Cat Dog Fleas

Natural Treatments for Dog Itching and Cat Bladder Infections
Author: Dr. Andrew Jones
The skin: why your dog is itching
The skin is the largest organ of your pets' body and reflective of what is going on in the body. Regularly brush your pet looking for fleas, lice or ticks. The hair coat should be soft and shiny.
If you are seeing areas of excessive shedding in your pet then you may be dealing with certain skin conditions such as mange, ringworm, hypothyroid disease or allergies; treatments for these are discussed in detail in my book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed.
If your pet has areas of hair missing around the face that are not itchy, then he may have a type of mange called demodex. This small parasite shows up in pets with depressed immune systems.
One very safe effective treatment is Vitamin E given at 400IU per 40lbs once daily for 3-4 weeks.
If your pet has an excess of flaky skin (dandruff), then she may be in need of a essential fatty acid supplement. Flax is the best source for dogs at a dose of 1 teaspoon per cup of dog food. For cats use the liquid supplement (such as fish oil).
Take note of any palpable lumps or bumps.
Lipomas (benign fatty tumors) commonly occur on the chest wall. If your dog has a soft moveable lump on her chest, then it is probably a fatty tumor.
Sebaceous cysts are another common lump; they can often be distinguished by squeezing out a cheesy substance. They are also very soft. Lumps and bumps become more prevalent as your pet ages and their immune system weakens.
The most important thing in helping your pet is having them on a premium quality diet and supplementing with additional antioxidants. The ones I suggest using are Vitamin E, Vitamin C and specific flavonoids.
Any lumps that are firm, rapidly growing, not easily moveable should be considered serious and examined by your veterinarian.
Allergies are one of the most common reasons that I see pets. There are a huge number of allergens. The 3 main classes are Food, Fleas and Environmental. The most common signs are excessive scratching, paw and anal licking, hair shedding and excess dandruff.
If you suspect that your pet has an allergy, then the first 2 things that I suggest are to eliminate external parasites as a cause, and to feed a hypo-allergenic diet for 4-6 weeks (there are many available).
Some very helpful at home remedies that I often use are:
TO THE BATH. An oatmeal shampoo with cool water will ease the itchiest skin. Leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes then rinse well. With the most severe allergies, bathe your pet twice weekly.
SOOTHE IT TOPICALLY. Calendula ointment is a herbal medication that has been successfully used to relieve the itch. Apply a thin coat twice daily to affected areas.
THE SUPPLEMENT CONNECTION. Fatty Acid supplements are very helpful in decreasing the level of inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids are most important. A great, inexpensive source is ground Flax Seeds; I give 1 tsp per cup of dog food. Cats are unable to metabolize Flax, so I only recommend the liquid supplement for them. Other sources include fish oil, primrose oil and specific veterinary supplements.
Evaluation of the Genital and Urinary system - cat bladder infections...
In male dogs look at the sheath of the penis to ensure there is no abnormal discharge. This is more common in intact males, so an easy remedy is to have your dog neutered. In female dogs examine the vulva. A common problem is skin fold infections.
These can be treated by washing the skin folds twice daily with an antiseptic such as Hibitane and applying a soothing cream such as Aloe Vera.
The urinary system is more difficult to evaluate, but there are some things you can do at home. Signs of a bladder infection are frequently urination, which may have blood and may be painful.
There are a number of home remedies for bladder infections, the most effective are Vitamin C and Cranberry juice. The Vitamin C acidifies the urine making it more difficult for the bacteria to grow, as well as dissolving the more common type of crystal, struvite. The Vitamin C dose is 250mg per 20lbs daily.
If you have a male cat, then it is imperative to determine that he is not completely blocked up. Using your thumb and other four fingers, palpate the entire lower abdomen. An obstructed bladder will feel like a firm distended balloon. If your male cat has this condition, it is an emergency and he must be treated by a veterinarian!
