Hi Tracie,

You seem like a wonderful animal lover!  But I have got to tell you I was really disappointed by The Cat Bible’s lack of information about ticks.  I just discovered 2 ticks on my elderly neighbor’s cat — she was literally in tears. I pulled out my The Cat Bible and… nothing helpful at all. I hope you will give some concrete suggestions on this matter in your next edition.

Happy Holidays,
Heather and my kitties, Thorsten & Anaïs

I replied:

Thanks so much for getting touch — and for getting THE CAT BIBLE. First of all, if you send me your mailing address I can send you a bookplate to put in it inscribed to your kitties — with a coupon for $20 worth of Precious Cat litter!

I’m sorry you were disappointed to find no information about protecting cats from ticks but what I should have put in the book is:

There is no product that repels and kills ticks that can be used safely on cats.

Cats are sensitive (to the point of death!) to the chemical that works against ticks — I should have made that more clear although I have a great deal about it on my website.

The best advice I can give your neighbor or anyone with cats is that they belong indoors only, whether they like it or not! They are doomed to die outdoors, whether from cars, wild animals, other cats who are sick attacking them, and dogs (even leashed or fenced dogs will break loose and kill a cat in an instant). But fleas are a serious health problem for cats, too — whether indoors or out — and I have found that the single most effective and cat-safe anti-parasite product on the market is Vectra for Cats — my listeners have been really pleased with it. I hope you can ask your vet about it and if s/he doesn’t carry it, ask if they would do so. If they won’t, then every Banfield clinic in the country has the product. It is made for them by Vectra and has the name First Shield and they will dispense it even if you are not a client.

Thanks again for trusting in my advice and to turning to me for information.

Yours,
Tracie Hotchner

The Cat Bible

Hi Tracie,

I’m Betty from Waterford with the adopted poodle who is about 11 years old.  Coki has been having a bad time with lethargy and nausea.  I’ve spent the better part of the last two days at the VCA Animal Hospital in Waterford.  Lab work shows that she is positive not for Lyme disease but another parasite caused by tick exposure.  She’s a pretty sick puppy and may still end up in hospital but I’d rather take care of her at home.

My real question for you is what is better than Frontline.  This is obviously a failure of Frontline.  I live near Harkness Park and Waterford Beach so ticks are plentiful.  I, in fact, have just finished the treatment for Lyme disease after being bitten by a deer tick.  A friend just gave me a tag called Shoo which is supposed to be good for tick repellent.  Have you ever heard of it?  I’m a little leery of something that is supposed to be good for 4 months and it’s a tag you put on the dog’s collar.

Any advice you can give me I’d appreciate, and yes I do have The Dog Bible.
Betty

I am SO sorry that Coki has been knocked flat by a tick-borne disease — and so sorry that you, too, got nailed by a tick. As you know, I have been talking about VECTRA 3-D on the air for so long, trying to get people to realize how serious the illnesses are and how important it is to have safe and effective protection. I am surprised you didn’t recall my having spoken of it because had you gotten it on Coki she would very likely not have been bitten and gotten so ill. I have talked so often on Dog Talk® about how the older anti-tick products have become ineffective against the ticks that have adapted to older technology — as you have found yourself with Frontline, which is an older product. There are numerous horrible diseases caused by these parasites, which can be protected against by using Vectra 3-D, but the recommendation is to use it every single month year round.  As soon as Coki is better you need to start her on Vectra 3-D and use it religiously every month, now that she has been weakened by one tick-borne disease already she could become even more seriously ill if another tick were to infect her with a different disease.  I am baffled why the doctors at the VCA hospital didn’t tell you about First Shield, which is made for them by Vectra and is the exact same product, always requiring a veterinarian to dispense it. As for that tag, I have never heard of it but it cannot possibly work as effectively as the full body coverage that Vectra 3-D gives.

As for your copy of The Dog Bible, did I already send you an autographed bookplate for it? I seem to recall having done that.

All paws crossed for a speedy and successful recovery for Coki- and just as soon as the veterinarian says she is ready for it, please start that Vectra 3-D and make it a year round habit.

