Ounce of prevention
By Denise Baran-Unland For The Herald-News September 26, 2011 6:54PM
It was obvious our oldest cat, Frances, was not feeling well. Her eyes were glazed and runny; her nose was dripping. We took her to the vet who said, “It’s probably an upper respiratory infection.”
So Frances took her antibiotics, but a couple of months later her symptoms returned. Seasonal allergies were suspected, so we added Benadryl until the first hard freeze.
When she got sick again during the middle of a move, the vet discovered the underlying cause: feline herpes.
More technically known as Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, feline herpes is a common virus that causes upper respiratory disease in cats, said Dr. Tony Kremer, owner of six Chicago-area veterinary hospitals and Help Save Pets animal shelter in Plainfield.
“Feline herpes is transmitted through nasal and ocular secretions from direct cat to cat contact or from shared food, water dishes and toys,” Kremer said. “It can also be spread when handling an infected cat and then handling a healthy cat without properly disinfecting your hands.”
Symptoms in cats
Primary symptoms are runny eyes and nose; many cats with feline herpes also have severe sneezing, Kremer said. The...
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The Canine Ladder of Aggression (from bottom rung to top: early, milder signs progressing to severe signs)
- Biting
- Stiffening and snapping
- Lying down with leg up
- Food guarding
- Ears back, creeping
- Walking away
- Turning body away
- Turning head away
- Yawning, blinking, and licking
By understanding how dogs communicate, we can diminish the amount of miscommunication that occurs between people and dogs, can better predict future behaviors in the dogs we interact with, and reduce the incidence of dog bites, says Dr. Ciribassi. And, he adds, understanding dog language will increase owners' enjoyment of their dogs.
The eyes, ears, tail, mouth, and overall posture can give us the best indications of what dogs are trying to communicate, says Dr. Ciribassi. These structures can convey relaxation, anxiety, tension, or confidence and by understanding the subtleties of their expressions, much ambiguity can be eliminated.
Because aggression can greatly influence the bond we have with our pets, an understanding of the progression of aggressive responses can help minimize the exacerbation of problem behaviors. The "Ladder of Aggression" serves to provide a good model of how aggressive behavior can develop from relatively benign "calming signals" to more overt aggressive displays culminating in snapping and biting,...
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