Most veterinarians, myself included, spend most of our days taking care of animals that have owners. I’ve spent some time at shelters and have, in the past, taken care of some of the animals that were housed at our local shelter when they were either sick or injured. As such, I have a little understanding of how shelter medicine differs from the type of practice where I am employed.

I admit I’ve never worked solely as a “shelter veterinarian” though although I admire those that do. The challenges that these veterinarians face on a day to day basis are much different than those I face in my practice. To understand exactly how different the discipline of shelter medicine is, I suggest you hop over to Edie Jarolim’s blog Will My Dog Hate Me and read Shelter Medicine: Veterinary Challenges and Solutions.

Edie’s post explains very nicely the difference between shelter medicine and private practice. She points out that shelter medicine involves dealing with animals that have no history on record. Often, we don’t even know for certain how old these animals are. She also points out that practicing shelter medicine is similar in many respects to practicing medicine from a herd health point of view, which is very true. In addition, there’s the impact that the shelter environment can have on both the physical and mental well-being of the animals housed there. Edie talks about the importance of improving environmental conditions. And I absolutely agree with her that the Open Paw Shelter Program is a asset to any shelter that chooses to implement it.

I urge you to visit Edie’s post and read more about shelter medicine and the challenges that are faced trying to keep shelter animals happy and healthy. I think it will give you a new perspective, especially if you’ve spent little time in a shelter environment.

Photo Courtesy of jeffreyw/Flickr.com

Some of you may already be aware of the feral cat colony currently living at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. You may also be aware of Loews’ plan to relocate these cats. What you might not be aware of is how dangerous this plan is to this colony of cats. The following videos will explain why this is so.

This video features an interview between Deb Barnes of Zee and Zoey and Christine Michaels of Riverfront Cats Miami, who has been successfully managing a colony of feral cats since 2009.

Here you’ll get a look at some of the cats in the colony.

Find out what a day in the life of a feral cat and the people who care for these cats is like in this last video.

For more information, including a recap of some of the important things you need to know about feral cats and suggestions as to how you can help, please visit The Mainstreaming of a Feral Cat on the Zee and Zoey blog.

It happens to all of us. Whether the medication is an over-the-counter medication or a prescription that we simply don’t need any more, we all end up with medications that we need to get rid of from time to time. The medications may be for you, for your spouse, for you children, or for your pets. Either way, there’s a proper way to dispose of unused medications. And, unfortunately, if medicines are not disposed of properly, they can pose a threat for members of our community, for our pets and even for the wildlife in our area.

How do you dispose of medications properly? The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has an entire page dedicated to safely disposing of unwanted medicine. Among the suggestions offered are these:

• Never flush unused medications down a sink or toilet.
• Take advantage of take-back programs in your community.
• If no take-back program is available, place the medication in a sealable container mixed with cat litter or coffee grounds and dispose of them in the trash.

Please see the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant link for more information.

For veterinarians, the AVMA provides more information about the proper disposal of unwanted medication also.

I’ve talked about this before but I thought that Blog the Change would be a good time to bring it up again. Though the number of cats kept as pets is greater than the number of dogs, far fewer cats receive regular routine veterinary than their canine counterparts. Cat owners need to recognize that their cats need regular care, just like dogs.

Regular veterinary care goes far beyond the routine vaccinations, though those are important also. Regular veterinary care includes a thorough examination of your cat by his veterinarian, who can often spot subtle signs of illness or disease in your cat of which you may be unaware. Routine blood, urine and fecal testing is often part of this examination as well.

Why should your cat visit the veterinarian? By having regular veterinary checks for your feline companion, problems can be found early on and can often be resolved before they become serious.

How often should your cat visit the veterinarian? That will depend on your individual cat and his current health status. At a minimum, healthy cats should visit the veterinarian at least once yearly. Many veterinarians currently recommend twice yearly visits, particularly for mature or senior cats. If your cat has a health issue, your veterinarian may recommend more frequent visits.

Do you have difficulty getting your cat to the veterinarian? This is often one of the major hurdles involved in seeking veterinary care for a cat. For some cat owners, a visit to the veterinarian can turn into a nightmare. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. See Cats and Carriers: No Need To Be Foes and Take Your Cat to the Veterinarian with Ease for tips and suggestions.

If you are not familiar with the Catalyst Council, I suggest you visit their website and check them out. They are an organization that is doing great things to help promote the cause of proper care for cats. Because, as their motto says, “It’s all about the cat.”

When was the last time your cat visited the veterinarian? Are you planning a visit soon? Do you have tips or suggestions for making the visit easier? Please feel free to share.

And don’t forget to check out some of the other blogs participating in Be the Change for Animals.

