Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Do dogs and cats suffer from Hypertension?
You thought you were the only one in the family with high blood pressure? Cats and dogs can suffer from hypertension, too, even though they often show no obvious clinical signs.
Recognizing and treating hypertension is a relatively recent development in veterinary medicine. Treatments for the hypertensive pet may include a low-salt diet and blood pressure-reducing medication. In pets, hypertension is almost always secondary to some other disorder such as kidney disease, thyroid disease, or diabetes. So the chance of successfully treating the hypertension increases many-fold if you are able to eradicate the underlying disease.
Can MRSA infections pass from me to my pet and vice versa?
MRSA is a staph bacteria that’s resistant to common antibiotics. It may start as a skin infection or abscess, and then become more serious as it gets into the blood stream and organs.MRSA impacts humans and pets, and can be passed back and forth. So if it shows up in your pets, don’t assume they’re the only ones affected.
Armando Hoet, Coordinator of the Veterinary Public Health Program at Ohio State University, says, “most likely they are a sentinel, telling us that somebody else has it.” He advises doctors and veterinarians to work together to screen, treat, and manage the illness in the household.
And as always, good hygiene is your best prevention. Wash hands and keep wounds covered to prevent infection.
Are cats susceptible to bird flu?
In an outbreak of bird flu several years ago, an epidemic that spread from Asia to Africa, the Pacific, Europe, and the Near East, a few cases were reported in which domestic cats became infected and died from the disease. Experts believe the cats got sick from eating raw, bird-flu-infected chicken. Later studies also showed that infected cats are capable of spreading bird flu directly to other cats.In an outbreak of bird flu several years ago, an epidemic that spread from Asia to Africa, the Pacific, Europe, and the Near East, a few cases were reported in which domestic cats became infected and died from the disease. Experts believe the cats got sick from eating raw, bird-flu-infected chicken. Later studies also showed that infected cats are capable of spreading bird flu directly to other cats.
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