Fur balls

Last week I met Focus and her owner for the first time. Focus is a fluffy Tal-Madonna-coloured female cat.  She had found herself trapped under the bonnet of a Ford Focus when still a kitten, not knowing that it was to be the best thing to ever happen to her, as it paved the way to meeting her new owner.

On her part, the cat’s owner had no idea that when her horoscope said she would meet a new special friend, it would be of the four-legged type. She had never had pets before and was not even particularly fond of them. Now, the situation is completely the opposite.

Anyone who knows cats knows that, invariably, all tricoloured cats are female. This is due to genetic reasons – colour genes are linked to the X sex chromosome. To have a tricoloured cat, you need to have two X chromosomes which only occurs in females. The sex chromosomes in males are X and Y.


Source: www.bio.miami.edu

Tal-Madonna cats are patterned in a haphazard mix of white, black and ginger. Technically speaking, they are referred to as Calico-coloured cats. I did try to look up the origins of the Maltese variant, Tal-Madonna, yet I could find none so maybe one of our linguistic readers could give us a clue as to where this information may be found.
What I did find is that Calico cats can be found all over the world and that in many places folklore links them to good things. Maybe this explains Focus' good luck.

Focus is a common cat with a common problem: fur balls. These are literally balls of fur formed in the intestine when too much fur is ingested by your cat. These cause stomach upsets and the first symptoms are vomiting, gagging and wretching.

A fur ball may or may not be brought up. Fur balls have the shape of short cigars and certainly do not smell nice. In severe cases, your cat could lose appetite, feel lethargic and suffer constipation.

Fur ball problems are best prevented and this is done, first of all, through regular grooming; the longer the fur, the more regular this exercise should be. Kittens should be groomed from an early age, so that they can get used to it. A daily five-minute grooming exercise is far better than trying to solve matted areas every three or four days on long-haired cats.

After grooming your cat, pass a damp cloth over its coat to collect any loose hair that could otherwise be ingested. It would be a good idea to do this even with short-haired cats when they are shedding a larger amount of fur during the moulting months, mostly in spring and autumn. Moulting, which is the natural process of changing winter and summer coats, may occur over a longer period with cats confined indoors.

Besides proper grooming, there are a number of other remedies one could resort to, depending on how manageable the situation is. These take the form of simply adding a few drops of oil to your cat’s food or administering fur ball paste directly to your cat on a regular basis, as well as diets specially formulated to reduce this problem. All these remedies help provide your cat with a mild laxative to reduce the possibilty of fur ball accumulation.

With cats, one has to be very careful because vomiting can also be a sign of some serious condition. It is extremely important that vomiting is monitored carefully and if in doubt, check it out with your veterinarian. 

Focus’s owner got the fright of her life when she saw her gagging, let alone when she saw this alien ball shoot out of her. Focus being her first cat, all this was very new to her. Luckily, Focus reacted to treatment immediately and I am sure the rest of her life will be very different and a far cry from the day before it found itself in engine trouble.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Fur balls


Last week I met Focus and her owner for the first time. Focus is a fluffy Tal-Madonna-coloured female cat.

Fur balls cause stomach upsets and the first symptoms are vomiting, gagging and wretching

