Dealing with fleas on your dog or cat

This time of the year, fleas can be a real nuisance on your pet. I am sure that most pet owners have had to deal with the problems caused by fleas at one time or another.  You probably love your dog or cat, and are truly bothered by seeing them scratch and wriggle around from being bitten over and over again by fleas.  Some pets are even allergic to fleas, so you want to get rid of them, but don’t want to use flea powders and such that may have toxic ingredients in them. Yes, there are a few flea collars that you can get from pet stores and veterinarians that are safe and effective, but they are usually quite expensive.  It really starts to add up if you have multiple pets, and since a friend of mind does, he has looked into alternative and less costly methods that can be done at home. These are his thoughts on the best ways of dealing with fleas with home remedies.

One method is putting some garlic and/or brewers yeast into the food of your cat or dog.  The theory is that fleas don’t like it and after it gets into the bloodstream of your pet, the fleas won’t want to bite them anymore, and will either starve or leave for greener pastures.

Mixing four parts borax and one part salt together and sprinkling it over your carpet is another popular method.  This mixture works by settling down in the carpet where the fleas are.  It kills the fleas by dehydrating them, and also kills the eggs they lay.  Then you can just vacuum it all up in a few days and be done.  It is important to leave the mixture in the carpet for at least a few days though, so it will have time to properly dehydrate the fleas.  Some people prefer to not let toddlers and small children on the carpet while this is being done, even though it is said not to be toxic to animals or children. 

You can also put rock salt into small trays and put it under the furniture.  Make sure you put it out of sight and out of reach of pets and small children.  And it is not terribly effective against eliminating fleas, but it will slow down the rate at which they multiply.

Other more tedious and less effective methods are also available.  Combing the carpet for fleas is very slow and time consuming, and only works on the immediate problem.  Putting moth balls in your vacuum cleaner bag may kill the fleas and eggs that happen to get caught in there, but also isn’t very effective.

So there are a few ideas for you to try, so as to elminate fleas from the lives of your pets.

Friendly cooperation always pays off because this sort of teamwork creates a positive mental attitude which does not recognise obstacles

I have worked in many different teams over the years and have found that in any organised  endeavour, obstacles and differences are going to occur. Sometimes they appear in the form of technical problems; sometimes they are disputes between members of the team over which course is best to follow. And this gets worse if there is not strong leadership in place. I have found that you, as the team leader, will get the best results if you have set an example of  initiative and open communication. Set clear team goals which are fully discussed and understood, and you will find that your team has the mental and spiritual resources to overcome these kinds of struggles.

 A group of people who trust their leader and one another don’t waste energy jockeying for prestige. They know that they will all benefit from a solution, and they are motivated to find it by sharing the knowledge and ideas. From these many parts a skilled leader can create the necessary solution, but only if a spirit of  friendliness and honesty prevails.

Here’s to positive and fruitful teamwork in Twenty Ten.

Teh Englsh language is changng – 4 teh betr?

I am on the mailing list of a Facebook group that talks to writers, creative types and people looking for inspiration. One of their recent messages went like this:

It’s not who u r , wht u were or wht u wld become… Its the legacy u finaly leave bhnd. So dream big & build on it~

Whilst the sentiment was great and the message right on the mark, I wrote a critical comment that a blog that supposedly supported creative writing should not denigrate the English language with this sort of pidgin English.

Well, I have been thinking about this lately, because on msn and sometimes on chat, I do shorten words so as to fit more into the limited number of spaces allowed. In this morning’s newspaper there appeared an article on just this issue…. Does the internet spell the end of English as we know it?

Blogs, chatrooms and msn mean that young generations, generation Y and Z, are changing the spelling of words without the loss of meaning. Some of the more common abbreviations are:

k = okay

tks or thx = thanks ( I use this one now and then)

teh = the (this is a common typo, but well understood nevertheless)

2moro = tomorrow

wat and wen= what and when

And there are many more just like this. So… is this a problem?.. or just teh natural evolution of a language some might say long past its use by date, in its old form.

Why spell Rhubarb with a silent ‘h’ like this, instead of Rubarb? The ‘h’ adds absolutely nothing to the understanding or the meaning of teh word. English has always been a difficult language to learn for non-English speakers, so if a simpler form of English is busy emerging, this may be a good thing for teh long term life of teh language.

So will the guardians of teh English language resist these changes till the end, or will they recognise teh new generations of English speakers, teh Internet generation, may have something with their new, shorter, spellings after all? Time will tell….. What do you think?

 

Twenty Ten, a new start

I received this comment from my meditation group yesterday and thought it very relevant to where we all are at the start of a new decade.

“Would any one of us undertake even a journey of a few hundred miles without knowing why, without having some purpose?

And yet, so many of us live, undertaking not a chance task, but the great Task of life itself… and yet we ask not why.” – J.J. Van Der Leeuw

It’s a new start, with new resolutions, new objectives. Make the most of this chance.

Symptoms of Kennel Cough and Treatment Options

Further to my piece on Kennel Cough yesterday, here is some info on the symptoms to look out for and some possible treatments.

