Vet Blog
08/28/09
 When I was a child of 12, I started a venture that I believed would allow me to make money doing something I loved. I started a pet sitting business.
By many measures, my business was a success. I had fun, and pet owning folks in Boise, Idaho got to go on vacations. I don’t remember perfectly, but I suspect that my rates were very reasonable. I was a kid, after all, and I certainly didn’t get rich.
When I look back on those days now, I am amazed that I got through that time without a major catastrophe befalling one of my charges. Pet sitting is a risky business in the hands of a professional, let alone those of a child.
The overwhelming majority of pet sitters I have met are caring, responsible people and completely solid citizens. Yet a disproportionate number of sick animals are brought to me by pet sitters.
This phenomenon has nothing to do with the quality of care that the sitters offer. In most cases that care is excellent. Rather, it has to do with stress. Pets love their owners. When the owners go out of town, pets’ routines are upset. That is stressful. Stress can unmask pre-existing disease.
Consider a case I saw the other night. A very nice pet sitter was looking after her neighbor’s cat during a vacation. The owner had noticed the cat was excessively thirsty for a few weeks before the trip. She reported this to her neighbor and left town. As soon as she left the cat stopped eating, and the pet sitter wound up in my office at 10:00 pm.
I was very troubled by my exam findings. The cat was emaciated and dehydrated. It had very bad breath. Its coat was rough and unkempt. I suspected kidney failure.
To diagnose the problem definitively I would need to run tests. Depending on the outcome, hospitalization and intensive treatment might be necessary. The cat clearly was suffering intensely. If the test results showed seriously advanced disease, euthanasia might have been the best choice for the poor creature.
The owner was in Cancún. She had left no contact information. This placed the pet sitter in an incredibly awkward position.
The pet sitter would have to pay for the visit and any tests that were run and hope for reimbursement. She would have to make decisions regarding the cat’s care without any guidance from the owner.
The pet sitter agonized over the situation for over an hour. In the end she decided to forego tests. We administered fluids to the cat to treat dehydration, and she took the cat home. Her plan was to send a flurry of e-mails to the owner and hope for a response. I lost sleep that night worrying that the cat was suffering. I did not hear from the pet sitter again.
I can’t imagine that any pet owner wants to place their pet or their pet sitter in this sort of situation. But it happens all the time. Here are some steps you can take to help steer clear of the problems discussed above.
Get a checkup before your trip. If something seems wrong with your pet, don’t ignore it. It may turn into a crisis in your absence. Do your best to confirm that your pet is in good health before you leave town.
Provide contact information to your pet sitter. Leave a cell phone number, and answer it even if you’re on the beach. If you’re traveling to an area where you’ll be completely unreachable, designate someone local to make decisions in your absence, and put it in writing.
Make your wishes known. Talk to your pet sitter about how you want veterinary emergencies handled. Pick a pet sitter you trust, and leave your credit card number with him or her (along with a signed note allowing them to use the card and authorize medical treatments). Provide your vet’s office with the credit card information and a copy of the note to keep on record.
Pet sitting is a labor of love. Take the steps listed above and be kind to your pet sitter.
Photo: FlaviaC.
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05/28/09
 My 13 year old dog has stopped eating everything. She will drink water but no food. It has been a few days now. I looked into her mouth and one tooth is sort of black and so is the gum. She throws up about once a day also. Could all this be from her tooth?
Shirley
Jacksonville, FL
Animals do not stop eating unless there is a reason.
When I think back to the last time I went a day without eating despite food being available, I remember being very sick. Similarly, when a pet stops eating it means that something is wrong.
Dental disease causes or has been linked to a huge number of problems in cats and dogs. However, unless a tooth has abscessed acutely, dental problems rarely cause pets to stop eating completely. I therefore consider it unlikely that your dog’s tooth is the cause of your dog’s inappetance.