Tracie

Thank you Tracie.  I did remember you talking about Vectra but I couldn’t remember the name.  On Saturdays when I’m listening to your show I’m usually driving around so I couldn’t write down the name, then there were a couple of family emergencies which took me out of town and, frankly, I forgot about it.  Coki is now doing mush better and I’m hoping to get her back on the medicine soon but will go by the doctor’s order.  I have been impressed with them and their follow through.  The vet called me yesterday just to check and see how she was doing.  They really would have liked me to leave her with them over the weekend but I had to take her home and take care of her myself.  We had a couple of rough days but we made it.  The big concern to me was dehydration on a 17 pound animal.  People don’t seem to realize that animals are a lot like little kids, one minute they are really terribly sick and then suddenly greatly improved, but watch out because they can go back down again really quickly.  If I sound like a nurse it’s because I am.  I’ll ask about the First Shield this morning when we go back to VCA.

Thanks again,
Betty V

Betty replied:

The VCA Hosp here says they are unfamiliar with First Shield so I’ll have to get it elsewhere.  She is doing really well now but had to have a little more subcutaneous fluid again yesterday.  She is finally drinking water instead of the reduced sodium chicken broth so I thing we are close to normalcy if there is any such thing.

So I smacked my forehead and said:

I am such a DOPE — it is the Banfield clinics that carry Vectra as First Shield.

Sorry about that. Use the Internet to find a Banfield clinic near you. What great news about her recovery — rather than chicken broth, I suggest you buy a canister of Ice Pups right away — it is made by the Honest Kitchen and is ground up chicken & herbs that dissolves in water — really great for recovering dogs because they get protein & other nutrition from the fluid. I use it for one of my dogs who doesn’t drink enough water. Go on my website and see the listing of all the East Coast stores that carry The Honest Kitchen products — otherwise go to the link for the company on my website and they will ship directly to you. It’s such a  wonderful and unique product and although it was intended to be made into ice cubes you could give your dog in hot weather, I think it makes a great meal alternative or fluid booster.

Keep up the good work.
Tracie Hotchner

The Dog Bible

Email from a listener with a four-year-old Portuguese water dog who’s had problems with topical flea solutions:

Love your show!  My 4 year old portuguese water dog has always had an issue with topical flea solutions. We’ve tried Vectra, Frontline, Advantage etc. over the years. He gets very uncomfortable and itchy after the applications, bites his paws and has little red pustules that break out on his belly everywhere. Last year, we didn’t use any topical flea meds, had no skin issues!  Instead I applied one drop daily of youngs living palo santo oil on the skin near his rump.  Maybe I got lucky or maybe that oil worked!  He goes to doggy daycare three times a week so he’s around other dogs all year long. What do you recommend for dogs who don’t seem to tolerate the topical flea remedies?

Steve B.

Sorry for the delay in answering — I have been swamped. Topicals are the only reliable way to go for full flea control. And I use and highly recommend the newest formulation with a great applicator – Vectra – only sold by vets and super effective. If your own vet does not carry it, you can go to the nearest Banfield clinic where they all have Vectra but it is called First Shield. I got in touch with the doctors there and they said:

“Tell him to ask for Vectra Dog and Puppy, instead of Vectra 3D. He shouldn’t see a reaction. I suspect if he has tried Vectra, he used Vectra 3D which he doesn’t need if fleas are his primary concern. He can use just a small amount the first day, just to see, and then if no reaction, he can put the rest on the next day.”

Hope that helps!

–Tracie Hotchner

I got this comment on one of my daily tips on DOGSTER.COM and wanted to share it with you here. I also do recommend signing up for the free Daily Tips on Dogster.com and Catster.com (where mine also appear). They are fun and informative.  Here was the comment:

I have a dog that we rescued who was covered in fleas, mange, etc. I got all of that cleared up and he still scratched himself so much he had scabs all over his face. I took him to the vet at least 3 times to see if we could figure out what the problem was with no success. Finally someone mentioned that it could be his dog food and that he could be allergic to the wheat and grains. I bought him some allergy free dog food and lo and behold, a few weeks later his skin cleared up, no itching, and the doggy smell went away!

