Pet Eye Health — What to Look For
Pet Eye Health — What to Look For
Keeping eyes healthy is important both for pets and humans. The area around the eyes as well as the eyes themselves is a very sensitive area. The cleaner this area is kept the more likely an animal’s eye will stay healthy. Your pet’s eyes are crucial to their safety and well-being. There are many substances and conditions that can threaten your pet’s eye health and understanding the signs of certain problems can help you anticipate and treat these problems before they permanently affect your pet’s vision. Red Eyes Red eyes can signal many different inflammatory conditions and infectious diseases ranging from conjunctivitis to glaucoma. The most common conditions associated with your pet’s red eyes are below. Conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eye. It’s the most common eye disease in all domestic animals, and it has a number of causes. Conjunctivitis might be caused by a viral or bacterial infection, by a parasite (like ticks) and by allergies. Ticks in particular can transmit a number of parasites that can cause conjunctivitis. Treatment for conjunctivitis includes keeping the eye clean and eliminating the cause of the inflammation. Dogs with allergies and purebred cats are most prone to conjunctivitis. Keratitis Keratitis causes superficial blood vessels and pigmentation on the eye. It can decrease vision if left untreated. It is a common eye disorder, especially among German shepherds, and the redness is often accompanied by a thick, ropy mucous discharge from the eyes. In severe and chronic cases, the eye surface becomes infiltrated with blood vessels, and may harden because of long term irritation. There may also be ulceration of the eye tissue due to keratitis. Treatment of keratitis includes tear stimulants and anti-inflammatory medicines. Eye ulcers may require surgical repair. Most external eye diseases are treated with antibacterial eye drops that must be applied several times a day. Newer technologies that treat eye infections in dogs include a bioadhesive ophthalmic drug insert which can be placed in the eye to avoid the daily treatment and make compliance with treatment easier. Cherry Eye Cherry Eye is a prolapse of the gland of the third eyelid. It is most common among young dogs, especially Pekingese, bulldogs, beagles and cocker spaniels. The gland becomes infected, irritated and inflamed. Treatment for cherry eye is surgical replacement of the gland. Scleritis Scleritis is inflammation of the opaque white outer coat enclosing the eyeball. It may result from parasitic disease like Lyme disease or toxoplasmosis. Untreated, it can result in the loss of the eye. The red area around the eye may develop suddenly, and is usually hard, lumpy and immovable. Treatment of scleritis is often topical steroids. Uveitis Uveitis is inflammation of the uveal tract or tear ducts. It usually results from an underlying disease. Your pet may show signs of eye pain, overflowing tears, sensitivity to light, eyelid spasms and small pupils. Left untreated, it can damage vision and lead to glaucoma. It can also be the first symptom of a more serious, life-threatening disease. Treatment for uveitis is dependent on the underlying cause. Glaucoma Glaucoma is an elevation of pressure in the eyeball. Just like in humans, glaucoma can lead to irreversible blindness. Signs of glaucoma include large pupils, cloudy pupils and redness. Treatment for acute glaucoma should be started immediately and should be directed toward rapidly reducing the pressure before permanent damage occurs. Breeds most prone to glaucoma are American cocker spaniels, bassets, wire fox terriers, Boston terriers, Siberian huskies, cairn terriers, chow chows, Norwegian elk hounds and miniature poodles. Cataracts Cataracts are white spots in the lenses of the eye that impair vision and cause blindness. Cataracts may be genetic, or they may be caused by diabetes mellitus, or by infections like canine herpes, canine parovirus-2 and canine adenovirus-1. They may also be caused by injury to the eye, poor nutrition, radiation therapy or toxins. Treatment of cataracts is surgical removal if they significantly impair vision. There are a number of breeds that may inherit a tendency to develop cataracts. They include Miniature Schnauzer, Boston Terrier, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Siberian Husky, American Cocker Spaniel, Old English sheepdog, Standard Poodle, Welsh Springer Spaniel and German Shepherd Dog. Bleeding in the eye Bleeding in the eye is usually the result of injury or inflammation. Treatment for the condition depends on the cause. Herpes viral conjunctivitis Herpes viral conjunctivitis is extremely common in young kittens, especially those who are dealing with other stresses to their system like fleas, environmental cold and poor nutrition. Outdoor kittens, feral kittens and kittens in shelters are especially prone to feline