bite from a cat or a dog?

How should I take care of a bite from a cat or a dog?
Here are some things you should do to take care of a wound caused by a cat or dog bite:

* If necessary, call your doctor (see the shaded box below).
* Wash the wound gently with soap and water.
* Apply pressure with a clean towel to the injured area to stop any bleeding.
* Apply a sterile bandage to the wound.
* Keep the injury elevated above the level of the heart to slow swelling and prevent infection.
* Report the incident to the proper authority in your community (for example, the animal control office or the police).
* Apply antibiotic ointment to the area 2 times every day until it heals.



Call your doctor in any of these situations:

* You have a cat bite. Cat bites often cause infection. You don't need to call your doctor for a cat scratch, unless you think the wound is infected.
* You have a dog bite on your hand, foot or head, or you have a bite that is deep or gaping.
* You have diabetes, liver or lung disease, cancer, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or another condition that could weaken your ability to fight infection.
* You have any signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, warmth, increased tenderness, oozing of pus from the wound or a fever.
* You have bleeding that doesn't stop after 15 minutes of pressure or you think you may have a broken bone, nerve damage or another serious injury.
* Your last tetanus shot (vaccine) was more than 5 years ago. (If so, you may need a booster shot.)
* You were bitten by a wild animal or a domestic animal (such as a pet) of unknown immunization status.



What will my doctor do?
Here are some things your doctor may do to treat a cat or dog bite:

* Examine the wound for possible nerve damage, tendon damage or bone injury. He or she will also check for signs of infection.
* Clean the wound with a special solution and remove any damaged tissue.
* May use stitches to close a bite wound, but often the wound is left open to heal, so the risk of infection is lowered.
* May prescribe an antibiotic to prevent infection.
* May give you a tetanus shot if you had your last shot more than 5 years ago.
* May ask you to schedule an office visit to check your wound again in 1 to 2 days.
* If your injury is severe, or if the infection has not gotten better even though you're taking antibiotics, your doctor may suggest that you see a specialist and/or go to the hospital, where you can get special medicine given directly in your veins (intravenous antibiotics) and further treatment if necessary.


Will I need a rabies shot?
Probably not. Rabies is uncommon in dogs and cats in the United States. If a dog or cat that bit you appeared to be healthy at the time of the bite, it's unlikely that the animal had rabies. However, it's a good idea to take some precautions if you're bitten by a dog or cat.

If you know the owner of the dog or cat that bit you, ask for the pet's vaccination record (record of shots). An animal that appears healthy and has been vaccinated should still be quarantined (kept away from people and other animals) for 10 days to make sure it doesn't start showing signs of rabies. If the animal gets sick during the 10-day period, a veterinarian will test it for rabies. If the animal does have rabies, you will need to get a series of rabies shots (see below).

If the animal is a stray or you can't find the owner of the dog or cat that bit you, call the animal control agency or health department in your area. They will try to find the animal so it can be tested for rabies.

If the animal control agency or health department can't find the animal that bit you, if the animal shows signs of rabies after the bite or if a test shows that the animal has rabies, your doctor will probably want you to get a series of rabies shots (also called post-exposure prophylaxis). You need to get the first shot as soon as possible after the bite occurs. After you receive the first shot, your doctor will give you 5 more shots over a 28-day period.


How can I prevent cat and dog bites?
Here are some things you can do to prevent bites:

* Never leave a young child alone with a pet.
* Do not try to separate fighting animals.
* Avoid sick animals and animals that you don't know.
* Leave animals alone while they are eating.
* Keep pets on a leash when in public.
* Select your family pet carefully and be sure to keep your pet's vaccinations

Photo of a Human Rabies patient being restrained

Courtesy by familydoctor.org, USA

Dogs with Demodectic Mange Have Defective Immune Systems

It is common for dogs to have the Demodex canis mite living on their skin. The tiny cigar-shaped parasite burrows into the skin yet most healthy dogs show no signs of infection. However, in dogs with defective immune systems, the mites can multiply and cause a disease called demodectic mange or demodicosis.

Research suggests that certain breeds of dogs have a genetic predisposition to demodicosis. Transmission of the mite is from the mother to her puppies during nursing in the first 72 hours after birth. Demodicosis is not contagious to other dogs or to people.

There are many expressions of demodicosis and the prognosis for a permanent cure really depends on the type of demodicosis. For example, if your dog has localized demodicosis, it is a mild, self-limiting disease. This kind of demodicosis usually affects dogs 6 ot 9 months of age and clinical signs consist of nothing more than a patch or two of hairlessness with mild itchiness. Ninety per cent of these cases resolve on their own, regardless of whether they are treated or not. The prognosis for full recovery is excellent and recurrence is rare.

