Cats

How Environmental Enrichment Benefits Cats

When we talk about environmental enrichment for indoor cats (and for many other pets), the conversation is about more than just getting toys for your cat. Due to their nature and depending on their home environment, domestic cats can be exposed to a lot of stress.

The discomfort can come from a wide variety of sources. Many cats often live in a very comfortable house, but struggle to be able to do what they would normally do in their natural environment. Climbing, resting in high spots, playing, scratching and hunting with all its different stages (seeking, capturing, and consuming) are just a few examples of their normal behaviour. Domestic cats often struggle to find structures to climb and areas to scratch (without annoying their owners), ´toys` to play with, and ways to display hunting behaviour.

When discussing stress inducing factors, poor human-cat relationship and conflict between cats should also be on the list. A cat living with another cat or cats often has to share food bowls, common areas and the litter box with his or her feline housemates. Cats tend to avoid cats they don’t get along with to prevent more serious conflict and over time, this affects their access to important resources. A cat might actually drink less water for example if getting to the water bowl means crossing paths with another less friendly cat.

Other factors include unpredictable schedules, less interaction with their caregivers and even unexpected physical manipulation.

Cats have different personalities and some cats may be more affected by these daily occurrences than others. However, after several studies it is pretty clear for the scientific community that lack of environmental enrichment can lead to domestic cats suffering from numerous disorders such as anxiety, stress, obesity, behavioural changes (urine marking, house soiling, some forms of aggression), and feline idiopathic cystitis.

Providing cat towers, a wide variety of toys, scratching areas, resting spots, feeding toys, and enough food and water locations as well as litter boxes taking into consideration the number of cats in the household will have a very positive impact on your cats’ health and welfare.

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Dogs

Mycotoxin poisoning in pets Keep your pets away from any mouldy leftovers!


Did you know that your waste bin can hide dangerous and unexpected poisonous substances for your pets? Let’s talk about mycotoxin poisoning in pets.

Most humans know that eating decomposing mouldy food is not the best idea, not only because the flavour might not be very pleasant but also because it can make you sick. The same cannot be said for our four-legged canine companions, who will often eat the most surprising things with a very happy look on their faces.

Not all moulds are poisonous but the mould that normally grows over certain decomposing foods such as bread, cheese, pasta, walnuts, and other decaying matter like compost can be life-threatening if ingested by our pets.

When these foods start decomposing inside our rubbish containers they provide the ideal environment for the proliferation of different types of fungus such as Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium spp.. These fungi don’t take long to grow and they produce toxins which can be very poisonous if ingested by our pets, even in small amounts. All it takes is for a curious dog to lick some mould residue from the inside of an unwashed food caddy for the toxins to cause serious illness.

Mycotoxin poisoning is an acute toxin induced gastroenteritis that can also cause neurotoxicity. Affected animals present abdominal pain, vomiting, liver damage, uncoordinated movements, muscle tremors, seizures, and a dangerous increase in body temperature.

Affected animals can show signs within just 30 minutes of eating the poisonous mouldy food. Depending on the amount ingested and how early the animal is treated, this type of poisoning can be fatal.

If you notice any of these signs on your pets it is very important to take them to the vet immediately. The sooner they are diagnosed and treated, the better are the chances for a full recovery.

The best way to avoid your pet from ever having to go through this is to go over your daily recycling routine and ensure your dog never has access to any potentially dangerous leftover foods, rubbish bags or waste containers.

Image: “jedi puppy kitchen tricks” by lecates, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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Horses

Tight nosebands in equestrian competitions raise welfare concerns

A recent study focused on collecting noseband data from 750 horses competing in Ireland, England and Belgium. What they found could have serious behavioural and physiological implications for horses and important consequences for the riders.
The noseband is the part of the horse’s bridle that goes around the nose and jaw. It is recommended to keep some space between the animal’s skin and the noseband. The general recommendation is to keep the noseband loose enough to allow space for 1,5 and 2 adult human fingers to fit under a fastened noseband.
However, according to a recent study only 7% of the horses had their noseband fitted to include the extra space for two fingers and more than half of all the nosebands tested were excessively tight (0.5 fingers or tighter). This can have negative consequences for the horses and for the riders.
Among the possible harmful consequences for the animals are discomfort, pain, stress, preventing normal oral behaviour and tissue damage. It also impacts how the riders are communicating with their horse, influencing the horse’s present and future behaviour and performance.
Riders use the bridle and all its bits (the bit, the straps, and the noseband) attached to the reins to connect and communicate with the horse. Tight nosebands prevent the animal from opening its mouth to evade the pressure of the bit and this increases their sensibility to the bit. As a result many riders often rely on the tightening of the noseband to get a better response from their horse in terms of behaviour and performance on competitions, rather than taking the time to address the underlying issue causing their lack of response and putting the necessary time into training their horse to respond to the required action from a rein cue.
Previous studies have shown that excessively tight nosebands can cause a physiological stress response and compromise welfare. Ill-fitting tack is often the source of health issues and behaviour problems in horses. Ultimately, the use of excessively tight nosebands may be counterproductive in competitions and lead to long term behaviour problems.
Noseband tightness is barely regulated in equestrian events which contributes to the lack of data on this matter and on the possible consequences of resorting to very tight nosebands as an attempt to improve the horse’s performance.