She had found herself trapped in the engine of a car when still a kitten, not knowing it was to be the best thing to ever happen to her, as it paved the way to meeting her new owner.
On her part, the cat’s owner had no idea that when her horoscope said she would meet a new special friend, it would be the four-legged type and in the engine of her brand new Ford. She had never had pets before and was not even particularly fond of them. Now, the situation is completely the opposite.
Anyone who knows cats knows that, invariably, all tricoloured cats are female. This is due to genetic reasons – colour genes are linked to the X sex chromosome. To have a tricoloured cat, you need to have two X chromosomes, which only occurs in females. The sex chromosomes in males are X and Y.
Tal-Madonna cats are patterned in a haphazard mix of white, black and ginger. Technically speaking, they are referred to as Calico-coloured cats. I did try to look up the origins of the Maltese reference, yet I could find none.
Maybe one of our linguistic readers could give us a clue as to where this information may be found. What I did find is that Calico cats can be found all over the world, and that in many places, folklore links them to good things. This may have something to do with it.
Focus is a common cat with a common problem: fur balls. These are literally balls of fur formed in the intestine when too much fur is being ingested by your cat. These cause stomach upsets and the first symptoms are vomiting, gagging and wretching.
A fur ball may or may not be brought up. Fur balls have the shape of short cigars and certainly do not smell nice. In severe cases, your cat could lose apetite, feel lethargic and suffer constipation.
Fur ball problems are best prevented and this is done, first of all, through regular grooming; the longer the fur, the more regular this exercise should be. Kittens should be groomed from an early age, so that they can get used to it. A daily five-minute grooming exercise is far better than trying to solve matted areas every three or four days on long-haired cats.
After grooming your cat, pass a damp cloth over its coat to collect any loose hair that could otherwise be ingested. It would be a good idea to do this even with short-haired cats when they are shedding a larger amount of fur during the moulting months, mostly in spring and autumn. Moulting, which is the natural process of changing winter and summer coats, may occur over a longer period with cats confined indoors.
Besides proper grooming, there are a number of other remedies one could resort to, depending on how manageable the situation is. These take the form of simply adding a few drops of oil to your cat’s food or administering fur ball paste directly to your cat on a regular basis, as well as diets specially formulated to reduce this problem. All these remedies help provide your cat with a mild laxative to reduce the possibilty of fur ball accumulation.
With cats, one has to be very careful because vomiting can also be a sign of some serious conditions. It is extremely important that vomiting is monitored carefully and if in doubt, check it out with your veterinarian.
Focus’s owner got the fright of her life when she saw her gagging, let alone when she saw this alien ball shoot out of her. Focus being her first cat, all this was very new to her.
Luckily, Focus reacted to treatment immediately and I am sure the rest of her life will be very different and a far cry from the day before it found itself in engine trouble.

Polycystic Kidney Disease ...or PKD

This week Mara came in and I should tell you straight up that Mara is a bit special to me.  Mara weighs next to nothing for a cat of her size and when I first saw her a couple of years ago she weighed even less.




Mara

Mara is a petite 10-year-old female cat, a gentle blue Harlequin with a flat face and mesmerising eyes which look enormous on her small body. By now, you may have also guessed that Mara is a pure Persian. You might well wonder why I am emphasising her Persian breed. Well, occasionally, the particular breed forms a very important consideration when it comes to veterinary medical care, an example of which Mara and Polycystic Kidney Disease is a typical case.

Many of you would know that certain ailments are more predominant among certain species – both in dogs and cats. This is what is termed ‘predisposition’, which means that certain species are more prone to suffer specific ailments or diseases.

In addition to this predisposition, certain medical ailments are actually inherited. When we colloquially refer to a disease as running in the family, what we are in fact stating is that the ailment is literally written in the genes. Since inherited genetic diseases can occur in different breeds, the inverse is also true, in that different breeds may suffer from different genetic diseases.

The good news is that medical developments in recent years have meant that some genetic diseases can be tested for, using a genetic test. Put in simple terms, for certain confirmed genetic diseases, researchers have actually identified the gene which causes the particular ailment and are able to communicate this information to veterinarians who can then pass on the diagnosis to pet owners.
For those vets like myself who have been around for a while, this was regarded as science fiction when we first started out. So it’s great for us to witness the advances in veterinary medicine that today help save animal lives.

When a genetic test is not available, inherited diseases may be recognised through clinical examinations and possibly with additional further tests. Practical examples of this are the clinical examination for retained testicles (cryptorchidism) which I discussed last week, and radiology examinations for a hip defect called hip dysplasia.