I am worried that a metabolic problem such as liver disease or kidney disease, or a glandular disorder such as advanced diabetes, or cancer may be causing your dog’s appetite to disappear. Many other problems, such as infections with viruses or bacteria, trauma or dehydration also may cause symptoms like those you describe.
I recommend immediate veterinary attention for any pet that goes more than one day without eating. The sooner you find out what is wrong, the higher your chances of successfully addressing the problem.
Photo: this is what we want to see!
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04/06/09
 My female cat, Gracie, had a urinary tract infection about a year ago. Ever since then, she has not been the best about urinating in her litterbox. (She will do #2 in the litterbox, but she is not consistent about urinating in the litterbox.) I am not home during the day during the week, as I work. My daughter says that I should lock her in the laundry room, where the litter box is, during the day to “re-train” her. Her brother, Boxy, has the run of the house during the day, as he has no such problem. I would have to confine him, too. What do you think that I should do? Gracie is spayed, Boxy is neutered. Both cats are a little over 2 years old.
Edie
Deerfield, IL
I would recommend that you start by having Gracie undergo blood and urine testing, as well as diagnostic imaging (X-rays or ultrasound) to rule out an ongoing medical problem.
Urinary tract infections in cats can be very severe. Sometimes more than one course of antibiotics is necessary to treat them.
Also, a syndrome known as FLUTD can cause chronic bladder pain and inappropriate urination such as you describe.
Syndromes such as diabetes and kidney disease can cause cats to drink excessive amounts of water. This, in turn, causes excessive urination which can lead to house soiling.
If no medical cause can be found for Gracie’s behavior, then it is appropriate to deal with the matter as a behavioral problem. Your daughter’s suggestion may be appropriate, but you also can find a plethora of advice on this matter on my website:
http://drbarchas.com/feline_housesoiling_treatment
Finally, note that some cats develop litter box aversions after suffering from urinary tract infections. This happens when cats associate painful urination with the box that was in place during the infection, and it is possible in Gracie’s case. Litter box aversions often respond to the therapies recommended in the link above.
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03/05/09
 I was saddened by an article that appeared on Livescience recently. The USA’s only known wild jaguar has died.
A rare jaguar captured and collared in Arizona two weeks ago was euthanized after falling ill, state game officials said.
The jaguar was the only one spotted in the United States in more than a decade. Officials captured the cat Feb. 18 as part of a program to study bears and mountain lions. A procedure had previously been put in place to attach a satellite collar to any such fortuitously captured jaguar, so wildlife experts could monitor its movements to learn more about the extremely rare creatures.
The jaguar stopped moving, however.
Biologists found the male jaguar, brought it to a zoo, and he was put down that day. Officials say the cat, named Macho B, suffered kidney failure, common among old cats.
Macho B was first spotted by automatic trail cameras in 1996 when he was about age 2 or 3. He was thought to be 15 or 16 – relatively old for jaguars – when he was euthanized.
The article continues:
The cat had dropped from 118 pounds at the time of his capture last month to just 99.5 pounds Monday . . . [a] necropsy (animal autopsy) will be performed to learn more about the jaguar’s condition and to possibly provide clues to how long the animal had been sick.
In a statement released yesterday, officials did not say whether . . . they might or might not have contributed the animal’s demise.
The Arizona officials may be keeping mum about their role in Macho B’s death, but I will weigh in. What follows is speculation based on my experiences working with big cats in California and Botswana.
To work with a jaguar safely, the cat must be anesthetized. Chemical restraint (as anesthesia is often called by wildlife experts) of a wild cat generally involves loading drugs into a syringe dart and firing the dart at the cat.
All anesthetic agents have the potential to trigger low blood pressure. Low blood pressure can damage the kidneys. This especially true of kidneys that are already compromised by pre-existing disease. Veterinarians generally prefer to run blood tests on patients before anesthesia so that the kidneys and other organs can be assessed. Obviously, it is not possible to run blood tests on a wild jaguar before darting him.
