Cats outnumber dogs in their overall numbers as pets, but studies have shown that they see the veterinarian less often than their canine counterparts.  One of the reasons is that their illnesses are typically much more subtle.  Ten very common signs of illnesses in cats are:

1.  Inappropriate elimination

2. Changes in interaction

3. Changes in activity

4. Changes in sleeping habits

5. Changes in food and/or water consumption

6. Unexplained weight loss or gain

7. Changes in grooming

8. Signs of stress

9. Changes in vocalization

10. Bad breath

The following document has more information about these signs of illness in our feline friends.  If your cat is showing any of these signs, an exam may be in order.  Keebler (cat in the above picture) isn’t physically sick, just sick of being a cow!

Illnesses in Cats

The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) is an organization designed to “recognize products that meet pre-set standards of plaque and calculus (tartar) retardation in dogs and cats.”  The VOHC recognizes these products by giving them their “seal of acceptance.”  In order to achieve the seal, products must have gone through at least two separate clinical trials that demonstrate their ability to control plaque or tartar (some products help with both).

Periodontal disease (plaque, tartar, gingivitis, bone loss, infected teeth, etc.) is a progressive problem, and not one product will completely prevent it from progressing.  The most effective way of preventing periodontal disease is brushing your pet’s teeth.  Daily brushing is best as plaque can start to harden on the teeth in 24 to 48 hours.  VOHC approved products help as well.  If a dental product bears the seal of acceptance, then you can be sure that the product does what it claims to do, i.e. it works.

More information about the VOHC along with a list of approved products can be found at www.VOHC.org.  At Olathe Animal Hospital, we are happy to offer the following VOHC approved products:

Hill’s Prescription Diet t/d

Greenies

Healthy Mouth Anti-Plaque Water Additive

Stop by the office or give us a call for more information regarding these products for your pet!

One of the hardest parts about our job and about being a pet owner is the end of a pet’s life.  Sometimes pets pass away suddenly, but more often than not, their illnesses are due to chronic diseases, such as kidney failure or cancer.  We certainly don’t want our loved ones to have to suffer, but at the same time it is one of the hardest decisions that we have to make about our pets.  How can we ever know when the time is right?

In 2004, Dr. Alice Villalobos created what is called the HHHHHMM scale.  The purpose of this scale is to give pet owners an objective way to determine their pet’s overall quality of life.  In doing so, this scale helps relieve the feelings of guilt associated with making that final decision.  The scale is broken down into 7 categories, and each category is scored from 1 to 10.  A score of 35 or greater is considered reasonably acceptable quality of life.

• The HHHHHMM scale can be downloaded here.

If you are being faced with this unfortunate situation, we are here to help you.  If you have any questions or concerns about the euthanasia process, or what happens to your pet afterwards, please call us and we will discuss these things with you.  Hopefully the HHHHHMM scale will help guide your decision process during this difficult time.

For many medical conditions, increasing the amount of water that cats drink is an important part of treatment.  However, many cats don’t drink regularly and it can be very difficult to get them to change this behavior.  The following list is a compilation of ideas and tricks to get cats to increase their fluid intake.

• Feed canned food or add water to dry food

• Feed more frequent meals: feeding three times per day increases water intake vs. feeding twice daily

• Drinking from the faucet, licking water off of the shower floor, or drinking from cups or glasses of water

• Flavor the water by adding any of the following: tuna juice, low sodium chicken or beef broth, or clam juice.  All of these can be frozen into ice cubes and added to the water

• Regular ice in the water bowl may increase interest in water as well

• Water bowl characteristics: broad and shallow, round vs. square, circulating water fountains, multiple bowls in multiple locations

• Change water frequently – once or twice daily

Individual cats will have different preferences and different things may stimulate them to drink more water.  Try each of these things one at a time or numerous things at once to see what your cat prefers.  Good luck!

We feel fortunate at Olathe Animal Hospital to have proactive owners who want the best for their new birds. A good bird owner realizes that, while a new bird may look and act perfectly healthy, a trip to the vet is one of the first and most important things to do. In fact, establishing a relationship with an avian vet BEFORE you need it is one of the best things you can do for your bird! This article will talk about what we look for in a new bird exam, and why you should schedule a wellness visit within the first month of buying/adopting a bird.

