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"Sailing"

MEDICAL TIDBITS FROM SUE

Please don't get the idea that I think checking out web pages is better than talking to your own vet. It just can help you learn some interesting facts and help with simple questions. If you think your little friend has a problem, please don't delay and call your vet today and make an appointment. It is better to be safe than sorry. I read on different pet boards and see on tv vet shows where people wait over a week when the dog isn't eating and getting sick all the time and by the time they take the dog in the poisoning that happened a week ago is too late and the kidneys are shutting down (just an example).

Behavior changes such as urinating in inappropriate places can signify something is wrong - both in dogs and cats. I had this problem recently with my dog Murphy. She started peeing on the carpet, which was very strange for a dog that was almost 9. Instead of believing she had a attitude problem, I felt she probably had an infection, and took her to the vet. She was treated for a bladder infection and didn't have a problem after she started on the antibotics. Some dogs and cats, might end up in shelters for the same reason because people didn't go to their vet first.

As an update on Murphy, about six months after this bladder problem she started peeing again. I had taken her to the vet for another reason but took along a urine sample thinking her bladder infection was coming back but it ended up being even more serious. She didn't act sick, just this behavioral problem, plus drinking a lot and panting. Ends up she has a serious condition called Cushings Disease. I am still stunned by the diagnosis. She still doesn't act that sick but is on medicine that shrinks her adrenal gland to keep it from producing so much cortisone that is upsetting her system. People don't really understand how serious this is and how many other conditions it can cause and it will eventually kill her. So as a warning, be very aware of anything strange and out of the ordinary that your pet does because it could save or extend their life by getting the needed treatment quickly.

Murphy has had her diagnosed cushings for about 3 years now and she does okay with it. The medicine is costly but she is worth it. I found an on-line pharmacy where I can get her med's a little cheaper.

Rufus sleeps

Listed below are items you can find on this web site. If there is something that you want to see first, you can click on it and go directly there or you can scroll down and read as you go. Remember, I am not a vet, or a vet tech. These are items I have read and personal experiences of my own. If you have any questions concerning your best friend's health, consulting a vet is the best thing you can do to help your friend.

  • Animal Poison Hotline
  • Normal Temperature
  • Madison's Medical Problems
  • Treatment For The Arthritic Dog
  • Kitty Not Using Litter Box
  • Vision Problems - Cataracts
  • Giving A Cat A Pill (Humerous)
  • Hairballs
  • Smoking And Your Pet
  • Trimming Nails
  • Dental Care
  • Senior Dogs
  • Medical Links

    The Animal Poison Hotline phone number is:
    1-888-232-8870

    Please be advised there is a per incident fee charged per call.

    Tiger Line

    Normal temperature for a dog or a cat is between 100.5 and 102.5 - once the temperature goes over 103, your friend may be getting sick. You can help by using cool water compresses. You can ask the doctor about aspirin - but again be careful how you use it - and never on a cat without asking. And to check that temperature, use a rectal thermometer. The old theory about a cold nose, etc doesn't work. The mucus glands in the lining of the nose keep it moist. So your pet may have a dry nose and be fine and he may have a cold wet nose and still be running a temperature. Who said motherhood was ever easy?

    wolf line

    Monitoring your pets health is one thing and then making a responsible decision when it is time to explore treatments .... I can use my Madison as an example.

    He limped around for a really long time holding up his back foot, but never acting as if it was really hurting him. He would go for walks and put all his weight on it but hold it up slightly while we were playing in the house.

    Xrays were needed but I knew I would have to leave him - so when he had his teeth cleaned, we finally did the xrays. Yes, he had problems but my vet felt it wasn't worth doing surgery at that time. In December of 1997 it finally became necessary when he did more damage to it and he had knee surgery on the back leg. Of course these things always come in pairs, so in April of 1998 he ended up having to have the other surgery done too because of all the work the good leg had been doing to support him over that entire year. But he's fine now and I am glad I had it done.

    Madison with leg injury

    And I had no insurance for him. I am not a rich person but will do whatever I can to help my animals. I used "plastic" currency for it and paid it off as I could but a payment plan was also offered in order for me to be able to make him comfortable. So if you are thinking about surgery and worrying about the money, ask your vet. Most will be happy to set up a payment plan within your means. It is also important that you are a regular client, which means yearly shots and checkups with your vet.

    Here are a couple more pictures of Madison recovering from his surgery. Really check out the look on his face in the picture on the right. This was the second surgery. He couldn't believe I would do that to him again. He had more trouble recovering from the second surgery. When I brought him home he got into the back seat of the car and when we got home I couldn't get him up and out of the car. I had to help turn him around in the seat so he could stand up and he cried - AND SO DID I. It broke my heart. I basically sat on the couch with him so he could sleep with his head in my lap.