I suspect that Macho B, like many elderly cats, was suffering from kidney disease before he was captured by Arizona officials. The anesthetic procedure stressed his already weak kidneys and pushed them over the edge, causing his health to fail rapidly.
I should stress that I do not believe that the officials who captured Macho B caused his death. The kidney disease was going to catch up with the jaguar eventually. However, I do believe that Macho B’s death was accelerated by the procedure.
Finally, I am in no way convinced that the Arizona officials did anything wrong. Everything I have read indicates that their capture strategy and techniques were well thought out and executed (although it is not clear whether Macho B’s advanced age was considered when the decision was made to capture him).
The people who captured Macho B certainly were animal lovers. I have a strong hunch that they are utterly devastated by his death.
Photo credit: Colin Burnett
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02/25/09
 My dog is drinking a huge amount of water. He has
a 2.75 gallon water dish and we fill it every day.
He’s eating less as well. Could he have a
kidney problem?
Sarah
MO
You will always get a vet’s attention by telling him that your pet is drinking more water than he used to. Drinking excessive amounts of water is a symptom of a number of diseases and syndromes. Common causes of increased thirst include kidney disease, diabetes, metabolic conditions, bladder problems, glandular problems, and certain types of cancer.
Decreased appetite in combination with excessive thirst is a troubling combination of symptoms.
I strongly recommend that you have a veterinarian assess your pet. A panel of blood and urine tests will almost certainly give you insight into the problem. The sooner you do this, the more likely it is that you will be able to treat the condition.
For more information on changes in water consumption in pets, please visit my website.
Photo: Fortunately, Jackie doesn’t look like she’s drinking all of that water.
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12/27/08
 Several common syndromes in cats, such as kidney disease and irritation of the bladder and lower urinary tract, are helpfully treated by enticing cats to drink more water. Unfortunately, the age-old adage about mankind’s inability to force horses to drink also applies cats.
Cats are picky consumers of water. It is widely accepted that cats will drink more if multiple sources of water are available, and if the water is very fresh. Some cats seem to prefer water that is continuously circulated.
A recent study outlined in the November, 2008 North American Veterinary Conference Clinician’s Brief sought to answer another question: do cats generally prefer tap water or purified water? Here is a quote from the Brief.
The drinking water behaviors and preferences in cats were investigated using cats in a rescue center. The study was double blinded and each cat was exposed to 2 water sources (local tap water and purified water) over a 48-hour period. The bowls were identical in shape, different in color, and the amount of water consumed was measured and the bowl refilled every 12 hours . . . [t]he results showed that cats drank more water during the day than night. The only factor found to be significant on statistical analysis was the water source: cats preferred tap water over purified water.
In my opinion this study is too limited in scope to draw the definitive conclusion that all cats should be offered only tap water. But it does suggest that purified water is not necessarily the best choice for cats.
About the photo: Alita seems to like her water straight from the tap!
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12/05/08
 One of my rescue, foster kittens (Marshall is now
about 18 mos. old) was adopted by a
young, single guy. Cliff also has a small Lab cross
female (Bailey). Marshall and Bailey get along
great. Marshall was chewing wires, phone cords,
etc. but has stopped. Now he is peeing on Cliff’s
clothing while he’s at work; he gets home and
Marshall is very loving & glad to see him, but has
peed on anything that didn’t hit the hamper, or
Marshall even gets inside the hamper and pees
(gallons according to the guy) on his clothing.
Help. I don’t want to see Marshall returned to
our rescue group. With this type of behavior he
might not find another home. I’m contacting
everyone I know for advice.
Micky
Nacogdoches, Texas
Inappropriate urination is also known as house soiling. It has two main causes: medical problems and behavioral problems.