Birds have evolved in the wild to hide illness in order to avoid predators.  This “masking” of signs of illness has led to the misconception that birds get sick and die quickly.  This is why semi-annual physical examinations and laboratory testing are so important, because they can help identify problems before they become untreatable.

When you bring your bird to Olathe Animal Hospital, you will be asked to fill out an Avian History Form (or you can print and fill out the one attached to the link and bring it with you to save time).

A veterinary nurse (technician) will walk you into one of our exam rooms where we have specialized equipment for examining birds and other small pets and exotics. If you have specific concerns or questions that you want the doctor to address, be sure to mention them.

After the nurse takes a short history, the doctor will come in. Both Drs. Mark Romain and J.C. Burcham are members of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) and have had special training in avian medicine. Please note: AAV membership is different from being board-certified. There currently are no board-certified avian vets in the states of Kansas or Missouri.

The doctor will likely want to talk to you about your bird, cage set-up, etc. while observing the bird in its cage. When it comes time to examine your bird, the doctor may use a towel to help restrain it and allow for a thorough examination. Eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, feathering, body condition, heart and lungs, vent or cloaca, uropygial gland, wings, legs, and feet are all examined.

Small, flighted birds (canaries, finches, some budgies) will be weighed in a “birdie basket” so they hold still on the scale, and most other birds will perch on our specially-adapted scale. Birds are weighed in grams. If you’d like to know how many ounces your bird weighs, use an online grams-to-ounces conversion calculator.

An important part of a bird’s visit to the veterinarian is a discussion about nutrition and environmental enrichment. Avian nutrition is a whole other topic in itself, and the conversation that will take place will vary depending on what kind of bird you have. Any specific information you can provide, such as the brand name of food you’re currently using (or better yet, bring in the bag of food or a picture of it!), is considered very helpful and allows us to better tailor our recommendations.

Another good idea is to take a picture of your bird’s cage set-up and bring it with you for the veterinarian to see. Any other information you can provide, such as where the cage is located, toys available, and how much time (and where) the bird spends outside of the cage is also appreciated.

Routine wellness testing should be considered for all healthy birds. Blood work and fecal testing (a direct smear and a gram stain) are recommended for most pet birds, and we can discuss the specifics with you.

If you’d like your bird’s wings or toenails trimmed, let us know.

Remember, establishing a veterinarian for your new bird is one of the most important things you can do. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you need an avian vet and don’t know where to find one.

J.C. Burcham, DVM

Dr. Romain examines an anesthetized bald eagle with Operation Wildlife director, Diane Johnson

Whether it’s accidental or intentional, letting a pet bird escape or get lost presents a nightmare situation for bird owners. Yvonne Patterson, bird owner, bird trainer, and President of Wings of Love, a 501c3 non-profit providing educational bird shows, wrote an article on retrieving escaped birds, which appeared in the Parrot Society of Australia magazine. With her permission, we are re-distributing the article, which we encourage all pet bird owners to print out and have on hand–so you don’t have to go looking for it in the event of an emergency. Yvonne herself has been able to retrieve lost birds, and as the title of her article says, “Vocalization & Persistence” are the keys.

To view the full article (PDF), click the link below:

Retrieving Escaped Birds by Yvonne Patterson

Many types of sugar free products contain a product called xylitol.  These products may be chewing gums, candies, or even some medications.  Although xylitol is safe for people, it is toxic to dogs.

How does xylitol cause toxicity?

Xylitol causes the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin, which then cause blood sugar to drop to unsafe levels.  This can lead to weakness, tremors, collapse, and even seizures.  If that’s not enough, in some cases xylitol can cause liver failure.

Can my pet be treated?

Although there is no specific antidote for xylitol toxicity, treatment is aimed at supportive care.  If your pet just ate the xylitol containing product, vomiting may be induced as with many other toxins.  However, if the xylitol was eaten much earlier, then supportive care is initiated.  One toxic dose of xylitol can last for several days, so supportive care may be needed for several days.  This consists of IV fluids with dextrose in them to keep the blood glucose at normal levels, medications to help protect the liver, medications to prevent vomiting, antibiotics in some cases, and antacids in some cases.  Monitoring of blood values is important to track progress and make sure no further damage is occurring to the liver.

