• Vomiting And/Or Diarrhea
• Cat Can't Urinate - Straining In The Box 
• Spay and Neutering Questions  
• Winning The War On Fleas  
• What is Homeopathy?  
• What is Acupuncture?  
• Holistic or Wholistic?  
• Aspects of Natural Healing 

• Emergency Tips
• In An Emergency  
• Emergency Instructions  
• Home Made Pet First-Aid Kit  
• Bleeding  
• Breathing Problems  
• Convulsing Or Having Seizures  
• Poison 

Cat Can't Urinate - Straining In The Box
If your cat is a male, this can be very serious. Male cats have very narrow urine outflow tubes that can block, resulting in kidney damage and even death. Male cats who strain to urinate, lick their penis excessively or cry in the litter box should be seen at once. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL MORNING!! Females who have painful urination usually do not have full blockages, but you should call a veterinarian to determine if an immediate exam is needed.

 
Spay and Neutering Questions

What is spaying?
Spaying is the common name for the surgery which removes the ovaries and uterus so that a female dog or cat cannot reproduce. The medical name is "ovariohysterectomy" which is a long word meaning, "to remove the ovaries and uterus." What is neutering? This word means to remove the reproductive parts of a pet so that it can't breed successfully. We commonly use it to refer to the surgery for males, but it is technically correct to use it for either sex.

What happens to my pet during surgery?
In females, a small incision is made by the belly-button and the ovaries and uterus are found and carefully removed. In males, both testicles are removed through a small incision. Both males and females have the surgical area closed with sutures which are removed in 10 days. Male cats have no skin sutures.

Why spay my pet?
Females spayed before one year of age have virtually no breast cancer. Breast cancer is very common in older unspayed females and this is very important for an owner to know. You must do the surgery before one year of age to get this benefit. Spaying after one year of age reduces this risk by half and doing the surgery after a dog or cat is over two years of age has no effect on the breast cancer risk. Spayed females have fewer uterine infections and no problems with their ovaries because these parts are no longer present to cause problems.

Why neuter my pet?
Neutered male dogs have much less prostate cancer and fewer lower back problems. Neutered dogs almost never get perineal hernias which can cause older dogs to have very expensive and painful corrective surgery. Neutering reduces excessive "male behaviors" like fighting and territorial marking. In cats, neutering reduces the number of fights and makes the cat's urine smell much better. Neutered pets appear to live longer than pets left intact.

What do I do after the surgery?
Let your pet rest quietly after arriving home. Give small amounts of water until your pet doesn't drink everything in the bowl. Be sure to follow the instructions your veterinarian left for you regarding exercise, eating and keeping the area clean.

Winning The War On Fleas

What Do Fleas Do and Why Are They Here Anyway?
Most of us have spent lots of time wondering why fleas are here. Obviously, nature doesn't create things with no purpose and fleas are no exception. Fleas actually help wildlife by applying pressure to the population. Animals who are weak or sick are parasitized and die before they can spread disease or reproduce. Fleas are attracted to animals that are unhealthy or pets who are kept in unhealthy circumstances. In this strange way, fleas actually help to preserve the balance and health of wild animal populations. Our problem is that we don't want them to control our pets. We have other tools available to us that wildlife do not have--namely, we can call a veterinarian for help! We need to understand that fleas do help and by understanding the flea's life and purpose we can become more effective at flea control.

Winning The War On Fleas
You can win the war on fleas, but you must understand what you are battling. Fleas have lived in nearly unchanged form for millions of years. Fleas are geniuses at playing the survival game. One flea can lay 20-30 eggs per day and 10 fleas can produce 250,000 fleas in just three short weeks during the peak flea season. Fleas like heat and humidity. Only female fleas drink blood, which they must consume to lay live eggs that will hatch into tiny worms called larvae. The larvae survive by eating organic material and are very sensitive to drying. In fact, decreasing the humidity by 25% can kill 75% of the flea larvae in the area. Larvae spin a cocoon and emerge as adults in a short time. The whole cycle of reproduction takes 21 days in warm weather, but can be much longer in cooler weather. Remember that if a pet has excessive fleas, then there is some health issue that needs to be handled. To control fleas, you need a complete health program customized to your home living environment.