| |
| |
|
moreloveforyourpets.com
|
|
|
|
Seizures in Pets
Witnessing your precious dog or cat having a seizure can be a most frightening experience. During seizures pets often lose control, fall over, chomp their teeth, salivate or drool, whine, paddle with their feet, and begin to urinate or deficate on themselves. Their eyes become large (dilated) and unresponsive. A pet caregiver feels panicked and helpless while watching it all happen. Hopefully, you and your pet have never, and will never, have to experience this shocking event. But, if you have, or if you experience it in the future, this article will help you to understand what causes seizures, what you can do while your pet is having a seizure, and the various treatment options available. What causes seizures? Epilepsy is one cause. Certain dog breeds are more susceptible to epilepsy. These include: cocker spaniels; poodles; collies; german shepherds; irish setters; golden retrievers; dachshunds, labrador retrievers, saint bernards, miniature schnauzers, siberian huskies, and wire-haired terriers. Veterinarians are not sure what causes this "hereditary" epilepsy. In cats hereditary epilepsy is unusual. Vets can normally find the cause of seizures. These include chemical toxins (which includes chemical preservatives used in many pet foods), brain tumors, feline leukemia, feline infections, peritonitis, feline AIDS, head trauma, and problems with the liver and kidneys. In dogs there are many causes of seizures besides hereditary epilepsy. Allergies to food and the chemicals, preservatives, and artificial flavors put into the foods can cause seizures. Other causes include liver and kidney disease, tumors, poisonings, and low blood sugars. What can you do while your pet is having a seizure? Try to stay calm. This is hard to do, but using a calm, reassuring quiet voice will comfort your dog or cat. Move any furniture or other objects on which your pet could hurt itself. If you're unable to move the object, place pillows or wrap blankets between the pet and the object. Slide something soft under your pet's head, but be sure to keep your hands and face away from his head so that you don't risk a possible bite. You can gently stroke his hip or side, but position yourself opposite the side of the feet and toenails as the muscle spasms make the feet curl into claws that can gouge or rake your skin. Dim the lights, and keep the environment as quiet as possible by turning off the TV and loud music. If possible take notes about the seizure so that you can give details to your vet. Jot down the time of day it occurred, the length of each seizure, and the time in between each seizure if they are recurrent. Your vet will also want to know whether your pet urinated or deficated, if the seizure hit suddenly or progressed from mere body twitching, whether your pet regained consciousness, and how long it took before your pet appeared normal again. In addition, you'll need to figure out whether there were any possible triggering events. These include loud noises such as fireworks, unusual items that were eaten, and excessive playing or exercise. After the seizure, pets usually appear lost or drugged. This drugged state can last a few minutes to several hours depending on the severity of the seizure. Your pet may respond to you, but do so in a very slow manner. Since seizures are exhausting for your pet, he will probably want to sleep afterwards. It is best to allow him to sleep, but check in on him occasionally without disturbing his rest. If this is your pet's first seizure, call your vet as soon as possible. Some vets will want to see if another seizure occurs, while others will perform a variet of blood tests to check for anemia, liver & heart functions, calcium, glucose, & electrolyte levels. Your vet may even run a screen for possible toxins, take x-rays, or perform an electroencephalogram. The test results may not indicate the specific reason for the seizure. In this case, your vet may wait to see if another seizure occurs or he/she may suggest medications. If the diagnosis is epilepsy, pets have an excellent chance to live a normal life as long as proper medical care and follow-up are provided. If you discover the cause of the seizure, you may be able to eliminate future seizures by eliminating the seizure's source. For instance, if the seizure is due to chemcial toxins, make sure your pet remains as free of toxins as possible. Provide human grade food and treats that do not contain chemical preservatives, fillers, or byproducts. Clean your house with chemical-free products. Also, use more natural flea, tick, & heartworm prevention products as some of these products may lower your pet's seizure threshold and make seizures more difficult to control. Avoid products containing organophosphate insecticides. For safer heartworm prevention, use products containing interceptor and filaribits. What can you do if your pet's seizure condition cannot be cured and you realize you and your pet may have to live with the seizures? In the past, the only treatment options available were strong anticonvulsants that could have serious side effects. These still may be your only option. But, more natural approaches have been found to help some pets, either prior to stronger medications or in addition to them so that you may be able to lower the dose. There are a variety of treatment options that include a natural diet, acupuncture, nutritional supplements, homeopathy, herbs, and conventional medications. As mentioned above, give your pet a human grade diet, free of chemicals and additives. Also, remove other toxins from your pet's environment. Clean with natural products and use more natural flea, tick, and heartworm prevention measures. Minimize stress in your pet's life. Try to avoid sudden changes in his environment, loud noises, and other stressful situations. You can also try herbs that act as sedatives. These include valerian root, kava, skullcap and oatstraw. Note that when using herbs and supplements, you may need to lower the dosage of other anticonvulsants. Several supplements appear to help in preventing seizures. Try an antioxidant combination of Vitamin C, E, B-6, and selenium. Your vet can recommend the dosage for your pet. Magnesium and DMG (dimethyl glycine) are other helpful supplements. Acupuncture is another helpful option which has helped to control seizures in many pets. Sometimes just placing an ear acupuncture tack in a dog's ear will stop seizures, and this only requires one acupuncture visit. If the ear tack doesn't work, gold implants can be placed in different locations under a pet's head. Or your pet can be treated with traditional chinese acupuncture. As you can see, there are many natural approaches to treating seizures in pets. These should help your beloved pet to live a normal and comfortable life. Deena Caruso, author, teacher, & distributor of natural pet productsHelps pet owners create healthy, happy pets.To receive FREE "Pet Pointers" Newsletter, go to:http://www.healthyfoodforpets.com deecaruso@cox.netPh: 760/758-7963, 877/877-0665