What can I do to prevent toxicity?

The main thing to keep in mind is not all products safe for humans are safe for our pets.  Avoid feeding your pet anything that contains xylitol.  If your pet does eat a product that has this listed as an ingredient, then call your veterinarian right away.  Hopefully with rapid treatment, toxicity may be prevented.

Does your dog suffer from motion sickness? We now have an option ideal for treatment of motion sickness in dogs. It’s called Cerenia (maropitant), and just one tablet can alleviate the nausea associated with motion sickness for 24 hours.

If you’re planning to do some traveling, but are reluctant to take your dog because he has a tendency to get sick in the car, this medication can help you both.

Unlike other medications, Cerenia is non-sedating.

Ask us if Cerenia is a good choice for your dog!

These photos document the journey of Diego, a 3-year old leopard gecko, who was recently treated at Olathe Animal Hospital for a retrobulbar abscess. If you’re wondering what a retrobulbar abscess is, the pictures speak for themselves. It’s an abscess behind the eye–ouch! They can develop for unknown reasons, and surgical treatment is necessary for its resolution. The abscess must be allowed to drain, but due to the unique nature of reptile pus, it won’t drain on its own with a simple lancing (like it would, say, in a cat). In fact, doing so can create worse problems because it can introduce new infection into an already-infected site.

Getting sleepy...

Pus draining from incision

Flushing with betadine solution

Diego was placed under anesthesia for sterile debridement of the abscess. He stayed on baytril (an antibiotic) and gentamicin eye drops for 14 days after the procedure, at which time he came back for his recheck. And as you can see, he looks like a whole new lizard! He did great with the anesthesia and surgery, and he made a full recovery.

Prompt treatment for this condition is a must. It will not resolve on its own. The gecko will eventually stop eating due to the pain, and he may lose vision in the affected eye. Lucky for Diego, treatment occurred quickly enough that he does not appear to have any loss of vision or other lingering effects.

2 weeks later, all better!

For more pictures and videos, see our Flickr page!

If your cat loses weight suddenly, pay attention! Sudden weight loss in a cat can be a red flag for potentially serious medical conditions, especially if his/her appetite remains normal (or is increased).  Some of the more common causes of sudden weight loss in cats include: diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, and cancer. However, that is NOT to say all cats with weight loss fall into these categories, so please have your cat checked out by your veterinarian!

Take, for example, Sunny. Sunny was about 8 years old when he was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. His weight chart shows you how dramatic his weight loss was–he went from a hefty ~17 lbs down to 12 lbs in a matter of months! (This is also why it’s so important to take your cat into a vet for regular check-ups, even when everything seems fine, because changes can also occur gradually, and your vet can help you detect these more subtle signs.) His owner also noticed he seemed to be drinking more than usual.

Blood work and urinalysis confirmed that Sunny had diabetes mellitus. Cats get Type II, or non-insulin dependent, diabetes. There are LOTS of great resources on the web about diabetes in cats, and we’re not going to repeat it all here–just check out these veterinarian-approved websites:

• Diabetes Mellitus Center (VeterinaryPartner.com) (Be sure to read the article on the main page, and check out the following articles on the right-hand menu: Diet for the diabetic cat, Glargine insulin, Home Testing of Blood Glucose for diabetic cats, and insulin administration in cats)
• FelineDiabetes.com
• CatInfo.com
• Feline Diabetes Message Board support group
• Wikipeida – Diabetes in Cats (good source of basic and extensive information)

Getting back to Sunny–we started him on PZI insulin and have been monitoring his fructosamine level every six months. We have other patients who have been doing quite well on glargine (a different form of insulin). Of course, diet also plays a key role in helping regulate the diabetes. Hill’s w/d is a prescription diet that is frequently recommended for dogs and cats, and m/d is a feline-specific diet that helps keep diabetes under control.

We know the diagnosis of diabetes can be very overwhelming, but we hope to show you that this disease can be managed quite successfully, and treatment is easier than you might imagine!