I have heard of dogs consuming their own feces for a variety of reasons; however, when I noticed my dog “Duke” eating feces from the cat’s litter box, I felt that he had taken disgusting to a whole new level. For the remainder of the day I kept wondering what caused this and how to prevent it from happening again. I certainly didn’t ever want to see him doing this again. You’d think that my cats, being very clean by nature would appreciate the help with the cleanup but even they did not. The further Duke is away from them and their litter box, the happier they generally are for some reason. Read More »
The “aqueous humor” does not describe a funny guy on the swim team, but is actually a clear liquid that helps the eye maintain its shape. The aqueous humor also provides nourishment to the tissues in the eye. When this fluid is unable to drain away properly and the eye continues to produce more of it, the pressure within the eye increases causing a condition known as “glaucoma.” Last week I discussed keratoconjunctivitis (KCS) so this week I decided to remain on the eye and discuss this fairly common condition that also affects the eye. Read More »
Healthcare professionals seem to have their own language and are able to take a very simple concept and make it extremely complicated and difficult to understand. I suppose that provides a certain amount of job security. Today I will discuss a condition called KCS, “Keratoconjunctivitis sicca” which is complicated medical language for “dry eyes.”
KCS is more common in dogs than cats and it occurs when the eye does not make enough tears to keep it lubricated. It is more common in breeds such as the Cocker Spaniel, English Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, and West Highland Terrier. KCS may also be caused as a side-effect of certain medications such as sulfamethoxazole and other sulfonamides. Read More »
As cats continue getting older because of better nutrition and veterinary care, the cases of cancer have also been on the rise. The bottom line is that cancer becomes more common in older cats and a lot more cats have been getting older. The good news is that treatment options are much better today than even a few years ago. Back in the 80’s when I thought my cat “Lynx” had a tumor, I can remember my mom telling us that she didn’t want the cat to be in pain, to get dehydrated, or to starve. Those were the rules that had to be adhered to whenever a decision was to be made regarding cancer treatment in a cat. Read More »
Many phone calls come into the pharmacy from concerned cat owners trying to buy a medication to stop their cat from taking too long to urinate or from urinating outside the litter box. When urination habits change in cats it is important to visit the veterinarian because it’s possible that the cat is suffering from a condition called Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). My last blog explained bladder and kidney stones so I decided to discuss another related condition in order to cover feline urinary tract health more thoroughly. Read More »
When I noticed drops of blood in the litter box and saw how much pain my cat “Oliver” was suffering, I wanted to do something immediately to try and help him. At first I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but after a quick visit to his veterinarian it became apparent that we were dealing with a stone called struvite. The veterinarian put Oliver on an antibiotic along with a special diet and after a few weeks the stones seemed to be completely gone. Now some four years later Oliver is still healthy and without any symptoms of stones. Treating stones is however not always that easy and permanent. Depending on the type of stone found, treatment could vary a considerable amount. Read More »
It was quite upsetting to see a tick on my dog two years ago. I sprayed Arctick for Pets on it which immobilized the tick, enabling me to remove it with tweezers. All seemed well until I remembered what diseases can be carried by ticks, so I began to look for possible symptoms to see if a visit to the vet was warranted. The harder I looked the more I started to imagine symptoms that were probably not even there. Diseases that are transmitted by ticks are usually difficult to diagnose early on and are usually discovered much later. I was lucky that my dog did not get any diseases but many dogs are not so lucky. Ticks can and do transmit some very serious diseases that should be watched for and treated properly. Read More »
The American Diabetes Association sets aside the fourth Tuesday of March as “National Diabetes Alert Day.” This year that day falls on March 26th. On this day Americans are urged to take the test to assess their risks and hopefully awareness will increase about this very serious illness. Although diabetes affects only about 1 percent of the pet population compared to about 8 percent of the human population, our pets should definitely not be ignored on this day because there is still a risk, and early detection is essential for our pets’ well-being. Read More »
My dog Duke hadn’t been eating too well for about a week and I could tell something wasn’t right with him. His fur wasn’t as shiny and fluffy and his eyes didn’t look happy. All indications pointed towards him having some sort of stomach or intestinal illness that hopefully would resolve in a day or two. Well it didn’t. Another few days went by and Duke stopped eating altogether and started becoming very weak, so we did what anyone would have done and took him to the veterinarian. After several blood tests and an overnight stay, Duke was diagnosed with gastrointestinal inflammation and was sent home on a special diet. I was extremely happy to have Duke back and was also happy that basically he just had a stomach ache. Read More »
Thanks to the internet and the social groups out there now, I have been able to get in touch with many of my high school friends. Sometimes this is a wonderful thing but at other times all this does is serve as a reminder of why we stopped being close friends to begin with. There is usually a reason why certain people become lifelong friends and why some do not. That reason is usually obvious at the time but is usually forgotten over time. Well social media serves at times as a gentle, or not so gentle, reminder.
My friend Joe, who I recently met up with after twenty years of absence, was one of those friends that I lost touch with because of the hectic school load we both had combined with several moves around the country. On Sunday morning my recently-found friend called me to say good morning and to ask me a question about his dog “Lucky”. He proceeded to tell me that the vet told him that Lucky had a condition called “Medial Patellar Luxation” and prescribed a medication called Rimadyl. Rather than ask the vet at the time of the examination to explain the condition, Joe waited until 8 am Sunday morning to decide to call me and ask me. It’s always a pleasure to help out an old friend plus it gave me a good topic for this blog. Read More »