Is breeding really a bad thing? Some of you will likely disagree with me and I truly do understand the reasons why. However, I do not believe that breeding your pet is a bad thing if (and here’s the catch!)…if the breeding is carefully planned and the two animals are carefully chosen to complement one another. In my opinion, a good breeding starts with two top-quality individuals that are chosen to produce puppies (or kittens) with traits that improve on what their parents offer.

What Should a Good Breeder Accomplish?

Breeding should not be done merely to produce puppies or kittens to sell. Your pet should never, ever be bred just so that your kids can experience the “miracle of life”. In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as an accidental breeding. In other words, breeding has one primary purpose, to maintain a breed. Good breeders breed animals that improve their respective breed. Breeding is not about quantity, it’s about quality.

Finding a Good Breeder

There are good breeders out there, breeders who work hard to produce top quality puppies or kittens. But how do we find these breeders and tell them apart from the puppy mills and “backyard breeders” that produce not-so-top-quality puppies or kittens? We do that by educating ourselves! We educate ourselves before we go out and impulsively buy a new puppy or kitten. Here’s what Dr. V over at Pawcurious has to say in her post, Bostons, Breeders and the surreptitious obtaining of important phone numbers:

“Putting puppy mills and backyard breeders out of business won’t happen until we do a better job of convincing people that it’s worth the effort and research to find a good breeder and pick the right dog. They are out there, but it takes more effort than some of the other options. It’s work. Getting a dog should be work, because having a dog is work. That is not an unreasonable prerequisite.”

And she’s right. It’s heartbreaking to see a young dog (or cat) that is already experiencing health issues resulting from a genetic disease inherited from his mother and/or father. It’s even more heartbreaking for the fact that it shouldn’t be happening. And it wouldn’t be happening if the majority of pet owners took the time to do their homework first and then made educated choices.

Advice About Breeding and Breeders

In this Animal Cafe interview, experienced breeder Jacque Redford talks about breeding and best breeding practices.

The previous podcast is the second part of an interview with Jacque. To hear more about how she screens her breeding animals and the process she goes through in planning a breeding, have a listen to the first part of the interview.

These podcasts cover a few of the considerations that a responsible and ethical breeder takes into account when planning and implementing a breeding program. What other things do you think are important? What do you look for in a breeder? If you’re a breeder, what genetic screening are you doing? How do you go about researching and planning a potential breeding? How do you care for your breeding animals?

Photo Courtesy of basykes/Flickr.com

Feline distemper is caused by a virus which is actually much more closely related to the canine parvovirus than the virus that causes canine distemper. The disease in cats is also known as feline panleukopenia.

How Do Cats Get Feline Distemper?

The virus that causes feline distemper is found almost everywhere in nature and is a very hardy virus. Cats become infected with the disease when the viral particles are either inhaled or swallowed. Whether the cat becomes ill depends on whether the cat has previously developed immunity to the disease and whether exposure to the disease is able to over-ride any immunity.

What Are the Symptoms of Distemper in Cats?

Kittens and young adult cats are most likely to suffer from feline distemper. With age, most cats develop some amount of immunity to the disease. Outbreaks of feline distemper in shelters, rescues and pet shops can be particularly severe and widespread. Feral cat colonies and other similar groups of cats can be affected by outbreaks of the disease as well.

Feline distemper, especially in young kittens, is often fatal. The symptoms most commonly seen in cats with distemper include:

• vomiting
• diarrhea
• lack of appetite
• fever

The virus attacks the intestinal tract of an infected cat as well as the bone marrow. The alternative name of feline panleukopenia refers to the fact that the feline distemper virus suppresses the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow, leading to extremely low white blood cell counts.

Another form of feline distemper that is sometimes seen occurs when a cat is infected with the virus during pregnancy. If the infection occurs in early to mid-term pregnancies, most often the kittens are aborted. However, when infected during the latter stages of pregnancy, the virus can affect the cerebellum of the unborn kittens, causing cerebellar hypoplasia (a brain defect). Cerebellar hypoplasia results in a kitten with tremors and an incoordinated gait. The tremors these kittens suffer tend to be worse when the kitten is focused on an object or activity.

How Is Feline Distemper Treated?

Because of the fact that feline distemper is caused by a virus, there is no definitive cure for the disease. Treatment is symptomatic. One of the most important aspects of treatment is fluid therapy to replace fluids lost through vomiting and diarrhea. Dehydration occurs quickly in cats with feline distemper and is life-threatening in itself.

Antibiotics are also sometimes used in the treatment of feline distemper to prevent or treat secondary bacterial infections that may result as the intestinal barrier breaks down and allows access of intestinal bacteria to the bloodstream.

In some cases, medications to control vomiting and nausea may also be required in treating cats infected with feline distemper.

Can Feline Distemper Be Prevented?

Fortunately, vaccination against feline distemper is very effective. This vaccine is considered to be one of the core vaccines recommended for all cats.