conjunctivitis. Watery eyes Watery eyes have many causes. One of the more common is entropion, a condition where the lashes turn inward. The treatment is to clean the eyes carefully with a wet cotton pad and remove any debris from the corner of the eye. The tendency to watery eyes caused by hair and lashes in the eye can best be treated by keeping the top knot tidy in breads with top knots. Trichiasis Trichiasis is a condition that causes some lashes to grow inward and rub on the surface of the eye. It can eventually cause scarring of the cornea and lead to vision loss. Treatment for trichiasis is surgical removal of the abnormal lashes. Jaundice Jaundice is yellowness in the whites of the eyes. There are many causes for jaundice, and your pet should be seen by a vet to determine the underlying cause. Some possible causes include hepatitis, urinary tract infections, pancreatitis, gallstones, anemia, medications and viral infections. Treatment depends on the underlying cause of the disease.Brian Jenkins is a freelance writer who often writes about topics pertaining to the care of pets and health options for pets such as <a href="http://www.vetrxdirect.com/">Pet Meds</a>
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Top 10 Tips on Caring For Your Pet Cat
You need to make sure that your cat is regularly cared for by a good vet as well. By knowing the 10 ways to look after your cat you will have a pet who is happy with you and who you can develop a wonderful relationship with. 1 - Fit your cat with a collar and attached to it details relating to you including your telephone number. This way if your cat does happen to get out and goes missing then the chances of them being returned to you will be greatly improved. 2 - Today you will also find that it is a legal requirement that your cat is actually micro chipped. This is something that your vet needs to do and normally they will inject the small device between the animal’s shoulder blades. As well as you having a copy of the identification information this is then entered into a database and so if animal is lost a quick swipe of the animal will tell if it is the one. 3 - Although many cats like to be able to go outside if you live in a built up area it is best if you keep them confined to your home. Ideally look at providing them with plenty of things such as a scratching post so that they don’t get bored and start to damage your furniture instead. Plus it is a good idea when you go out to restrict them to one room only in the house (i.e., the kitchen) and make sure that they have everything that they need. 4 - It is important with any pet including cats that they go to the vet regularly not just for checkups but for boosters of their vaccinations. If you are unsure which vet to use, ask a friend, neighbour or a family member if they can recommend someone. 5 - You may not like it but having your cat spayed or neutered is extremely important especially if they are allowed to roam outside. Not only will your cat be a lot healthier but this will help to prevent you ending up with more cats than you wanted. 6 - You need to ensure that you provide your cat with a well balanced nutritional diet and make sure that they have a good continuous supply of fresh water. If you are unsure just what you should be feeding your cat then speak to your vet and they may recommend something for them. Certainly it is best for young cats (kittens) and older cats that they are give food specifically designed for them. A quick search online and you will see there are plenty of products now available suitable for all types of cats no matter their ages. 7 - As mentioned you need to prevent your cats from doing things that you find undesirable. Although you may not believe it but just like dogs a cat can be taught to do things. However, it will take quite a lot of time and effort on your part and certainly you will need lots of patience with your animal if you want to stop such problems from arising such as them jumping up on to kitchen counters or tables. 8 - If you want your cats coat to remain looking good then you need to be regularly grooming them, especially if the cat has long hair. Grooming long haired cats regularly will help to prevent their coats from becoming matted, plus it also helps to remove loose hairs as well. Although short haired coats don’t need so much grooming as long haired breeds by brushing them regularly you are stopping them from ingesting the loose hairs when they groom themselves. If they ingest too much hair it can form into hairballs which if they cannot expel can lead to other health issues for your cat. 9 - You may not believe it but it is a good idea to actually spend some time playing with your cat especially if they are kept in the house all the time. It not only helps to stimulate them physically but mentally as well, plus the bond between the two of you will be strengthened. 