Fat Cat

Is your cat more fat than fur?  Being fat means more than just trying to find extra large kitty beds for your cat, being overweight can cause some serious health problems for your feline friend.  Obesity can lead to feline diabetes, arthritis and even fatty liver disease.  But first let’s explore some ways you can keep your cat trim.

 

This cat could probably use some more exercise.

Feed Small Meals.  Ideally, you would feed your cat about four small meals a day.  Most of us have jobs and can’t be home to cater to our cat’s needs, so this may not be realistic for everyone.  There are fabulous food dishes made for this though.  You just set the timer for each of the doors and at the pre-set time, viola!  The doors open and lunch is served!!  Otherwise, break your cat’s meals up into feedings in the morning and at night and pick up the dishes after 30 minutes.  This gives your cat plenty of time to eat, but doesn’t allow for constant access to food.  I think most of us would put on some pounds if we had a buffet of food available any time of the day.

Exercise Your Kitty.  If your cat is in an indoor cat, you can help them exercise by using specially made cat toys.  The feather on a string is a popular toy.  You can get your cat running and jumping after this toy.  Laser pointers are another great way of playing ‘chase’ with your cat.  Be creative.  Interact with your cat.  Get them moving!  Provide cats with cat trees and towers to build muscle while they climb.

Limit Treats.  Treats add calories.  Pay attention to how many treats your cat is getting.  If you feed your cat food from your table, that adds up too.  Feed treats that are high quality meat.

Grooming your cat regularly and paying attention when you are petting your cat can provide early warning signs that your cat may be getting chubby.  You should be able to feel their ribs with light pressure when you pet them.  If you can’t feel your kitty’s ribs, it’s time for a diet.  You can also tell if your cat is overweight by looking down at them.  They should have an hourglass shape with a waistline.

Following a few simple steps will keep your cute cat from becoming a chubby kitty and could add years on to your pet’s life.

Dog Days of Summer

As some of us start to experience warmer weather, we’d like to remind you of a few things to keep your pets safe and happy.

1.  The pavement is often 20 degrees hotter than the air temperature.  Yesterday in Seattle, it was 87 degrees.  The pavement, however, got up to 110 degrees.  If you’re out walking your dog, please stick to grassy areas and stay in the shade as much as possible. Walk in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler.  Do not leave your dog on a concrete patio without shade.

2.  The temperature in cars is often also 20 degrees hotter, even with the windows rolled down or in the shade.  Do not leave your pets in the car in warm weather.

3.  Make sure pets who are indoors have plenty of access to clean water.  They will need extra hydration in the heat.  If you don’t have air conditioning, leave a fan running on extra hot days.

4.  Do not leave your pets outside without access to lots of shade and lots of water.

5.  Watch your animals for signs of heat exhaustion.  If you have a high energy dog that needs exercise, do it in the early morning or the late evening when temperatures have cooled.  Signs of heat exhaustion can include excessive hard panting, dry, hot noses, unsteady gait and thick saliva when they drool.  Short nosed breeds like pugs and bulldogs can overheat very easily and must be watched closely.  If you think you see signs of heat exhaustion, move your dog to a cooler location immediately.  You can use a cold washcloth to help bring their body temperature down.  If symptoms persist, call your vet.

A kiddy pool is a great way for dogs to cool off.  You can fill it with just a bit of water in the bottom so that the dogs can lie down and cool off when they need to.  You can also spray your dog down with the hose if they like that.  Some dogs like to catch the spray too.  If your dog needs some more exercise, running through the sprinkler with your family may cool all of you off!

You can also make ‘dogsicles’ out of low-sodium chicken broth.  Just put the broth in an ice cube tray and then feed as treats on those sweltering days.  Cats may also enjoy these icy chicken treats!

Summer is a great time to spend lots of time with our pets and by following these few simple guidelines, you can make sure it’s happy, safe summer for everyone!

Try Something New

Sometimes we get into ruts.  Life starts to feel a bit like Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, where you’re re-living the same thing over and over and over.  One day you wake up and realize that you’ve eaten oatmeal every day for breakfast for the last six months.  We get into ruts with our pets too.  Are you making the same walk around the block with your dog?  Is every night a snuggle up in front of the television night with you and your cat?  Maybe it’s time to try break out and try something new.   And speaking of Groundhog Day, we heard the groundhog predicted an early spring this year so it’s a great time to get started and get ready for spring!

Trying new things is another thing I like to see on a New Year’s list.  What better way to break out of your routine than to shake it up by trying something new.  And doing something new with your canine or feline friends can be incredibly rewarding, strengthening the bond between the two of you.