These conditions are considered to be totally or partially hereditary, which means that any animals that have been identified as suffering from these gentic disorders should no longer be used for breeding purposes. However, there are a number of hereditary ailments that are not so obvious.
And so it was for Mara. Mara suffers from PKD, an inherited genetic disease common in Persian cats, related breeds and exotic shorthairs. PKD is present from birth.

With PKD, what happens is that fluid-saturated cysts very gradually develop and grow in the kidneys up to a point where the normal kidney tissue is so suppressed that the cat suffers kidney failure.
As this process normally takes six to eight years, cats affected by PKD may have already been mated and had kittens several times over for multiple generations. This propagates the disease even further.

A genetic test is available for PKD. This can be done at any age from a simple blood sample or mouth swab and it identifies those cats which are PKD positive long before any clinical signs of PKD become externally visible.  This test is of great importance for cat breeders to be able to avoid breeding cats which are PKD positive; it is also of great importance to potential buyers of pedigree cats to know whether the kitten in question is progeny of a male and a female cat, neither of which are PKD positive.  If owners of pedigrees or Persian cats are not sure of their PKD status, they may be interested to perform this test as part of their cat’s routine medical check-up. 

In fact, the PKD test has become a critical genetic test. When it was first made available in the UK, the percentage of positive cats found was in the region of 30 per cent. Thanks to this test and good breeding management, this disease has now been greatly reduced due the elimination of PKD positive cats from breeding programmes.

Mara was already a very small cat before she lost half her body weight. A blood check showed her kidneys were compromised and a mouth swab was sent to a specialised laboratory for genetic testing.
The results arrived within a few days, confirming that Mara is PKD positive. Mara has responded very well to kidney medication and to a special diet, and she has now almost returned to her regular weight.

She is one of the lucky ones, as PKD is a potentially fatal condition for which there is no cure. Cat owner and breeder awareness is vital to helping us control this insidious disease.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Neutering your dog

Source: http://www.peanuts.com/characters/

This week Snoopy was brought to the clinic to be neutered. In itself, that should have been simple enough. But Snoopy had only one testicle and his owners had heard all sorts of scary stories regarding this condition.

True to character Snoopy can be only a Beagle… and I say this because Snoopy is the name of the cute Beagle from the comic Peanuts strip. Most of us have imprinted in our mind the image of Snoopy lying face-up atop his kennel next to his friends Woodstock and Charlie Brown.

There is nothing to dislike about Beagles. This medium-sized dog was bred in England many years ago from a selection of hound dogs. Apart from looking good and being highly intelligent, Beagles are usually gentle and very sociable. Our Snoopy was no different.

One of the most common defects male dogs can be born with is a condition where one or both testicles are not in place in the scrotal sac or scrotum. This condition is known as cryptorchidism, which comes from the Greek word kryptos, meaning hidden, and orchis meaning testicle.

As cryptorchidism is known to be also affected by genetics, it is classified as a genetic birth defect. It is for this reason that cryptorchid dogs are not eligible for dog shows and should not be used for breeding purposes.

During the development of male sexual organs in the foetal stage, the cells which will form testicular tissue originate from deep within the abdomen and descend through the inguinal canal, which is in the inner thigh or groin area, and along a path from there into the scrotum.

In many different breeds of male dogs, it could be the case that one or both testicles do not descend all the way to the scrotum and may stop at some point along the path of descent.  This is known as a retained testicle and it is always a good idea to have your new puppy checked by your vet as soon as possible to verify whether the testicles are in place. Most puppies would have their testicles dropped by the time they are due for their first vaccination at six to eight weeks.

Medically, it is important to be aware that a retained testicle has a tendency to turn into a tumour later in life. Therefore, whenever possible and whenever it can be located, the retained testicle should be removed.  This is not always easy, as a testicle which has not dropped into the scrotum does not grow to its regular size, thus making it more difficult to find. One should also consider that if the retained testicle is in the abdominal cavity, it is debatable whether surgical exploration is an option due to the difficulty in locating such testicles. However, with the help of improved imaging using ultrasound, surgical success can be better forecast.