On the other hand, there is a generalized second form that results in large amounts of hair loss from all over the body. Dogs that have this form respond moderately well to treatment.

However, if there is a concurrent skin infection, the prognosis is more guarded. With this third type of mange, there is usually pain and itchiness associated with it and patients may exhibit depression, inactivity, appetite loss and irritability.

A fourth type of demodicosis (called pododermatitis) affects the paws only.

Treatment
The recommended treatment for generalized demodicosis is a topical treatment called Amitraz (Mitoban™). If used once weekly, it has been shown to be almost 80 per cent effective. There is also an antiparasitic medication called Ivermectin (Ivomec™)that has been shown to be safe and highly effective against the demodex mite. In order to use it, you must sign a release form authorizing its use on your pet. Since demodicosis is not so much the result of a mite problem as it is an immune-system defect, dogs that have been successfully treated for demodicosis will always be at risk of a relapse. However, there should be no Recurrence unless the patient becomes reinfected with demodex mites.

To note
If your pet scratches excessively or experiences patchy or generalized hair loss, you should consult your veterinarian so that he or she can rule out demodicosis as well as other skin disorders.

Animal arthritis

Introduction
The canine skeletal system is a marvel of bones, cartilage, and ligaments that provide the body with a framework to erect on four strong legs, protect internal organs, and provide a full range of motion. The muscles furnish the power to propel the dog into action, but without healthy bones, joints, and connective tissue, the muscles cannot do their job.
Joints — the skeletal hinges — give the skeleton flexibility for walking, trotting, running, jumping, climbing, and moving the head and neck to increase the field of vision. The dog's body has three types of joints: ball and socket such as the hip and shoulder joints; hinged joints such as the knees and elbows; and gliding or plane joints such as the wrists and ankles. The joints are lubricated for smooth action by synovial fluid and are stabilized by tendons and ligaments. When the joints are damaged by injury or disease, arthritis (joint inflammation) can occur.
“He has arthritis” is probably the most common reaction of the pet owner whose Fido or Fluffy is stiff-legged after exercise, has trouble getting up in the morning, or is reluctant to go up or down stairs. But since such stiffness or lameness can have several causes and since arthritis itself comes in different types, a trip to the veterinarian is a more prudent move than slipping the pooch a couple of aspirin for the discomfort.

Degenerative joint disease
Arthritis results from inflammation in the joints and is generally divided into two types — degenerative and inflammatory — according to the source of that irritation. 

Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) results from destruction of the cartilage that protects the bones that make up the joint. Cartilage destruction can be the result of normal stress on abnormal joints or abnormal stress on normal joints(1). Hip dysplasia(2), a malformation of the hip sockets, is one example of normal stress on abnormal joints. Constant jumping over obstacles, stretching or tearing ligaments during strenuous exercise, or injuries in a fall or accident are examples of abnormal stress on normal joints. 

Degenerative joint disease can be further subdivided into primary disease for which no known cause is evident and secondary disease for which a cause can be pinpointed. Among the causes of secondary degenerative joint disease are hip dysplasia, patella luxation (loose kneecaps), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD, the development of cartilage “flaps” in the joints when bone development is disturbed), trauma, and ruptured cruciate (knee) ligaments. Secondary degenerative joint disease can sometimes be prevented or halted by surgical repair of the joint before arthritis progresses.

Degenerative arthritis may not manifest until the dog has had years of abnormal stress. Since cartilage has no nerves, the damage can progress with no outward signs until the joint is severely compromised and the lubricating fluid has thinned and lost its ability to protect the bone surfaces.

Inflammatory joint disease
Inflammatory joint disease can be caused by infection or by underlying immune-mediated diseases. Inflammatory arthritis usually affects multiple joints and is accompanied by signs of systemic illness including fever, anorexia, an all-over stiffness. 

Again, this type of arthritis is subdivided into infectious and immune-mediated categories. Infectious joint disease can be caused by bacteria, by tick-borne diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and by fungal infection. 

Immune-mediated arthritis is cause by underlying weakness in the immune system and can be hereditary. Rheumatoid arthritis, a deforming type of immune-mediated arthritis, is rare in dogs. Systemic lupus and an idiopathic (unidentified) immune-related arthritis both can cause nondestructive joint infections. 

Because infectious joint disease and immune-mediated joint disease call for different treatment protocols, diagnosis must be accurate. The immuno-suppressive drugs used to treat the immune-mediated disease may allow the infectious type of disease to thrive.

