Experienced and professional animal trainer provide their insights in answering this question :
A. Yes it could be parasites. Have you treated with a good quality flea product from your vet recently. If not you need to make an appointment to check what is causing the discomfort so the appropriate treatment can be given.

How to Identify Common Pet Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced pet care professionals :

Their pupils may become dilated, their skin may ripple, and they may drool. You may notice intensive scratching and digging at that or other spots, and some affected cats may chase their own tails. Some cats may vocalize or urinate.
A change in behaviour implies something`s not quite right. The stress of moving home, a new baby, or being left alone for long periods of time can all trigger antisocial behaviour. If those things have been ruled out you may need to arrange a visit to the vet, especially if your cat is growling or biting when touched.
Nobody really knows what causes feline hyperesthesia syndrome, and different cats respond to different types of treatment, which suggests there may be multiple underlying causes.
The most common reason for your pet to be excessively itching, scratching, and licking themselves is due to an allergy. There are different types of allergies with the top 4 being reactions to fleas, environmental allergens, food, and contact allergies. It can be challenging to diagnose the exact cause of the allergy.
The condition is most commonly identified by frantic scratching, biting or grooming of the lumbar area, generally at the base of the tail, and a rippling or rolling of the dorsal lumbar skin. These clinical signs usually appear in a distinct episode, with cats returning to normal afterwards.
Allodynia is the experience of a usually non-painful stimulus as painful. An example of this is pain caused by an item of clothing brushing an area of sunburned skin. Wearing a T-shirt is not painful, but with allodynia it may be agonising. Cats with allodynia may find gentle stroking or grooming painful.
They haven`t been exposed to something – New things, experiences, people, places, or animals are all things that can cause your cat to feel nervous. If you are bringing your cat to somewhere they`ve never been to or introducing a new person, they might be initially unsure.
Stress and anxiety can manifest in many different ways, but one condition we see frequently in young to middle aged cats is called “Stress Cystitis”.
FHS can occur in cats of any age, but it is commonly seen in cats aged 1 to 5 years. Males and females are equally affected. While all breeds can be affected, Siamese, Burmese, Persian, and Abyssinian cats are more commonly afflicted.
Cats lick to show affection, to bond with you and other cats, and to groom themselves. Licking excessively can signal your cat has a medical issue, an allergy, or stress and anxiety. You may need to take your cat to the vet for evaluation and treatment if they develop bald spots from grooming too much.
Your cat`s licking may be an affiliative behavior, which is a friendly, altruistic behavior. Mothers groom their kittens, and cats may groom one another, which is called allogrooming. This grooming strengthens their social bonds, so your cat may groom you to nurture your relationship.
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in cats is a rare heart disease that is characterized by ventricular preexcitation. This condition occurs when electric impulses in the sinoatrial node – the “pacemaker” in the heart – prematurely activate the ventricles of the heart without following the proper conduction pathway.
Background. Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is the most common autoimmune skin disease recognized in cats [1, 2]. It is defined as a pustular erosive and crusting dermatosis commonly involving the face, ears and feet [3].
Excoriations, a nonspecific sign of self-trauma typically associated with pruritus, are characterized by their linear shape and are most prevalent on the head and neck. Erosions are superficial lesions that are similar to, but often wider than, excoriations.
Also, with vestibular syndrome, the cat may be unable to stand and may roll toward the side of the lesion, sometimes rolling completely over time and time again. If the ataxia is caused by a lesion in the cerebellum, the cat will walk with an exaggerated “goose-stepping” gait called hypermetria.
KEY POINTS: TOXOPLASMOSIS

Neurological signs reflect a multifocal distribution in the CNS and include behavioral changes, seizures, ataxia, blindness, anisocoria, torticollis, vestibular disease, muscle hyperesthesia and paresis/paralysis.