Cryptorchidism also occurs in other animals, including cats. I have come across tomcats that have retained their aggressive and urinating behaviour even though the owners were convinced that the cat was neutered, only to find upon examination that a retained testicle was still present in the inguinal area.

Snoopy was lucky. His owners chose to get advice from a veterinarian, after which they then opted for castration of the dropped testes since the dog was not intended for breeding.  While under general anaesthetic, we did manage to locate the retained testicle deep under the skin in the inguinal area and it was removed, thus preventing a potential tumour later on. Snoopy can now live a very normal life and his owners have one (or two) less things to worry about.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Take heart!

Last week Monty came in for a health check. Monty is an eight-year-old male Pomeranian, fawn-coloured, extremely well-loved and well-kept. Monty looks only half his age and, as with most Pomeranians, stands very proudly and enjoys plenty of self-esteem.

Pomeranians originate in Germany and are descended from the German Spitz which looks like a larger version of this toy-breed dog.  The name of this breed derives from the word Pomerania, a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea stretching between eastern Germany and Poland, where it was originally bred. Pomeranians are popular in Malta, with some fine examples of this breed.

 

Monty has been a heart patient for the past two years. He was brought in late one evening heaving and gasping for breath. I found it was suffering from an acute case of congestive heart failure.  Dogs do not often suffer acute heart attacks as we understand them in humans. This is partly due to the fact that they do not develop the arterial changes that occur in the human heart.  There are also some vascular differences in the canine heart, which make it more difficult to have the classic heart attack caused by an interruption of the blood supply to any one part of the heart muscle.  What is common in dogs and, in particular, with small and medium breeds such as Pomeranians, poodles and King Charles Spaniels, is a condition called congestive heart failure (CHF).

If you can imagine the heart to be made up of two pumps lying side by side, one on the left and the other on the right – stuck together and contracting simultaneously – you can get a clear picture of how this organ works.  The job of the right pump is to circulate blood towards the lung, while that of the left is to pump blood to the rest of the body.

Each pump is made up of an upper blood-receiving chamber called the atrium, and a lower chamber called the ventricle, from which blood is pumped out of the heart. These upper and lower chambers are connected by one-way valves.  The top-left chamber receives blood from the lungs, blood goes down into the bottom-left chamber and is pumped towards the whole body. The top-right chamber receives blood from all over the body and pushes it back through the one-way valve into the bottom-right chamber, where it is sent back out to the lungs for oxygenation, thus completing the cycle. CHF happens when this blood flow is impaired.

It is more of a symptom than a disease. With CHF, the heart is not pumping efficiently. Therefore, the patient experiences a reduction in circulation with a backlog of blood flow.  It is the left pump which is most commonly affected, and although there can be other reasons, it is usually the one-way valve on this side which is not doing its job well enough by allowing blood to flow back into the top-left chamber, causing a backlog of blood in the lungs when the bottom-left chamber contracts. This is known as left-sided CHF.

The common symptoms of left-sided CHF are, in fact, mainly due to this accumlation of extra blood in the lungs that causes liquid and catarrh to accumulate in the airways, which in turn causes coughing.  Typically, the dog would still be eating and exhibiting playfulness, as there is no infection or temperature present. Coughing usually occurs when the dog gets excited and results because air is trying to get to areas of the lung which are congested with liquid that your dog is trying to clear out.
Another situation typical of left-sided CHF usually occurs a few hours into the night when the dog is sleeping; this happens due to the slow and undisturbed accumulation of liquid in the airways.
In Monty’s case, so much liquid had accumulated in the lung that he had difficulty breathing. The dog was literally drowning in his own water and suffering from an acute attack of left-sided CHF. Although it is the most common, CHF is not the only heart condition dogs suffer from.

Other conditions are dilated cardiomyopathy, which is an enlarged, weak and irregular heart that occasionally occurs in larger breeds, as well as congenital heart defects of various types, which can occur in puppies.

