Why take your 'healthy' cat to the veterinarian?

Yesterday, a friend of mine asked me why she had received a reminder to bring her two year old, house cat in for a wellness examination. She explained that Emma didn’t need vaccines and she never went outside, did she really need to come in? I was surprised that my friend, who was devoted to her cat, would ask such a question. But her questions also made me stop and think.

Bayer Animal Health recently published a survey. They found that of the 74.1 million pet cats in the United States, 45% do not see a veterinarian. They also found that over the past 10 years the number of feline visits to the veterinary office had decreased by 15%. This means that approximately half of all the pet cats in this country do not receive veterinary care, let alone the wellness visits that I was recommending for my friends cat. 

So why is it important for a seemingly healthy house cat to see a veterinarian for an annual examination? The Bayer study actually went on to highlight exactly why those visits are so important. They identified the 5 most common health issues in cats as (1) lower urinary tract disease, (2) renal disease, (3) hyperthyroidism, (4) gastrointestinal disease, (5) periodontal disease. Each of these conditions are either prevented or ameliorated by early identification and prompt intervention. 

If we were discussing dogs, one might argue that these are all things that an astute pet owner could identify. Dental disease causes bad breath, lower urinary tract disease means that the dog is asking to go out more of having accidents in the house, any body knows that. But we are talking about cats, cats live often secretive and reclusive life styles. They don’t ask to go out, but decide when they want to use their litter box and then do so. We often free feed or cats so the amount of food and water they consume daily is not always evident. They often are sleeping, and unless we are in the habit of encouraging them to play and interact with us daily lethargy and weakness may not be appreciated until it becomes severe. All five of those common feline diseases identified in the Bayer survey can be silent killers, slowly eroding a cats health without the owners even being aware of them.

The annual exam allows us a chance to establish a recorded and accurate body weight, a complete oral examination, otic examination, dermatologic examination, orthopedic examination, cardiac examination and abdominal palpation.These examinations help us identify even subtle signs of illness. The annual visit also allows the veterinarian to ask some thought provoking questions about your pets habits and activity that you may not have considered previously. The feline annual examination, just like your regular visits to the doctor and the dentist, allows early recognition of the signs of many disease processes, not just the five listed previously. It also gives the pet owner a forum for asking questions about diet, exercise, flea and tick control and heartworm disease in cats. They are all topics discussed in the popular press, but best addressed by an educated health care professional that has you and your cats best interests in mind. 

Emma did come in for her annual examination and passed with flying colors. Regardless of whether she will need vaccines in the future, her owners recognize the value of her annual check-up and, when she becomes older, her bi-annual examination. I expect Emma to be a member of my friends family for a very long time to come.

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Frugal Pet Care ?

Recently, I was listening to the Today Show as I was getting ready in the morning. They presented a segment about the cost of pet ownership and how to cut pet care costs. They discussed the usual, cost of foods, cost of adoption, when they turned to the topic of medical care my interests were peeked. The commentator explained that there are ways to save on medications. The example she used was a comparison of Frontline (a non-prescription product, available through veterinary offices as well as stores) and another brand (which I cannot recall). She went on to describe that these flea and tick control products were the same, but the other brand was a fraction of the cost. However, she followed that statement with the provision that Frontline was able to eradicate more stages in the flea life cycle. Obviously, the products were not the same. Thank goodness she did not launch into other ways to save on the pets health care, I was already incensed! After that she discussed pet clothing, sweaters costing 95.00, and designer leashes and collars. It certainly seems this would be an area where cost cutting could be instituted a little more readily.

Last year, as we were discussing the need to order heartworm, flea and tick control products for our hospital, a representative of a drug company visited with us touting a product to control fleas and ticks that was less costly, sold exclusively to veterinarians and as good as products like Frontline and Advantage. Believe it or not, we veterinarians are always interested in trying to provide our clients with the most economical alternative. We want to be sure each of our clients can afford the best care possible for their pet. So we listened carefully and before we decided to purchase this product I spoke with some folks that had dispensed the product from their hospital and I heard stories of increased reactions to the medications and white dogs developing green discoloration of their coats. The medication may very well kill fleas and ticks, but the potential consequences of using it seemed too high a price to pay. 

So in response to the economically minded commentator on the Today Show I would say,’ when it comes to health care, don’t make your decisions based on what you read on a label’. Ask questions of your veterinarian. We are very interested in helping you make good choices for your pet, we want your pet to remain healthy and safe. If there is an economical and safe alternative, we will help you in deciding the best choice for your pet’s care. Just because the label or the commercial says that something is ‘just like’ name brand X, it may not be true. You may end up with a green dog or worse, a dog or cat that has fleas and ticks or a pet that has contracted one of the many serious illnesses these pests carry.

