Following are selected posts to Holisticat on the subject of URIs. The posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utlize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!
Happy hunting :)
> I plan on getting him neutered as soon as I am able. I just don't
want to have George operated on while he's ill if I can help
> it. Does anyone have suggestions about what kind of herbal
or vitamin supplements I could give him on top of what's
> listed above?
You could try an echinacea/goldenseal tincture mixed in the foodies (what is it, 7 days max for echinacea?). Also some raw garlic should help, and will help him smell his food.
At the allopathic clinic I worked at, our biggest concern was always
"are they eating?" Cuz if they are, and they don't seem dehydrated or like
they're getting worse, you can let nature run thru. If he stops eating/drinking,
tho, I'd go to the vet. You can always refuse antibiotics.
< from sandy 7/21/98 re: George Chronic URIs>
Hi Susan,
Try breaking open a Stinging Nettles (make sure it says "freeze-dried") capsule and mixing it w/ George's wet food. It doesn't have a strong taste or smell so he hopefully will accept it in his food.
All the cats I have ever known (about 30 fosters plus my own 5), despise garlic but I hear of other cats who love the stuff so try it w/ George. Course not a single one of them liked their whiskers touched either unlike Lee's cats so go figure <g> If garlic doesn't work, try sprinkling some parmesan cheese on the food. It's possible he can't smell very well so u may have to try what someone on the list did to entice her cats to eat raw - add some clam juice.
If he will let u pill him, u could give him Stinging Nettles capsules. Also, soak a tissue in eucalyptus oil and leave it out where he hangs out so he can inhale the smell. It helps a lil bit when the sinuses are congested (i speak from experience).
Homeopathy works really well in these situations but u'd have to look up all his symptoms in a Repertory and that takes time:(
Good luck. George is lucky to have u there for him:) Healing purrs for him from me and the mountain cats
Sandy
> What to do? What disease are we dealing with here?
From the sound of it, you're dealing w/ a calci-virus, one of the upper respiratory infectious viruses that cats transmit back and forth. In less-than-healthy animals, it goes into submission for some period of time, but resurfaces in times of stress.
> My mother was also infested with fleas so she treated the areas where
the cats weren't them herded them elsewhere
> and treated those areas.
Fleas won't help, as you know. Severe parasite infections can lead to anemia. Having suffered from that myself, I know it's no picnic. Lethargy, dizziness and weakness are all signs of anemia- but w/ sick kitties, you can expect these symptoms w/o anemia.
> I'm sure that their immume systems are weak which leaves them susceptable
to all kinds of nasties. They get canned and
> dry food plus whatever else they catch. No point in telling
me that a raw food diet would help as I'm certain that it would
> but my mother would NEVER do it.
Can your mom add the antibiotic to their food? She may also want to spike the food w/ tuna juice, clam juice or something so the kits can smell it- cats don't eat what they can't smell....
Adding some slippery elm powder to the food should help w/ the diarrhea. I was giving Skippy (~13lbs) about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon a day to help him w/ nausea and diarrhea. She can pick that up at the health food store pretty cheaply. Also check w/ the vet about adding the antibiotics to the food. If she can get powdered Vit C and some echinacea tincture, plus some raw garlic, she can add those to the food as 'natural antibiotics'.
> Any suggestions . . . watching the kittens die from this is very hard
for her and taking them all to the vet is not possible as 75%
> she cannot touch.
The kitties and I send good thoughts and healing vibes to all the sick kitties, and a special hug to your mom for taking care of them all :)
Vick and the kitties
To clarify: Liam & Fiona did take 250 mg./day when they were experiencing the watery eyes, and then 500 mg. 1x/week, thereafter. I don't do this anymore, tho'.
Since they've had the thuja, and The Missing Link & ambrotose in
their food each day, they've improved considerably. Their coats really
show it, altho' they were in good shape before when I used the Vita-Mineral
mix. I'm pretty happy w/ this new holistic vet, especially after
their re-evaluation yesterday. He suggested continuing w/ the food
& supplementing TML, along w/
a vitamin supplement called SuperVeta. He suggested no further
treatment at this time, and said to give it a couple of months and we'd
talk again. :))) Liam & Fiona are VERY happy not to go back for
awhile.
Fellow "listers" - thanks for all your help. It's been invaluable. I've learned so much here and always enjoy reading others' input. It's helped, too, to push me into the natural way.
