They purr, wrap themselves around us, and are small and cute. Cats can be very quiet and gentle. But they can also be very different: cats kill when necessary with a few well-aimed bites. A cat's teeth are a weapon.
A sleeping cat can warm many a heart. What a sight! Countless cat photos and videos circulate across the internet. Nevertheless, we should always remember that our adorable cuddly cats are also small predators.
Have you ever looked into the mouth of a cat yawning heartily? An adult cat has 30 teeth, while kittens have 26. Adult cats have 16 teeth in their upper jaw and 14 in their lower jaw. The four canine teeth protrude above all the others and are the main tool for catching and killing prey. Together with the fangs, they are used to tear food apart. A cat's teeth are not designed for grinding. Cats eat relatively large pieces of food and swallow them without chewing them very much.
Cats can also use their teeth skillfully for personal hygiene. Fleas and other parasites, for example, are simply bitten off.
Brushing a cat's teeth is almost impossible. If you manage to remove plaque from time to time with a simple toothbrush and cat toothpaste, this is very useful. However, many pet owners know from experience that cats tend to be rather stubborn in this regard. However, it is still a good idea to check your cat's mouth from time to time. This will allow you to see if there are any tooth or gum problems or if tartar has built up.
The best way to support your cat's dental care is with appropriate food or chews specially designed for cats. These are available from specialist stores. Dry food helps to remove plaque. If your cat has heavy plaque on its teeth, you should have them cleaned by a veterinarian at the next opportunity.
Unfortunately, more and more cats have poor teeth. This can be very painful for your pet. Sometimes it can even lead to tooth loss. In particularly severe cases, prolonged gum inflammation can cause damage to the kidneys or heart. The following symptoms require attention:
If you regularly check your cat's teeth, adjust their diet accordingly, and have their teeth checked regularly by a veterinarian, you are doing a lot to promote your cat's dental health.
Cats are among the most popular pets worldwide. Around 15.7 million domestic cats live in Germany. However, living with cats has changed significantly in recent decades. From farm cats that caught mice, they have increasingly become domestic cats that have had to adapt to their owners' daily routines. Restricted in their desire for freedom, the majority of these cats now live exclusively indoors. This can result in varying degrees of behavioral changes in cats.
When keeping horses, we as owners are constantly challenged to consider what might be best for our horses. One positive development in horse husbandry is that more and more stables are trying to offer conditions that meet horses' natural needs for sufficient free movement and contact with other horses. However, keeping horses exclusively in groups, such as in an open or active stable, may not be the best option for every horse, especially in the case of stallions or older horses with special needs. It is up to us to decide on the best form of care for each individual horse and to create the best conditions for them. One aspect of this is the choice of bedding in the stall or the lying area of our horse.
Obstetrics deals with monitoring pregnancy, preparing for and assisting with childbirth, providing postnatal care, and performing any necessary surgical procedures, such as caesarean sections. It is a branch of gynecology.
Cataracts describe the clouding of the lens in a dog's eye, which, similar to humans, is one of the most common causes of blindness. The condition therefore requires veterinary treatment, as modern surgical techniques can now preserve vision in dogs.
Mites are small pests that belong to the arachnid family. Cats can be affected by various types of mites, which live either in the fur, on or in the skin, and in the ear area, causing severe itching. In addition, a mite infestation always carries the risk of transmission to humans, meaning that it is a zoonosis.
Hyperlipemia or hyperlipidemia syndrome is not a separate disease, but rather a disorder of fat metabolism that mainly occurs in ponies and donkeys. It primarily affects overweight ponies that suddenly start eating significantly less food.
This viral infection of dogs, also known as infectious hepatitis, occurs worldwide but is now rare thanks to many years of vaccination. However, it is believed that the virus that causes it is still involved in chronic liver inflammation.
Cats are hearing experts. Did you know that they can hear at least three times better than humans? Their ears also serve as mood indicators. If you learn to understand your pet's physical signals, you can develop an even better connection with them.
Ultrasound, medically known as sonography, is a standard procedure in veterinary medicine alongside X-rays due to its simplicity and non-invasive nature. It can be used to visualize various internal areas of the body in two dimensions.
As the name suggests, anemia means that your dog has too little blood, or more precisely, that the number of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and hemoglobin (the pigment in blood) is reduced. Anemia is not a disease in itself, but a symptom that can accompany many different diseases.
It's pretty much every cat owner's worst nightmare: your pet has eaten something poisonous! Now you need to act fast – get your cat to the vet immediately.
This herpesvirus specific to dogs (CHV-1) is the main pathogen responsible for kennel cough and is also the main cause of fertility problems with a high mortality rate in dogs. Like the human herpes virus, the canine herpes virus can retreat into the host cell and cause latent (present but not visible) and persistent (ongoing) infections that can be reactivated by stress.