Heart problems also occur in cats, though not as frequently. The main symptom to look out for is intolerance to exercise, such as if your cat breathes with its mouth wide open after what should be a regular run.  At a later stage, it could suffer listlessness and loss of condition. It would be up to your veterinarian to diagnose a heart condition, so such observations should not be ignored.

Luckily, there are many new and established drugs which are effective for Monty’s condition. Having been lucky enough to pull through on that evening, Monty is now leading a relatively normal life.

Successful treatment of heart conditions depends on cooperation between yourself and your vet, relying on your observations at home together with your vet’s findings and diagnosis.  This will contribute to diagnosing the best available treatment for your pet to be able to continue leading a comfortable life.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Vets on call

Last week I felt truly, and briefly, chuffed.  I was out on a house call and, as I approached my destination, I could see an enormous, long-haired ginger cat lying behind the glass-fronted door.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it except that this must be the house; that must be the cat I was due to examine; and there it was waiting for me. As the owner came to the front door, the cat got up and sauntered down the corridor, its belly leisurely swaying from side to side.  To my surprise, the owner told me that her cat had never before waited so calmly at the front door…for anyone!

House calls are of great benefit to pet owners when planned well in advance. They are also sometimes very necessary. Advance appointments that work out well are those where the vet needs to see the pet’s environment, for example, to verify that all is well with a dog that has just given natural birth.

In such situations, your vet would be looking at both mother and pups, as well as the whelping box and environment. I will never forget the case of the German Shepherd that lost half its litter within two days of giving birth at the height of summer, just because the owner thought that, it being August, there was no need to provide insulated bedding for the puppies; or the case of the Dalmatian expected to have a successful litter whelping outside in a wooden cupboard during a freezing cold January. 

Other very good reasons for house calls would be when pet owners need several pets to be seen to during the same appointment; or else to carry out routine vaccinations on a large number of dogs or cats.  Depending on circumstances, you might ask your vet to do a house call to check out long-standing skin conditions or unexpected growths such as lumps beneath the skin, bearing in mind that diagnosis necessitates further tests or surgery, which would be best carried out within the ambience of a fully-equipped veterinary clinic.

On the other hand, for the benefit of your pet, it is important to appreciate that in the case of acute situations and emergencies, clinic visits will produce far better results. The situation is best discussed with your vet, who will guide you according to the case at hand.  If your vet advises you that it is necessary to take your pet to the clinic, it is important to take heed of this advice.  Such cases include, but are by no means limited to, sudden vomiting or loss of weight, acute diarrhoea or anorexia, as well as suspected cases of intoxication or poisoning, or trauma and injury, which may need immediate medical attention that goes beyond what may be offered during a simple house call.  X-rays, blood tests, ultrasound or surgical intervention may be necessary to come to a particular diagnosis or resolve a particular medical condition.

Car sickness in dogs is quite common. So if this puts you off taking your dog to the veterinary clinic, discuss the problem with your vet. There are a number of mild medications that would resolve this inconvenience, the benefit of which is that this medication can also be used for other reasons of car travel with your dog, such as walks in the countryside.

It is important that if you’ve arranged for your vet to visit your cat, make sure that it is already confined when the house call happens. Some cats are shy of vets on house calls and Ginger, I soon found out, was no different.  With the owner and myself trying to cajole Muffin to come out from underneath the bed, I made a mental note to self that my next topic would be about house calls. Muffin never did venture out from under the bed during this particular house call.

The purpose of the visit was to administer Muffin's first cat-flu vaccination…which we successfully achieved on the next well-planned house call.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Healthy and Happy

Last week, during a moment of distress, a young client made a heartfelt plea. I could tell she was really worried about Kitty who was in a very bad way.  Between one explanation and another about what had happened to her cat, she said: “Please save her! I really love her and I’m not used to having a cat that lived for so long.” 

