Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” collection, the place each Monday we carry professional recommendation directly from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to lend a hand our readers higher perceive their cat’s well being and well-being.
Whether or not you’re a brand new puppy dad or mum or a seasoned cat lover, Dr. Paola is right here to offer solutions in your maximum urgent questions. From vitamin pointers and preventive care to troubleshooting commonplace behavioral problems, Dr. Paola is able to be offering insights that may stay your kitty glad, wholesome, and pussycat positive. Keep tuned for professional steerage on a spread of subjects that subject maximum to you and your cat, so you’ll make knowledgeable selections and give you the perfect imaginable handle your hairy better half.
Have a query? Ship it in right here!
Assist! My Hepper Has Fleas!
“Pricey Dr. Paola,
Not too long ago, my cats, Peach and Birdy, shriveled fleas, most certainly as a result of our again backyard is sort of a teach depot for squirrels, possums, and different cats. I’ve even noticed a rat in the market!
Anyway, I had in the past lined them each, successfully, with Soresto flea collars, however my vet says that collars aren’t efficient for flea keep watch over. They steered a prescription topical med that they’re going to want each month as a substitute of a collar each 7 months.
I had inadvertently let their collars move over the efficient vary; that’s why they were given fleas. Can I’ve your ideas on collars vs topicals?“– Tuth
Hello Tuth,
Thanks for sharing your revel in. It sounds such as you’re navigating a quite common however irritating problem, particularly in a yard that’s necessarily a crossroads for flora and fauna. Fleas thrive in those environments, and cats that spend any time close to those high-traffic zones are at greater threat. You’re completely proper that efficacy continuously comes all the way down to timing and consistency, which is the place many merchandise, even excellent ones, can fall quick in the event that they’re now not maintained on time table.
The Seresto collar has been extensively used and, for plenty of pets, has equipped efficient flea keep watch over thru its sustained free up of imidacloprid and flumethrin. On the other hand, protection considerations were raised prior to now few years. The U.S. Environmental Coverage Company (EPA) won tens of hundreds of difficult match stories, together with over 1,700 puppy deaths allegedly connected to the collar. Even supposing the EPA and the producer have mentioned that no direct causal hyperlink was once showed and that almost all incidents concerned delicate pores and skin reactions, the amount of news ended in greater scrutiny, up to date caution labels, and a voluntary withdrawal from the Canadian marketplace.
Those considerations, paired with the potential for diminished effectiveness because the collar nears the top of its energetic duration, have triggered many veterinarians to desire per month prescription preventatives. Topical prescription therapies, like the ones containing fluralaner, selamectin, or imidacloprid mixed with moxidectin, have a tendency to be extra constant in keeping up healing ranges around the pores and skin as a result of they’re reapplied per month and are much less suffering from outside publicity or grooming conduct. Those drugs additionally continuously goal more than one existence levels of the flea and would possibly give protection to in opposition to different parasites like mites or intestinal worms, relying at the product.
In the case of efficacy and resistance control, many veterinarians lean towards prescription topicals or orals for extra unswerving keep watch over, particularly in high-risk environments. That mentioned, if a puppy dad or mum is diligent with collar alternative and the puppy tolerates it properly, collars like Seresto can nonetheless play a task. What’s maximum vital is settling on a product that matches your way of life and sticking to a strict time table.
I am hoping this is helping!
Dr. Paola
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Assist! My Hepper Scratches & Bites Me!
“My cat Precious scratches and bites me when I do anything for her. Examples are trying to get her into her carrier to go to the vet, brushing her fur daily, or even cleaning her eyes or teeth. Should I give her some calming medicine to help her care for herself?” – Maria
Hello Maria,
Thanks for sharing about Treasured. What you’re describing is a commonplace problem for plenty of cat folks, particularly when a cat feels threatened by way of dealing with. Cats like Treasured aren’t looking to be “difficult;” they’re speaking misery, worry, and even discomfort with the placement. It’s slightly like looking to brush a kid’s hair when it’s tangled and painful; they don’t at all times have the phrases to provide an explanation for, so that they react with resistance.
Earlier than taking into consideration calming drugs, I’d recommend first exploring conduct amendment ways and making a extra advantageous affiliation with dealing with. Desensitization and counterconditioning methods can lend a hand Treasured be told that grooming, carriers, and eye cleansing don’t seem to be threats however routines that lead to rewards. For instance, you’ll get started by way of merely putting the comb close to her whilst providing a delectable deal with, then progressively development to transient, mild strokes paired with rewards. This procedure takes persistence, but it surely builds agree with and continuously reduces fear-based aggression.
If Treasured continues to turn indicators of strain in spite of your efforts, it can be useful to time table a teletriage name with us at PangoVet for extra customized steerage. We will be able to paintings with you to broaden a step by step plan adapted to her wishes and percentage further methods to ease dealing with. That mentioned, any calming drugs must best be prescribed by way of a veterinarian who has bodily tested her, preferably in a fear-free health center that prioritizes low-stress dealing with. The purpose is at all times to reinforce her emotional and bodily well-being, to not silence vital cues that sign discomfort.
Excellent success!
– Dr. Paola
Assist! We Have a FIV-Sure Hepper!
“Hi Dr. Paola,
We’ve an FIV-positive stray cat referred to as Oreo who followed us 3 years in the past. We’ve been hanging eye drops in his eyes for a while now. Is that this one thing we want to do, and if that is so, how continuously? Additionally, now we have a powder we placed on his meals. Will we do that day by day?“ – Kim
Hello Kim,
Thanks for opening your house and center to Oreo. It’s actually significant when a cat, particularly one dwelling with FIV (Pussycat Immunodeficiency Virus), reveals a secure and loving atmosphere. Cats with FIV can reside lengthy, at ease lives with the appropriate care, however they do want considerate, constant reinforce to control doable flare-ups or secondary stipulations.
In regards to the eye drops and the powder you’re the usage of, it’s vital to understand precisely what those merchandise are and why they have been really helpful within the first position. Some cats with FIV may also be at risk of recurrent eye irritation or infections because of their altered immune serve as, however now not all eye therapies are supposed for long-term use. The usage of drugs too ceaselessly or and not using a transparent prognosis could cause inflammation and even resistance, relying at the sort. The similar is going for the powder: whether or not it’s a complement, antiviral reinforce, or immune booster, its protection and dosing frequency rely on its energetic elements and Oreo’s present situation.
On this case, I strongly counsel a check-up together with your veterinarian. In the event you’re undecided whether or not the attention drops or powder are nonetheless vital, or how continuously they must be given, just a complete scientific analysis may give correct steerage. As a result of FIV can contain ongoing immune demanding situations, Oreo’s care plan would possibly want to be adjusted periodically. Within the period in-between, if the problem is delicate and you wish to have basic reinforce, at PangoVet, we will be able to lend a hand explain secure subsequent steps by the use of a handy on-line session when you prepare a complete examination.
Dr. Paola
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