.Fleas can be more that an annoyance they can cause serious disease in your family
Insects like fleas cause a wide variety of human health problems (remember the black death or bubonic plague which killed half the population of Europe in the 14th century? This was caused by Yersinia Pestis, carried by fleas).
Recent studies have linked exposure to pets, fleas and flea-borne diseases such as the bacterial infection bartonella, which causes cat scratch fever.
Fleas linked to rheumatoid arthritis Bartonella, a bacterium historically associated with cat scratch fever and transmitted predominately by fleas, may play a role in human rheumatoid illnesses such as arthritis, according to a report in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Researchers from North Carolina State University tested blood samples from 296 patients for evidence of Bartonella infection. The patients had previously been diagnosed with conditions ranging from Lyme disease to arthritis to chronic fatigue. Since rheumatic symptoms have sometimes been reported following cat scratch disease, the researchers wanted to see if these patients tested positive for Bartonella henselae. B. henselae cause cat scratch disease and is a species of Bartonella that can be carried in a cat’s blood for months to years.
Having pets is a great part of life, but keeping them free of parasites and other diseases is critical both for their health and the health of your whole family.
The good news is fleas are reasonably easy to control nowadays. There are some new fast, easy and effective flea and tick treatments for cats and dogs which means you just don't need to put up with itchy pets and the health risks of parasites like fleas in your home.
Read more about how effective flea control can keep your family healthy at Cairns Pet News.
Cats often hate travelling to the vet. Lets face it, cats hate anything which interrupts them spending the day lying around, eating and generally living the good life.
This Video from the Catalyst Council has some tips to make trips to the vet less stressful.
Cairns Vet does recommend all cats come to the vet in a cat carrier/cage. A cat that is carried into a vet clinic can panic when it sees, hears or smells other animals, wheras they feel safe and protected in a cat cage.
This is made clear when we finish seeing a cat at a consult: clients always comment that the cat hides when they see the cage at home, but then they happily jump straight back into the cage when its time to go home: they know the cage is the "taxi" to get back to kitty heaven.
Read more Cairns Pet News and Cairns Vet Cat Tips
Cairns Vet Clinic treated three dogs last week which had been eating blood and bone fertiliser which is toxic to dogs. As the weather warms up its time to get into the garden and fertilise your plants, but make sure you keep garden chemicals and fertilisers out of reach of your pets!
Blood and Bone: Great for Gardens, not for dogs!
One surprisingly popular delicacy (not sure if you can call it that if they eat it by the kilo though?) is Blood and Bone garden fertiliser. Some dogs develop quite a taste for this and will eat all they can get their grubby little paws on. I guess this kind of makes sense, given it is made of meat and bone scraps. The processing converts this from being food into something totally undigestable though, and dogs can get very sick from eating it.
Some dogs don’t stop at blood and bone: Dynamic Lifter and similar natural fertilisers are mostly composed of chicken manure, often with added blood and bone. These are also eaten by dogs with toxic results. Keep all fertilisers away from your pets. This is a common cause of toxicity and dogs (and less commonly cats): the RSPCA advises pet owners to keep toxic fertilisers away from pets
RSPCA Australia recommends that owners take active steps to ensure that their dogs and other pets do not ingest any type of fertilizer material. If an owner suspects their dog or other pet has ingested fertilizer they should contact their local vet immediately for further advice. For information relating to specific fertilizer products or any other questions regarding fertilizer ingestion by dogs or other pets we suggest you contact your local vet.
Other types of fertilizer such as bone meal and blood meal may be eaten in large quantities by dogs which can cause significant gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, constipation) and possibly pancreatitis. Certain fertilizers may also contain bacterial or fungal toxins which can have serious side effects if ingested.
Fertilizers can also be caustic, which irritates the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. In some cases ingestion may lead to gastrointestinal ulceration. Impaction (gastrointestinal blockage) with fertilizer material may also occur in some cases.
Symptoms may be more severe however, if a large amount of fertilizer is ingested or if additives such as insecticides and iron are part of the fertilizer mix. Some fertilizers contain a significant amount of iron which can result in iron toxicity. Though heavy metals such as iron are generally not readily absorbed into the animal’s system, they can pose a hazard when dogs ingest large amounts. A few fertilizers also contain insecticides such as disulfoton, a highly toxic organophosphate which when ingested can cause a sudden onset of seizures and pancreatitis.