This time round, I can lay no claim to Kitty’s longevity, as it was the first time that I was seeing this patient. Kitty is a 14-year-old white and ginger, female cat that was brought to the clinic extremely thin and dehydrated.  The case proved to be complicated, with kidney failure playing a strong role in the situation. Though each recovery stage was not certain, she’s slowly improving. They don’t all come easy.

It’s very touching when you see 18-year-olds come in with their sick pet of about the same age and you realise that they literally grew up together and that your client does not know life without their pet.  Possibly due to better awareness, preventative medicine, improved veterinary treatment and standard of living, the life expectancy of our pets has become longer. It is always satisfying to see cats that are approaching 20 years, and just as satisfying to see dogs of 16 years or older; such as one of my old patients Bully, a Doberman that lived to the ripe old age of 17, when the average age for this breed is 12.

I’m sure that every owner wishes that their pet lives the longest possible good-quality life. Loving your pet plays a big role in extending their life, but it is not enough. The preventive care and medicine you can and should provide favours this happening.  From feeding pets the best-quality food, to ensuring the best possible veterinary treatment when problems arise, as well as following your veterinarian’s advice with regard to preventive medicine, the important thing is to adhere to best practices from a pet’s young age. This gives them the best possible start in life.

It’s particularly important that any medication you administer to your pet is prescribed preferably by the veterinary surgeon you trust and who is familiar with the history of your dog or cat.  Any routine advice given to you by your vet with regard to feeding regimes, vaccinations, internal or external parasite treatment, skin, ear or teeth care will always be intended to give your pet a good and healthy long life.

We are what we eat, and the same applies to our pets. Irrespective of whether we feed our pet home-made or commercial food, we should make sure this is of good quality and well-adapted to the type and age of our pet.  Much of the feeding habits our pets develop depend on how we bring them up as puppies or kittens. Quantity, quality and feeding times are important factors in this respect.

A beneficial thing to learn early on is how to recognise the body condition of your pet. This would make it easier for you to know whether you should increase or decrease the quantity of food you are feeding.  One important thing is to get kittens used to wet food from an early age so that they are not dry-food dependent, which is such a common cause of urinary problems in tomcats. Older pets need a different diet, which is based on a lower protein level to safeguard against kidney disease - our pets’ greatest enemy during old age.

Having learnt how to look at your pet to be able to keep their weight in check, it is also important to note unexplained changes. Apart from the obvious symptoms of vomiting or changes to feeding or pooing habits, you should also take note of water intake and any unexplained weight gain or loss, as these may be an early symptom of some underlying medical condition. Any changes should be reported to your vet without delay.  Your vet will also advise you on the number of medical check-ups your pet should get; normally a minimum of once every six months or more frequently, depending on age and current medical condition.

During these visits, you may be given advice based on urine analyses or blood tests, again depending on the age and condition of your pet. You will be advised as to which vaccinations are necessary for your dog according to its lifestyle and environment; similarly for your cat, depending on whether it is house-bound or comes in direct contact with strays.  Make sure you get advice on worming treatment and tick, flea and sandfly prevention during these visits – it’s all too easyto underestimate the serious consequences of these parasites and insects.

Spaying is the single most effective way you can prevent a whole range of problems in both dogs and cats, so it deserves special mention. In females, this operation often prevents mammary tumours and pyometra (infection of the uterus) occurring later in life, while in males, it prevents prostate and testicular problems as well as reducing aggression.  Again, the decision whether and when to perform this operation should be discussed in detail with your vet to make sure you are neutering your pet at the right time and for the right reasons, as well as to make sure your pet is in good health to undertake suchan operation.

If finances are a problem because you are living on a pension or receiving some form of social benefit, or perhaps you own a large number of dogs, as is usually the case in the farming community, you can obtain help directly from your veterinary surgeon in collaboration with the Dogs Trust Foundation. Together, they subsidise the neutering of dogs and cats for people who qualify, according to financial criteria.  (information correct as at time of writing).