Can cats have anxiety? Cats can absolutely suffer from anxiety, just like all animals. Although cats can`t express themselves with words, they will show that they are suffering from anxiety through various signs and symptoms, and often through the development of destructive behaviours.
Think food puzzles to engage minds and bodies, vertical space for climbing and surveying their domain, scratching posts, safe outdoor access (like a catio), window perches and interactive play. “Play is an important part of relieving stress,” Delgado says. “It helps cats release those feel-good hormones.”
In a research made by Nottingham Trent University, the findings show that cats are able to determine when their humans are anxious or stressed. Apart from this, they can also mirror their human`s emotions and well-being.
To decrease skin sensitivity, your vet may recommend adding omega-3 fatty acid supplements to your cat`s diet. Seizures. If your cat has seizures, your vet may prescribe medication such as phenobarbital or gabapentin.
While Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome cannot be cured, cats that have this ailment can live a happy, healthy life with proper medical management. If you think your cat`s behavioral quirks are the result of FHS, speak to your veterinarian.
Cat whisker fatigue – also called whisker stress – is a term veterinarians use to describe the sensory overload cats feel when their sensitive whiskers repeatedly touch a surface, according to an article by Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medical Hospital.
For cats that do become sick, the illness usually consists of fever for 2 to 3 days. Symptoms requiring veterinary care include fever lasting more than 3 days, vomiting, lethargy, red eyes, swollen lymph nodes, or decreased appetite.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Q. My cat is excessively scrstching herself., to the point she has sores. She is strictly an indoor cat. Did have flees been treated for 2 months
ANSWER : A. For every flea you see on your pet, there are 100 more in the environment. Get your pet on a good topical or oral flea control through your vet. In flea control, you get what you pay for. Consider asking your vet for a dose of Capstar. It helps get the problem under control by killing the fleas on the pet starting in five minutes but only lasts for 24 hours.

You need to treat your home environment. If you use a pest control service, tell them you are having a flea problem and they can adjust their treatment. Use a premise spray that also contains an IGR, insect growth regulator. This keeps eggs and larvae from maturing into adults and helps break the life cycle. Also, vacuum EVERY DAY, throwing out the bag or emptying the canister every time into an outside receptacle and spraying the contents with insecticide to kill the fleas you’ve vacuumed up.

Treat your yard too, since fleas are opportunistic and will hop a ride into your home on your pant leg without you knowing it. Concentrate on areas under bushes, in the shade. Fleas are less likely to be located in open sunny areas where it gets hot.

If chemicals are a problem, you can use borax. Sprinkle it into rugs, into corners and under furniture, use a broom to work it into the fibers and let it sit for hours, days even. It won’t hurt you or your pet to have it present. Then vacuum it up, reapply as needed. Food grade diatomaceous earth can be gotten from a health food store and worked into the rugs and corners in the same way as borax. These treatments aren’t as fast and effective as chemical insecticides but they can help.

You might want to consider boarding your pet for the day at your vet, to give you the opportunity to flea bomb your house without having to worry about your pet being exposed. They can bathe your pet and give a dose of Capstar while you treat your home.

Be patient, you may have to repeat these steps multiple times 10-14 days apart to help break the flea life cycle.

Skin problems can have a variety of causes, sometimes more than one. It is important to have the problem checked by your vet to determine if there is a medical cause for your pet’s skin issues and treat accordingly.

In pets of all ages, fleas, food allergies and exposure to chemical irritants such as cleaners and soaps can be a cause. Any one of these may not be enough to trigger the breakouts, depending on how sensitive your pet is, but a combination can be enough to start the itch-scratch cycle. Finding out the cause and eliminating it is the best course of action. With flea allergies, if your pet is sensitive enough, a single bite can cause them to break out scratch enough to tear their skin.

Check for fleas with a flea comb. Look for fleas and/or tiny black granules, like coarse black pepper. This is flea feces, consisting of digested, dried blood. You may find tiny white particles, like salt, which are the flea eggs. Applying a good topical monthly flea treatment and aggressively treating your house and yard will help break the flea life cycle.

If you use plastic bowls, this is a possible cause for hair loss, though this tends to be on the chin, where their skin touches the bowl while they eat. If you suspect this to be the culprit, try changing the bowls to glass, metal or ceramic.

Food allergies are often caused by sensitivity to a protein in the food. Hill’s Science Diet offers some non-prescription options for sensitive skin as well as prescription hypoallergenic foods for more severe cases. Royal Canin carries limited protein diets that may also offer some relief. Your vet can recommend a specific diet that will help.

If there is no relief or not enough, consider getting your pet checked by a veterinary dermatologist and having allergy testing done.

Read Full Q/A … : Cat Excessive Licking, Scratching, and Chewing Causes

Q. How do I determine how much my overweight pet should weigh?
ANSWER : A. There are many tools to determine overweight and obesity levels in pets. A new tool, morphometric measurements and body fat index, are available to accurately determine a pet’s ideal weight; this will allow an accurate determination of the amount of food a pet should receive to achieve weight loss. Feeding the correct amount will lead to greater weight loss success.

There are many weight loss food options to help pets reach their ideal weight. Your veterinarian can help make a ideal weight recommendation. Here are some tips to help your dog lose weight in a healthy and safe way:

1. Diet: Providing a healthy and well balanced diet is essential to your pet’s overall health. Finding the right food for your dog can be a challenging process. For those overweight animals many commercial dog companies offer weight loss diets, but it is important to evaluate food labels for adequate nutritional content.

