Cats and dogs and colds
 

Cats and dogs and colds

Dear pets,

1-Can cats and dogs get colds?
2-Can they pass on these colds to humans?
3-Can humans pass on their colds to cats and dogs.

4-What is the best conventional way to treat cats and dogs with colds?
5-Is there a homeopathic remedy for cats and dogs with colds.

Thank you in advance,
Amanda6

Cats and dogs can certainly get colds. In cats, the most common "cold" is viral (herpes/calici virus) and more recently it has been demonstrated they often get a bacterial "cold" from Bordetella bacteria. The most common "cold" that dogs get is a combiantion of Bordetella and Flu virus. In cats, they usually sneeze in rapid succession and dogs usually manifest as a cough.

Can they pass on these colds to humans?

As far as I know, bacterial infections may be transmitted to humans who are immunocompromised such as cancer patients, AIDS positive, or those receiving immunosuppressive therapies for a variety of conditions. The intangible of course is the recent SARS scare that has researchers theorizing that the viral disease may have jumped from animals to people. It is also known that influenza stems from wildfowl and is a threat to the human population every year. The truth of the matter is that we really don't know.

What is the best conventional way to treat cats and dogs with colds?

If there is a bacterial component to the illness, antibiotics are a common choice for treating these problems. For cases of viral infection, supportive treatment is usually indicated such as good nutrition and hygene as well as fluids if need be. In the case of viral diseases, often there is a secondary bacterial component that may be treated with antibiotics

Is there a homeopathic remedy for cats and dogs with colds?

Homeopathic remedies that may be useful for common colds are: Allium cepa (onion)... just think of what happens to you when you cut into a juicy onion and those are the symptoms it treats.
Pulsatilla... for shiny pets, who desire fresh air and are worse indoors and have a yellow green discharge
Drosera... this is a good remedy for coughing which is worse as soon as the pet lays down and gets ready for sleep.
Rumex is another goood choice for cough, if Drosera fails.
Spongia is another excellent cough remedy.

©Michael Goldberg DVM

Michael Goldberg DVM
Hudson Place Veterinary Clinic
1300 West 73 Ave.
Vancouver, B.C. V6P 3E7
604-266-2731

My dog seems like she has a cold, but her symptoms are different.
 

My dog has some sort of problem. She has been sneezing for over 2 months now, and coughs like if there are things stuck in her throat. When she sneezes, large green bougers come out, but she licks them back up again. What do i do, and is there any home remedy that may work as well??
:confused: i'm really worried about her.

I would like to point out that the suggestion to give dogs and cats Allium (onion) as a homeopathic remedy is an erroneous one. This could be a potentially harmful practice as onion is toxic to dogs and particulary so to cats. It can gastrointestinal upsets and haemolytic anaemia. I wouldn't recommend giving cats or dogs onion as a treatment for colds or flus.

drdouggie are you a vet?
 

drdouggie, are you a vet? PLEASE answer this question because your name suggests that you are.

I know a bit about homeopathy and the principle of treating like with like.

Do you have personal or specific knowledge that what the vet in this thread said is wrong?

Just so you know the vet did not say to feed the dog or cat onions, but rather use allium, onion in an incredibly reduced concentration.

Here is just one other source of many that also suggests allium for cats and dogs

Batcat


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Allium cepa - homeopathic natural medicine remedy
Remedy characteristics for Allium cepa (Onion)

Homeopathic Allium cepa is used for conditions that cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and eyes, like cutting up onions.

Main medical uses for Allium cepa

Dogs

Hayfever
Cats

Same indications as for dogs above.
Cat flu with bouts of sneezing and streaming eyes and nose with a watery discharge.
Dose

Use Allium cepa at a 30C potency up to 4 times daily until symptoms subside. If in doubt, contact your own vet.

[QUOTE=ang_1616]My dog has some sort of problem. She has been sneezing for over 2 months now, and coughs like if there are things stuck in her throat. When she sneezes, large green bougers come out, but she licks them back up again. What do i do, and is there any home remedy that may work as well??
:confused: i'm really worried about her.[/QUOTE]

Hello! Can you please tell me what happened with your dog and did you have any luck with any particular treatment? My dog has the exact same symptoms and we're not doing very well. It's been going on almost 3 weeks that he's been on antibiotics and there hasn't been much improvement. Not only that, our vet is quite perplexed.

Thank you for any help that you can offer!

Jennifer you may want to make a new post for yourself it will get more attention and more people will respond.

Describe what is wrong with your dog ie symptoms etc...and when and how long its going on.

Luba

Re: Colds and Cats - FIV related
 

[I]3-Can humans pass on their colds to cats and dogs.[/I]

Sorry to bump this thread but I had a question. I have recented adopted a 10 month old cat with FIV. It is going to be a 100% house cat with exams every six months with the possiblility of Interferon going forward.