I discuss ways to prevent your cat from getting obstructed in my book; the most important thing is to feed a diet higher in moisture. This is accomplished with canned food. Then depending on the type of crystal he has it is important to either acidify the urine (with struvite) or make the urine more alkaline (oxalate crystals). An easy way to acidify the urine is to raise the meat protein level. Making the urine more alkaline involves decreasing the protein level and adding a supplement, potassium citrate.
If some of these tips and treatments have helped you, then get your copy of my book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed, today.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
can dog and cat fleas live on horse or can they carrie them?
can dog fleas or cat fleas live on horses or can horses carrie them if cats or dog around them
can dog or cat fleas live on horses or cana they carrie them if so could i carrie them down to peoples houses on my cloths my horse is reguley dusted with louse powder and hi lives out 24/7 apart from when i get him groomed ect.
can fleas live on horses or can they carrie them and if so could i carrie them down to peoples houses on my cloths my horse in reguley dusted with louse powder and lives out 24/7 at the moment except when i bring him in for grooming etc could he still carrie them-
ANSWER:
Having spent most of my life working with and around horses, I've never yet seen fleas on a horse. What I have seen include lice, ticks, harvest mites and other such mites. None of them are particularly pleasant, but if it's fleas you're particularly worried about I wouldn't be! Careful not to over dose your horse with louse powder, as this can occasionally cause irritation (a bit like using a strong headlouse shampoo regularly). Also if he lives out he'll need all the oil and stuff in his coat to keep the rain off him and keep him warm at night.As to carrying hosts, the ones you should be most worried about are: foxes, rabbits, hedgehogs and squirrels. Particularly squirrels! I remember my sister picking up a dead one and all the fleas leaving it and jumping onto her! But fleas won't stay on a human and they don't stay on horses. I think it's something in the blood.
So good luck and don't panic about your horse being eaten alive!
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QUESTION:
are cat fleas and dog fleas the same species of fleas?
i know fleas that like humans evoulved to live on only us is it the same with cats and dogs?-
ANSWER:
Yes they are the same.I.e. if your dog has fleas your cat will probably get them too. So treat them both.
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QUESTION:
Is there a difference of dog vs cat fleas?
We've a house broke dog that one of the three room-mates takes walksoften in high grass/weed cow pastures, can Wiggles end up bringing in fleas that are more "attrackted" to cats than dogs?-
ANSWER:
Nope. Dog and cat fleas are exactly the same (and horse fleas, and rat fleas, and bunny fleas... all the same bug).Fleas are not found in fields, they are only on animals. Ticks are what you should be worried about.
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QUESTION:
What is an environmentally safe way to get rid of your pet's (dog and cat) fleas and ticks?
I am looking for ways that I can get rid of my pets' fleas and ticks. With the heavy rain that we have had in TX the fleas and ticks seem to be out if force. They have since infested my outside dog. He is perfectly happy staying outside so he refuses to come in. My daughter and I noticed the other day that ticks have attacked him. He's rather large and sometimes rowdy so he doesn't like to stay still long enough for me to take them off. Since I have to bath him outside I need something that I can put together from house hold ingredients and/or that won't make my dog or his area sick. I have the same problem, minus the ticks, with my indoor cats. Any help would be really appreciated.-
ANSWER:
Since you have to bath him outside anyway, just dip them in some flea and tick solution.
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QUESTION:
What is the difference between dog fleas and cat fleas?
My friend is having a flea problem and she doesn't have any animals. So she believes she got them from her friends house when she was babysitting her son. Anyways what is the difference between the two? What is the treatment process? and which one is less stressful?-
ANSWER:
There is no difference between the fleas... same flea, but they are living on a different animal. Fleas can even live on humans!If fleas have infested the house, tell her to first wash all the fabrics in her house in HOT, HOT water two weeks in a row. If that doesn't work, call an exterminator and get the house bombed.
I would also check to make sure it isn't bed bugs as well.
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