You want to ensure you are not missing other essential vitamin or mineral content. Volume of food is also important and the amount of food that works for one breed of dog may not be the same for another breed of dog. Portion control as opposed to free-choice feeding can help your dog to drop a few unnecessary pounds.

There are also prescription weight loss foods designed by veterinary nutritionists, such as Hill’s r/d (http://bit.ly/1AoENSd). Some pet owners find that home cooking is the best option for helping to provide a well-balanced and realistic diet plan. There are websites such as balanceit.com that offers recipes to fit your dog’s specific needs. Consulting with your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist to find the appropriate diet is a great way to help your dog be as healthy as possible.

2. Exercise: Another great tactic for weight loss for your dog is exercise. Whether this is through running, walking or playing with a favorite toy all of these are wonderful types of exercise to help keep your dog at a lean and healthy weight.

For those pet owners with busy schedules utilizing professional dog walking services or playtime through dog daycare services is another option. It has been shown that those pet owners that exercise regularly with their pets generally live a healthier lifestyle.

3. Physical therapy: As animals age pet owners offer encounter their favorite canine having more difficulty walking and have a dwindling desire to play with toys. Physical therapy, specifically hydrotherapy is a wonderful way to help older and arthritic animals gain more mobility and lose weight. Hydrotherapy has been proven to have several therapeutic effects on the body including, muscle strengthening, relief of swelling, decreased joint pain, less stiffness in limbs, improved circulation, weight loss, and increased tissue healing to name a few. For more information on the benefits of hydrotherapy:
http://bit.ly/1w1qqoy

4. Veterinary visit and blood work: Weight gain can also be related to underlying health concerns such as hypothyroidism or other endocrine disorders. Scheduling a veterinary evaluation and routine blood work can be another important component in increasing the longevity of your dog’s life. Conditions such as hypothyroidism that predispose dogs to gain weight can be treated with a daily medication to improve hormonal balance. If feel that your dog is unnecessarily overweight there can be an underlying health condition that needs to be addressed.

5. Healthy treats: Pet owners love the chance to reward their favorite canine companion with treats and most dogs jump at the chance to consume these delicious products. The problem is many treats, which can include commercial dog treats or table scrapes can add many unnecessary calories to your dog’s daily intake. Reading labels and making note of the calories in these treats is an important component of understanding your dog’s overall health. Treats should not exceed more than 10 percent of your pet’s daily calories. There are healthier treats that can be offered to your pet to keep calories lower yet provide a fuller sensation. A pet owner can add steamed or pureed vegetables, such as carrots, green beans or sweet potato to add more fiber and thus a fuller feeling for your dog.

Read Full Q/A … : How Do I Determine if My Dog is Overweight? – Pet Health Care

Q. Frontline is not working on my dog, what should I use?
ANSWER : A. Frontline works best if it is given either three days before or three days after bathing your pet as it is absorbed through the skin. Frontline works on pets, but you will need to continually give treatment for up to three months before the environment and your pet are fully flea-free. Your pet can continue to get fleas from the environment as the eggs hatch and attempt to jump on your pet. Making sure to clean the area your pet is in, such as washing bedding and vacuuming carpeting (especially areas with cracks such as along the wall) can also accelerate flea removal. If your pet still has fleas and you want immediate relief, your vet can provide you with an oral medication such as capstar to kill fleas depending on when the last Frontline dose was given.

Pets can continue to itch for a while even after the fleas themselves are treated. Flea bites can cause an allergy, called flea allergy dermatitis, which can cause itching, scratching and redness on the skin. While many owners think this means fleas are still there, it could just be the skin healing from bites. An allergy medication and preventing your pet from scratching can provide relief during the healing process.

Read Full Q/A … : FAQ

Q. My pet has been acting quite odd lately, He seems to be under a lot of stress. He’s been over grooming and biting himself is it mites?
ANSWER : A. Yes it could be parasites. Have you treated with a good quality flea product from your vet recently. If not you need to make an appointment to check what is causing the discomfort so the appropriate treatment can be given.

Read Full Q/A … : Dog Depression: Causes and Cures

Q. One of my pet’s ears seems very irritated. What I can use to clean it with?
ANSWER : A. Ear Irritation can be caused by a number of things ranging from allergies, ear infections or even mites. Dirty ears can also cause irritation and problems. Knowing the type of problem is best for figuring out how to treat it.

For plain dirty ears that do not have any odor, redness or leakage of discharge/debris, a simple over the counter canine ear cleaner can be used. Gently soak some cotton balls or a washcloth with the cleaner, and then use these to wipe out the flap of the ear and opening to the ear. Do NOT use Q-tips as these can become stuck or lodged in the curve of the ear canal and may cause injury to the ear drum.

