The end of human dinner time tomorrow marks the start of a very dangerous period for the dogs of America.

People, exhausted and bloated, will retire to sofas and armchairs across the country. Dogs will devour unattended turkey carcasses, ransack garbage cans (compost bins in northern California), gobble up giblets, stuff themselves with stuffing, lap up gravy, pilfer pumpkin pie and help themselves to whatever leftovers they can get their paws on.

Dogs that engage in these sorts of activities aren’t bad dogs. They are simply doing what dogs do.

However, many dogs will pay a price for their dietary indiscretion. Some will suffer from transient diarrhea or vomiting as their systems react to rich Thanksgiving food. Others may suffer more serious consequences. Some dogs will develop pancreatitis, a life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas. Others may consume turkey bones and develop intestinal obstructions–these dogs will require major abdominal surgery to survive.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Enjoy your day. But don’t leave your leftovers unattended, and don’t let your dog have access to the garbage. This will help to ensure a happy and safe turkey day for all members of the family!

Photo credit: Stu Spivak. Photo license: CC.

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Hairballs (scientific term: trichobezoars) are quite common in cats. Sadly, they are the source of many misconceptions among the people who live with feline companions. In this post I attempt to set the record straight about these misunderstood and quite unsavory moist clumps of hair.

All cats groom. As they do this, they swallow hair. (Hairless cats such as Sphynxes, of course, are exceptions.) Most cats move swallowed hair through their digestive systems and pass it in their feces. Some cats, however, are not able to move the hair through their digestive systems in a normal fashion. This causes hair to clump together in the stomach or intestines–a hairball. Most hairballs are vomited onto the floor, where they are later stepped on by someone living in the house. Rarely, hairballs can cause intestinal obstructions and other problems.

Let’s move on to some hairball fallacies.

Any cat that produces hairballs (or that appears to be trying to produce hairballs) should go to the vet. The problem could be more serious than you think.

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My nine-year-old Orange Tabby has vomited periodically most
of her life. Within the last few months, her
vomiting has increased to the point that I had to
rush her to vet ER. They hydrated her, ran
blood tests, xrays, etc.

Jill
Portland, Oregon, USA

It sounds like you and your cat are going through quite an ordeal!

Many things can cause cats to vomit. Food intolerance, metabolic disorders (such as liver or kidney disease), foreign objects in the stomach, neurological problems, heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, tumors, problems with the pancreas and exposure to poisons are among the many offenders, and this list is far from complete.

However, in cats that have a long history of vomiting that worsens precipitously I am often suspicious of a syndrome called inflammatory (or infiltrative) bowel disease. The syndrome is also known as IBD.

Cats with IBD suffer chronic irritation of the intestines. This leads to vomiting, diarrhea, or both.

Diagnosing IBD can be difficult. A biopsy of the intestines (by means of surgery or endoscopy) is the most definitive method, but it is very invasive and I rarely recommend it.

However, you do not mention that your cat has had an ultrasound of her abdomen. Ultrasound is a powerful, non-invasive and painless diagnostic technique. Skilled ultrasonographers can sometimes diagnose IBD. And they almost always offer insight into the cause of chronic vomiting. I would recommend abdominal ultrasound as the next step for your cat.

If your cat is diagnosed with IBD, several treatment options exist. Dietary modification is the mainstay of treatment, but it sounds like you may have exhausted this possibility. Probiotics help many cats; yours, unfortunately, seems refractory to this treatment.

I have seen many cats with chronic vomiting respond favorably to treatment with medicines that modulate the immune system. Prednisone is most commonly used. As I have mentioned before on this blog, prednisone is a double-edged sword. However, you may want to discuss a trial of the medicine with your veterinarian. It may help solve the problem.

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