I’m looking forward to examining Kitty during her next visit. I hope she will overcome her present crisis and live on for another good number of years.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

The heat is on!

Last week I was asked a couple of pertinent questions about mating. Now I know that we’re in the middle of the ‘silly season’ but I can assure you that although this first question may come across as funny to some, it is nevertheless a topic that troubles some pet owners and so deserves discussion. The question that I was asked relates to mixed blood in the litter.

 

Q: My two-year-old pure breed female Labrador was previously mated by a German Pointer and they had a cross-breed litter. If I now have my Labrador mated by a pure breed Labrador, will the puppies be pure or could they have Pointer blood?

A: Firstly, let me state from the outset that there is no way that any male genes from a previous mating can be retained within the female dog and transposed to a subsequent mating. So, to answer this question, there will be no Pointer blood from the mating of the first litter tainting the next litter, and all the puppies of the second litter will be pure if mating is done with another pure Labrador.
However, this very much depends on how careful pet owners are with their female dog when she is on heat.

Bitches usually have a number of puppies in their litter, but if a bitch has mated more than once during the same heat and one or more of those matings happened with other breeds, then the resulting litter could very well include a mix of pure breed and cross-breed puppies .

For example, if this client had her bitch mated with another pure Labrador and then, accidentally or intentionally, permitted a mating with a Doberman, half the puppies could be pure Labradors and half could be Labrador Doberman crosses all in the same litter. This takes us to another common misconception (excuse the pun) where the visible cycle manifested in the bitch is called a ‘period’ instead of a ‘heat’.

Of course, this use of terminology originates from the manifest cycle in women; however, the difference between a ‘period’ and a ‘heat’ could not be more contrasting.  The heat in bitches corresponds to the ovulation part of their cycle, that is, when the egg is leaving the ovary, and it signifies the the most fertile part of the female cycle. In contrast, the period in women corresponds to a cleaning out of the uterus and is the least fertile time of the female cycle. So, coming back to the canine species, another very relevant question that I was asked a couple of days ago relates to the timing of dog mating.

Q: I would like to mate my Cocker Spaniel and I was told that the best day for this is the 11th and 12th day of her heat. Is this correct?

A: The quick answer is ‘not quite’. We have established that the heat in bitches corresponds to the fertile part of the cycle; this fertility peaks at approximately 48 hours after the bleeding stops. As the bleeding very often lasts nine days, this means that the best time for mating would be the 11th and 12th day.

But it doesn’t always happen like that. Sometimes you encounter a bitch whose bleeding time is shorter than nine days; you may find another whose bleeding time is longer. You might find a female dog where you are not quite sure what is happening as the bleeding starts and stops erratically. So how would you handle such a situation?

It is very important to know that the female bitch will accept the male dog only when she is at the peak of her fertility; this is very important as I have heard many stories of situations where the bitch would not accept the male and the owner tried time and again to force the mating at a particular time that was unsuitable for the bitch.

The best way to go about it is to start counting from when the bleeding stops. You would normally take the female to the male every second day after the bleeding has stopped, and the day following a successful mating. Remember to keep a record of the date as this will come in very handy when you take your bitch to your vet for its check-up.

You should do this at about four weeks from mating for a pregnancy diagnosis, which is done by palpation, ultrasound, and/or a specific blood test, and to begin the management of your bitch’s pregnancy in preparation for a successful whelping and litter.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

What is FLUTD?

This week, it was truly amazing to witness Ginger pulling through after having endured a terribly painful urine tract obstruction.  So many male cats die because of this ailment and it is frustrating to think that so many deaths could be avoided.

Ginger was brought in semi-collapsed and barely moving and when I started examining him, I was very much in the dark as to what to expect because he had been temporarily living away from home so his owners were unable to provide first-hand information as to how he had got to this state.
Until, that is, I felt the tell-tale sign, an oversized and full bladder. Ginger was suffering from a urine tract obstruction; put simply, he couldn’t pee at all.

