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Q: Our indoor-outdoor cats are fascinated by the spiders and spider webs round our home. I’m involved that a few of the black, shiny spiders could also be black widows. Are black widow spiders harmful to cats?
A: Cats are particularly delicate to the toxin of the black widow spider, probably the most venomous spider in North America.
About an inch lengthy, the black widow spider is shiny black or brown with a purple or orange hourglass-shaped mark on the underside of its stomach.
Black widows reside in and round homes all through the U.S. (besides Alaska) and southern Canada, the place they spin funnel-shaped webs.
The black widow was named as a result of the feminine kills and devours the male after mating, leaving her a “widow.”
The black widow’s venom is stronger than rattlesnake venom, although solely females can envenomate mammals. Whereas these spiders have venom glands, venom is definitely current all through the spider’s physique and even in her eggs.
The feminine black widow’s fangs are lengthy sufficient to penetrate animal and human pores and skin. As well as, cats typically toy with after which eat these spiders.
So, cats are harmed via bites and by ingesting the spiders.
Thankfully, black widows will not be aggressive. They chew solely when provoked or when their webs are disturbed.
Once they do chew, black widows inject a potent neurotoxin that’s notably harmful to cats. Scientific indicators start inside just a few hours, peak at 24 hours, and persist for days to weeks.
Scientific indicators embody ache on the web site of the chew with out a lot pores and skin injury, a inflexible stomach with out stomach ache, restlessness, tremors, seizures, weak point, salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, paralysis and respiratory collapse.
A very powerful a part of therapy is antivenom, which can be given as much as 24 hours after the chew and is quickly efficient. Intensive hospital care can also be required.
With out therapy, these bites are sometimes deadly. In a single examine, 20 of twenty-two cats died, on common 4.8 days after envenomation.
Please preserve your cats away from all black widows and their webs so the spiders can accomplish their mission of catching bugs and your cats can stay protected.
Q: Boomer, my Lab combine, has arthritis and pores and skin allergic reactions. A buddy recommended giving him flaxseed or flaxseed oil as a result of it’s a good supply of the omega-3 fatty acids that may assist each issues. Is flaxseed protected for dogs?
A: Sure, it’s protected, but it surely’s not efficient in canine.
Flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybeans and walnuts comprise alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, which people convert into two useful omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA.
Nevertheless, the metabolism of canine — and cats, for that matter — is totally different. They will’t convert ALA into EPA or DHA.
Due to this fact, Boomer wants precise EPA and DHA, which is current in fish, krill and algal oils.
EPA and DHA are efficient within the administration of pets’ osteoarthritis, additionally referred to as degenerative joint illness, in addition to their allergic reactions, kidney illness, coronary heart illness and most cancers.
I like to recommend you get Boomer’s fish oil from his veterinarian. Alternatively, you could buy an omega-3 fatty acid complement marketed for people, so long as the ingredient checklist consists of EPA and DHA.
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