Have you ever tried agility?

If you’re wanting to get off the couch and get moving for both you and your dog, agility might be right for you.  In this popular dog sport, dogs go up, over, through and around obstacles.  Handlers run along side their dogs so you’ll get some exercise too.  Agility is not only lots of fun, it also teaches dogs confidence as they learn how to handle different obstacles.  For more information you can visit http://www.usdaa.com.

Don’t have a dog, but agility sounds fun?  How about agility for cats?

If you don’t die from the cuteness overload of this kitten doing agility, then you should  check out http://agility.cfa.org/index.shtml for information on how to get your cat involved in agility!  What a fun way to get your cat active and learn some new skills!

A dog sport that is rapidly growing in popularity is Dock Diving (also known as Dock Jumping).

This sport uses pools or lakes that the dogs jump into.  Dogs run down the end of a dock and chase a toy into the water.  They are then measured on the distance of how far their jump is.  Okay, this sport is probably not suitable to start in February unless you can find an indoor pool to practice in.  But when summer rolls around again, what a fun thing to do with your dog!  There isn’t a cat version of this, for which I’m sure your cat is grateful.

Something else you might try to add some new incentives to getting your daily walk, is walking for a cause.  Support your local rescue organization or a national organization by signing up for a walk and collecting sponsors.  Giving yourself a goal of a five kilometer walk in the spring helps keep you motivated when it’s dark and cold outside.  Sign up with a few friends and you can support each other in getting out and walking every day.  Remember to increase your distance gradually if you and your dog are only used to going around the block.

Or how about training your cat to walk on a leash so you two can make jaunts around the neighborhood?  Using a harness for your kitty makes it more secure.  Some cats also like to ride on their owner’s shoulders, though this negates the exercise portion of this activity for your cat.

Flyball is another fun dog activity.  If your dog loves to fetch tennis balls and jumps things with ease, then flyball might be for you.  Flyball is a rowdy team sport, involving four dogs, jumps and a tennis ball.  The dogs are run relay style through a course of jumps which culminates in the ball box, an ingenious box that pops out a tennis ball when the dogs press it with their paws.  The dogs then grab the ball, head back for home over the jumps and back to their cheering team.  When they cross over the last jump, the next dog is released.  It’s all about speed in this fast paced sport.  There’s lots of cheering and happy yipping in Flyball, so if your dog is a shy, retiring sort this sport might be a bit much for them.

I haven’t seen Flyball for cats.  Most likely because it’s a highly organized team sport and trying to get multiple cats to participate would be like…well, like herding cats.

So get out there and start crossing things off your list.  Try something new this year.  And if you don’t want to try a new sport, how about a new flavor of food?  Yes, I totally just went there.  Addiction Pet Foods makes all sorts of unusual foods using novel proteins.  We even have our own facility to manufacture them in.  Maybe your pet is tired of the usual chicken or beef and wants to branch out.  How about Brushtail?  Kangaroo?  Buffalo?  Variety IS the spice of life, after all.  We make 4oz sizes of all of our dehydrated foods and for the entire month of February, we’re offering them at our online store at usa.addictionfoods.com at 10% off.  So go ahead and branch out.  Do a new sport.  Try a new activity.  Or sample a new variety of food.  After all, it’s a brand new year.

Resolutions, Lists and the Year of the Snake

It’s getting on towards the end of January.  The festivities of the winter holidays and the glitter of the New Year are fading quickly.  I’m sitting at my desk with a warm cup of tea, occasionally glancing out the window at the cold, grey day outside.  Yep, it’s winter.  Around here we don’t get snow, but we do get day after day of dark skies and short days.  It can be hard to get motivated.

One of the things that gets me going is my list.  Some folks make resolutions, but I make lists.  Resolutions sound too much like something you make on December 31st, with a glass of champagne in one hand and a giant piece of cake in the other.  Resolutions are what you mutter the day after the party where you had one glass too many.  Lists, on the other hand, are things to cross off.  Lists are ways to organize action items.  And action items are things you do, not things you just want to do.

Most of us have common goals.  Usually these include losing weight, working out more and eating better.  My lists include these things, but they also include things I’d like to try.  Things like “Take an archery lesson” or “Learn to paint watercolor”.  You’ll notice I didn’t put down that I wanted to be GOOD at either of these, which is good because I would have never crossed them off if I had put myself under THAT kind of pressure.