As I mentioned yesterday, people who keep their dogs and pets in kennels, board them, or have them at veterinary offices for extended visits run the risk of their canines getting kennel cough.  Because bacteria and viruses cause kennel cough, it is easily spread among animals being confined together with other animals.

Just like bacteria and viruses in humans, the symptoms of kennel cough present themselves in many different ways.  Obviously, one of the symptoms is coughing.  This may seem to be a dry, hacking cough, or a rough, harsh cough and usually shows up about seven days after exposure. The cough may, however, appear in as little as three days, or may wait until two weeks have gone by to present itself. A swelling or inflammation of the animal’s airway causes the cough, and may even cause shortness of breath or wheezing.  In the midst of one of the coughing spells, gagging may occur, and the dog may spit up phlegm and mucus.  You may also be fooled into believing that the cough is getting better, because it has a tendency to be severe, and then almost stop for a while, only to re-occur again shortly after.  Because it is an upper-respiratory problem, activities such as running and playing may make the coughing worse.  Drinking water and a change in the animals environmental temperature may also cause sever coughing to occur.

Other symptoms of kennel cough are fever and runny nose.  Some dogs may have a fever of up to one hundred and five degrees. Some animals may have no other symptoms than the constant coughing. Another symptom is loss of appetite.  Just like in a human, the fever and inflamed throat may make your dog less interested in eating.

Do try to quarantine your dog as soon as you notice the coughing or other symptoms.  A quick separation of the infected animal from the others in the group may keep the sickness from being spread to all of them.

Some very mild cases may improve on their own, but if they don’t, some sort of treatment may need to be administered.  There are more than a few opinions on how to treat kennel cough, and one popular way is with antibiotics.  The antibiotics address the problems that are caused by the bacteria that have invaded your dog or pet.  Moderate use of antibiotics can usually quell the animal’s coughing problem within a short period of time with no problems.  However, over-use of antibiotics may weaken the canine’s immune system, possibly causing other long-term problems.  Since antibiotics only solve bacterial problems, the animal’s natural immunities are needed to take care of the viral infections.

Another popular view on how to treat kennel cough is through holistic methods.  This involves the administering of herbal or natural medicines in an attempt to cure the problem.  Natural remedies are believed to be able to solve the same problems that antibiotics do, without their tendencies to build up toxins that weaken your dog’s natural immunity.  Herbal methods are also believed to bolster the immune system, helping get rid of the viral infections that usually come with kennel cough.  Bryonia and Phantago Lanceolata are popular herbs that may help with cough and mucus.  Echinacea Purpurea is reportedly good for eliminating viral infections, and Ferrum Phosphates are supposed to send iron and oxygen to build up blood cells.

Keeping your pet healthy is one positive way to maybe avoid illnesses.  Regular exercise and a healthy diet of raw and unprocessed foods are very good preventive measures.  Avoiding pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides, smoke and maybe even the stress of being boarded may also help to keep your animal healthy and provide a long life.

Choose a Magnificent Life for Yourself in 2010

The new decade has begun and it is at this time that we contemplate the year ahead and make some clear choices as to what we want to do differently.

I came across this video from Cari Murphy which sums up the opportunities we all have for the new year, perfectly. Enjoy!

Kennel Cough – What is it?

As we enter the new year and the new decade, it is good to think about our pets to ensure they are healthy and happy. Over the next few days I will share some information on Kennel Cough which is a common ailment among pets, mainly dogs but can also affect some cats.

So just what is Kennel Cough? It is an upper respiratory infection in animals that is caused by certain bacteria and viruses.  It may also be called ‘infectious tracheobronchitis’.  It is usually contracted when animals and pets are confined, as they are when they are in kennels or veterinary offices.  It is spread when animals are around other animals, much like the spread of illnesses among children when they attend school. Sharing air, water, or objects (like toys, etc.) can, and usually does, spread viruses and bacteria.

Kennel cough displays itself by causing an infection and swelling of the dog’s throat or airway.  This will usually cause a repeated dry, hacking cough, or a severe, deep, and harsh cough.  This may also bring about gagging and the discharge of foamy mucus from the animal.  The symptoms of kennel cough may be apparent as little as three to four days after the infection occurs, but may also take as long as two weeks to appear.  A cough that goes back and forth from being severe, to being less severe, and then back to being severe again is common.  Some normal activities, such as drinking water, running, and playing, may cause the cough to get worse.  Changes in the temperature of the dog’s environment may also cause the coughing to get worse.  With the exception of this coughing, some dogs may appear to be normal, with no change in appetite, while some other affected dogs may run a fever, eat less, and have a runny nose.

Antibiotics may be used to treat this canine ailment.  They will work to eliminate the bacteria causing the cough, but the viruses will have to be worked out by the animal’s natural immune system.  Ironically, antibiotics have a tendency to lessen the dog’s immunities, so be careful to use as little as possible.  You may also try a herbal remedy to eliminate the bacteria, to avoid the weakening of the immune system.  Holistic veterinary offices can usually provide such remedies, lessening the chance of other long-term problems caused by a weakened immune system.