Vaccination is started in kittens at a young age. Typically, at least two boosters are given to kittens with the second being given between 14-16 weeks of age. Often, vaccines are administered every 2-4 weeks for kittens until they reach the age of 14-16 weeks.

Vaccination against feline distemper should be avoided in pregnant cats because of the risk of abortion or damage to the kittens.

Photo Courtesy of didbygraham/Flickr.com

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) has designated January as National Train Your Dog Month. In celebration of the event, the organization is presenting a series of webinars and Facebook chats designed to help you in your dog (and cat!) training.

The schedule of events for National Train Your Dog Month includes topics such as:

• what to teach your kids about dogs and safety
• housetraining basics
• introducing a dog and a cat to the same household
• how to become a dog trainer
• litter boxes and scratching behaviors in cats
• seperation anxiety
• rabbit behavior
• a chat about parrots
• and much more.

The webinars are pre-recorded and available now. Please see the link for a schedule of dates and times for the Facebook chats.

And now I’m off to watch some webinars!

Photo Courtesy of waterboard/Flickr.com

I don’t watch Animal Planet on television very often. It’s not because I have anything against the channel. It actually has some very good programs. It’s just because when I sit down to watch television, it’s usually because I’m trying to unwind and forget about work for a little while. And Animal Planet, for me, is a little too much like work. I tend to choose what I would describe as “guilty pleasures” like Game of Thrones or True Blood when I do take the time to watch television.

Tonight was different though. Tonight, I was surfing through the channels and came across My Cat from Hell on Animal Planet. For those of you not familiar with the show, it stars Jackson Galaxy and presents various scenarios in which cat owners need help with their troubled, often-times seemingly aggressive cats. (I say seemingly because many of these cats are not aggressive by nature but are forced into situations in which their comfort level is compromised, making them act out aggressively.)

Prior to watching two episodes of My Cat from Hell this evening, I was somewhat familiar with the name of Jackson Galaxy. Added to that, I also recently read an awesome interview featuring Jackson Galaxy and JaneA Kelley and her feline crew at Paws and Effect. So, I admit to being curious about the show, which played into my decision to spend the time watching it.

I’m happy to say, I was not disappointed. Apparently, one of the episodes I watched was the premier episode of the second season of the show. The other, I assume, was a replay of an episode from the first season.

There’s not really enough room here to go into complete detail about the two episodes, the cases profiled in each episode and Jackson’s solutions to the problems. However, these are a few of the points that were covered that I particularly liked.

• One of the things that Jackson pointed out is the fact that living with a cat involves making some compromises. In one particular case, one of the major compromises was the litter box, which the cat owner had ingeniously hid away from view prior to Jackson’s visit. Jackson pointed out that, particularly in a multi-cat environment, litter boxes need to be multiple as well and they need to be uncovered and out in the open where resource guarding (i.e. guarding a small cat door that leads to the litter box) is not possible.
• Litter boxes and the proper selection, location and care was a major topic throughout both episodes.
• One of the couples Jackson consulted with was dealing with an apparently aggressive cat. The male cat owner was particularly adamant about his belief that the cat needed to be disciplined and he was actually hitting the cat to punish her. The situation had escalated to the point where the female partner was concerned about the potential for injury to the cat. Jackson very effectively pointed out that hitting a cat is never part of a successful solution.
• Environmental enrichment, through interactive cat toys, perches and safe spaces in particular, were highlighted throughout both episodes and were a big part of the successful resolution of the cases presented.
• In one case, the problem cat was several years old and was still intact. The very first step Jackson took in bringing this case to a resolution was to have the cat spayed immediately. Though there were also behavioral exercises that aided the resolution of this cat’s problem antics, Jackson was very strongly convinced that hormonal issues were partly responsible for the behaviors. He urges all cat owners to spay/neuter their pets.

I’m so happy to see a resource like My Cat from Hell being offered on Animal Planet. The solutions offered are solidly based on science and what we know about how the cat brain functions. Jackson provides hope for despairing cat owners through the use of humane and effective methods that focus on providing for the cat’s needs.

Photo Courtesy of D.C.Atty/Flickr.com

Feline asthma is a disease which is commonly seen in cats. Symptoms are primarily respiratory in nature, with coughing and respiratory difficulty being the most common. For severely affected cats, symptoms can become life-threatening.

Treatment of Feline Asthma

One of the key features of this disease is inflammation within the airways of the affected cat. Because controlling the airway inflammation is essential in treating feline asthma, corticosteroids are often used to treat the symptoms of feline asthma. Corticosteroids can be given orally and frequently prednisolone is the corticosteroid chosen. They can also be administered through an inhaler. The most commonly known inhaler is the Aerokat inhaler and the corticosteriod Flovent is often used in the inhaler.