Image: “Gray dressage horse” by barnimages.com, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Cats, Dogs

Keep your pets safe and have a great Easter!


We bet you are all looking forward to the Easter weekend! Spending quality time with your family, your friends and with your pets is always a happy thought, especially during such a lovely time of the year. Don’t forget that there are several traditional Easter foods that can be dangerous for our pets!

In order to avoid any accidents or unscheduled visits to the vet, we would like to remind pet owners of all the foods that should be kept away from pets during this time of the year.

The first item on our list is definitely chocolate. From Easter eggs to chocolate bunnies, chocolate seems to be everywhere during Easter. This is great for humans with a sweet tooth, but it’s not so great for our furry companions since chocolate is dangerous for dogs. Chocolate contains theobromine, a substance that is toxic for them and the consequences of this type of poisoning depend on the type of chocolate and the amount ingested. The higher the amount ingested and the higher the cocoa content, the more toxic the chocolate.

Our dogs can easily take advantage of a moment of distraction and snatch a chocolate egg or a box of chocolates. Common signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs include digestive upset (vomiting, diarrhoea), restlessness, incoordination and seizures.

Next on our list are grapes, raisins, currants, and sultanas. These are also toxic for dogs, often leading to kidney failure. It is still not known what is the substance that causes these effects and some dogs are able to eat these foods without any side effects. However, it has been proven that grapes, raisins, currants, and sultanas are in fact poisonous for dogs and many have sadly died after eating them. They are commonly used in cakes and hot cross buns so please make you keep your dog away from these.

It is also recommended to keep sweets in general away from our pets. Many sweets contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener often used in chewing gum, tea, coffee, baked foods, and even in some types of peanut butters. Xylitol is poisonous to dogs affecting the liver, the digestive system, the heart, the nervous system and it can lead to death.

Last but not least, please remember to keep your cats away from lilies. These plants are very popular during spring. Unfortunately, some lilies (particularly the Lilium and Hemerocallis genera) are extremely toxic for our feline friends. All parts of these plants are poisonous, including their pollen. This means a cat can simply brush by the flower and then lick the pollen off the fur to be affected. Clinical signs of lily toxicity in cats include salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, tremors, seizures, and kidney injury which can lead to death.

Image: “Basket full of trouble” by BigDuff, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Cats

Lilies and cats are not a good combination Do you know why?

Lilies are not good plants to be around cats, as these are extremely toxic for our feline friends. Although not all lilies constitute a life-threatening danger to cats, it isn’t always easy to be sure about the ones that are safe.

Many pet owners have never heard of this issue and this is incredibly important, especially for cat owners. Lilies are gorgeous household plants that are very popular during this time of the year and commonly given as gifts around Easter and Mother’s Day.

Unfortunately, cats are extremely sensitive to the toxic effects of lilies, especially of the Lilium and Hemerocallis genera (the “true lilies”), and ingesting any portion of the plant, even in very small amounts, can be fatal. Easter lilies, Day lilies, Tiger lilies, Japanese Show lilies, Asiatic lilies (including hybrids) and Stargazer lilies are some examples of the poisonous plants.

Cats may be poisoned because they nibble on their household plants, but with this type of lilies it isn’t even necessary for a cat to be curious about the plant and eat it. All it takes is for the cat to brush pass the flower and then lick the pollen off his or her fur, as even the pollen contains toxins. Cats can also get sick if they drink the water from these plants, if they are in a vase.

Affected cats will show nausea, salivation, depression, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, disorientation, tremors, seizures, and potentially fatal kidney injury.