Two Thousand and Ten -or- Twenty Ten

What should we call the new year, 2010? Two thousand and ten, or Twenty Ten. Well, for my vote it is a no-brainer – Twenty Ten. It has a great ring to it and it is consistent with the previous century. Nineteen Ninety-nine etc….and not One thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.

For the first ten years of this decade, we have used the Two thousand and ….., as the last number was a single digit and Twenty Nine, would not have worked. But from this year, it should be Twenty Ten, Twenty Eleven, Twenty Twelve and so on.

It is interesting that American TV channels are using the Two Thousand and Ten approach,as is channel 7 in Australia,  whilst I have just heard Channel Ten and Sky News, here in Australia, use the Twenty Ten version. Go Channel Ten and Sky News.

What do you think? Hope you agree with me. I use every opportunity when I talk to people these days, to push the Twenty Ten approach….. Join me in this.

Happy Twenty Ten to all of you.

New Year Resolutions – will you keep them?

With only hours left of 2009, I figure most people already know what their new year’s resolutions are going to be. Although according to findings from a recent British University study, most resolutions are pointless and doomed to fail. Most are forgotten or discarded before the third week of January each year.

The University of Hertfordshire interviewed 700 people and found that fewer than a quarter of respondents actually succeeded with their resolutions. Of the almost 80% who failed, many just suppressed their cravings for a while, looked up to a role model or relied solely on willpower…. which we  all know is not the answer.

According to the study, success is possible, and the key is breaking your goals up into small steps, rewarding yourself along the way, keeping a diary, telling your friends about your resolutions and focusing on your success. And start by keeping your goals realistic. Most of the resolutions fall into the categories of giving up something, such as smoking, or eating between meals, or doing something new, such as exercising more, joining a gym etc.

It doesn’t makes a lot of sense to simply tell yourself you will change, without a plan as to how you will succeed. If you’re trying to give up smoking, it’s all too easy to tell yourself over and over “I won’t smoke, I won’t smoke”. Unfortunately, the human brain isn’t good at processing negative statements like this. All it hears is “Smoke… smoke”. Just like if you tell your brain “Don’t think of a red car.” What’s the first thing that comes into your head? Or, I’m going to eat less….. “eat, eat, eat”. Hmmm, where’s that piece of chocolate cake?

It’s a much better idea to focus on the positives. If you’re giving something up, replace it with something else, and make that your focus. Identify your triggers, and try to avoid them. Check in with yourself regularly and track your progress. Surround yourself with positive influences.You are managing change with this process, so you do need to reward yourself for small gains. And the key here is to do something that you enjoy doing. Don’t join a gym, if you can’t stand going to the gym. Rather go walking each day instead – do your 10,000 steps each day and this is just as good as 40 minutes at the gym.

My one new year resolution is to get back to the gym regularly – now that is a positive statement and I look forward to doing just that. I am going to work out with a friend which will help. Ask me how I am doing in a month’s time.

Astronomers are saying that the planets are perfectly aligned this year to make 2010 (that’s Twenty Ten by the way) a year to remember. So good luck with your new year’s resolutions, and whatever happens I hope Twenty Ten will be a great year for all of you.

Why do cats cough up hair balls?

While Miss S, the cat I am looking after, is still sleeping, I thought I would share this with you. Not that she has this problem, at 17 years of age, plus.

Many people share their home with cats and you may have actually thought that you needed to give your cat the Heimlich Maneuver the first time it starts hacking up a hairball.  If you are a first time cat owner, you probably had no idea that was going to happen. You might think that the cat is choking to death.  You may have thought that you just barely averted a tragedy when it was all over and the cat was still alive. There is no need to fret because this is a normal occurrence. Below are some tips on how to make this event more tolerable for your cat and yourself.

Unlike dogs, cats groom themselves by constantly licking themselves, top to bottom.  That is why you rarely have to give them baths.  They have tongues that are like sandpaper, and when they lick their fur, it pulls the hair and everything on it into their mouths and stomachs.  Because they do this, they have a lot of undigested hair in their insides, which eventually has to come out.  Not only do they groom themselves, but also in situations involving multiple cats, they may even groom each other.  Needless to say, that is a lot of hair to deal with.

There are a few ways you can help to alleviate this problem.  One very simple one is to regularly brush your cat’s fur.  Some cats don’t like to sit still, be handled, or be held, which may make this difficult.  You may have to get creative and do something like brush them while they eat.  Other cats will love the attention and let you brush them for what seems like hours.  It may turn into a bonding opportunity between you and your feline friend.

Another way is to purchase the cat food that contains a hairball remedy.  Many people have used this product and noticed a slight drop in the number of hairballs to clean up.  Some cat treats also boast this formula and you could have similar results with it.

The method that seems to work best for many cat owners is to put some type of digestible oil on the tops of their paws.  It doesn’t matter if you use front paws, back, or both; they will lick the oil off almost immediately.  They can’t stand the feel of it on their fur, and swallowing it sends it to the stomach where it is used as a coating that makes the fur more digestible.  Many people use canola oil but most cooking oils will work.