    (Go ahead, make Mom feel really guilty).

    More leg injury Accusing look

    tuxedo kitty line

    A few more things you might be interested in concerning health problems:

    Treatment For Arthritic Dogs

    It is possible to treat your dog with some human drugs for minor ailments but I wouldn’t recommend it without a vet’s okay. You can use buffered aspirin for mild cases of arthritis. I give Madison 2 aspirin a day – after his meal. He can’t take them on an empty stomach. Everything I have seen in writing says one quarter of a 325 milligram buffered aspirin for every 10 pounds of dog. NEVER give a cat aspirin, without a vet’s okay. They react differently to aspirin than dogs. And you should never give either one of them anything with Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen in. It is very dangerous for them.

    • A few things you can also do to help him that don't require medicine:

  • Get those extra pounds off him. Carrying all that extra weight around certainly doesn't help.
  • A little exercise each day is also important. I kept Madison walking each day and he enjoyed it - until he had that final tear.
  • If your animal is outside, consider bringing him in, particularly in the bad weather. The cold is very hard on him. You can even buy heated pet beds at local pet stores.
  • Try filling a hot water bottle with warm water, I repeat, only warm water or warm a towel and wrap it around the affected area.
  • You can help him by elevating their food and water bowls if they are larger breeds.
  • You can also use the towel trick to help him get around. If they are having trouble walking you can assist him by wrapping a towel around his waste and using it to help lift him and stand him upright.
  • And of course, there are the marvelous doggie sweaters that can also create a little fashion statement.

    Calico Kitty Line

    Your Kitty Isn’t Using His/Her Litter Box

    Have you ruled out that kitty does not have a urinary infection? This can be one of the first signs that kitty isn’t feeling very well. If you know that it isn’t a problem then you need to look closer to home. Have you moved the box, changed litters, adding a new member to the family – human or animal? Is the cat seeing another cat outside that is upsetting him? Is kitty spayed or neutered? There are so many things that can cause a cat to stop using a litter box that it can be very frustrating to try and figure out what the cat could possibly be thinking. You may need to try boxes in several different places with several types of litter – uncovered boxes versus covered boxes. My mother had a problem with Lucy refusing to use the box so there are two boxes in her room – one covered, one uncovered and she uses both of them and that ended the problem. I later found out that Mom was spraying inside the enclosed litter box and was no doubt gagging poor little Lucy. I have never had a problem with Rufus (knock on wood). Find out more information about how to handle cat behavior problems at the CatsInternational.org.

    Orange Tabby Line

    I have been reading up a little on cataracts in animals. Our cousin Doogie, the poodle has had cataracts for a couple of years and he is about 7. He gets along just fine and when he visits he knows where to go to eat Lucy's food; and if I put it back down again in another place, he finds it again.

    Here is Doogie with Lucy in a rare moment when they haven't been fighting over food.Doogie and Lucy

    He knows who his Mom is and he can get to the bushes to relieve himself - in general - he seems to get along just fine for not seeing very much through those cloudy little eyes. I have heard before and also read in this book (The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Dogs and Cats published by Prevention Magazine) that a dog doesn't have very good eye sight to begin with - the book even mentions they are much like Mr. Magoo. They go more by smell and if life deals them a bad hand with cataracts, they can adapt pretty fast. It also mentions that dogs are known to get cataracts between the ages of one and three. So the most important thing you can do to help your furry friend is regular checkups. Diabetes seems to be the leading cause of cataracts among dogs after heredity. Cats are not known to get cataracts.

    Another thing about eyes that isn't related to cataracts that I read was that you may notice that your dogs eyes were brown one day and then seemed to turn blue. You aren't crazy. As their eyes get older, fibers in the lens get denser and reflect light differently, sometimes making those lovely brown soulful eyes appear a hazy blue, kind of like Mel Gibson or Paul Newman. It is called lenticular sclerosis and it is actually a part of the normal aging process. It doesn't affect their vision. Pretty interesting stuff.

    Lila Line

    RULE #9 LAW OF CAT PHYSICS (Law of Pill Rejection)
    Any pill given to a cat has the potential
    energy to reach escape velocity.

    Giving A Cat A Pill

    I think most of us have read the very funny little stories of how to give your cat a pill. But to be helpful, the easiest thing I found when trying to give my cats pills were to crush them in canned food and they eat at least most of the food. Maybe I was just lucky. It wouldn't work very well with Rufus now because he decided a couple of years ago that he didn't care much for canned food (if you can believe that). I must admit I have pilled Rufus a couple of times and I didn't have too much trouble but I don't think I would even attempt to give Lucy an pill. Pandora proved to be almost impossible, fielding every move I made with her paws, successfully keeping the pill from getting in. She should be a goalie on a soccer team. I have pilled kittens and cats at the shelter and still have all my fingers. One thing you can do to help if you have actually gotten the pill into kitty's mouth - hold their mouth shut and gently blow on their nose and they will swallow by reflex and the pill will go down. This remedy has been used at the shelter and I know it works.

