Wet weather and record rainfall = pet problems
October 10, 2011 • Health & Wellness
With the fall season, many areas of the country are seeing a change in the weather, including more rainfall and snow just now hitting the Rocky Mountains. Los Angeles yesterday recorded record rainfall with an early fall storm that moved in fast off the Pacific. In fact, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, they’re still cleaning up from a record rainfall in the Philadelphia metro area (more than 19 inches in August). That being said, The Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services (CARES) in Langhorne, Pa., says all the rain is causing three major problems with pets:
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, they’re still cleaning up from a record rainfall in the Philadelphia metro area. The wettest August in history (National Weather Service confirms a record 19.31 inches of precipitation) is now causing problems for pet owners in the area. The Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services (CARES) in Langhorne says all the rain is causing three major problems with pets. They are:
-Allergies—Many animals are reacting to all the mold spores and pollen in the air and grass growth. Chronic allergies are resurfacing in some animals and other ones are having allergies for the first time.
-Contagious -Parasites—Scabies are showing up in many dogs causing severe itching, skin rash and hair loss--- these mites are carried by foxes and transmitted from dog to dog. They are microscopic and live on the dog's skin.
-Fleas/Ticks—Fleas and Ticks are at the height of activity in Fall and Spring but the season is more severe this year due to all the rain and high humidity.
CARES Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist, Dr. Noel Radwanski, DACVD, says pet owners should look for these symptoms to indicate their furry friends may have one of those conditions. They are:
-Head Shaking
-Paw Licking
-Skin rash
-Constant scratching/Itchy skin
Any one of these symptoms or a combination of them and you should take your pet to your family veterinarian who can diagnose the condition and determine a course of treatment. Dr. Radwanski also has these additional tips and things to remember for pet owners:
At home tips for dogs/ cats with mold allergies:
1. Use HEPA filters in the home to decrease mold spore exposure. Individual room HEPA filters are more effective, especially in the areas of the house the pet spends to the most amount of their time.
2. Have pet avoid areas of the house which may be higher in moisture and humidity including the basement, laundry room, garage
3. Rinsing dogs after they swim in ponds, rivers or lake that may contain high algae
At Home Tips for dogs/cats with flea allergy:
1. Apply prescribed flea preventative to all animals in the house
2. The key to controlling fleas is breaking the life cycle by not only killing the adult fleas but also the eggs and juvenile fleas
3. The adult fleas lay eggs while on the pet which fall off into the environment. The eggs can stay in the environment for several weeks to months depending on the conditions. Vibrations from vacuuming will help encourage the eggs to hatch. When the fleas get back onto the animals they will die after ingesting the flea preventative on the dog
At Home instructions for dogs with scabies:
1. Scabies are a mite that can cause severe itching. They are typically carried by foxes and are contagious to dogs. Therefore, all dogs in the home should be treated
2. Scabies do not live long in the environment off the dogs. Therefore, daily washing of bedding and vacuuming can help control any environmental contamination
3. Scabies are species specific. Therefore they can’t live on the skin of humans. However, if a mites bites a person they may develop a hypersensitivity to the bite and develop a red, raised, itchy rash
For more information, go to www.vetcares.com
About the Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services (CARES):
CARES is a full service specialty referral, emergency and critical care veterinary hospital. Specialty cases are seen by referral from the primary care veterinarian. Specialty services include: Cardiology, Clinical Pathology, Dermatology, Internal Medicine, eurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Radiology, Surgery and Client Support. The hospital also offers 24 hour emergency care. CARES is located at 2010 Cabot Boulevard West, Suite D, Langhorne, PA 19047.
Join the FIDO Friendly magazine pack and never a single issue of the one magazine your dog will thank you for.
