Runny Nose in Dogs and Cats.

Runny nose (rhinitis) in cats and dogs can be a separate disease or a symptom of other diseases. Nasal discharge may be watery, mucous, purulent. If the selection goes from one nostril, then it’s probably not a simple head cold, it often indicates a tumor in the nasal passages, this doctor’s consultation is required.
Common cold usually occurs without worsening of general condition, the animal is active, eats well. For the treatment can be used to drop the animals or small children in the oil-based. Treatment is carried out at least 7 – 10 days.
It should be noted that even the common cold in cats, dogs runny nose, if left untreated, may become chronic. Chronic rhinitis is almost impossible to treat. Therefore, it is expedient to immediately contact your veterinarian.
Do not be afraid to treat with antibiotics if the case is not running, you will have a healthy animal. But as a rule, the animal gets to a vet suffering from is 1.5 – 2 months! Often the treatment is useless, and the owners charged with veterinarians in mediocrity. By purchasing a kitten or a puppy at the age of 1.5 – 2 months, sneezing, but fun, the owners think that it is “cold” and are surprised that in a month or two “cold” does not pass. And when you consider that viral rhinotracheitis or kalitseviroz cats, adenovirus, and the plague in dogs begins, usually with a cold – can be within 5 – 10 days of losing an animal. For the young, these viruses are deadly. Runny nose may be allergic origin, the first sign of asthma (not uncommon in cats!). This treatment is different: antihistamines, corticosteroids.
Particular caution – self-medication may be harmful to your animals, so we do not give specific assignments to the medical examination.
GENTLE CAT HOC
In profile, the cats of different breeds differ significantly from each other. Elongated and straight nose oriental cats can be as much as 5 inches longer spout Persian, resembling a small button of. But no matter how the nose looked like it throughout their lives is a true cat, as an important sensory organ and the beginning of the respiratory system. Inhaled air before it enters the lungs and clears heat in the nose. In addition to the vital oxygen, the cat may inhale harmful bacteria and viruses, as well as various foreign bodies. Fortunately, the cat’s nose is an excellent biological filter, which does not pass into the body, most microbes. Micro-organisms and dust deposited on the mucous membrane, and then allocated through the nose. So sometimes in the nose prominent black cats are thin crust, from which the animal gets rid of when washing. These secretions, breathing, are not a sign of disease. A cat can inhale foreign bodies: a blade of grass, string, small fish bone, and even insects. Then she starts to sneeze and constantly rubs his nose with his paw. In most cases the foreign body out of itself. Otherwise, do not try to remove it (you can seriously injure the nasal mucosa), and you must immediately give the cat the care of a veterinarian.
If the cat runs from the nose, she sneezes and breathes with difficulty, the poor are likely to seriously ill. It is through the nose in the animal pathogens penetrate the most dangerous and incurable diseases – infectious peritonitis (FIP) and leukemia (FeLV). Protect your cat from these deadly diseases can only be timely vaccinations. Some infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract are united under the name “cat’s runny nose.” Their agents – herpes viruses, reoviruses, kalitsevirusy, Chlamydia. Symptoms of feline rhinitis – sneezing, coughing, eye inflammation, fever, weakness and apathy. Discharge from the eyes and nose, watery at first, and then the adhesive or purulent. Often an animal cannot breathe through your nose. Because of the deteriorating appetite, because the cat does not feel the smell of food. Kalitsevirus, except for the described symptoms, may cause ulceration of the mucous membranes of the mouth. Various animals endure a cold cat in many ways: some off with a slight indisposition, other disease is very difficult. Of course, one should not expect deterioration, hoping for a home remedy. At the first sign of illness, especially when the temperature rises, you need to consult a doctor. Cat’s cold can be cured with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, but it is better to make the cat vaccinated. Running respiratory infections can lead to inflammation of the lungs. Against the background of feline rhinitis may develop a secondary bacterial infection – inflammation of the maxillary (nose) sinuses. In this case a cat sneezes, spraying white, yellowish, often with blood, a secret. Appetite remains normal animal, because breathing is difficult, the selection comes from the sinuses. Sinusitis treated with antibiotics, in severe cases, the nasal cavity is washed, exposing them to the outside. Cats often suffer from colds in the nasal passages may be formed polyps – benign growths the size of a cherry. Symptoms of polyps: difficulty breathing, nasal discharge, recurrent bouts of sneezing. Some cats shake their heads, can change the timbre of voice and swallowing difficult. Get rid of the polyps can only be surgically.Some cats may suffer from allergic rhinitis. Animal allergies and sneezes, as opposed to the common cold, caused by colds, nasal discharge is always watery. Cats, like humans, there is an allergic reaction to pollen of certain plants or chemicals. Measures to prevent allergies – to identify the allergen and prevent their falling into the habitat of the cat. Relieve allergic rhinitis by using anti-inflammatory drugs.