Judi & the MacFolds (who are waiting impatiently to go for their
walk this morning)
Hi--
If I'm not mistaken, the last vet handbook I got (allopathic,
not homeo) suggests using pediatric nose drops. I got some made by
Afrin. They are marked for pediatric use, and they use half or less than
half of the usual dose for adults. When one of my cats got congested
due to a URI, I used a couple of drops in each nostril and then carefully
wiped so that he wouldn't get bothered by it running down into his mouth.
I think the vet handbook is called the The Cat Owner's Home Veterinary
Handbook. I would reference it right now, look up this information,
but I loaned the book to a friend yesterday and have not gotten it back
yet.
One other suggestion I can make, which has worked just as well for me, is using saline drops which will stimulate sneezing and help clear the nose a little, and which will help remove any nose grossies that might cause the kitty distress.
Gabby and los gatos fregados
Hi Kathy, everyone,
I'm glad Lillian & Stella ate on their own--that's a good sign. As long as the kittens are getting a wet food, they don't need to drink much water. (It's more natural for cats to get their water from their food--which is one of the reasons dry food can be a problem.) The reason cats under a year don't need thymus as a supplement is that they can make their own thymus during that time.
I thought I'd just put together the recommendations from _The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care_ by CJ Puotinen for URIs since this topic comes up frequently for our positive babies.
Begin Quote:
The following treatments can be used both as a preventive, to protect your pet against an infectious disease to which he's exposed, and to treat an active illness. All of these treatments work best if administered at the first sign of illness....
NUTRITIONAL THERAPY: Vitamin C is the all-purpose infection fighter. Although all pets manufacture their own vitamin C, they don't always make enough. Boost your pet's ability to fight infection w/ a C-complex supplement; give about 500 mg oper 10 pounds of body weight or dose to bowel tolerance until the infection clears. (p. 424) [I give sodium ascorbate, a buffered form of Vitamin C which is more tolerable & I believe bioavailable to our cats]
HERBAL THERAPY:
The above are one-day dosages which should be divided into three or more servings during the day. Use any of the above alone, use any two in combination or alternate one to another. Continue these dosages for three days as a preventive or up to 10 days to treat an active infection. (p. 285)
AROMATHERAPY: ...help your pet breathe by placing several drops of the essential oils of chamomile, eucalyptus, ginger, thyme or lavender, or any combination of these oils, in a diffuser. (p. 424) END Quote
I used a diffuser & eucalyptus oil w/ George when he had his URI; it did seem to help him breathe. Also I think Ambrotose is a great supplement to give our positive babies in general. (You can order that from Linda P. or Lynn if you can't get it from a holistic vet.)
Susan
Good news! Kelly's culture for ringworm is negative. Yeaaaaahhhhh! Also, his cold has pretty much gone, and he is back to playing and chatting like his usual self. He still sneezes occasionally, but his eyes and nose are no longer watery. This cold never got beyond running nose/eyes with clear liquid. I gave him Lysine, GSE, garlic oil capsules, vit. C and Cat's Claw.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Lee, Cleo, Kiki, Kelly and the Peach
In a message dated 99-01-05 15:29:25 EST, you write:
<< I have started using eye drops with eye bright and colloidal silver as someone suggested >>
I thought I had taken care of the probably URI that Django arrived with, but yesterday one eye was half closed part of the day & he's been sneezing again. I put some eyebright/echinaceae/goldenseal drops in his eye yesterday (in a saline solution - this is what I had done the first time) & he looks MUCH better today, but I wanted to go the colloidal silver/lysine/GSE route this time, 'cause it seems that the problem might not have gone completely away the first time : (. If this is true, he's been carrying it for awhile, and this really worries me!!!!! If I don't clear it up TOTALLY and soon he's going to the vet!
I see on my bottle of Colloidal Silver instructions to NOT use in the eye. Was the above statement a misunderstanding, or is it beneficial to use as an eyedrop? The eyedrop solution I use is per Anitra Frazier, with a drop of the tincture in a tablespoon of saline solution base.
I thought I had saved all the info on amounts others have used for a kitty who was sneezing & had runny eyes but I can't find it. Could whoever posted this please repost, or send me the info directly?
Thanks a bunch ~
Jillian (the worried mom) & Django - who is playing happily right
now but Mom heard him sneeze a bit ago : (
<from Lee 1/6/99 re: Eye Tea>
I'm posting this recipe again for Django's eye problem. It helps a lot. When Kelly had his recent cold (LOTS of sneezing fits, goopy eye) I gave it to him as soon as I noticed eye symptoms and he had no further problems.
