Balding Cats

Cats can lose hair for a number of reasons. It's important to have your cat checked by a veterinarian early on to make sure the condition is not serious and does not get worse.

Causes:
1. Failure to produce hair
- rare, but can occur in specific breeds such as Sphinx
2. Loss of existing hair
- skin infections – bacterial, fungal, parasitic
3. Self-trauma or behavioral
- excessive grooming, stress-related, injuries

Treatment depends on cause and can range from
• Flea control
• Mite control
• Antibiotics for bacterial infection
• Elimination diets for allergies

Hot Spots

Hot spots are skin infections that occur due to an overgrowth in bacteria. They are nasty moist, smelly infections that usually spreads under the fur coat. Some breeds are more prone to these types of infections such as Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers.

These skin lesions are often very painful and require a complete treatment program to ensure they heal appropriately.

Treatment:
- often begins with sedation and clipping of the hair over the affected area
- the area is then cleaned
- e-collar is placed
- pain medication for a few days
- antibiotics for 14-30+ days
- home care of daily washing with an antibacterial shampoo
- cool compress to help reduce the itchiness

Allergies

Allergies are one of the most common problems in dogs. Inhaled allergens, food and fleas are the top causes. When pets breathe in allergens such as pollens, they can develop itchy and irritated skin. Allergic pets generally show signs around 6-7 months and fully develop signs by 3-5 years. It can be seasonal or it can be all year round.

Signs of allergies in pets:
• Chewing of feet
• Discoloration of fur on feet (saliva staining)
• Hair loss
• Hot and reddened skin around face, feet, armpits and groin
• Scabby skin

If you suspect allergies, your veterinarian can run a simple blood test to determine what is causing your pet to itch.

Garden Fertilisers

As we prepare our gardens for the perfect bloom, care must be taken when using fertilizers around our pets. Fertilizer can contain many different ingredients; some of which can cause mild stomach problems to death if ingested by our pets.

Blood meal
Dried and ground blood that contains 12% nitrogen. If ingested, can cause vomiting and diarrhoea.

Bone meal
Dried and ground animal bones. This ingredient makes fertiliser extremely inviting to our dogs. Large consumption can result in constipation or gastrointestinal blockage.

Iron
Commonly added to fertilizer and also found in vitamin supplements. Iron toxicity can result in stomach ulcers, liver disease, heart damage.