Medical problems that can cause house soiling include bladder infections, bladder stones, and a syndrome called FLUTD (short for feline lower urinary tract disease) in which the bladder becomes irritated. Also, any disease that causes increased urination, such as diabetes, thyroid disease or kidney disease may cause cats to produce “gallons” of urine, and to urinate in inappropriate locations.
In young cats, however, medical conditions are infrequent causes of house soiling. A behavioral issue is a more likely culprit. I suspect that Marshall has a substrate preference for clothing. This means that he may find it more comfortable and pleasant to urinate on clothing than on litter.
I recommend that Cliff take Marshall to the vet to make sure that no medical condition is contributing to the problem. If Marshall gets a clean bill of health, behavior modification is in order. Several clean litter boxes should be provided in areas where Marshall won’t be disturbed by Bailey while he’s urinating. Several different types of litter should be tried.
And, above all, Cliff should stop tossing his dirty laundry on the floor. Instead, he should put it in a hamper with a sturdy lid.
Plenty of information on feline house soiling is available on my new website. Click here for more information on the causes of feline housesoiling:
http://drbarchas.com/feline_housesoiling
And click here for more information on behavior modification to treat feline house soiling:
http://drbarchas.com/feline_housesoiling_treatment
About the photo: Tiny has no record of house soiling.
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07/28/08
Is it normal for a senior cat to lose body
weight and muscle mas, with the increased
activity in the spring and summer? She is 16
years old, eats well, is still playfull and
active. Vocal too!
Joan
Saint John, N.B. Canada
Seasonal weight fluctuations are not uncommon in pets (or people, for that matter). The long, warm days of spring and summer offer more opportunities for exercise than the inclement nights of winter.
As well, some degree of weight and muscle loss naturally occurs in all individuals as they age. An 83-year-old person can be expected to have less muscle mass than a 23-year-old; the same is true in cats and dogs.
However, and this is a big however, 16-year-old cats are at increased risk for a number of diseases and syndromes that may cause visible weight loss. Hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, tumors and a host of other glandular and metabolic problems are prevalent in older animals. Hyperthyroidism is especially known for causing weight loss and high levels of vocalization.
Your best move will be to have a vet examine your cat. He or she will be able to quantify the weight loss and run tests to check for the various syndromes I have mentioned. Hopefully the vet will determine that nothing is wrong. But it is better to be safe than sorry.
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05/02/08
Dr. Barchas,
My question relates to chronic kidney failure. I have had a total of
three cats with this, two now and one
that passed away about four years ago.
I have always been uncertain exactly what the
BUN number means. What does it show to you, the
vet, and what role it has in diagnosis along with
the creatinine numbers. I understand they both show
the stage of where of the kidneys are but I would
really like to understand more about
their role.
Thank you very much – This will help me to
understand this disease a little better.
Karin
Phoenixville, PA
Sadly, many cat lovers have experience with feline kidney disease (also known as chronic renal failure). Kidney failure is the most common major medical problem in elderly cats. It is a leading cause of feline death.
Veterinarians test their patients’ kidneys in a variety of ways. Physical examinations, X-rays, ultrasound exams, and urine tests all provide important information. But the most commonly used benchmarks are two values that are measured in the blood: BUN (pronounced “bee-you-inn”) and creatinine.
To understand the meaning of BUN and creatinine, you must understand the function of the kidneys. In the course of normal metabolism, the body’s organs and tissues consume nutrients and produce waste products. These waste products are released into the blood. It is the job of the kidneys to remove these waste products from the blood and eliminate them as urine.
If the kidneys begin to fail, the waste products accumulate in the blood. Higher levels of waste products correlate with lower levels of kidney function.
BUN and creatinine are two such waste products. Their levels generally correspond to the overall levels of waste products in the blood. Measurements of BUN and creatinine therefore allow veterinarians to assess the status of the kidneys, as well as to monitor each patient’s response to treatment.
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When I was a child of 12, I started a venture that I believed would allow me to make money doing something I loved. I started a pet sitting business.
You have questions. 