Vet Blog
06/24/09
 My three-year old spayed female cat is being treated with Clavamox for a UTI. She’s had five doses of the Clavamox over the past 2 1/2 days, but is still spraying urine and also calling loudly as though she were in season. She has never done this before, but has also never had a UTI before. Is this to be expected? How soon should I expect a reduction in symptoms?
Scotti
Cypress, TX
Bladder infections are common in both cats and dogs. In dogs and in older cats, they are the most common causes of uncomfortable urination, bloody urine, and inappropriate urination (cats, dogs). However, in young cats such as yours, another syndrome can have identical symptoms to a bladder infection: feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD).
FLUTD is a process in which urinary chemistry imbalances lead to painful urination. It is linked to crystals in the urine and abnormal urine pH levels. In all cats it is very uncomfortable. In male cats it is linked to a potentially fatal complication called urinary obstruction.
Most bladder infections improve dramatically with one or two doses of antibiotics. If your cat has not had urine tests to confirm a bladder infection, I am suspicious that she may not have an infection. You should talk to your vet about this.
FLUTD usually is treated through dietary changes. It is a chronic problem that can cause intermittent pain and, in male cats, chronic risk of urinary obstruction. It is important to determine with certainty which problem your cat has.
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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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03/04/09
 All of a sudden my 14-year-old male has started
urinating the house. This has never been a
problem before. Why now? Does it have to do with
his age?
Linda
Topeka, KS
You do not say whether you have a cat or a dog. However, in both species the causes of inappropriate urination can be divided into two broad categories: medical problems and behavioral problems.
Medical causes of house soiling (as urination in the house is known) include bladder infections, prostate problems, hormone imbalances, bladder inflammation and syndromes such as diabetes (in cats and dogs) and kidney disease that cause increased thirst and urine output.
Behavioral house soiling is very frustrating. Stress or anxiety may cause pets to urinate inside the house. Cognitive dysfunction (senility) is a cause of house soiling in older pets. Some pets, especially those that have not been neutered, may urinate indoors as a natural territory marking behavior.
A veterinarian should assess any pet that urinates inappropriately. Blood and urine tests (and, on occasion, X-rays and ultrasound) can check for a medical cause of house soiling. If none is found, then behavior modification may be beneficial.
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01/18/09
 My seven-year-old Malamute quit eating. Her Dr. said that all
blood work and fecal, etc. were fine she just
won’t eat!! She stopped eating her dog food, and now
barely even eats p-butter.
I think it may be a tooth,but the Dr.
disagrees. Regardless of what it may be, how do I
get her to eat?
Jill
Largo,FL.
Animals do not suddenly stop eating unless something is wrong. To get your dog eating again, you need to find out what is wrong and correct it if possible.
A very large number of diseases and syndromes may cause a seven-year-old pet to lose its appetite. Many, such as kidney disease, bladder infections and advanced diabetes, are detectable on basic blood and urine tests. Others, including certain intestinal disorders, foreign objects in the intestines and most forms of cancer, are not.
I think your dog needs more tests. I would recommend X-rays and ultrasound of the abdomen as the next step.
Dental problems cause pets to lose their appetites rarely. However, if a thorough diagnostic evaluation fails to determine what’s going on, you may want to consider dental work.
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01/15/09
 A couple of days ago this blog covered limp tails in dogs. Among canine companions, swimming and over-wagging are common causes of strained tails.
Most cats aren’t big-time swimmers (although there are exceptions), so swimming isn’t very likely to cause tail problems in feline friends. Cats also don’t spend much time wagging their tails, so they also aren’t prone to straining their rear appendages by over-wagging.
Cats can, however, suffer from a number of syndromes that cause their ordinarly erect tails to become droopy. I was reminded of this when a cat with a limp tail came to my office a few days ago.
Feline tails are frequently injured after they are stepped on, shut in doors, or rolled over by rocking chairs. These sorts of injuries can lead to serious tail trauma (fractures or neurological damage) as well as mild bruising and pain.
Cats with access to the outdoors often get into fights with other cats. These fights can lead to skin infections known as abscesses. If an abscess begins to develop on or near the tail, the tail may go limp.
Problems with the anal glands may cause limp tails in cats. The anal glands, located (as the name implies) near the anus, may become infected or painful. This may cause the tail to become limp. An anal gland infection was the cause of the limp tail in the cat I saw the other day.
Syndromes that infrequently cause limp tails in cats include bladder infections, neurological disorders, and certain tumors.
If your cat’s tail has suddenly gone limp, your best bet is to see the vet immediately.
Photo: Karma Kitty’s tail looks healthy.
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12/29/08
 Dr. Barchas, is it true that if you neuter a dog
who is already 2 years old, it will not help him
marking inside the house?
I just adopted a well behaved German Shepherd.
He just arrived a day ago, but his past owner says
he will mark the house and to leave him in the car
port. To me that’s cruel. The owner moved to a
condo and the dog had to stay in one room all day
(for 3 months). That’s why past owner gave him to
me. Please help.
Ana
Levittown, PR
If your new dog is not neutered, the surgery may help to reduce unwanted urine marking inside the house.
Neutering or castration involves removal of a the dog’s testicles. In adult dogs, testicles produce a hormone called testosterone. Testosterone helps to drive a number of behaviors in dogs including urine marking, aggression, sexual activity, and the desire to escape into the neighborhood in search of trysts.
If you have your new dog neutered there is a very real chance that his urine marking will stop. Neutering him is a very wise step in dealing with the problem.
However, I should warn you that neutering is not a cure-all. There is a chance that your dog’s previous owners never bothered to house train him properly. Or, he may have a medical condition, such as a urinary tract infection, that is causing him to soil the house.
I recommend that you have a veterinarian evaluate your dog for medical conditions that may be leading to house soiling. If he gets a clean bill of health, neutering him is the next step. If the problem still persists, you will have to implement a behavior modification (training) protocol to properly house train your new pet.
Photo: Freedom Star has no known record of house soiling.
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09/09/08
 I have a 3-year-old cat that is currently taking
antibiotics (liquid Clavamox) for a bladder infection. She has
been taking the medicine for the past 4-days.
Today I saw her pee again outside of her crate
(which is the the reason I took her to the vet in
the first place to discover she has a UTI).
She has only had one other UTI and was treated a
year ago with Clavamox and healed quickly and
without incident.
Do you think she is allergic to the medicine?
Might the UTI be a symptom of a more serious
condition?
Thank you for time.
Linda
Tucson, AZ
My big question is whether your cat’s urine was tested to confirm the presence of a bladder infection (also known as UTI, or urinary tract infection) before the antibiotics were started.
Many different syndromes can cause cats to urinate outside of the litter box. Bladder infections are definitely the most common. However, chemical imbalances in the urine can lead to irritation of the urinary tract and subsequent house soiling. Bladder stones may cause similar symptoms. And finally, some cats will urinate outside of the box due to stress or behavioral disorders.
It could be that today’s incident was an isolated one. However, if the problem persists, the next step will be to obtain a urine sample for testing. X-rays and ultrasound may be necessary as well.
Cats certainly can have adverse reactions to Clavamox. However, the most common reaction is upset stomach (appetite loss, diarrhea, or vomiting). I doubt that the medication played any role in the incident that occurred today.
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My three-year old spayed female cat is being treated with Clavamox for a UTI. She’s had five doses of the Clavamox over the past 2 1/2 days, but is still spraying urine and also calling loudly as though she were in season. She has never done this before, but has also never had a UTI before. Is this to be expected? How soon should I expect a reduction in symptoms?
You have questions. 