If the ear is bright red or itchy without any dirt or debris in it, it may indicate an allergy. Sometimes an allergy medication can help provide relief in this situation. Your vet can give you the correct dosages of an over the counter allergy medication to use, or may recommend one specifically for dogs.

For infections and mites, changes to the ear such as bad smell or lots of debris and discharge, flecks of black or brown debris, or scabs and sores in the ear may be present. In these cases, it is best to have your vet take a sample of the ear debris to test for mites or infection. Your vet can then give you an ointment that is placed and left in the ear between ear cleanings. Most vets will then recommend cleaning the ears twice daily and then leaving in the ointment after for a period of ten days.

Ear mites ARE contagious to other pets, so if your dog does have them, it is best to treat any other pets in the house at the same time to prevent the mites from spreading around continuously.

Read Full Q/A … : How to Treat a Dog's Ear Infection Without Vet Help

Q. My dog has ear mites and mange. Have been using Revolution Selamectin on her for 40 days now, but ears are badly sore at the top, next to head
ANSWER : A. If the mites and mange have not begun to clear up yet with the current treatment, it may be a good idea to speak with your vet about attempting a different treatment. Ivermectin is typically the main treatment for mange, while a topical ear solution is used for ear mites, however there are some alternate choices if those do not work or your dog cannot use ivermectin products (it should never be given to collie dogs).

Mange and mites can take a long time to recover until the skin begins to heal, and even if the underlying mite issue is resolved, the skin may have a secondary bacterial or fungal infection causing the sores to appear. Additional treatment or testing of the area can help. Ear mites are also very contagious and can be passed back and forth from pet to pet, so if you have other pets in the house, treating them for ear mites at the same time can help break the cycle and prevent them from spreading back and forth.

In some dogs, Demodetic mange *can* be genetic, making it more likely to be chronically there for a longer period of time. English Sheepdogs and Shar Pei dogs as well as other dogs with large folds in the skin may be more prone to this type.

Read Full Q/A … : Best Ways to Get Rid of Ear Mites – GETRIDOFTHiNGS.COM

Q. Is there an OTC cure for dogs with ear mites?
ANSWER : A. There are over the counter medications such as Eradimite available OTC that may work to stop ear mites, however most medications are prescription-only. If you are concerned about cost, you can have your vet fax a prescription to a lower cost pharmacy such as 1800PetMeds or DrsFosterSmith. These locations often carry the same prescription products but for much cheaper.

Ear mites are very contagious among pets so if one pet has mites, it is best to treat all at once to avoid the spread of mites from pet to pet and reinfection of your currently affected one.

Read Full Q/A … : Dog Ear Mites – Symptoms, Causes, Complications, Treatment …

Q. My cat has a small bump by his ear and his ear is swollen what can I do. Cant afford to take to vet until after the first of the year
ANSWER : A. If you are in financial difficulty, there are ways of still getting your pet treated by a veterinarian. Ask if they take Care Credit and apply online. This is a credit card specifically for medical, dental, and veterinary expenses.

Call a local animal shelter and ask if they have a low-cost pet clinic that works with people with limited incomes or call a college of veterinary medicine in your area and ask about a low- or no-cost veterinary care program.

GiveForward and Youcaring.com are crowd funding websites that help you raise money to help take care of your pets

Harley’s Hope Foundation is an organization that ensures low income pet parents and their companion or service animals remain together when issues arise.

Many breed rescues and groups have specials funds available for owners who need financial assistance, such as the Special Needs Dobermans, Labrador Lifeline, and Pitbull Rescue Central.

Banfield Pet Hospital has its own programs for owners that can’t afford their pet’s care.

The Onyx & Breezy Foundation has many programs including helping people with medical bills. They are a good resource for information.

Brown Dog Foundation provides funding to families with a sick pet that would likely respond to treatment, but due to circumstances, there is not enough money immediately available to pay.

Some groups help with specific disease, such as Canine Cancer Awareness, The Magic Bullet Fund, Helping Harley Fund, and Muffin Diabetes Fund.

The Pet Fund and Redrover.org are great sources for help to care for your pet.

The Humane Society website has many links to other organizations that help with veterinary expenses.

Read Full Q/A … : Ear Hematomas in Cats – Pet Health Care

joliana smith

My name is Sarah Smith and I am a dog owner, lover, and trainer. I have been working with dogs for over 10 years and have a passion for helping them learn and grow. I am a certified dog trainer and specialize in positive reinforcement methods. I believe that all dogs can learn and that the best way to train them is to build a strong relationship based on trust and respect.