Lee
Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care" has an eyewash recipe that you can make and use with a dropper: calendula, chamomile or eyebright teas, or: equal parts of greater celandine, eyebright and St. John's Wort, pour 1 cup boiling water over 2 tsp blend, add a *teeny* pinch of cayenne (she claims it doesn't hurt), let it steep and filter it through a coffee filter, then add just enough sea salt to make it slightly saline like tears. Add two drops grapefruit seed extract per 1 cup tea. Use a dropper, or soak a cotton ball and rub her eye with it.
As for actually doing it, Richard Allport has pictures. He shows one person holding the cat and tilting her face up, holding back her fur (sort of smoothing it down and back). Another person actually does the administering. He warns not to keep the dropper too close in case the cat moves quickly.
I have had a terrible problem with URI also and ran across and article in Persian News (don't own any persians,but read all I can about all cats) about using a nebulizer to treat URI'S in cats. So I ordered one from Revival Animal Health. It is the same kind used for humans to treat asthma. It was $104 dollars for the unit itself. I started using it on some of mine and it really seems to help their breathing.
I tape off one end of the mouth piece and stick the tube in the end of a cat carrier. The carrier is enclosed in a garbage bag with the door end left open and towels over the end to keep the vapor in. I use a mixture of Tylan 50, gentacin, and baytril and add enough sterile saline to fill (about 8cc total in the unit) I put the cat in and let it run till empty, about 30 minutes twice daily. It has seemed to really help the ones that are really congested. I have no FeLV + but have two that have Feline Aids and are constantly trying to fight off URI"s.
The number for Revival Animal Health is 1-800-786-4751 open Monday-Friday 7am to 7 pm Their catalog has a lot of good vet stuff that I have not seen elsewhere. I did not need a prescription for the nebulizer or the meds that they sent me. It also came with full directions on how to use it.
Linda(catlady)
Jillian, the drops I am using now for Lillian is very simple. I'm also
using them on one of my other cats, Sally, who had a history of herpes
lesions in one of her eyes. Lillians original infection was felt to be
chlymadia. In 2oz sterilized water, add a pinch of salt, 2 drops of Colloidal
Silver (low potency, 50ppm or less), and 2 drops of eye bright. DO NOT
use grape seed extract for the eyes. I have a seperate mixture to use for
Lillians nose which does contain grape seed extract (2drops), and the colloidal
silver. I started using these over the weekend so no long term results
to report but she is sneezing much less and has had no discharge from the
eyes for a couple of days. When she does sneeze, the fluid is clear and
odor less. A week ago it was still green and stinky, and she looked miserable
between her eyes and nose, and she was also just wanting to sleep. I hope
this works out as I don't want to have to keep her on antibiotics. By the
way, I tried these on myself before giving them to Lillian or Sally, and
they were not irritating at all. Good luck.
Kathy B
Hi everybody,
Odilla, I give my cat George L-Lysine for herpes which he gets in his
eye and which can develop into a full-blown upper respiratory infection.
I have two brands of Lysine I give George for herpes. One I use for
maintenance and one I use when the virus is active. The one I use
for maintenance is Solgar brand and only contains L-Lysine. Of this
brand, I give around 150-250 maintenance dosage daily or every other day.
The other brand I use is Quantum Super Lysine Plus+. I use the Quantum
brand when the virus is active and give George 500 mgs. (the dose per capsule)lysine
a day. The Quantum brand contains both Echinacea (33 mg per cap)
and Garlic (65 mg per cap) as well as vit C (33 mg per cap), Propolis (33
mg per cap), Licorice (5 mg. per cap) and Goldenseal root (5 mg per cap).
The Quantum brand seems to knock out the virus quickly, but I stopped giving
it as a maintenance supplement because the Echinacea loses its effectiveness
if given on a continuing basis (more than 7-10 days at a time).
I don't know if you can get either of these brands in Brazil, but I'd
really try to get some L-Lysine if your cats are suffering from the
herpes virus. L-Lysine has helped George suppress the herpes
virus. You could continue giving the Echinacea if you made sure not to
give it continuously. I think an herbalist told me 7 days on 7 days
off would be okay. I'm not sure about the garlic, but I don't think
that should be given continuously either.
In fact, L-Lysine should not be given continuously for more than six months (I'm reading this now in Prescription for Nutritional Healing). That means I will have to re-work my L-Lysine schedule w/ George :( Anyhow, L-Lysine is an amino acid. The way it works is that "When the amount of lysine present exceeds the amount of arginine [another amino acid], the growth of the herpes virus is inhibited." p. 318
Hope this helps.
