Tambi Renee: Keeping an Eye Out for Heartworms In Cats

Although heartworms were once thought of as an infection that only affected dogs, pet owners and vets are realizing more and more that heartworms are an issue for cats too. Tambi Renee, a cat-owner herself and a proponent of animal health and wellness, offers the following information about heartworm in cats so that cat lovers can watch out for the disease in their pets. 

Why Catching Heartworm Early Is Important

Heartworm is a parasitic infection that can quickly become serious and lead to long-term and life threatening health consequences. The parasites invade the blood vessels of the heart and lungs and can cause significant respiratory distress in cats, as well as an immune response that is also potentially fatal. If not caught early, heartworm can quickly reach a point where it is no longer treatable.

Heartworm Symptoms to Watch Out For

In cats, heartworm can be fairly difficult to detect, which is one of the reasons why it was thought to only rarely affect felines for so long. However, with a close eye, it is possible to determine if your cat has heartworms. Serious symptoms to look out for include vomiting, coughing, difficulty breathing, disinterest in food, and depression and lethargy. Unfortunately, some cats may not exhibit symptoms at all, which is another reason why it is important to take your cat to the vet for regular wellness exams. 

Treating Heartworm In Cats

If you discover that your cat has heartworm, it’s important to use a treatment option that is specifically designed for cats, as the medications made for dogs will not work and can even be harmful for cats. Take your cat to the vet immediately if you think that she might have contracted heartworm. Your vet can prescribe medication, such as a corticosteroid, or a heartworm-specific option to treat the disease.

Tambi Renee: Reacting to Pet Food Recalls

As a pet owner, it can be terrifying to find out that your beloved pet’s food is in the midst of a recall due to contamination or any other problem. Tambi Renee has seen firsthand how pet food recalls can affect owners and pets alike and has the following suggestions for responding to a pet food recall. 

Be Aware of Recalls and Check Food Often

The first step to reacting, of course, is learning all that you can about the pet recall. Find out exactly which products have been recalled and try to discern whether or not there are any methods of identifying specific batches that were a problem.

Switch to Another Food

Stop feeding your pet the recalled food immediately and switch to something safe. While it may be tempting to switch to another brand entirely, know that many pets might have bad reactions to undergoing a sudden food change. If the brand that you already use has a type of food that has not been recalled, it may be worth it to use that instead of transitioning your pet to a different diet immediately. 

Pay Attention to Your Pet’s Health

Once you’ve ascertained that your pet might have been exposed to contaminate or damaged pet food, keep a very close eye on him or her to make sure that they are not suffering any ill effects. If your pet experiences changes in behavior, seems to be lethargic or in pain, or suffers any symptoms, such as vomiting or bleeding, call your vet immediately. 

Contact the Company

Many pet food companies will offer compensation for any food that has been recalled. While compensation is probably the last thing on your mind when your pet’s health is at stake, it can be useful to be in touch with the company to learn about any new developments in the recall too.

Why Pet Food Recalls are On the Rise with Tambi Renee

A long time pet owner and lover of animals, Los Angeles businesswoman, Tambi Renee, is passionate about ensuring that pets eat nutritious, natural diets that help them stay active and healthy throughout their lives. Tambi Renee has been disheartened to see that pet food recalls are on the rise. Here are two of the main reasons why it is important to be aware of pet food recalls and why they are becoming increasingly common.

Contamination of Pet Food

One of the most common causes of pet food recalls involves salmonella, the infectious disease that humans should always be careful about when handling raw meat and eggs, as well as some other foods that can be contaminated by poor irrigation and bad manufacturing processes. Pet food that is infected with salmonella can cause serious gastrointestinal problems for pets, leading to long-term health issues and even death if it is not caught quickly. Pet food might also be contaminated with toxic chemicals, due to spills or even intentional sabotage. The contamination of pet food is, of course, closely related to the other cause of recalls - poor manufacturing standards. 

Poor Manufacturing Processes

Another big cause of pet food recalls is the fact that manufacturers don’t have to abide by the strict standards that are applied to the creation of food for humans. This means that errors are often not caught and debris and other harmful items might make their way into food during the manufacturing process. For example, a recent pet recall happened because the mixture of vitamins in the food was incorrect, meaning that pets who ate that food were at increased risk for deficiencies and health problems. Poor manufacturing, however, might also lead to recalls as with another recent instance, where pieces of plastic were found in the food, or due to other problems, like spoilage because of bad sealing in cans.

Tambi Renee on Choosing a Healthy Pet Food

Animal lover and wellness enthusiast, Tambi Renee, is committed to making sure that animals live healthy, happy lives. One of the ways that Tambi Renee does so is by educating people about animals’ diets. With more research going into what pet food actually contains, Tambi Renee has put together a few guidelines for helping pet owners avoid foods that are made from poor quality ingredients that might harm your animal’s health

Read Ingredients Labels Closely

Unfortunately, it can be very hard to figure out which pet food is healthy and which isn’t based on the label. Claims of “all-natural” and “human quality” are not actually backed by any true industry standards and tell you little about what is actually in the food that you’re feeding your pet. That’s why looking at the ingredient list itself is key for being absolutely sure that only the ingredients you want are in your pet’s food. 

Avoid Chemicals and Fillers

Speaking of ingredients, it’s always best to go with the product that has the shortest list of ingredients. If you can pronounce all of them easily, that’s an even better bet. Try to stick to pet food for cats and dogs that, at least, do not contain grains, as cats and dogs are naturally carnivorous and process and use nutrients from meat better than nutrients from plants. Avoid any chemical fillers, preservatives, or additives. 

Stick to Whole Foods

Even if you can locate a pet food that’s completely free of additives, it may not come with high quality ingredients, as the FDA allows pet food to be made from meat that comes from dead or diseased animals and has poor oversight of manufacturing. Sticking to whole foods that you prepare yourself is a good option for pet owners who want to feed their animals only the very best quality ingredients.

What’s Really In Pet Food by Tambi Renee

Tambi Renee considers animal health and wellness to be one of the most important aspects of her life. From caring for her own pets to volunteering at animal shelters, Tambi Renee has a considerable devotion to helping animals. Lately, Tambi Renee has been focusing on education surrounding pet food as a way to help animals. Tambi Renee offers the following information about what you might really be feeding your pet in order to help you make informed decisions about pet food.

Poor-Quality Ingredients

Most of us wouldn’t want to eat pet food simply because it’s pet food and not very appetizing - but what comes as a surprise to most is that pet food is, literally, not fit for human consumption according to standards put forth by the FDA. The ingredients in pet food can come from a wide variety of sources that would never make it through standards for human food. Meat might come from dead or diseased animals picked up from farms, ranches, and even animal shelters, it might come from animals with diseases (that could be transferred to your pet), or it might be waste products from the slaughter of animals for human consumption.

Chemical Additives

Pet food tends to be heavily processed and can contain many chemical additives and preservatives, as well as fillers that offer your pet nearly no nutrition. These additives may cause cancer and expose your pet to toxic chemicals at worst and, at best, they simply provide your pet with food that is more empty calories than real nutrition.

Lax Manufacturing Standards

While it’s not physically in the can or bag of pet food, most commercial brands are full of poor manufacturing standards that make it easy for food to become contaminated with bacteria, toxins, or debris that can harm your pet. Because pet food does not follow the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Standards, there is little oversight in this area.