dogs that are allergic to fleas tend to chew their backs above the tail, and dogs with scabies mites itch everywhere -- except for the back. Food allergies can result in nonseasonal itching all over the pet's body. Pets often are allergic to seasonal pollens from such plants as bermuda grass, ragweed and oak trees. Skin testing or blood analysis can identify which pollens cause your pet's allergic reaction. The best treatment for allergies to pollens or other inhalants such as tobacco, smog, house dust and perfume is simply to avoid exposing your dog to any of the substances that cause the allergies. Daily vacuuming and air filtration systems can be helpful in this effort. After your pet's allergies are identified through skin testing or blood analysis, antigens can be injected under the skin in increasing amounts to help block the allergic reaction. Your veterinarian can train you to give the injections at home. Surprisingly, most owners find the injections easy to give, and the results can be very rewarding. Antihistamines can be useful in controlling pollen allergies in pets, but they generally are more effective in treating human allergies because of the respiratory nature of allergy symptoms in people. Food supplements containing marine lipids (fish oils), borage oil and essential fatty acids can be dramatically effective in controlling pollen allergies. Adding the proper food supplement to your pet's diet often not only stops the itching completely within a month, but can result in a vastly improved hair coat. Cortisone shots or pills may be recommended by your veterinarian to stop the itch-scratch cycle. The use of these steroids by themselves to treat allergies may be dangerous because they can cause serious side effects. Ringworm A: Your kitten -- and your son -- could have ringworm. This common fungus (not a "worm" at all) is easily transmitted from pets to people, especially to children. Your kitten should be examined and treated by a veterinarian. The most accurate way to diagnose ringworm is by microscopic examination of the hair and skin or by growing the fungus in a special culture bottle. Depending on the extent of the infection, your kitten will be treated with a series of anti-fungal baths, appropriate creams and ointments, and possibly even oral medication in severe cases. In addition, the environment should be thoroughly cleaned to prevent reinfection. It usually takes four to six weeks to clear up ringworm. Be sure to consult a physician about the patches on your son's skin. Scabies
Mites A: The itchiest skin problem that a dog can have is caused by a type of mange called sarcoptic mange or scabies. Your dogs have symptoms that are typical for this condition. Scabies is caused by a small mite that is easily transferred from one dog to another by direct contact. Perhaps one of your dogs picked up scabies mites at your groomer's, your boarding kennel, your veterinary clinic or while playing in the park with other neighborhood dogs. Dogs with scabies often scratch so much that hair comes out in chunks, and the skin becomes crusty, scaly and infected. The itch is so persistent that a dog may prefer to scratch instead of eating or sleeping. Scabies often makes dogs smell like rancid oil. Usually the ears, elbows and stomach are the most dramatically affected areas. The back of the dog rarely itches, helping to distinguish scabies from several other skin conditions. However, if a dog has flea allergies in addition to scabies, the animal's whole body can itch, further complicating the diagnosis. Scabies mites are very difficult to find. A skin scraping is taken from the scaly, dry areas on the elbows and ears. These scales are examined for the mites under a microscope. Since these mites are rarely found, many times the skin problem is diagnosed from the symptoms and the response to treatment rather than from actually identifying a scabies mite. Treatment consists of killing the mites with special medications, fighting the skin infection with antibiotics, soothing the sore skin with the appropriate shampoo and coat conditioners, and reducing the itching with anti-inflammatory drugs. Also your dogs' home environment must be cleaned thoroughly with a disinfectant. Dogs with scabies mites usually respond very well to treatment within a couple of weeks. People can get scabies from dogs, but the itching is only temporary because the mites will not reproduce on human skin. Seborrhea A: The symptoms that you describe are typical of various skin problems, but seborrhea is a chronic disease that is especially widespread among cocker spaniels. Seborrhea is often secondary to other skin problems such as allergies, hormone imbalances and bacterial infections. Itching often accompanies the scaly dandruff, and the scratching that results can cause "hot spots" and other areas of soreness and infection. Seborrhea usually is controlled by treating any underlying cause such as low thyroid function or allergies, and by using special medicated shampoos and soothing coat conditioners. However, researchers have found that large daily oral doses of vitamin A can have excellent results. Cocker spaniels with seborrhea often show remarkable improvement within three weeks and can be completely cured within two or three months. The dosage of vitamin A should be carefully monitored by a veterinarian to guard against possible side effects. Excessive doses of Vitamin A can be very toxic. Seborrhea that affects cocker spaniels, as well as other breeds, is like seborrhea in humans, although it cannot be transmitted between pet and owner. Many other skin problems show symptoms similar to those you describe. A veterinarian can examine your pet to rule out hypothyroidism, pollen allergies, food allergies, scabies, flea allergies or other causes of scaling, itching and odor. The
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