Susan
Hi all
Susan wrote to Odila:
>Anyhow, L-Lysine is an amino acid. The way it works
is that "When the amount of lysine present exceeds the amount of
>arginine [another amino acid], the growth of the herpes virus is inhibited."
p. 318
In the Balch book, A-Z Supplements, it also suggests L-lysine, together with vitamin C with bioflavonoids, can effectively fight and/or prevent herpes outbreaks, especially if foods containing the amino acid, arginine are avoided.
(From the same book} Foods to avoid that are high in arginine - carob, chocolate, coconut, dairy products, gelatin, meat, oats, peanuts, soybeans, walnuts, white flour, wheat, and wheat germ.
Hope this is helpful, Odila!
--Jean, Saski Basket & Amber Sweet T'ing
In a message dated 2/24/99 9:59:33 AM Eastern Standard Time, cleopatraseven@ writes:
<< How is ]the colloidal silver administered? Can it be
given internally for a bacterial infection? If so, in what
dosage? When
applied topically is it applied full strength? What dosage
of echinacea would you recommend? >>
You can give it by mouth, about 1/2 cc several times daily. It's always used full strength, unless you put it in the drinking water. I use the liquid echinacea, and again, I would use .5 ml several times daily.
Elaine
Debbie, one of my kittens, Lillian (she is also FeLV+) was very ill
for
several weeks with chlymadia. She developed
a lung infection from it, but initially her symptoms were of sneezing,
eye & nasal discharge. Two different antibiotics
were used which only helped a little. She ended up having to go on
a high dosage of Sulfa for two weeks, which finally
knocked it out of her lungs. She did continue to sneeze and have purulent
discharge from her eyes and nose. What
finally helped with that was a dilute mixture of eyebright & colloidal
silver for the eyes and a combo of colloidal silver &
grapefruit seed extract for nasal drops. This has helped tremendously.
We continued the drops to her eyes and nasally for a week after her symptoms completely resolved. When she was originally diagnosed with the chylamidia I did do a bit of research. I don't have specific resources but what I do remember is that it is a very common bacterial infection in cats, almost as prevalent as herpes. Because it is bacterial, most cats can muster their own defenses to clear it up. If a cat is immunocompromised it can become very serious, and can cause death in young kittens or frail cats. It most commonly infects the eyes, and often cats catch it coming out the birth canal and are carriers, asymptomatic until some stressor prevents their immune system from keeping it in check. The bacteria can then travel down the tear ducts in the eyes and infect the nasal/sinus passages, becoming more difficult to treat. At this point it is recommended that oral antibiotics be used and not just eye ointments as now the cat is at risk of lower respiratory infection.
From what I read and from what the Vet said it isn't usually very serious,
but if Odin is immunocompromised at all
I would opt for oral antibiotics before risking the infection
settling in the sinus's. Lillian was very sick for a month
and we almost lost her, but she also is FeLV+ and still a kitten so
she was also not a typical case.
Hope some of this answers some questions and doesn't just raise more
for you.
Kathy B
Debbie, I also forgot to mention that the vet said it is a bacteria
that CAN be transmitted to humans as well as to the
other cats. The Vet said it isn't the same strain of chylamidia that
is considered a sexually transmitted disease in
humans but that a person could develop a conjunctivitis from it if
they weren't using good handwashing techniques
or the cat sneezed in your face. Luckily none of our other cats (or
my roommate or I) developed the infection, and
Lillian was coughing, sneezing all over the place and in intimate contact
with the other cats.
Good luck with Odin.
Kathy B
Hi everybody,
Debbie, I'm so sorry to hear of your mother-in-law's passing. It must be a very difficult time for you, especially w/ Odin's discomfort:( Don't be so hard on yourself; it sounds like you've being doing the best you can to cope.
Following are some suggestions from George Mcleod's book _Cats: Homeopathic Remedies_, pp 150-51, for chlamydial infection:
Begin Quote
1. ARGENTUM NIT. A most useful remedy for conjunctival involvement
when the inner canthi becomes red and swollen. Purulent involvement
is common. Chronic cases may show corneal ulceration and this remedy will
help in cases like this. Animals in need of this remedy may show
fear of handling manifested by trembling and a desire to escape. Suggested
potency 30c, giving one dose daily for 10 days.
2. HIPPOZAENIUM. A remedy to consider in rhinitis states when the discharge becomes honey-coloured and sticky. It may be associated with ulceration of the nasal septum. Suggested potency 30c, giving one dose daily for 7 days.
3. GRAPHITES. Stickiness of discharges is a keynote of this remedy and is therefore indicated when this feature is prominent especially as regards eye discharges. Sever involvement leading to closure of eyes with sticky discharge calls for the remedy. Suggested potency 6c, giving one dose three times daily for 7 days.