Although it is very important for the public to be aware of this so cat owners can avoid the dangerous plants, identifying which ones are poisonous is not an easy task. Many different flowers are called lilies and to make things more confusing there are many hybrids of these plants.

The Lily of the Valley, for example, is not a true lily as it belongs to the genus Convallaria but although it doesn’t cause any damage to our cat’s kidneys it is still very poisonous for them.

Prompt treatment is key for the survival of a cat suffering from this type of poisoning. The toxins on these plants are rapidly absorbed once they have been ingested, and start causing damage very quickly.

If you notice any of the previously mentioned signs on your cat or if you suspect your cat may have been poisoned by one of these plants, do not wait! Take your pet straight to the vet. The sooner your pet is taken to the vet for treatment the higher are the chances for a positive outcome.

Image: “Black cat” by malfet_, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Cats, Dogs

Spring reminders for pet owners

Spring is a very much awaited time of the year, after months of cold and winter. Pets and humans alike thoroughly enjoy the sun’s return, and nature around us slowly but surely gains those lovely colours once again.

During this time of the year, the first thing owners need to be on the lookout is for the seasonal increase in parasitic activity. Fleas, ticks and worms start to proliferate as these are the months with the most favourable environmental conditions for them, which means this is just the time to ensure our pets are up-to-date with their flea/tick treatments and worming plans.

Warm weather also means the beginning of spring gardening season, and if you are a pet owner as well as a gardening enthusiast, it is really worth taking the time to do some research and ensure you have a pet safe garden. There are several plants and bulbs that can be poisonous for our furry companions such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, crocus, snowdrops, and rhododendrons, among others.

Their level of toxicity ranges from mild to severe and common clinical signs include nausea, drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, increased heart rate, difficulties breathing, tremors, seizures and in some cases these plants can be deadly. It is very important to take your pet to the vet as soon as possible if you ever notice these signs.

Lilies cause stomach upset in dogs but are particularly dangerous for cats, especially Lilium or Hemerocallis species (true lilies). Every single part of the plant is poisonous, including its pollen, and even the water if they are in a vase. Ingesting even a small amount can lead to kidney damage and this can happen to cats just by brushing past a flower and then licking off the pollen from their coat.

Plants with poisonous bulbs (such as tulips or daffodils) can mean problems for dog owners. It’s not uncommon for dogs to dig bulbs from the garden or to eat them while they have not been planted. Poinsettia is often mentioned as a dangerous plant as well, but although this plant is poisonous, it causes only mild clinical signs.

Younger pets are particularly at risk as they are more playful and inquisitive, often chewing and nibbling whatever they can find in their environment. They are also more susceptible to poisoning due to their small size, as they’re more severely affected by smaller amounts of any poisonous substance. Plant poisoning is also common in indoor cats, so it is also a good idea to keep this is mind in you have any indoor flowers or bouquets.

Useful tips for a pet safe spring include always checking if a particular plant or chemical (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, slug and snails bait, and fertilisers) can be toxic for your pet and either ensure your furry companions are kept away from these, or if possible, to avoid them entirely.

Image: “Cuteness” by ohmil, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Cats

Terrific Tailless Kitties!

Today we bring you, from the ancient lands of the Isle of Man, a just as old breed of cats that have a very particular characteristic: no tails!

The Manx breed and their distinctive posterior characteristic most likely originated from a mutation that spread throughout the island due to its incomplete dominant characteristics. When the Vikings settled on the island, their lush, long haired cats introduced the longhair coat to the previously short coated Manx population.

All Manx cats have at least one gene for the full tail, which means that two fully tailless cats can produce kittens with complete tails. And because it’s an incomplete dominant gene, there are cats with varying lengths of tail (there might even be a whole spectrum of lengths from the same litter!).

Besides their unique tails, these cats are adorably round, fluffy and robust. They are described as very intelligent, active, playful animals with a surprisingly heavy constitution. Added to it, a strong loyalty and dedication to their families make all the fine ingredients for a working cat.

In the Cat Fancier’s Associations own words “A house with a Manx will never be boring!” and we are very inclined to agree with them.
 

Image: “Ichi & Mustapha” by ismael villafranco was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Horses

High Ringbone

Owners of work horses know the name ´ringbone` well. High ringbone is the common name given to a progressive condition called osteoarthritis of the proximal interphalangeal joint – woah that is a big name! Good news is, it’s just a real long way of saying it’s a disease of the pastern joint.

Bad news is, it can cause severe lameness and might eliminate a horse from competing or from strenuous work life if not well managed. This condition can happen for several reasons, for instance overuse, a singular trauma episode or even just due to normal use.