Thus, the respiratory diseases of cats on the symptoms and treatments are similar to those of men. Under no circumstances do not try to treat cough and sneeze cat antibiotics, which, for example, quickly helped to catch a cold last winter baby. Only a veterinarian may prescribe an effective cure for a cat in a suitable dosage for a particular animal. The best way to protect your cat against disease – timely vaccination. Combined vaccination against pathogens “cat colds”, and chlamydia.
The first vaccination – at the age of 8-9 weeks. Booster – at the age of 11-12 weeks. Subsequent re-vaccination – every year. Cat’s nose is not only an important part of the respiratory system, but also the organ of smell. Cat has a great sense of smell is much more acute than in man. Department of cat brain responsible for sense of smell is well developed. In addition, over the upper jaw of a cat is a special organ that does not pertain to the nose – the body Jacobson. Its role is to recognize odors. This body is in other animals, such as horses. The cat sometimes opens his mouth, sniffing the unfamiliar objects. So the cat “sniffing” Jacobson organ. It is noticed that, as a rule, unpleasant for the person smells like urine scent marks, the cat with the body recognizes Jacobson. The food is usually a cat sniffing nose. But not exactly clear what makes a cat in some cases the use of Jacobson organ, while others – the nose.
It is believed that a dog’s nose is sharper than a cat. In fact, this is not true. Indeed, part of the brain dog responsible for the sense of smell, developed more than a cat. But the smells of food, as well as relatives of the cat trap smells just as sharply as a dog. The main difference in the smell of cats and dogs is that dogs are on the trail, the cat did not. However, cats can smell from a distance. During the mating period, females gather at the window all the neighboring cats. Some go to the “scent of a woman” from afar. Cat owners need to know about one of their features. Before you eat, the cat always sniffs the food, even the well-known and beloved: the smell of food stimulates the appetite. The cat, which has a stuffy nose, turns away from the tidbits. At a cold cat for some unknown reason does not use body Jacobson. Diseased animal is fasting harmful to itself – the body is not getting food, weakens, and the disease progresses. Therefore, a cat suffering from even a slight cold, to clean the nose and feed it highly palatable foods: liver, the most favorite canned food, fresh meat. Some odors are a cat like a drug. For example, sniffing, or valeric tincture of valerian root, most cats will come into ecstasy: starts rolling on the floor and rub on all sorts of things. This lasts a few minutes. In addition to valerian, cat smells like catnip, onion and garlic. Odor as naphthalene and orange cats are extremely unpleasant.
How to care for the dogs nose?
Dog’s nose – the main feature of the health problems. Therefore, if the nose is not wet and cold, like a healthy dog, it should alert you. Dry, hot, and sometimes cracked nose should alert the owner – a symptom of illness onset. However, warm nose can be a dog during a game or immediately after sleep. Still, be observant, in time to capture the best condition. If the dog has returned home with his nose, covered with clay, earth, remove the dirt moist, soft cloth.
Sometimes dogs and cold as a consequence of the elementary hypothermia, inhalation of irritating. Nasal passages of dogs are very narrow, they are many folds, so effective medication in the form of aerosol, but aerosols are unpleasant for the dogs, so it’s best to use and children from the cold drops of liquid oil.
Avoid the use of dogs for the treatment of nasal vasoconstrictor agents such as “Sanorin”, “Naphazoline.” This is very dangerous. Thick, greenish nasal discharge, accompanied by the formation of thick crusts and coarsening of the skin nasal mirror, often an indicator of the disease plague. Especially if this observed greenish purulent discharge from the eyes. It is clear that a doctor is needed here. The resulting “brown” can be deleted, their pre-softened mineral oil or glycerin. And the secret of the nasal passages is removed with a tightly twisted wool from the flagella, and moisten them with petroleum jelly or glycerin.