This blog isn’t about me though, it’s about pets!  So let’s talk about what kind of lists you could make for your pets.  How about this year, you make it the year to try and solve your dog’s allergies.  The itching, the scratching.  Maybe it’s time to start an allergy/food journal for your dog or try a novel protein?  This could be the year that you decide to switch your cat to a healthier, all canned food diet.  Maybe this is the year you make it a priority to help Fido lose those extra pounds.  This could also be the year that you decide to try something new with your pet.  Introduce your cat to a leash.  Take your dog to an agility class.  Join a flyball team.  Or a Cat Fancy Club. 

Whatever your list looks like, we’d like to help.  The Chinese begin their New Year on February 10th this year.  This year is the Year of the Snake.  One of the horoscopes I read, had this to say about a snake year.  This is the year to make headway in slow and methodical ways. Things will definitely be accomplished as you focus forward. So, from now until the Chinese New Year, let’s put together our lists and work through them.  We’ll be posting tips and articles to help you with your list and maybe we’ll work through a few of our own at the same time!

Mika’s New Year’s list includes Stop Begging.  Does staring count?

Picky, Picky

I bet you know at least one dog or cat who’s picky about their food. It’s pretty common for them to turn up their nose at some – or many – of the foods that we offer them. Often this situation is due to how and what they were fed early in their lives. You’ll have a better chance at raising dogs and cats who welcome variety in their diet if you understand what usually causes pets to be finicky.

Finicky eating isn’t, in itself, a problem. But if they have to change diets at some point in their lives – either for health reasons or because their favorite food is no longer available – the transition to a new food will be easier for pets who accept a variety of foods. Our pets live longer now than ever, and many of them need to be on special diets in their senior years.

Variety in food is normal for dogs and cats, so most veterinarians encourage us to provide our pets with variety in their diets: foods with different protein sources, offering wet and dry kibble, and trying different textures of wet foods.

The number one thing you can do to avoid raising picky pets is to offer them a variety of food from the moment they join your family.

By the time they’re 6 months old, dogs and cats dietary habits are already established. Most pets who are fed only one food during their youth are less likely to accept other diets. Scientists aren’t sure exactly why this is the case, but they suspect it’s either because they don’t recognize certain foods as being foods, or that they become habituated (addicted) to that one food.

You can help them by providing variety in:

•    Protein ingredients. Here at Addiction, our pet foods have high quality proteins that provide pets with lots of proteins that have very different flavors like venison, duck, rabbit, buffalo, brushtail, and unagi (eel).
•    Types of food. Many people like dry kibble because it’s convenient. It’s also good to offer wet foods from cans or pouches, and raw food that is either dehydrated or frozen.
•    Textures of food. Cats are notoriously particular about the texture of their food. Try feeding your dogs and cats wet foods that contain chunks in gravy, as well as those that are more like pate. Dry kibble also comes in a lot of shapes that can feel very different in their mouths.

Make sure the food in their dish is fresh. If your pets free-feed on kibble throughout the day, it’s best to provide small amounts so the dishes that are empty at the end of the day. In contrast, simply topping-off the food in the dish can leave food at the bottom sitting out for days. Another way to keep it fresher is to buy smaller bags. If your pets are enthusiastic about food when you open a bag but less enthusiastic as you get to the bottom of the bag, the food might be losing its flavor and smell before you offer it to them.

Keep food dishes clean and provide fresh dishes for food and water at least every day.

Use dishes that are shallow enough for pets to reach their food without straining their neck too much or having their whiskers touch the sides of the dishes. Also, some pets prefer glass or ceramic dishes to plastic dishes. Another dish detail is whether the dish moves around as they try to eat. If it does, try placing the dish on some grippy padded shelf liner.

Some pets don’t like eating cold food that has been in the refrigerator, and some pets refuse to eat food that has been heated in a microwave. My own cats are like this. When I offer refrigerated food, I pour a bit of hot water on it to heat it.

Heating their food also enhances a meal’s smell and pets enjoy food more when it smells good. (I bet you can relate to that.) If their sense of smell is altered, during illnesses or as part of the normal aging process, they might show less interest in their food.

Location of their dishes can also affect how well pets eat. Some cats and dogs don’t like to eat if their dishes are too close to their bed, noisy appliances, busy areas, or dishes of the other pets. One of my cats only eats a full meal if he’s placed in a room by himself with the door closed.

If a dog or cat becomes picky later in life

Dogs and cats can suddenly become finicky for lots of reasons. Sometimes it’s a sign of a serious medical issue so if your pet suddenly stops eating a food they normally like, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Aside from serious health problems, there are other reasons that pets can become finicky.