If I have a bad cold, or any cold for that matter, can I or my spouse pass this cold on to the cat? I didn't see this answered in the excellent response to the original post.

Thanks for any info

11 yr old dog seems to have a severe cold.
 

Some time ago someone posted on here that their dog had a dry cough, and when it sneezed it had a long green discharge. What was the diagnosis of the animal? I have an 11yr old border collie/ chow cross that has the same symptoms. My 14 yr old daughter took her to the vet (I couldn't make it) and I was told that she had larangitis and a cold. After much money and time the dog is still not well, infact I am afraid she is getting weaker. By the way all this started shortly after she had had some steak bones given to here, I originally thought that maybe she had one stuck in here throat.

Thank you for any help that you can offer!

Green means infection, so it's likely that there is a respiratory infection or sinus infection. I don't think it's directly related to the steak bone, but the steak bone may have stressed the immune system, allowing this to take over.

Did the vet give antibiotics?

[QUOTE=catlova][I]3-Can humans pass on their colds to cats and dogs.[/I]

Sorry to bump this thread but I had a question. I have recented adopted a 10 month old cat with FIV. It is going to be a 100% house cat with exams every six months with the possiblility of Interferon going forward.

If I have a bad cold, or any cold for that matter, can I or my spouse pass this cold on to the cat? I didn't see this answered in the excellent response to the original post.

Thanks for any info[/QUOTE]


I know this is a old post but the anwer is yes, the case is Florida resulted in the deaths of several greyhounds

[QUOTE]Dogs can be infected by canine strains of streptococci and sometimes by human strains. A dog handler with pharyngitis (sore throat) was thought to be the source of infection in a Greyhound kennel epidemic in Florida, and a human strain was isolated from an infected dog in Canada. There are certainly human "carriers" of streptococci, and according to Brad Fenwick, D.V.M. of Kansas State University Veterinary School, there are also canine carriers of virulent streptococci who never show a symptom[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Prin]Green means infection, so it's likely that there is a respiratory infection or sinus infection. I don't think it's directly related to the steak bone, but the steak bone may have stressed the immune system, allowing this to take over.

Did the vet give antibiotics?[/QUOTE]

The vet had her on prednisone and something else that escapes me at the moment. What worries me is that she seems to be weakening. Being from the farm it never would have occured to me that a steak bone wouldn't be good for a dog.

Cooked bones aren't good because they get brittle and dried out during cooking and they can splinter and get lodged in the throat or other parts of the GI tract.

If your dog still isn't recovering, maybe you need a second opinion.:shrug:

Is this a cold or something worse??
 

My cat Sox has had cold like symptoms but has also had other symptoms that are not listed for a cold. Like he has had a strange cough I think.. it looks like a sneeze but sounded like it comes out of his mouth. However he's only done that 2x's. I took him to the vet only seeing his eyelid having been irriated or something b/c his inner eyelid was exposed with his eye open over almost half his eye. Well I took him to the vet and she gave me cream for his eye. However as I took him home i noticed that his nostril was running yellow goo I figured was snot. (made sense ya know.. lol) Anyways.. well before either of these things I had taken him home and he had been very grumpy and didn't want to be bothered slept around alot and didn't like me to touch his legs. Well he got shots but 2 days after he got his shots he was still grumpy and very quite just slept alot. Well then he started to show the symptoms I meantioned earlier. Also his legs were shaking a little not very much just a little like he was having a siezure or he had a fever. Is what is wrong with him?

I would take him back to the vet asap, and explain those symptoms as detailed as possible. Sox may need some tests or additional meds.

coughing
 

:dog:my dog is making weird coughing sounds and it does not look like he is eating enough. he is usually enerjetic but now he is really tired what should i do?!:dog::shrug:

Ladybug
 

My chihuahua has been lethargic and has green goop coming from her eyes which are also irritated, my crappy job makes it impossible to see a vet until after the holiday season is over. What can I do for her in the mean time?

Answered by Dr.
 

Green discharge from the eyes is indicative of an infection. Waiting to see a vet till after the holidays is too long for your little dog to be suffering and feeling ill.

i need help!!!!!!
 

I got a 8 week old puppy 4 christmas. Well i dont know what happened to her but she has cold or something; she has i running nose(it's not green), she has a cough, she is very weak and cant even stand up anymore, and she cant eat anything. I have tired everything i could think of and nothing has worked. I'm so woried about her. Can some help me? And i cant take her to the vet., because where i live there is no vet., and no one around here knows what to do!!!! Can someone tell me what to do?:confused:

I need help please!
 