10 - Finally whenever you spend time with them carry out your own checks. This way if you spot any abnormalities in your pet you can take them immediately to the check to have the problem looked at further. When doing your own checks start at the head and work your way down the body. Check the ears make sure that they are clean and they are not producing any unpleasant odours. Next look at their eyes are these clear and bright and focus on you and check to see if there is any discharge. Then you come to the teeth this may be difficult but once you are able to make sure the gums are pink and there hasn’t been any build up of tartar on them. Plus you may not want to but see if their breath smells bad. The final thing to do is check their nose for any kind of discharge and when touched it should feel warm and dry. Above we have shown you 10 ways to care for your cat as long as you keep these in mind then you will find that you will have a healthy and happy animal.Adflyer is a free classifieds and shopping website aimed at both the general public and business users to promote sales within the UK. http://www.adflyer.co.uk <a href="http://www.adflyer.co.uk">Classifieds</a> Adflyer
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Dasha's Healing
One day my wife went to our daughter s place to take her dog called Dasha for a walk. Usually it is the most joyous activity for Dasha and she is always grateful for this treat. But that evening she was breathing hard and expressed not joy but only sadness . When my wife touched her and wanted to give her a cuddle she screamed displaying unhappiness. As the next day it was planned to renovate our daughter s kitchen my wife offered to bring Dasha to our place next morning. In the morning, when Dasha came to our home, she did not greet us with joy standing on her back legs nor did she allow us to tickle her leg. She was breathing heavily, her head was bending down so that she could not look at us at all and her tail was hanging down as well. Instead of greeting me and lying down next to me as always happened before, she was just walking around me breathing with great difficulties. When I tried gently to pat her neck she screamed as she did the previous evening. I ve realized clearly that Dasha needs immediate help. I did not have much experience praying for the animals though I ve read and heard wonderful testimonies of healings. Though my heart was with that lovely dog but I still did not know exactly how to start praying for Dasha. My thoughts started wondering that the animals were not created as image and likeness of God, as man is, and therefore perhaps they are not spiritual and eternal. Suddenly the thought that All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestations embraced my consciousness. That thought became so real to me because of my study of the Science of divine Mind, described in the book Science and Health with key to the Scriptures written by Mary Baker Eddy. From that fact I ve continued to reason that even though the animals perhaps are not eternal beings as man is, but because God, Mind created them, they also must reflect the beauty, health, goodness and perfection in their lives. Coming mentally to that point and seeing that Dasha was still suffering I ve called to the Lord God with all my heart and I ve started talking to Dasha claiming the truth about the dog as a God s creation. I ve said to Dasha with authority, Dasha, God made you good and therefore you are free from disharmony. Also I ve refused to accept in my consciousness that some accidents or evil tongues (these were two seeming suggestions about her abnormality) can have power or take a hold over Dasha! As she was still wondering around I ve continued to utter the truth for another 10 min until her breath calmed and she sat quietly in the corner. With some relief I ve praised God for that first step and mentally still was holding the truth that all creations which God has made are good including Dasha and so nothing inharmonious could enter in God s creation. In 5 min Dasha was already lying in peace. In 20 min I ve stood up and in that moment Dasha as usual joyfully ran up to me holding her head up and giving me her leg to pat and shake it. Her tail was up again and she ran quickly to the kitchen to have her breakfast. But this was not the end of the story. After the walks Dasha sometimes experienced difficulties with breathing but after that Friday morning she comes home after walk with joy and without laboured breathing at all. I was so grateful to God for that healing and for learning that the animals as the children are so receptive to healing. If you would like to explore for yourselves how physical health is reflected by clear, pure or spiritual thoughts you can look at the site www.christian-healing-prayer.net.au or please contact Michael Blitchtein by e-mail mib@fhills.hotkey.net.au. About the author please look at www.christian.healing-prayer.net/about.htm
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