It’s certainly true that lower quality dog foods can cause adverse skin reactions in dogs, but it isn’t just about an allergy to wheat (which is actually pretty rare in dogs). It’s more likely a reaction to the artificial colors, flavors, chemical preservatives, and generally dubious quality even of the protein source in the food.  So you want to switch to a truly natural food free of all that artificial stuff and with the word of the named protein source as the first ingredient (chicken, beef, salmon). Generally speaking, a high quality dry dog food should not have any version of corn in it, either. Just one other thought — if the dog had fleas, the only way to be sure to kill off ALL the life stages of the flea (which survives year round no matter where you live) is to use a topical preventive with an IGR (insect growth regulator) that kills off all the life stages of the flea — otherwise you are perhaps getting the adult fleas you can see, but not the invisible other stages of the life cycle, meaning the dog and the environment will become reinfested. I use VECTRA (sold in Banfield clinics across the country as First Shield) on my dogs because it is the newest safest technology and has a really effective new design of applicator tip.

Tracie Hotchner

The Dog Bible

Joan found a way to get Vectra even though her vet didn’t carry it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to deal with my “Vectra” problem. I went to  Banfield’s and purchased a 4 pack today. I find it is much longer lasting than Frontline Plus for ticks and fleas. What a relief to find it available as an ‘over the counter’ purchase, since my Vet did not carry it.  I love the internet, it solves a lot of problems and it found you for me.

Thanks again,
Joan from Ormond Beach, FL

How nice to get an email from Rob, one of my new listeners who is ready to take my advice on the products and services I have personally invited to be part of DOG TALK® & CAT CHAT®. I am honored that I am already gaining your trust — over the years on my other radio shows I have earned my listeners belief in my recommendations, but it’s truly gratifying to already have made that connection to my WOR folks!

Hi Tracie — I enjoyed listening to your show tonight! Very informative and thanks! I just would like to know the name of the product that you mention about ticks and fleas? The once a month treatment you said repels and kills the parasites? And also the good insurance company for dogs you mentioned on the air. I rescued an 18-month male German Shepherd (Wilson) who was abused, and I am trying very hard to socialize him with other people and dogs, but it hasn’t been easy!! But I took him away from the previous owners for they were considering putting him to sleep! Thanks for your help, and keep up the good work on your show!

I wrote him back: Thanks for the very nice note. The show is brand new so I am thrilled that you found it and that it’s to your liking. I look forward to continuing to bring you new ideas and guests to share information every week. And I want to salute you for giving Wilson a new home — what a good soul you are! And what a gorgeous boy he is — I’ll put his photo up in my Dog Talk® gallery on my main website www.TracieHotchner.com. It is such a challenge to help socialize a dog who didn’t get the right upbringing but patience and perseverance will win the day eventually.  My book THE DOG BIBLE has a lot of information and advice about re-homed dogs since that is how my own pack of dogs developed. I know you’ll find great satisfaction in helping Wilson feel more at ease in the world.

In answer to your questions, the name of the truly fantastic topical application against fleas and ticks is Vectra 3-D.  My dogs have been on it for 8 months now without a tick being successful in latching onto them, even in the hills full of deer in Vermont!

You may need some help in encouraging your vet to carry it. If you ask and they do happen to carry it, you are “golden” — but if they do not have it and need to have more information in order to carry I, please let me know so Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins can call from Vectra to introduce your vet to it. Please let me know either way.

And the pet insurance company I just switched to is Petplan. I think they have the best coverage and most efficient way to file claims.  To find out more, call 866-467-3875 and press EXT 2411 to talk to Fabrice for a quote (I am making a donation to the Humane Society of the United States for every listener who signs up — which the company itself does, too). The smartest time to get coverage is when your dog is young and healthy as Wilson is now — with no pre-existing conditions. That means that is anything does happen his vet bills will be covered. I recommend doing what I did and getting a policy with an 80% reimbursement (to keep your premiums more reasonable) but Fabrice at EXT 2411 will help you figure out what is best for you.

Again, your enthusiastic words meant a lot and I hope you’ll keep listening and get other pet-loving friends to listen to the show, too.

Tracie

The Dog Bible

I got this agitated email from a longtime thoughtful listener to DOG TALK®, Bob in Atlanta, about my recent show with Elizabeth Hodgkins about the need for at-risk dogs to be using topical tick repellents. She and I both sang the praises of Vectra 3D and this was disturbing to Bob, whose dog Smokey (who was Dog of the Month for April) uses Advantix, a similar product — he said he “totally disagreed” with the interview. Here’s part of what Bob had to say:

I listened to your guest Elizabeth Hodgkins rave about the product that the company that she seems to be affiliated with — Vectra 3D — and how it is better than any other anti-tick topical and possibly better than sliced bread . As you know, I am not a Vet (Smokey would attest to that), but I am very interested in science and medicine, and researching claims made by companies, and many of the comments she made about Vectra 3D made no sense at all, as far as I was concerned.