There are times when pets simply eat less than others, such as on hot summer days. So a brief, subtle change in the amount of food they eat can be just the natural ebb and flow of their appetite.

Quite a few medicines can cause pets to lose their appetites, so talk with vet if you think that’s an issue for yours.

Stress and anxiety can cause some pets to stop eating for a while. Obviously, when this is the case, you’ll have to determine why they’re stressed in order to get them to eat normally again.

Some dogs and cats have digestive upsets if we make sudden dietary changes. The ideal way to change their diet is to add a small amount of new food to their current food, and gradually – over a seven to ten day period – increase the amount of new food while decreasing the amount of current food. Eventually, they’ll be eating 100% of the new food.

Sometimes pets aren’t actually finicky, they’re just not hungry. It could be that they’re getting extra bits from someone else in the household, they’re helping themselves to food they find in the garbage, or they’re nibbling throughout the day instead of gobbling their food down all at once. Nibbling is actually ideal for cats because their bodies are designed to eat lots of small, frequent meals.

For more information / Sources
•    Blumenstock, Kathy. “How to Get Your Finicky Cat to Eat.” Cat Health 101. 29 Dec 2012. http://animal.discovery.com/healthy-pets/cat-health-101/how-to-get-your-finicky-cat-to-eat.html
•    Church, Christine. “Finicky Eaters.” House Cat: How to Keep Your Indoor Cat Sane and Sound. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005.
•    Davidson, Jill. “Feeding a Finicky Fido – How to Get Your Picky Dog to Eat.” 11 June 2007. 2 Jan 2013. http://voices.yahoo.com/feeding-finicky-fido-picky-dog-eat-381636.html
•    Fiorella, Linda. “Why Is My Cat… So Finicky About Food?” VetStreet. 10 July 2012. 3 Jan 2013. http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/why-is-my-cat-so-finicky-about-food
•    Hamrick, Renae. “Finicky Dogs: How to Encourage Your Picky Dog to Eat.” PetPlace. 3 Jan 2013. http://www.petplace.com/dogs/finicky-dogs-how-to-encourage-your-picky-dog-to-eat/page1.aspx
•    Springer, Ilene. “How to Get Finicky Cats to Eat.” 18 Dec 2007. 31 Dec 2012. http://voices.yahoo.com/how-finicky-cats-eat-706431.html?cat=53
•    “Why Is Your Cat Such a Finicky Eater?” Cat Watch. Feb 2012. 1 Jan 2013. http://www.catwatchnewsletter.com/issues/15_14/features/Cats-Who-Are-Finicky-Eaters_141146-1.html

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What is a Food allergy

Dogs and cats can develop food allergies just like people.  They, unlike people, cannot share crucial information for accurate diagnosis. Therefore, with the help of a veterinarian, pet owners have to systematically rule out all other health issues before settling on a diagnosis of food allergy. The tendency to develop allergies is also genetically determined. Dogs with other allergies like inhalant allergies or atopy may be at increased risk for developing a food allergy.Food allergy is an immune response which causes itching sensations due to the consumption of a particular allergen in a diet.  In plain speak, this means if your pet eats something they are allergic to, they will itch.   This adverse reaction is believed to be associated with the Type I immune response.  Get ready for some big words and I’ll try to explain it.

Upon first exposure to the allergen, the body initiates an immune response to the allergen by producing immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. There are usually no significant external reactions.  However, when the same allergen is re-ingested, the IgE antibodies bind to the allergen and initiate an inflammatory reaction.   Clinical signs in dogs are variable, non-seasonal and may occur at any age.  In other words, your pet can develop food allergies at any time in their life with no rhyme or reason.    A primary eruption or open sore may be evident although pruritus (I’ve linked to the definition of this word which I’m pretty sure I couldn’t pronounce if I had to say it) especially of the face, ears and belly is the most obvious sign of a food allergy. Gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting or diarrhea also occur occasionally. As for cats, clinical signs are non-seasonal pruritus (There’s that word again.  Aren’t you glad you now know what it means?) usually affecting its head and neck.

Although this shows a human allergy to ragweed, the process is still the same with your animal and a food allergy.

Most importantly, do not confuse food allergies with food intolerances. Food intolerances do not cause allergic reactions such as itching and skin problems. Instead, they can result in diarrhea or vomiting, where it is the same kind of reaction that occurs when we have eaten spicy or greasy foods which are not agreeable with us. On the contrary, canine and feline food allergies are true allergies, with symptoms such as hot spots and itchy skin.

Next up we’ll dig a little deeper into food allergy.  Also, I may need to use pruritus some more…just because I can.  Thanks for reading!