MORE RESOURCES:
Pets - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Tips on Hamster Breeding Hamster breeding can sometimes be confusing for a hamster owner. Fortunately, there are only a few basic things you need to know before you start hamster breeding. Herding and the German Shepherd Dog Once other animals such as cattle, sheep and goats became domesticated, man became aware of the dogs herding ability. Tactics used by hunting wolves, witnessed by humans, such as driving and separating one animal from the flock, were further exploited and bred into these dogs. Reuniting Lost Pets With Their Owners Losing a family pet can be a traumatic experience, especially on children who are close to the lost pet. But, one in three pet owners fail to take the steps needed to ensure that this tragedy does not occur in their home. Buster the Beloved Pussycat "Dogs have owners; cats have staff," and I have worked for some wonderful cats in my time. The one I loved best was named Buster. Animal Deathing What happens when we die? In our society, death is often hidden away. Rarely are we present for the passing of a loved one, a major exception being our animal family members. Five Fast Facts About the Cavalier King Charlies Spaniel Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are not cheap. On average you can expect to pay $2,000-$3,000 for one. Healthcare for Your Goldfish Goldfish HealthcareYou would think that it's unfair that such a small little creature that brings you so much joy can actually fall sick. But it's a fact of life that all living things are susceptible to illness, infections, and diseases and will ultimately die. Canine Communication and Body Language A couple of years ago a Japanese electronics company came up with a Gizmo which they claimed could convert dogs barks, yips and whines into human language, thereby allowing us to understand "Doggie" speak for the first time. I was on a radio program recently, discussing the merits and usefulness of a new dog collar that was also a mobile phone. Animal Behavior: What is My Dog Saying? Dogs are quite amiable creatures. Much like our human counterparts, their speech is often amplified by their body movements and facial expressions. Essential Oils and Our Pets Before we talk about using the essential oils, we first should define what is an essential oil in the first place.An essential oil is a bioavailable nutritive liquid. Make Your Home Cat-Safe - How To Keep Your Cat Happy and Healthy * Lock things up that could cause harm* Keep the washer/dryer door closed at all times* Honk the car horn before starting it up* Use fire carefully* Keep all upstairs windows closed or screened* Store string away tidily* Keep floors free of small things* Be constantly aware of what your cat is doingCuriosity gets most cats in trouble at some point in their lives. As your cat's caregiver, keeping her safe sometimes seems like a "mission impossible. Toby - My Whirling Twirling Sheltie Five years ago this August a funny little puppy came to live in our home.He was tiny, blue-gray and white colored coat, skinny tail that hurt when it hit you and the biggest bat ears I'd ever seen on a puppy. Stop Your Dog From Pulling You Down The Street From the first day of life on a leash, most dogs learn that by pulling on it, they get to where they want faster. Its the behavior that so many dog owners struggle with. One Of The Benefits Of Using RecoveryPets.Com One of the benefits of registering your pet with a pet recovery service is that in the event your pet should ever become lost, the finder can get information to contact the owner.The main drawback to many of these services is that they use the information currently located on the pet tag to register the pet, and by doing this, the finder of the pet does not have a place to go to view the owners contact information. *Understanding* - The First Of The 6 Keys To Building A Life Long Partnership With Your Horse Yesterday we talked a little about the 6 Keys for aLife Long Partnership with your horse, today I wouldlike to visit with you about the first key,*Understanding.*Have you ever wondered why your horse acts like he doeshow he thinks and moves? If so, then you need tounderstand the prey-predator relationship, but beforewe start it's important that you understand, if your going to effectively communicate with horses you need to *think like horses*. Dogs: Buy or Adopt? Buy or Adopt - That is the question.If you intend to breed or show your dog there is no alternative but to buy your dog from a reputable AKC-REGISTERED breeder. Online Guide For Training A Dog Guide for training a dogSo you can use a guide for training a dog. At one time or another we all did. What You Should Know About Your Puppy And Play Biting The main ways a puppy will play with another dog or puppy are chasing, wrestling, and biting.When your puppy eventually becomes separated from his littermates, he will most likely carry on his playful behavior with you and your family members. Tips for Introducing Two Cats Adding a new member to your feline family is usually more exciting for you than your current cat. Even though they are solitary by nature, most cats eventually learn to accept or at least tolerate newcomers. How to Litter Train a Cat For most cat owners, training their cat to use the litter is a relatively painless process. It is among a cat's natural instincts to eliminate in an area that they can cover their feces in.
|
|
Directory Seo Supreme |
| © 2006 |
![[أربيك]](http://www.moreloveforyourpets.com/websitetranslator/images/flag_ar.gif){kind=small}