Dr. Hodgkins stated that the active ingredient in Vectra is permethrin and that is why it repels and kills ticks before they bite. Well, that is the same active ingredient that is in Advantix and Bio-spot (about which there are a lot of consumer complaints online and anecdotes about problems), which means it is basically old school, nothing new. I have used Advantix for years, and Smokey and I walk in tall grass everyday in the park next to my home where there are deer and I have yet to see a tick since using Advantix on Smokey. Being in Georgia, there are also tons of fleas and in the summer mosquitoes, and the mosquitoes avoid Smokey like the plague, again due to the Permethrin. Even though I think that there are some downsides to Permethrin, I still use it because I think the ticks and mosquitoes are a bigger threat to the health of the dog. What I do strongly disagree with is your guest acting like using Permethrin is perfectly safe, and one shouldn’t worry about it at all. Not true, in my opinion. Maybe the new formula in Vectra 3D that your guest is telling us about is better for flea control (although Advantix is superb in my opinion), but the focus of her discussions on Vectra 3D on your show seems to be tick control and permethrin.

Dear Bob – You seem all wound up in this email and I’m sorry that a DOG TALK® show distressed or confused you. I’ll try to sort things out for you, but the irony is that while you think we are in “total disagreement,” we actually agree! I’ll just hit the points in the order in which you raise them. First let me make clear my relationship with Elizabeth Hodgkins, who isn’t just a vet but has a law degree. She has been the Official vet on CAT CHAT®, my other radio show on SiriusXM, from the beginning — when she heard I was preaching against feeding cats Kitty Crack, which was a message that was her life’s work (after many years working for the Hills pet food company — and then for Purina — she realized the harm to cats from dry food and opened her own cats-only vet clinic, bred and showed Ocicats, and dedicated her life to teaching people that cats need to eat meat. She is one of the most morally pure people I have met in any field, but in the vet field she stands up against anything that is not good for animals or exposes the greed of people. Senator Richard Durbin invited Dr. Hodgkins as a special guest to the pet food recall hearings that he conducted on Capitol Hill. She is a person of enormous intelligence, and impeccable morals. She sold her vet practice and was in early retirement — when she took a job with Summit Vet Pharm to educate other vets about Vectra and Vectra 3D I was surprised but intrigued, because I know she only travels “the high road” and would associate herself only with “proper people.” Knowing her as well as I do — after many hours on the air together and behind the scenes about pet food and other issues — I was really intrigued what sort of company or product could have enticed her to go back to work in a corporate environment. The more I learned from her about Vectra 3D and about the ever-increasing dangers from ticks and fleas, the more I wanted to get it for my own dogs and to tell my listeners about it. Please recognize that the excitement and energy in that interview was due at least equally to my own enthusiasm about Vectra 3D.

You say that she spoke about Vectra 3D as though it is “better than sliced bread” — and you are so right! It really is! I share her enthusiasm for a more effective anti-tick product that inhibits the entire life cycles of fleas as the only product with the new technology of an IGR (insect growth regulator) to wipe out all life stages of the flea. Yes — this is entirely superior science and technology to anything on the market — and mosquito-borne diseases are no picnic, either.  What is different and superior about this product is that the patented applicator tip allows you to get more of the product down onto the skin, not the hair. This makes it a better product — my opinion being based on practical application and logic. The dilution of permethrin in Vectra 3D, as I understand it, is such that it spreads better and dries within 2 hours on the dog, after which time there is no danger to people or cats who touch those treated areas. In using it on my three dogs — 2 with very short hair, one with very long thick hair — I found this to be true.