Itchy and Scratchy

Now that we covered some of the basics about skin, let’s talk about itching and scratching a bit.

There are several reasons why dogs and cats itch and scratch. They can be classified into four main categories. ‘Generalized itching’ occurs when there is regular scratching but the animal does not show visible signs of a problem and does not scratch any one particular area. ‘Persistent itching’ occurs when there is persistent scratching of a particular spot while showing visible signs of minor problems. There can also be the issue of ‘Chronic localized itching’, where the area will be warm to the touch, painful to your pet and may emit pus.  These sores are known as hot spots. Hair will usually fall from the infected area.  The affected areas are often irritated and painful to your pet, which leads to biting and scratching of the infected area.  This can often cause the infection to spread, leading to more hot spots and more discomfort for your pet.  The last and most severe case of itching in animals is ‘Chronic/Severe itching’ where the itching is usually caused by microscopic mites or fungal infection. The itch is very intense and outbreaks often occur around the ears, elbows and face. The skin will be crusty, scab-like, thick and dark and requires immediate veterinary attention.

How is it that some animals spend hours romping through fields, digging holes and rolling in the grasses and are free from skin problems yet  others, kept indoors and fed an excellent diet, may have severe skin disorders. There are countless of possibilities out there so which is the best solution? Well, the type of pet foods which you have been feeding could actually play a part in the contribution of certain skin disorders and are usually underestimated by many pet owners.  From ingredient quality to choice of ingredients, what is in our your pet’s food can have a significant impact on their skin and coat.  One of the best things you can do for your furry friend is to get educated on what’s in their food.  We’ll be talking later about food allergies, elimination diets, omega fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid.  Oooh, we’re all going to be so smart when we’re done with this series!  Or at the very least, we’ll be better educated about what’s in our pet’s food and how it affects their skin and coat.

Hope you are all keeping warm and dry and giving your animals lots of love and snuggles.

The Skin You’re In – Some Facts About Pets and Their Skin

Here at Addiction Pet Foods, we take skin and coat stuff seriously.  Very seriously.  We spend a good deal of our time formulating foods and treats to help our animal friends improve the condition of their lives, starting with the skin and coat.  This month we want to get people talking about their animals skin.  We want to help each other learn the differences between our animal friends and ourselves, especially when it comes to skin and coat.    So let’s get started talking about skin!

The skin is the largest organ of the integumentary system, the system designed to protect the body from damage. To put it simply, it is a soft outer covering which performs amazing functions. Skin helps guard against dehydration and provides sensation as well as serving as a barrier from environmental damage and germs.

All mammals have hair on their skin which primarily serves as insulation. The difference between hair on humans and fur on animals is the degree of denseness. Animals’ fur is much denser than human hair, which explains why our beloved pet is so huggable. The fur serves to increase the insulation that the skin provides. Humans actually have more hair per surface area than animals, but it’s much finer and lighter in color usually.

Another difference between your pet’s skin and your own is that canine and feline epidermis has a turnover rate of around 20 days compared to human skin which has a turnover rate of approximately every 28 days. The skin your animal sheds then dries and flakes off, becoming dander.  Animals with seborrhoeic dermatitis (also known as seborrhoeic eczema) can shed their skin as often as every 3-4 days.

The epidermis of a dog is only 3-5 cells thick while in human, it is at least 10-15 cells thick.  Cats have even thinner skin ranging from .01 to .07.  It’s no wonder felines are picky about how you groom their delicate skin.  When it comes to your pets, anything that irritates the thin outer level of skin has a much shorter barrier between the irritant and the inner cells.   Also, hair growth in your pets grows in bundles and in cycles whereas a human hair grows as a solitary hair and continues. Based on individual dogs’ or cats’ genetic makeup, their hair growth will reach a certain length before it ceases growing and dies. This is where shedding begins and a new hair growth cycle starts.

This epidermis model has a flea biting it. The skin on the right is where the skin has become inflamed and infected.

When grooming your animal or bathing them, keep these facts in mind to help you choose grooming tools and shampoos.  Their skin and coat should be treated as gently as possible to help keep the hair and the skin in prime condition.

If you’re interested in reading some other material about the skin, I found this website that even has a quiz at the end.  It’s designed for veterinary students but it’s a fun challenge for a dreary, winter day.  http://loudoun.nvcc.edu/vetonline/vet111/Integument/integument_lesson.htm

I hope that you learned something today.  How many of you had to google integumentary?  I know I did.  Skin is a fascinating subject and this is just the beginning of our discussions about skin, pets, itching and allergies.