Animals in the House

People of different professions and ages much of his free time paid breeding pets. One is a hobby brings joy of communion with nature, others see his team of friends who love to pay to them a touching affection. In most families there are animals in the house at the request of children for whom particularly high cognitive and educational importance of communication with animals. Caring for fish, birds and small animals instills industriousness, punctuality, creative skills, and respect for all living things.

Setting the stage for the animals in the house, the family takes up a lot of concern that require some expenditure of funds, time and effort. Requires some skill, patience, discipline and knowledge of biological features of the animal. Of the more than half a million different species of animals in the home may well exist and be safe for humans, less than 1%. Sometimes people are trying to help those in need wild animals, take them home, so that in some time to release them back to freedom is stronger and healthier. But such altruism can result in disaster – tamed young animals, as adults, can no longer live independently and die. In this case it is better to leave the pet at home or transfer to the pet store, a school of living area, a station of young naturalists.

At present, opportunities for breeding in the home increased significantly: introduced new types of pets, in most major cities of the specialized pet shops are open, amateur associations are created, published a lot of literature.

Among domestic animals the most popular and widespread are exotic fish and other inhabitants of the aquarium. Aquarium – is not only container, a vessel for the content of aquatic organisms, and the specific biological system capable of self-regulation. Is rectangular, cylindrical, round, nodular with truncated apex, etc. Buy an aquarium, as well as his pets in pet stores can. To create a normal environment you need to create at the bottom of the tank bottom (sand, gravel, pebbles, shells), dilute aquatic plants and algae (water sprouts, , kobomba, Ricci uviranda and others), to acquire or produce their own devices for additional light and oxygen saturation of water. The aquarium can live as inhabitants of the local rivers and lakes (bitterling, eel, rudd, tench, gudgeon) as well as various types of exotic fish (Chinese, and calico telescope, the comet, celestial eye, a common goldfish and many others). Buying fish, you should consult the compatibility of different species and their feeding. It is best to refer to the literature.

More and more amateurs home terrarium – space for amphibians and reptiles content, as well as invertebrates and small mammals. However, keeping animals in terrariums little studied and is poorly lit in a special and methodological literature. First of all, must be carefully insulated enclosure to prevent the possibility of leaving his animals and the creation of a specific microclimate: a certain temperature, humidity, etc., Terrarium, usually manufactured without cracks of thick metal wire and a wall of glass (for observation). It can include toads, frogs, newts, snakes, turtles and lizards.

Fun activity is to breed the birds. When deciding to purchase feathered friends, you need to find out if someone is suffering from allergic diseases of family members, as the presence of birds in the house sometimes contributes to their aggravation. Do not rush to buy birds at random people, but before examining the requirements of feeding and caring for feathered refer to the pet store or a section of the amateur poultry. At home, the birds are kept in cages, aviaries or cages. Of the herbivorous birds can live in captivity sparrow grosbeak, finch, linnet, bunting, waxwing, bird, bullfinch, siskin, goldfinch, from insectivorous – lark, robin, common nightingale, singing thrush, nuthatch, starling, wagtail other. The most common is domestic content of exotic birds, especially parrots. They are all herbivorous, and many of them well to imitate human speech and are long-lived (live 50 – 80 years). Among poultry in the territory of Russia, the most common budgerigar, finch rack, parrot, gray parrot, pink cockatoos, and others.

When breeding wild or domestic mammals, in addition to the conditions and feeding, it is necessary to consider a number of ethical and sometimes legal issues. All mammals have well-developed psychic, teachable, trainable, responsive to affection and pain. In this regard, human relationships with them are governed by a number of legal acts: the rules of detention, transportation, quarantine, the decrees of the responsibility for cruelty to animals, etc. But there are unwritten laws of kindness and humanity. Therefore, to decide on the content of the mammals in the house should be, considering its capabilities and features of the animal.

From wild animals at home can live successfully protein, hedgehog, loir, hamster (Syrian or Central Asian).

