Albuquerque Journal Articles
Always a serious sign- move quickly. A thorough exam plus lab work may uncover age related kidney failure-a disease which may be treatable. Question: Our cat Bugsy is 17 years old and she seems to be acting like the years are catching up to her. For the past 2 or 3 weeks she’s been drinking more water and she’s hardly eating. My sister thinks that her breath smells like urine but I say it’s because her teeth are bad. How could a cat’s breath smell like urine? Dr. Nichol: You are right to be concerned about Bugsy. At…
Read MoreLow potassium causes poor muscle function. Get a thorough health evaluation to rule out other problems. The right supplement will make it right. Question: “Blinken” is my 9 year old cat and he’s been acting funny lately. He’s always been pretty healthy but for the last few weeks he seems weak. He doesn’t want to walk around the house much and when he does, his legs are kind of stiff. But the part that I really noticed is that his head is down. He won’t look up. What’s wrong with Blinken? Dr. Nichol: Blinken has a serious problem-I’m…
Read MorePets, without question, feel pain just as we do. Better pet hospitals treat & prevent pain. Question: I have often wondered about cats and dogs and pain, especially when Skippy, our wonder cat with 3 legs, had most of his hind leg amputated to the hip. He came home the evening of surgery and my wife and I took turns holding him all night. He did not seem to be in pain, but rather out of it or a little crazy from the anesthetic. Isn’t pain medication typically given for this kind of thing, and for such procedures as…
Read MoreHave a stool check done for the kitty’s health. Have a new kitten wormed for yours. Question: We got a new cat last week and took him to the vet for his first shots. After the doctor gave him the shot he said that we need to bring in a stool sample to check Teka for worms. He also said Teka needs to be wormed anyway even if they don’t find worms in his stool. Why not just worm the darn cat in the first place and forget the stool sample? Dr. Nichol: That piece of advice is…
Read MoreA nasty parasite, they can also infect humans. Question: What causes hookworms and what are the symptoms? Can my kitten be reinfested with them? (She is strictly an indoor cat.) Dr. Nichol: Hookworms are passed between cats and dogs by microscopic eggs and through the skin. They bite into the inside wall of the intestine and suck blood. They cause weight loss, diarrhea, and anemia. If you fail to dump out your cat’s litter pan after every use your girl can become reinfected as you give her the medication to eliminate those worms. The good news is that…
Read MoreA grumpy, sleepy cat with fleas is also anemic & sick. Frontline should do the trick. Question: My cat of eight months, recently has been sleeping a lot, and every time I pick him up, he gets mad, and bites me. My cat is normally very active, and doesn’t mind getting handled. My cat right now is experiencing a lot of fleas. I don’t know if that has to do with anything. Dr. Nichol: You make the diagnosis simple. Those fleas are a major nuisance to your cat and, in large numbers, will cause grumpiness. But more importantly,…
Read MoreDon’t Waste Time with Meat Diets & Supplements. Get a Diagnosis & Save Your Cats’ Lives Question: When my 5-year old sibling cats had a dental cleaning, the vet performed blood tests. The results indicated less than 50% of normal red blood cell count for one and low normal for the other. He suggested feeding them some red meat. I also have been putting drops the vet prescribed, to prevent anemia, on their food. Both are feisty, active, well-adjusted and affectionate cats. I don’t want to subject them to more blood work, but do not know if their red blood…
Read MoreFeline hyperthyroidism (benign thyroid tumors) continues to advance among our pet cat population so I thought I’d share some useful research. The big bad guy in the blogosphere has been a chemical coating on the inside of pop-top cat food cans called bis phenol A. But there have also been links to certain types of cat litter, flea preventatives, and even chemicals in the environment that affect hormone levels. Flame retardants are also suspect. Research, I am learning from direct experience, is often complicated by multiple factors. Feline hyperthyroidism, first recognized in 1979, has become more common. At the…
Read MoreCat Food in Pop Top Cans & other possible Risk Factors Question: I just heard about the possible link between bisphenol-A in pop-top canned cat food and hyperthyroidism. How can I safely feed canned food to my cats? From another reader: I heard that tuna can cause hyperthyroidism in cats. Dr. Nichol: There is evidence that food from pop top cans may put cats at risk of hyperthyroidism (benign thyroid tumors) but other factors are clearly at work. A disease of older cats that causes weight loss, voracious appetites, and potentially fatal heart and kidney disease, hyperthyroidism is curable,…
Read MoreMethimazole Helps Many. Consider the Cures Carefully Question: My 10 year old female cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism 2 years ago and placed on oral methimazole 10mg. The dose was too high (she wouldn’t eat or play and she was always cold) so she has been taking 5mg. for the past year. Now our vet is saying that her dose needs to be increased again even though neither her behavior nor weight have changed. I am very concerned about the increase, but I certainly don’t want to shorten her life span. Is a surgical option worth the risks involved? Dr. Nichol:…
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