4. KALI BICH. Nasal discharges are thick, muco-purulent and yellow, and difficult to expel. Suggested potency 200c, giving one dose twice weekly for 4 weeks.
5. LEMNA MINOR. Another useful remedy for nasal discharge showing evil smelling dirty secretions. The patient is sensitive to damp surroundings. Suggested potency 30c, giving one dose daily for 10 days.
6. ACID NIT. If corneal ulceration develops, this remedy may play a part, especially if the ulceration is near the margin of the eyelids. Bowel symptoms may supervene in the form of colitis producing loose stools of a slimy dysenteric nature. Rhinitis also features prominently in the provings of this remedy and it should be considered in chronic ulcerative states of the nasal septum leading to discharges of a yellow corrosive character. Suggested potency 200c, giving one dose twice weekly for 4 weeks.
7. PHOSPHORUS. A deep acting remedy to consider if deeper structures of the eye become involved e.g. iritis and retinitis. It has a profound action on the eyes and also on the nasal structures e.g. turbinate bones leading to ulceration and discharge of a purulent nature streaked with blood. Suggested potency 200c, giving one dose twice weekly for 6 weeks.
8. NOSODE. A Chlamydia nosode is available which can be used in conjunction with selected remedies. Suggested potency 30c, giving one does daily for 10 days.
END QUOTE
Susan
mailto:katseven@
Welcome to the list, Fern. I'm so glad to hear Macha pulled through her recent health crisis. I give my cat George (felv+, prone to gingivitis) 20-30 mg CoQ10 (soft gels) per day in his food, but you might have to wait until Macha gets her appetite back to try this. Did your vet have an idea about what caused the goopy right eye/corneal ulceration? (ie herpes, chlamydia) I know cats can get these ulcerations just from something as simple as an eyelash scratching the eye and the scratch then becoming infected, but since Macha's gums/mouth on the right side also became inflamed it just makes me wonder. It probably hurts her to eat and that's why she's become picky...which you prob already know.
Do you think the black secretions are dried blood from mouth ulcers?
Is her mouth perhaps dried and cracked there at the corner? (This has happened
to me before and it really stings to open the mouth.) Would some
kind of lubricant help there?
Maybe some aloe vera gel? For her picky appetite, you might try
sprinkling a bit of dried catnip on top of her food if Macha is a catnip
gal, that is. (Just heard about this on another list.) Since Macha has
been on antibiotics (and if she is now off of them), you also might want
to give her some acidophilus or plain unflavored organic yogurt (with live
cultures) to replace the good bacteria the antibiotics have eliminated.
Richard Allport in _Heal Your Cat: The Natural Way_ has a few suggestions
for the problems Macha is continuing to experience.
On page 70, Allport offers the following herbal suggestions for corneal
ulceration:
"An infusion of Greater celandine may be applied directly to the eye to help relieve symptoms of redness and irritation. An infusion or tincture (the tincture to be diluted by adding three drops to 10 ml [2 tsps] sterile water) of Eyebright or Goldenseal may also be used in this way, or given orally."
On page 95, Allport gives the following herbal suggestions for gingivitis (gum inflammation) or stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth lining:
"Echinacea, Myrrh or Goldenseal, in the form of a tincture, may be applied directly to the gums and mouth. Sage and Rosemary may be given by infusion. Garlic is a good remedy, and should be given as 1/3 chopped clove daily, or alternated w/ 250 mg Vitamin C."
Allport also notes that to prevent recurrence of mouth problems, etc. a raw-food-based diet is recommended.
Oh, and in case you don't know how to figure out dosage for the herbs listed above (at least if you want to dose Macha internally), here's some information on how to dose w/ herbs from the _Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care_, p. 136:
"SUGGESTED DOSE FOR THE FIRST-TIME USE OF ANY HERB -- All preparations
should be given 3 times daily. "
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I don't know if any of this will help Macha, but I sure hope so!
Susan
mailto:katseven@
HO>Hello,
HO>So glad to find this list, as we thought we might lose my sweet
17 year old tabby, Macha. This is the first time she ever lost
HO>her appetite, refused to eat, and lost almost 3lb, going down to
about 6lb weight. She's long had a gooby right eye, and
HO>recently developed severe inflammation of the gums, on the right
side of her mouth. Blood work came back not too bad,
HO> a bit high in proteins. She received 2 weeks of oral anitbiotics
and eye antibios. She seems a bit better, but continues to be
HO>unable to open her mouth fully. She has black secretion around the
right side of her mouth, and her appetite is picky.
HO>Any suggestions?
HO>Many thanks,
HO>Fern
|
|
|
|