The disease process of the osteoarthritis involves the loss of cartilage and the formation of new bone around the joint, a process that is very painful. In severe cases, it can even make a visible enlargement that encircles the joint which earned it the name “Ringbone”.

Unfortunately, this disease can be progressive and what starts out as a subtle lameness can become much more pronounced with time as there is greater and greater destruction of the normal joint. The loss of cartilage means that bones will be grinding against each other in each and every movement of that limb and if it sounds painful to you, you got it right, it really is. Added to that, there is creation of bone in tissues and spaces where bone should not be plus inflammation.

All of this will contribute to progressive loss of function and lameness due to severe pain. It’s sounding pretty gloomy but there are many therapeutic options available and the condition can be managed. Of course, much of the prognosis is tied up with whatever cause osteoarthritis to start in the first place but talk to your vet about all your options and they’ll help you make the right choice for your riding buddy.

Image: “Oregon’s Wild Horse Corral Facility” by BLMOregon was built upon is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Uncategorized

Clumsy but capable! Cerebellar Hypoplasia in cats


Cats and kittens come in many shapes, sizes and abilities! One particular set of our feline friends are cats that have a congenital dysfunction in the area of the brain responsible for balance and walking.

These kitties have a cerebellum that was not properly developed during pregnancy. Most of the time this happens because of an infection with Feline panleukopenia virus, the same virus that causes distemper in cats. If the queen gets infected with this virus during pregnancy, it will interfere with the normal development of the cerebellum in her kittens. Not all kittens are affected the same way, so what might happen is that a litter can have babies that are severely affected and kitties that don’t seem to have any issues.

The cerebellum is the area of the brain that helps animals walk and move correctly. Knowing this, it means that cats with this disease have issues getting around and doing more precise movements. You might see your kitty tremble a lot, have difficulty reaching the bowl to eat and look really clumsy walking but don’t worry because it doesn’t hurt!

The good news about cerebellar hypoplasia is that these purring partners can have great quality of life and a normal lifespan. This disease is not progressive, painful or contagious and with time, they can even learn to compensate for these issues.

Living with a cat with cerebellar hypoplasia might require some special attention, depending on the severity of the problem. They have a normal lifespan but are more prone to accidents, like not handling stairs well, falling from high places, requiring special litter boxes or hitting sharp corners on furniture.

We leave you with some top tips on how to make life for your lovely, clumsy cat a little easier: Carpeted floors help them get better traction, try putting soft bumpers on your furniture so they don’t get hurt when they fall or have a litter box with high sides so they have the extra support.

Keep an eye out for ways you can improve the life of your feline friend with cerebellar hypoplasia and they will surely save many purrs for you.

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Dogs

Canine pancreatitis – When your dog’s pancreatic enzimes run wild!


Pancreatitis is a common disease in middle-aged to old dogs that can be very painful and even life-threatening.

The pancreas is very important for dogs and humans alike. This is the organ directly responsible for the production of insulin, which plays a key role in the way the body handles sugar, and for the production of digestive enzimes that will help with food digestion. This organ is located within the abdomen, behind the stomach and the first portion of the small intestine.

Pancreatitis refers to inflammation of the pancreas and although it is still unclear exactly what triggers this condition, the process involved and some predisposing factors are known.

The pancreas produces digestive enzimes meant to become activated once they reach the small intestine so they can contribute to breaking down and digesting food. The body has natural safeguards that keep these enzimes from being activated anywhere other than the gut but it is possible for these mechanisms to fail. When this happens, pancreatic enzimes become prematurely activated and can start digesting the pancreas from within, causing inflammation and affecting other organs.

Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic and dogs with chronic pancreatitis display low grade, intermittent clinical signs. Clinical signs commonly related to pancreatitis include depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. It is typical for dogs in pain to raise their hindlimbs and extend their forelimbs assuming a “prayer” position. This position helps them alleviate pain.

Several risk factors have been recognised and associated with pancreatitis in dogs such as obesity, dietary mishaps normally associated with fatty foods, concurrent diseases such as endocrine conditions, and certain drugs. Canine pancreatitis is really just one more reason to help your dog reach and maintain a healthy weight.

An association between certain breeds and canine pancreatitis has also been observed. Yorkshire Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, English Cocker Spaniels, Boxers and Collies are described as more likely to develop this condition.

If your dog is showing suspicious signs or if you could use some advice to help your pet lose weight consult with your veterinary surgeon.

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