Other medications used to treat feline asthma include bronchodilators such as terbutaline, theophylline or albuterol. Cyproheptidine and cyclosporine are sometimes used to treat feline asthma as well.

In addition, avoiding irritation to the airways is important. Cigarette smoke can irritate the airways and cause asthma flare-ups. Dustless cat litters should be used to reduce irritation. Your cat should not be exposed to sprays of any type either, including insecticidal sprays.

Does Resolution of Clinical Signs of Asthma Mean the Airway Inflammation Is Gone?

Ideally, treatment for feline asthma, particularly with corticosteroids, would be ongoing until the inflammation in the airways has resolved. However, it appears that simply monitoring your cat’s clinical signs may not be a good way to determine whether the inflammation in the airways has truly resolved. This recent study reported by the Winn Feline Foundation looked at the relationship between clinical signs and airway inflammation in cats with feline asthma. The report concluded that:

“70% of the cats diagnosed with asthma or chronic bronchitis that had resolution of clinical signs (cough, wheeze, or episodic respiratory distress) with concurrent high-dose glucocorticoid therapy still had evidence of persistent airway inflammation based on BALF cytology.”

BALF (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) cytology is a diagnostic test used to evaluate the presence of and type of inflammation present in the airways.

This knowledge that inflammation does not necessarily disappear with clinical signs is important in considering treatment, or more importantly, the tapering and/or discontinuation of treatment involving corticosteroids. The Winn Feline Foundation report goes on to say:

“The results support the statement that caution should be used when equating absence of clinical signs with the absence of airway inflammation. Premature tapering of glucocorticoids based on absence of clinical signs in cats with subclinical inflammation could be detrimental in the long run.

Do any of you have cats that suffer from feline asthma? What types of experiences have you had with the disease? Please feel free to share by leaving a comment.

Photo Courtesy of pete berardi/Flickr.com

Microchipping your dog or cat can sometimes make the difference between having your pet returned to your loving home or losing him forever. We’ve all heard stories about pets being reunited with their owners, sometimes after long periods of time, after being identified by a microchip.

Today, I’d like to welcome Eliza Lyttle as a guest blogger. She has kindly provided us with more information about microchips and microchipping for pets.

Microchipping Pets – Finding Your Lost Dog is Now Easy!

by Eliza Lyttle

When your dog is lost, your helpless canine friend cannot do anything more than barking to express his discomfort on being away from home and you. Of course, they won’t remember the way to the house if they are lost in an unknown place. As a result, when dog shelters find it, it is either adopted by new owners or euthanized. Microchipping is a process by which your dog can be identified as your pet by the shelter. Although microchips are not categorized specifically as a part of your dog’s pet supplies, microchipping is still becoming an important necessity for pet owners.

What Is Microchipping?

A small computer chip that is not bigger than a rice grain and encased in a glass is injected into the body of the dog with the help of a syringe. It is inserted between its shoulder blades. The process is quick and painless and dogs are not even aware when the chip is inserted. A scanner is used to detect the microchip. However, for the detection, the dog must be registered with the microchip company. When the pet is lost, it is easily detected back to the owner with the help of the handheld scanner. (Editor’s note: Registration of the microchip is essential! If the microchip is not registered and the owner’s contact information is not on record, the microchip is worthless.)

Microchipping Facts

These microchips do not have to be replaced. They are so designed that they last the life of a dog. However, sometimes they move from the injected place to other parts of the body, though this is not a problem. The instructions of the company are to scan the dog’s body completely so that the chip can be detected. (Editor’s note: Newer microchips are manufactured to reduce the possibility of migration although it is still possible.)

The problem arises only when a shelter that does not possess a scanner finds the dog. Another problem is that the technology of these chips keeps changing and sometimes, a universal scanner is also unable to detect the chip. This is a problem that is being considered by the companies manufacturing microchips and it is hoped that a solution will soon be found. (Editor’s note: A universal scanner is available that, to the best of my knowledge, will detect all microchips, regardless of manufacturer. However, it may not always be capable of reading the information encoded in the microchip.)

As yet there is no foolproof method of tracing the dog back to its owner if it is lost. The old identification tag on the leash is still your best bet and therefore, be a responsible pet owner and keep updating the identification tags. Microchipping is no doubt an advantage but there is no guarantee that it will work. Take precautions of keeping your dog with you at all times and never let it roam all by itself outside. (Editor’s note: Keep in mind that if your pet is lost, he is likely to be found by a friend or neighbor first who does not have a scanner. If your pet has an identification tag, that may be all that is needed to return your pet home. However, identification tags can fall off or be removed. That’s where a microchip can become extremely useful.)

About the author:
Eliza Lyttle is a pet lover and is the owner of two labradors and one white cat. She is the contributor for Party Supplies Megastore, a popular party supplies store.

Photo Courtesy of p_a_h/Flickr.com