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Testimonial From a Dog Food Convert

I am very happy to share this article written by one of my clients. I think we can all agree that diet plays a huge role in our well being and when we have other illnesses, the quality and the content of our diets can play an even greater role. Unfortunately, not many of us have the time to cook for our selves, let alone our pets. Very often I see clients caught up in trying to sort out the best commercial food by reading labels. Pet food labeling is both confusing and deceptive. The key to sorting out the pet food dilemma is not label reading or consulting the pet store clerk, it is education. The effort Kira made for Adler has really paid off. Recently, when he was visiting my office for his semi-annual examination, he was not overweight (he had been), he had a beautiful coat, his epilepsy was well controlled and we are now able to decrease his anticonvulsant doses! I am grateful that Kira was willing to share her and Adler's story. JAH

DOG FOOD CONVERT

In April of 2010 our 6 ½ year old German Shorthair had his first seizure.  This was the start of a journey through medications, feeling helpless, many questions and also having our dog’s annoying side effects of meds almost drive me and my husband crazy.  We have been working with Dr. Hass since the beginning of this journey and got to a point in January of 2012 where the seizure frequency was twice a month and he was 20 lbs. overweight.  In addition to introducing a new medication, Dr. Hass suggested trying a hypo-allergenic diet based on some of the described symptoms.  I knew that the prescription dog foods were very expensive so she suggested a home-made diet.  

My first reaction to this was only crazy people make food for their dogs.  This reaction was based on childhood experiences working in a vet office.  I took care of the boarding animals and we had one lady in particular who would drop off Ziploc bags of pasta with marinara sauce and veggies for her enormous St. Bernard dog.  I was taught by the vet techs that this was crazy and that the dog wasn’t getting the essential vitamins he needed.

After some thinking, research at the library and visiting some blogs on line I changed my mind.  The mid to high price low fat “natural” dog food I was buying was obviously not working and Adler had this overall dullness about him.  Born and raised in San Francisco, I was taught the healing power of food and natural supplements and figured if I would do it for me why not my dog?  Even if he didn’t have a food allergy, he did not appear healthy or happy after trying multiple name brand pet foods.

After taking the plunge the visible changes in Adler were immediate.  He dropped the extra pounds, had more pep in his step and we were able to cut his meds in half or more.  His seizure frequency also decreased dramatically.  On a recent visit to see Dr. Hass she asked if I could share this success story with others as we both acknowledged it wasn’t easy to figure how to start.  I will warn you though.  There is no going back.  Your dog will most likely not want dry dog food ever again and the benefits of homemade food are so apparent that feeding store bought food just seems like a bad idea.

Original recipe by Donald R. Strombeck  (provided to me by Dr. Hass)

High-Fiber, High-Carbohydrate, and Low-Fat Diet (for 12-13 lb dog)

1 ¼ cups oatmeal or rolled oats, cooked

3 ½ oz (1/4 cup) kidney beans, canned

1 egg, large, hard-boiled

1 cup mixed vegetables, cooked and drained

1 ½ calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)

1 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

To convert this recipe for larger weight dogs, I eventually discovered through a pet blog online that you need to use a nutritional calculator (the one I used is listed below, but there are many out there).  Using a multiplier based on weight / pounds is not correct.  

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

Food prep and cooking:

First you need to confirm how many calories a day your dog needs.  This is usually shown on the side of a pet food bag or you can search online or ask your vet.  Keep in mind the amount of activity per day can vary the calorie intake.  Then you can input the food ingredients (keeping the correct ratio) into the calculator until you have the right amount.  I entered the ingredients for the original recipe to see how many calories and grams of protein it provided to give some idea of a base line.  Once you figure out how much food is required in a day you multiply for a weeks’ worth of food.  For Adler this came to 6 cups of food per day (he is fed 3 cups twice a day due to meds and his insane hunger).  For one week’s worth of food I have the following recipe:

Adler’s recipe:

Oatmeal, cooked

• 18 cups old fashioned oatmeal (about 1 ½ 42 oz containers)
• 22 cups water

(2) 32 oz bags frozen mixed veggies, cooked and drained

(4) 15.5 oz cans of kidney beans

18 hard-boiled eggs

This recipe makes 1 more serving than required for a full week.  I recommend doing this so you have an extra bag on hand in case you can’t make food at the normal time.  This also allows you to build up a buffer of additional food in the freezer over time.

At this point my recommendation is to jump right in and start cooking.  During the first two weeks you need to mix the food with your dog’s current food so you will only be making half of the total quantity.  About a month into making this food I was able to find the exact recipe that worked.  

I make Adler’s food once a week.  I would prefer to make two weeks at a time but I found that it was an overwhelming amount of food to make without purchasing a set of enormous pots to cook with.  I cook everything separately and then split the ingredients evenly into to two large pots and mix to combine.  Then I scoop 3 cups each into quart size freezer bags and flatten the bags to allow for easy stacking in the fridge / freezer.  I leave 6 bags in the fridge and the remaining 8 or 9 go into the freezer.