You must have misheard the comments about the “total safety” of using such a product since that is not at all what Dr. Elizabeth was saying. She was explaining that safety is relative — this permethrin is a substance that has been used on human products (soldiers uniforms, mosquito netting, Nix head lice shampoo) for a very long time without causing problems. Her point was that we have to make choices in life and using Vectra 3D is much safer than the alternative of running the risk of getting a tick-borne disease. You seem not to have understood Dr. Hodgkins’ point about the safety of using permethrin on a dog at risk for coming into contact with ticks — her point was that everything in life is potentially dangerous, that everything carries some risk, so it is a matter of weighing the risks versus the benefits and where tick-borne disease is concerned, the scales definitely tip in favor of using Vectra 3D. Your own comments show that you are in full agreement with her about that. The bottom line is that using a product with tick repellent/killer is essential given the severity of the disease that can result otherwise. This is a message which is a whole lot harder to get across to veterinarians and pet parents than you can imagine — and after a couple of weeks on steeping myself in this topic, I am determined to get the message out and protect as many dogs as I can. In fact, I was so impressed by Vectra 3D and not having seen one tick on any of my free ranging dogs (on Advantix the ticks did attach and eventually died) that I asked Vectra 3D to become one of my website sponsors and they agreed. You know me well enough by now that I choose those companies affiliated with me very, very carefully — and Vectra 3D is worthy of that connection. I hope some day you’ll give it a try and personally see how it performs.

Tracie

The Dog Bible

I have a 17 pound black rescue cat (4 years old, neutered). He has tapeworms. I have spent so much in past cat and dog vet expenses, I am now strapped. I purchased Tradewinds tapeworm medicine and followed the instructions. My cat (Moose) is still licking himself all the time (I understand that is a symptom of worms), as well as eating excessively. It has been a week, and I wonder if I can give him another dosage? The instructions just suggest that you worm them every 3 months to keep on top of the problem. they don’t mention if it is safe or unsafe to worm them prior to that time.

Thanks so much!
Suzi

I checked with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins on this because I had never heard of licking as being a symptom of a cat having worms, and she concurred that neither of Moose’s behaviors are symptoms of any kind of worms. She said to change his food because he clearly has an allergy. She and I both hope that Moose is eating wet food only and if he isn’t eating canned food you need to read THE CAT BIBLE or Dr. Hodgkins’ book YOUR CAT so you can learn about nutrition and also learn how parasites actually occur. Tapeworms, if he has them, won’t hurt him so it drops to low priority but these worms come directly from fleas. Keeping poor Moose flea-free would be a better approach than giving an over-the-counter dewormer (which are typically not good products in animals) every 3 months!

Tracie

Dear Tracie,

I have an indoor male cat named Hammer and since he was a kitty, he has developed sores on his face and chin, which a vet told me was something called “rodent ulcers”. She said it can come from feeding from plastic, but I’ve always feed him in ceramic dishes. They would put him on prednisone and/or give him a shot and they’d go away, only to come back a few months later. For about a year or so, he didn’t get any and I thought he finally outgrew them. But lately, they’ve come back and now he has a huge lump on his chin. Do you have any advice on how to treat and get rid of these rodent ulcers all together??

Thanks for your help!
Kelly

I turned Kelly’s question over to the new Official dermatologist of Cat Chat® (Dr. John Gordon of the Medvet Specialty hospital in Columbus, Ohio) and this is what he came back with:

The lesions described on the lip of your cat are consistent with a unique inflammatory condition called eosinophilic granuloma complex (EGC). There are several forms of EGC including a swollen chin; raised, red plaque lesions on the abdomen; raised, linear white-yellow lesions on the back of the rear limbs; ulcerative lips; and swollen food pads. EGC lesions develop in cats in association with an allergy. The allergy can be due to fleas, food or environmental allergens. The most common environmental allergens are pollens, molds, house dust mites, human and dog danders. All of these causes will create any of the lesions described above. The erosive and ulcerative lesions usually develop on the front of the upper lip (as described in your cat and shown in the photo). The lesions may look painful but are not as evidenced by cats not being sensitive to the touch of the lesions and they do not lose their appetite. Surprisingly, the lesions will resolve completely if the primary allergy is identified and managed. Most cats with any of the above allergy conditions will respond well with a corticosteroid injection. Depending on the type and dose of corticosteroid, the lesion may resolve for a few weeks to months. Because of the recurrence of the condition and the side effects of the corticosteroid injections, repeated injections should be avoided. Your veterinarian or veterinary dermatologist should be able to identify the underlying cause based on your cat’s physical examination, history, response with medications, diet trials and testing. Allergies and skin conditions can be frustrating, so please be patient. In the end, your cat will appreciate your dedication.

Dr. John Gordon
TracieHotchner.com Official Dermatologist