Signs of arthritis(3)
Reluctance to walk, climb stairs, jump, or play
Limping
Lagging behind on walks
Difficulty rising from a resting position
Yelping in pain when touched
A personality change resisting touch

Treatment
Degenerative joint disease can sometimes be halted or prevented by surgery when x-rays indicate joint malformations. If surgery is not indicated or advisable, relief can be achieved with painkillers, exercise, rest, and diet. However, even over-the-counter painkillers should not be used without the advice of a veterinarian

.(4)
Researchers are ever busy trying to find new generations of drugs to relieve pain. The latest in pain relievers for canine arthritis includes
Rimadyl, Adequan, and Palaprin, all available only from veterinarians.
Rimadyl (generic name carprofen) has gotten raves from veterinarians for its ability to relieve pain with few side effects. Long-term use of this drug requires periodic blood tests for liver function, but most dogs apparently do well on it. Like all drugs, however, Rimadyl is not effective for all patients.
Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan)(5) is given by injection twice each week for four weeks. It not only relieves the pain of arthritis, it binds to damaged cartilage to facilitate repair, blocks the action of destructive enzymes that cause inflammation, and stimulates the production of healthy joint fluid.
Palaprin6 is a buffered aspirin specifically for dogs; it can be used in the same circumstances in which aspirin is used but without the gastrointestinal irritation that sometimes occurs with aspirin.
There are other drug treatments; dogs with arthritis should be under veterinary care, and the veterinarian can determine which treatment is best for each dog.
Diet also plays an important part in arthritis treatment, especially to control the patient's weight. Excess weight causes more stress on the joints and exacerbates existing arthritis pain. In large breed dogs, periods of rapid growth can lead to development of OCD and joint dysplasias if the underlying genetic code is present, so special attention should be paid to the diets of these puppies to prevent too-rapid weight gain.
Whether drugs, surgery, or both are indicated in arthritis treatment owners should make sure their pets get plenty of rest and are not asked to perform painful exercise during treatment and recuperation. Veterinary advice in the matter of exercise should be followed even though it may seem that the recovery is slow. Ultimately, the type and duration of exercise will have to be restricted to reduce the pain as much as possible.
Notes
From Canine Orthopedics by Robert L. Rooks DVM and Connie Jankowski, the primary source of information for this article.

Ear mites

Are small parasites (called Otodectes cyanotis) that can infest the ear canals of both dogs and cats, causing severe itching which leads to self-trauma. In most cases, this is due to an allergic reaction to the mites. Affected ears usually have brown or black, crusty debris in the ear canals. Sometimes the skin around the ears is crusty, red and scaly.

How are the mites transmitted?

Ear mites are extremely contagious. They can be passed from the mother animal to her offspring. Additionally, the mites are easily spread to other pets within the household including cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, mice, ferrets, etc. The mites do not infest humans, but can bite us.

Symptoms and Treatments

A diagnosis is usually made by examination of the ear discharge under a microscope. Sometimes during an ear exam with an otoscope, the parasite can be seen moving around in the ear canal. Treatment of an ear mite infestation involves applying medication either into the ear canals or administration of medication by injection. All infested animals and in-contact animals need to be treated. A thorough cleanup of the pet's environment is also needed. For example, wash pet beds or blankets in hot, soapy water. It is important to discuss the most up-to-date treatment options with your veterinarian rather than relying on over-the-counter remedies. A follow-up examination will be booked with your veterinary health care team to make sure that the treatment has completely cleared the parasites. Ear products without an insecticide will not kill the mites.Ivermectin, fipronil (Frontline), and selamectin (Revolution) have also been used by some veterinarians. Milbemycin (Milbemite) and Acarexx, a form of ivermectin are approved for the treatment of ear mites in cats. Depending upon the medication used, the ears may need to be treated two to four weeks until all mites are killed.

Ear mites are not considered to be a zoonotic disease (disease which can be transmitted from animals to humans).

Professional Grooming

Still updating ^_^. Stay tuned!

House Of Paws (Tag: 7001)
Kampong Ubi Greenville 301 Ubi Avenue 1 #02-241 Singapore 400301
90088 152 / 94510524
contact person: MR & MRS Vincent
Category:Professional Grooming | Pets' boarding

PAWWS IMAGE (Tag: 7002)
Blk 131 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-1567 Singapore 160131
Tel: 6272 3456
Category: Professional Grooming

Pet Grooming Centre (Tag: 7003)
Lot 13 Pasir Ris Farmway 2
Tel: 6584 7995
Category: Professional Grooming

Welcome entries so that Our own Pets' lovers community can benefit from it! Thanks!

Dog Obedient Training

K9-Shiloh Dawg Skool (Tag: 4001)
58 Club St Singapore 069433
Tel : 1800 4SHILOH
Category: Dog Obedient Training
Website

Pets' after-death service

Pets Cremation Center
16 Pasir Ris F'way 2 Singapore 519316
Tel: 65844844 / 62606260
Category: Pet Cemetries and Crematories
Website



Welcome new entries on companies that provide cremation and related services.