My dog is turning 13 in April and he is sick. He has a runny nose and its yellow-green. He isn't eating and he's vomiting. Its been 3 days and I don't know what to do! I tried giving him things that make me stop vomiting like 7-up and I tried giving him orange juice so I could get some vitamins into him but he dosen't want to eat or drink! I give abit of water but if he has too much he throws it up. He's loosing weight, and he's weak and I'm scared he's going to dehydrate... And I can't find courage to bring him to the vet.. I'm so scared they're gonna tell me that I have to put him down. Is there something I could do to help him.. ANYTHING!
I've know Jazz since I was 4.. I can't loose him.

ps. For about a month he's been drinking lots of water and peeing large amount. He couldn't control his bladder. Now he barely pees and dosen't poo. I think it's because he's not eating or drinking....right?

Your dog needs to see a vet [I]now[/I]! No matter how scared you are... :grouphug: Think how you'd feel if you found out this was something treatable and he suffered for nothing! You don't want to lose him, but if you do nothing, you [I]will.[/I]

Your dog is seriously ill and needs medical attention right away. Please be brave and take him in. And let us know what happens!

[QUOTE=drdouggie;3224]I would like to point out that the suggestion to give dogs and cats Allium (onion) as a homeopathic remedy is an erroneous one. This could be a potentially harmful practice as onion is toxic to dogs and particulary so to cats. It can gastrointestinal upsets and haemolytic anaemia. I wouldn't recommend giving cats or dogs onion as a treatment for colds or flus.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't worry about any harm from this homeopathic "remedy". Although you are correct to say that onions can harm dogs, the "remedy" he is suggesting is in a concentration of parts per billion. It would be no more harmful than your dog drinking some water, actually the effects would be identical because that's precisely what he would be doing. There is no proof that homeopathic remedies (why would the call it a remedy and not medicine, hmmmm......) have any efficacy beyond placebo in humans (how effective do you think placebo is in dogs?)

The sad thing is, some people might take this guy's advice instead of taking him to the FREAKING VET!

I think some vets prescribe homeopathic remedies to pet owners to try and pry some more of your hard earned money and some actually believe in that crap. Either way, time to find a new vet.

[QUOTE=kilington1;886923]I wouldn't worry about any harm from this homeopathic "remedy". Although you are correct to say that onions can harm dogs, the "remedy" he is suggesting is in a concentration of parts per billion. It would be no more harmful than your dog drinking some water, actually the effects would be identical because that's precisely what he would be doing. There is no proof that homeopathic remedies (why would the call it a remedy and not medicine, hmmmm......) have any efficacy beyond placebo in humans (how effective do you think placebo is in dogs?)

The sad thing is, some people might take this guy's advice instead of taking him to the FREAKING VET!

I think some vets prescribe homeopathic remedies to pet owners to try and pry some more of your hard earned money and some actually believe in that crap. Either way, time to find a new vet.[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the Board. You might want to ease up a bit on the complete dismissal 'tude tho ~ some of us happen to think quite alot of therapeutic interventions which lie outside the Western medicine model. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and we welcome a good discussion but, we do make an effort not to educate and inform rather than tell folks their ideas are "crap". No harm done ~ I look forward to hearing more about your ideas and opinions about different treatment options available to animals.

Thanks for the welcome.

Sorry I came off that way. I just get frustrated when someone recommends homeopathy when there have been no studies which prove it's efficacy beyond placebo. If a human wants to take a homeopathic remedy because they think it makes them feel better, more power to them, but pets are not susceptible to placebo. The real harm is when people substitute medical attention with these remedies.

I came across this forum when I googled "can dogs get colds" and this was the number one hit. Suppose someone whom is not familiar with homeopathy googles the same thing because he or she thinks their dog has a cold. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that they read "petdr"'s post and say to themselves "I don't know what this homeopathy stuff is, but it seems he's saying I should give my dog some onions." In fact, I would venture to say that it has probably already happened.

I love my pug and dogs in general. That's why it pains me to see someone recommend something that a) has no efficacy and b) can be easily misunderstood and cause an owner to give his pet something that can harm them.

In short, if your pet is not feeling well, DO NOT:

substitute medical attention with homeopathy or give your dogs onions!

sigh east meets west

I will attest to using Allium Cepa for cats, not as a medical (veterinary) replacement, but I have seen cats do very well with this homeopathic remedy, especially cats that have a lower immune system and seem to get sick more often than normal, or even cats that are holding their own, or just borderline sick.

[QUOTE=Jim Hall;887287]sigh east meets west[/QUOTE]

Homeopathy did not come from the East.

well it depends on your definitionof homeopathey the chinese have bee using roots herbs and whatnnot for a few k years

Homeopathy is well defined, one does not need to have a personal definition.

:ca: my dog is congested , no sneezing or coughing but i can tell by his breathing and his voice what can i do?