Of the 300 breeds of dogs in the home would be best to include decorative. This variety of poodles, terriers, as well as Western and Oriental decorative dog (Maltese lap dog, or french, dwarf Pinscher, Pug, French Bulldog, Japanese Chin, Pekingese, and others).The plant in the house dog of any breed, it must be remembered that it is not a toy, but above all else and demands appropriate attention. Dog – the most loyal, selfless, forgiving, and understanding to each lot. Quite a few pleasant minutes delivers the contents of the house and different types of cats. They, like dogs, are the most common domestic mammals.

Any pets in the house – is not only worries and troubles, but above all it is an immeasurable joy of living creatures, with a part of nature.

Leukemia Virus in Cats.

Feline Leukemia Virus (WFC, FeLV, or from the English. Feline leukemia virus) – this is a well-known killer. FeLV weakens the immune system and also has a direct impact on the development of cancer in infected cats. This disease is considered the most dangerous infection in cats, resulting in death.
Although there is a vaccine against this deadly disease, they do not always give a positive result. As in the case of FIV, the best way to protect your cat from leukemia – to do the appropriate tests and to protect it from infected animals. Ideally, this means to keep her indoors only, one or the other, also non-infected cats.
Do tests to all new cats or kittens before bringing them into his house, where there are other cats. (Prior to vaccinate an animal, at first he in any case, do an analysis on the FeLV.) Your cats should also make the tests again after they have been in contact with potential carriers of FeLV, especially if your cat is bitten. Symptoms vary FeLV, so sick cat should be tested for FeLV. Cats walking on the street, or those who have been in contact with potential carriers of FeLV, testing should be done annually.
Most vets do a combined analysis for FIV and FeLV, which allows to determine the presence of both of these viral diseases with one blood sampling.
FeLV – this is very serious. Do not allow yourself to succumb to self-pity and take home a cat, she is not making pre-analysis on FeLV, especially if you are already living in the house of other cats. By doing so, you may be putting at risk the lives of their pet cats. But if it did happen and you find that allowed their contact with domestic cats FeLV-infected animals, do not panic. Isolate from infected their cats and take them to tests in accordance with the instructions of a veterinarian. After a contact transmission can not occur. Sometimes it takes a long time and repeated contact. So hope for the best and avoid further contact.
But what if analysis on your cat has FeLV was positive? The first thing you must understand that being a carrier of the virus does not mean to be sick. Some, in other respects healthy cats with a positive response to FeLV, live for months or even years without any symptoms of the disease. If an infected cat is the only thing your pet, the following guidelines. First, do not let her out, she was unable to infect other cats, as well as pick up any infections from them. Second, spend all the necessary preventive measures, the cat is not sick with something else, and collaborate with your veterinarian to diagnose and cure time associated with any FeLV disease that can develop in cats.
Most often the disease occurs in the form of lymphosarcoma, in particular the thymus. At the same time by progressive atrophy of the thymus and increases immunosuppression, neutropenia is detected. Sometimes the disease is in the form of myeloid leukemia. Sick cats are particularly susceptible to the virus to others, as well as to bacterial and fungal infections.
Symptoms. Cat exhausted, say fever, anorexia, lethargy, pallor of mucous membranes, glossitis, stomatitis, frequent breast cancer, glomerulonephritis, skin disease (demodicosis, sarcoptic mange), secondary infection. Signs of immune deficiency anemia, decreased hematocrit, atrophy of the thymus, and lymph nodes.

There are several options of the disease:
approximately 30% of the body produces antibodies, and the animal overcomes the viral infection;
40% of asymptomatic carriage is possible FeLV – these cats are the most dangerous source of infection of other cats, but eventually most of them due to the progressive destruction of immune system is developing one of the diseases peculiar to leukemia virus;
30% – a viral infection leads to severe neoplastic diseases of the lymphoid organs (lymphoma, lymphosarcoma).
In the diagnosis of particular importance is the identification of serum viral antigen p27 by using solid-phase enzyme immunoassay method (ELISA) and immunofluorescence analysis. According to recent data, a crucial role in determining the outcome of FeLV-infection in vaccinated cats or animals recovering from illness, acquired in a natural way to play a FeLV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
In contrast to FIV, FeLV virus can be defeated by the immune system of many cats. It is therefore important in two to three months after receiving (and confirmation) of a positive analysis for FeLV do retested.