March 2010

I have been using topically applied flea products since they arrived on the scene. I was so happy to give owners the opportunity to apply a small amount of pesticide to their animal, instead of exposing themselves and environment to the pesticides in sprays and foggers.

Along with everyone else, I have become reluctant to apply pesticides monthly because of the exposure to me, and my pets.

I have seen minor reactions in some animals for years and advised those owners not to use the products or at a much reduced application rate.

Most severe reactions I have seen are from cats receiving a dog product sold in retail stores or a dog flea and tick product sold at vet hospitals. Cats often develop shaking and seizures after application of the wrong product.

I have also seen cats and dogs appear painful or itchy at the application site.

Many owners have reported vague illness symptoms that disappeared within a day or so

As a result I have counseled my clients to only use flea products as needed. The truth is many allergies are caused by food and pollens and thought to be a flea allergy when it isn’t. (I believe that food allergies and lack of oils are the major cause of skin problems).

If you see fleas, treat all animals for a few months, especially outside cats

I believe that a healthy diet many reduce the numbers of fleas naturally, my pets have not needed flea control for a year. Remember, these products are all pesticides and tolerated by most dogs, cats, and people…but not all.

Here is a summary of the EPA’s findings:

EPA found that the products could be used safely but that some additional restrictions are needed. EPA’s team of veterinarians learned that most incidents were minor, but unfortunately there were some pet deaths and “major incidents” reported. The Agency learned that the most commonly affected organ systems were dermal, gastrointestinal, and nervous.

• Dog Findings: EPA’s expert veterinarian team found that
  • small breed dogs were affected more than larger breeds for some products
  • the amount of product in a single dose needed to vary more for small to large dogs – that is, how much the dog weighs matters a lot in deciding how much of a product should be used.

• Cat Findings: EPA’s expert veterinarian team discovered that
  • misuse or accidental exposure of cats to dog products was an important problem; cats can be harmed by dog products; and
  • label warnings against use of dog products on other animals, especially cats, are not working well enough and this appears to be a global concern.

• Safety Testing: The team also found that the data we now require to determine the safety of these products for pets do not accurately predict the toxicity seen in the incidents that took place.

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If you are like me, you are anxious for the longer days of spring, and the warmth that comes with it. I have been seeing the effects of the warmer days and winter rains on pets in the Gilroy area. The wet season has brought a bumper crop of grasses which has made a lot of my allergy prone patients, not to mention my dog Maisy, miserable. This last week half my patients have come to the hospital seeking relief. Cats are sneezing and wheezing and dogs are itching their ears, chewing on their feet, and licking their butts.

When human hay fever sufferers breathe pollens in, sinuses become inflamed, mucous is produced, and bugs grow in the warm mucous. This  same scenario often occurs in cats. Clear discharge from the nose due to allergies can turn to yellow and green as infection sets in.When this happens, antibiotics, antihistamines, and antiinflamatories are needed to relieve symptoms

Cats are also prone to asthma and bronchitis from “hay fever”. Cats will act like they are bringing up a hairball, but they are just reacting to the “itch” or “tickle” in their chest, with loud breathing and wheezing.(This often looks like they are having trouble breathing!) If you see these symptoms, but your cat feels fine otherwise, you can try ½ tab of 10mg Claritin for a couple days to see if it helps.

Dogs will chew on their paws, their eyes will run, they will sneeze or wheeze, and their outer ears and ear canal will turn bright red when they get “hay fever”. Antihistamines sometimes help with  the swelling , inflammation, and irritation. The dosages for Claritin and Benadryl are in my free home remedy download. Cetirizine which is the generic for Zyrtec can also be used. The dosage is ¼ tab for a small dog daily. ½ tab for a medium size dog daily, and one tab daily for a large dog. Each dog and cat will react differently to medication, so one antihistamine that works well with one does not mean that it will work well on other animals with similar symptoms.

If symptoms are severe, nothing seems to work better than an injection of dexamethasone.  I have had to give several injections to dogs and cats with moderate to severe allergy symptoms this week. I try to use far less long acting injections of steroids or long term oral prednisone usage. I try to manage allergies with better nutrition. Skin that is better nourished is less likely to become inflamed.

You can read about my nutritional ideas and treatment of allergic dogs in my book, Dog Dish Diet.

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Holistic, organic, raw, and homemade whole foods are all attempts to go back in a time machine when food and livestock was grown and served without herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, wormers, growth hormones, and antibiotics. These days most of these chemicals are part of the plants, fruit, and animals we and our pets eat.

Food and animal production levels have increased due to these chemicals, but their effects on our health are questioned by those desiring food without them. Holistic pet foods like Spots Stew (Halo) began because over 15 years the inventor made food for her sick cat, then her friends, then for millions of our pets. The food label on Spots Stew is easy to read, the ingredients sounding like a normal shopping list. Compare that to a can or bag of food in your pantry, garage, or closet. The stabilizers and preservatives almost crowd the food ingredients off the label. Where the human grade ingredients of Spots ; Chicken, carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans, green peas, turkey, calcium citrate, barley, oats , soy sauce, garlic, kelp, pasta, dicalcium phosphate, chicken liver, zinc gluconate,  ascorbic acid, copper gluconate are easily recognized as whole foods, minerals, and vitamins.

Grains are also recognized to be unhealthful to dogs and cats and food like evo substitute wheat, corn, and rice with veggies and fruit. Our current obesity and diabetes epidemic in humans, dogs, and cats is in part due to our high grain diets.

Of course the down side to these holistic, organic, raw, and no grain diet is the cost. However if you feed your dog, cat, and yourself better medical care will be less. Trips to the vet for itchy skin, ear problems, and stomach and bowel problems due to the allergenic ingredients and chemicals add to the cost of the food, and take years off our pets lives.

I feel that we should feed our pets the best food we can. I believe that holistic, raw, no grain, and homemade food have their place in feeding our pets. In my book, Dog Dish Diet I help you understand how ingredients can help or destroy your pets health. Strong words yes, but after 30 years seeing animals suffer from the “cost effective” rations, strong words are needed.

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