    In case you would like to read the funny little story about giving a cat a pill - I have broken down and found my copy which I am posting here for your pleasure. It was written by Peggy Althoff.

    HOW TO GIVE YOUR CAT A PILL

    1. Grasp cat firmly in your arms. Cradle its head on your elbow, just as if you were giving baby a bottle. Coo confidently, "That's a nice kitty." Drop pill into its mouth.

    2. Retrieve cat from top of lamp and pill from under sofa.

    3. Follow same procedure as in 1, but hold cat's front paws down with left hand and back paws down with elbow of right arm. Poke pill into its mouth with right forefinger.

    4. Retrieve cat from under bed. Get new pill from bottle. (Resist impulse to get new cat.)

    5. Again proceed as in 1, except when you have cat firmly cradled in bottle-feeding position, sit down on edge of chair, fold your torso over cat, bring your right hand over your left elbow, open cat's mouth by lifting the upper jaw and pop the pill in - quickly. Since your head is down by your knees, you won't be able to see what you're doing. That's just as well.

    6. Leave cat hanging on drapes. Leave pill in your hair.

    7. If you're a woman, have a good cry. If you're a man, have a good cry.

    8. Now pull yourself together. Who's the boss here anyway? Retrieve cat and pill. Assuming position 1, say sternly, "Who's the boss here, anyway?" Open cat's mouth, take pill and...Oooops!

    9. This isn't working, is it? Collapse and think. Aha! Those flashing claws are causing the chaos.

    10. Crawl to linen closet. Drag back large beach towel. Spread towel on floor.

    11. Retrieve cat from kitchen counter and pill from potted plant.

    12. Spread cat on towel near one end with its head over long edge.

    13. Flatten cat's front and back legs over its stomach. (Resist impulse to flatten cat.)

    14. Roll cat in towel. Work fast; time and tabbies wait for no man - or woman.

    15. Resume position 1. Rotate your left hand to cat's head. Press its mouth at the jaw hinges like opening the petals of a snapdragon.

    16. Drop pill into cat's mouth and poke gently. Voila! It's done.

    17. Vacuum up loose fur (cat's). Apply bandages to wounds (yours).

    18. Take two aspirins and lie down.

    jabba

    Hair Balls

    From time to time Rufus has been known to cough up a hairball because he takes grooming to a new art form sometimes.

    I have tried the store brands of lubricants but he doesn't particularly like them. The last time I tried to use it and rub it on his paw he flung it into the air and some hit the wall and Murphy caught the rest and swallowed with one glup.

    I have had much better luck by just giving him a little butter. Of course, this isn't particularly good for the dieting kitty but can't hurt once in a while. It will work the same and aid the digestive tract and help pass the hair on through his system.

    And now some of the cat food manufacturers are making dry cat food with something added to help relieve those little hairballs. We have personally tried (the cats have, that is) the new Pounce treats for hairballs and although it is too soon to tell if they help, both cats like them, which is really something in my house.

    Rufus Line

    Let's say you've been looking for a reason to stop smoking because you know it isn't good for you. Well, it isn't good for your animals either since the heavier elements in the smoke drift down to their level making it hard for them to breathe. Did you know, dogs that live with owners who smoke are 50% more likely to develop lung cancer than other dogs? Dogs with short and medium length noses are at greater risk. So why not start out the new year smoke free for you and your pet?

    Setter Line

    Trimming Nails

    The easiest way to get nails trimmed is to start teaching them when they are little. It will really help. Then do it often and CUT CAREFULLY.

    We make it a game here. They know they are going to get treats after we are finished. But it still isn't easy. Madison lies upside down on the floor with his feet up in the air and waves his legs around. Murphy dives for the couch and I find it easiest with her to make her stand with her back feet on the floor and I hold her front leg while the other rests on the couch. After it is over - we get the treats and they run wild.

    It will also help if you have a stypic pencil handy to stop the bleeding in case you do cut too close. Or you can dip it in flour. And if all else fails, take them to a groomer or the vet. It may be a lot less worry for all of you.

    Dog Line

    FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL PET DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

    Here are a few good reasons to brush your animals teeth daily, if possible.

  • Brushing is the best means of preventing periodontal disease.
  • Gum infections can spread to vital organs and cause damage.
  • Brushing decreases the number of times you have to have their teeth cleaned at the vets, exposing them to anesthesia.
  • Keeps their breath smelling fresher.





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