Community ClicksWhat causes mucus issues?
Dear Dr. Fox,
I have a 6-year-old Portuguese water dog, Gingee.
She loves the beach: In winters, we are in Florida, where the only beach available is a dog beach crowded with other dogs and not very clean.
This year, after a trip to the dog beach, she developed a cough that the vet diagnosed as kennel cough and gave her a prescription for antibiotics to clear it up.
When the cough did not lessen, we took her back, and the vet took an X-ray of her chest that indicated bronchitis and pneumonia.
Thereafter, she was on ciprofloxacin twice a day and amoxicillin once a day for almost two months.
The cough slowly disappeared, but now she has an extraordinary amount of mucus that she emits by sneezing.
We took her to the vet again, and the X-ray indicated the bronchitis was still in her lungs, but the pneumonia was gone.
He said to stop the medication and see what happens.
Since then, the phlegm or mucus seems to get caught in her throat, and she has a hard time coughing it up.
Sneezing seems to be the only way she can get rid of it.
She does not act sick insofar as her appetite is good, and she does not seem overly lethargic.
My husband is sure it is allergies, a common pet problem here in Florida.
What should we do?
— J.P.G., Bonita Springs, Fla.
Your dog could well be suffering from a combination of allergies and bacterial infection.
There are various herbs and supplements that have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and expectorant- and mucus-eliminating (mucolytic) effects and that help alleviate coughing spasms.
Some of these can be inhaled via aerosol dispenser.
See www.aromadog.com for some potentially beneficial products.
Supplements and herbs to try orally include local honey (an excellent expectorant), n-acetylcysteine, ginger, licorice, marshmallow, mullein, thyme, oregano, vitamin C with bioflavonoids and coenzyme Q10.
Some herbal preparations are available in tincture form.
More veterinarians are including these kinds of medicinal products in their treatment protocols, owing to books such as Integrating Complementary Medicine into Veterinary Practice (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008).
How to train a deaf cat
Dear Dr. Fox,
Our granddaughter has a white cat that she raised from a kitten.
We’ve heard that white cats are often deaf.
This one certainly is, and we wonder how to teach this cat discipline.
Water squirting does not work, as she loves water and will often jump into a bathtub to play.
The cat is much loved, but we need suggestions on how to teach her right from wrong.
— Z.J., Fergus Falls, Minn.
Dear Z.J.,
Indeed, deafness and an all-white coat (often combined with one blue and one green eye) are genetically linked.
There is no cure for this congenital deafness.
Deaf animals learn to respond to hand and arm signals and body language. A water squirter will only confuse your cat.
Stomping on the floor can send vibrations to alert the cat, who will look around and, hopefully, see whatever visual signal you are giving, like showing the food bowl, dangling a toy, or making a gesture for her to come to you or to get down or away.
Flea-control alternatives
Dear Dr. Fox,
I have five dogs.
There are lots of deer in this area, and they come right up to the house.
My dogs are on Frontline, as they often test positive for either Lyme or ehrlichia.
I haven’t seen a flea in years, and the Frontline keeps most of the ticks off.
When they test strongly, we put the dogs on Doxycycline.
I don’t like the Frontline and the antibiotics and wondered if you had a better solution.
— P.A.,Keswick, Va.
Dear P.A.,
In the seasonal war zone where you live, Frontline is generally safe and quite effective as a last resort when all other steps to keep fleas and ticks off the dog fail.
Some dogs can have serious adverse reactions to Frontline.
No product can give 100 percent flea/tick or other bug protection.
And as you have discovered, such products do NOT prevent insect-borne diseases.
Vectra 3D for dogs and puppies from Summit VetPharm may be safer, but more in-field data is needed for this new product.
Bio Spot has a poor record in terms of cats and dogs having adverse reactions.
Avon’s Skin So Soft talcum powder or indoor-use grade (not swimming-pool grade) diatomaceous earth rubbed into the dogs’ fur before they go outside may help as a deterrent.
You may also want to try some essential-oil products — visit www.aromadog.com.