Adler is crazy about this food.  I’m not sure if it is because he connects it with me making food (used to and still does get small amounts of table scraps) or if he is just crazy for any food based on his meds.  In addition to this food, Adler’s favorite treats are carrots and ice cubes.  I have also considered dehydrating slices of sweet potato for something chewy.

Supplements:

Second you need to decide what calcium and vitamin supplements to add to your dog’s food.  Based on my library research I had a pretty good idea of what a dog needs to stay healthy, but the trick was to find something that didn’t had a lot of other additives and was affordable!  There are many companies out there with some pricey vitamins for your pet .  

Vitamin supplement:

I found “Be Well for Dogs” at 1-800-PetMeds.  One bag last me about 1 ½ months and costs around $17.00 (usually there are always coupons too).

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Be+Well+Dog-prod10845.html

Calcium carbonate:

Based on reading I found that you can use leftover egg shells as an inexpensive way to provide calcium and with all the hard boiled eggs in this recipe it is feasible.  However, this does take extra time so I chose to purchase calcium tablets and give them to Adler right before eating (he is very good at taking pills at this point).  I confirmed how much calcium he needed using one of the charts in the reference books.

Reference material:

Home-prepared dog & cat diets : a healthful alternative 1st ed.  By Donald R. Strombeck  

The holistic guide for a healthy dog by Volhard, Wendy.

I see there are even more books out there since I did my research over a year ago.  I found that each author had a different take on exactly what was right and wrong regarding the food and supplements a dog requires and most do not dive into vegetarian diets too much.  I read them all and used the information I felt was consistent and not too extreme.

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Why And How Are Pets Vaccinated

You have had vaccines, your pets have had vaccines, we have all had vaccines. But have you ever really pondered how or why they are given? 

Vaccines are administered to help prevent us and our pets from getting sick due to infection with common viruses, toxins and bacteria. Vaccines are also given to decrease the spread of disease. 

When you acquire a natural infection, like Chicken pox, your immune system begins to respond to the viral infection. The immune system learns how to defend itself against that disease and begins forming antibodies against the virus, antibodies attack and neutralize the infection. From that point on you have ‘immunity’ or antibodies that will attack and kill the virus should you be exposed to it again. The next time you are exposed, as long as your immune system is working properly, you will not become ill because your immune system has protected you. 

A vaccine works similarly, except the patient does not become ill. Vaccines are produced by taking a portion of the bacteria or virus or modifying the infective agent so that it will not make you sick. However, the modified infection is enough to trigger your immune system to respond. Sometimes there is a carrier or adjuvant that helps increase the immune response to the vaccine. Once the vaccine is administered, that bodies natural defense system, the immune system, is attracted to the injected material. Then the immune system begins to form antibodies against that disease. Basically the vaccine is teaching our bodies to develop immunity to a specific disease. The next time the vaccinated individual is exposed to that disease, the immune system jumps to their defense and prevents them from becoming sick. 

Vaccines infrequently cause reactions. Typical vaccine reactions can be soreness or swelling at the vaccine site. This is usually very brief, resolving in 24 hours. Patients may also experience fever and lethargy, this too may last only a few hours to a day. Even more infrequent are allergic type vaccine reactions where the patients face may swell and they develop hives and itching.Patients that have this type of reaction should be seen by their veterinarian and treated immediately. Typically, at our office, we suggest that patients that have vaccine reactions no longer receive vaccines since repeat exposure may result in even more severe vaccine reactions. Very infrequently, tumors can form at the site of the injection. This is seen in cats more than in dogs. Vaccines have been modified to to limit tumor formation and other reactions. Also, we have changed how we administer vaccines, giving them as far on the periphery of the pet as possible, so any tumor can be treated more effectively. 

In veterinary medicine our vaccines are typically given either subcutaneously (under the skin) or intranasally (liquid dripped or sprayed into the nasal passages). Unlike people, dogs and cats have loose skin and a large, subcutaneous (meaning under the skin)  space. Placing a vaccine or injection in this area is much less painful than an intramuscular injection (the type we humans commonly receive). It is very important that all vaccines be administered as far down on the leg as possible. Then, if there is a problem associated with the vaccine, it is not on the body where it may be more difficult to treat. This means that your pet may need to be gently restrained to be sure that vaccine is placed correctly. Subcutaneous vaccines may be a little more challenging to administer since it is easy to inject through the skin rather than under it! 

Intranasal vaccines are typically administered when we are vaccinating against respiratory illness, these vaccines are non-painful (no needles necessary), but the hardest part is convincing the patient to let us squirt a little liquid up their nose. 

We have become much more conservative in the use of vaccines in veterinary medicine. However, vaccines serve a vital function in limiting the spread and devastating consequences of many illnesses. The fact that rabies is an infrequent illness in pets and people in the United States is due to vaccines. Vaccines are the reason so many illnesses that were once common causes of death in our pets are  seldom seen.

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