Anyone with cats who have experienced this problem, and I know that there are many, will understand how painful this condition can be.  Sadly, many of you also know that in some cases the condition becomes so serious that it cannot be resolved and the cat dies or needs to be put down.

The usual first symptom that something is not quite right is when your cat starts visiting the litter tray more often than usual, or when they spend more time in the litter tray than normal.  It occurs because they are having difficulty urinating and keep trying to relieve themselves. In such cases, the sooner you take your cat to your vet, the better the chances of survival.

Urine tract obstruction forms part of a condition known as feline lower urinary tract disease, better known as FLUTD. Most cases of obstruction are due to inflammation of the bladder and tract, urethra plugs and bladder stones which, in the case of cats, often come in the form of fine sticky sand that causes obstruction of the water ways. 

FLUTD can also be present in female cats since it occurs mostly in cats that do not drink enough water for the amount of dry food they eat.  Cats which are not good drinkers and eat mostly or wholly dry foods are the ones that are most at risk of FLUTD.

It is not necessary to give dry food to cats; in fact, dry food is more of a convenience for us than it is for the cat’s benefit. It is always a good idea to get kittens used to eating wet or canned food.
If dry cat food needs to be given, it is important that this be of a good quality and fed as a minor portion of your cat’s daily intake.

If your cat has a history of FLUTD, or if they are poor drinkers, then dry food is best avoided for the sake of your cat’s health. Always make sure your cat has a fresh supply of drinking water. There are also special water fountains available for cats that prefer running water.

Other factors often mentioned as predisposing FLUTD are cats that are neutered, overweight, middle-aged, that do not exercise much and have restricted litter trays. Stress can also play an important role in predisposing a cat to suffer from FLUTD. There are a number of options a veterinarian can opt for to treat this condition.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Fleas, ticks, and sandflies

This week it’s difficult to find anything amusing to say about this topic...the reason being that it’s the season to protect cats against fleas, and dogs against fleas, ticks and sandflies.  

 

I vividly remember  the case of a client who could not get rid of the fleas from her small dog and, having time and again affirmed that that she does not feed stray cats in her garden, eventually told me that her neighbour does.

When planning the right form of protection for your pet, you need to keep in mind two criteria: firstly, fleas, ticks and sandflies need to be considered together and, secondly, you need to give your vet the whole picture.

Fleas are blood-sucking insects that drain blood from your dog or cat. If left uncontrolled, they multiply very quickly into the hundreds and on small-sized pets this can be life treatening.  Fleas also play an important part in the lifecycle of tapeworms, which are intestinal flat worms found in both dogs and cats.  Flea larvae ingest tapeworm eggs; when the infected flea is ingested by the dog or cat during grooming or nipping, the tapeworm then starts to develop inside the intestine.

Of course, the biggest problem with fleas is that they are the most common cause of itching allergies in dogs and cats.  A few important things to know about fleas is that they breed mostly at home, flea-eggs can last unhatched for a very long time just waiting for a new host (your pet) to come along.

 

Whatever treatment or preventive measures you consider this must also include all pets present in the household since fleas are highly successful insects that spread everywhere.  In this respect, a common misconception amongst cat-owners is that a cat that never leaves the house cannot get fleas.  Unfortunately, fleas are very resourceful insects and they will find a way to target even house-bound cats.

Ticks, on the other hand, tend to hitch a ride on dogs, which are their preferred target, when they are out of the house and, in particular, when they are out in the countryside.  Ticks can be present in alarmingly huge numbers and because they are larger than fleas they can be even more life-threatening as they suck a larger volume of blood from the host dog.  Monitoring for ticks, even the occasional one, is vital to the well-being of your dog because they can transmit the ‘tick disease’ called Ehrlichia.

Ehrlichiosis is, sadly, highly-present in Malta, and is caused by a type of bacteria called ‘rickettsia’ which infects the blood cells of the host dog.  Ehrlichia is an insidious disease: not only is it life-treatening, it can also go undetected for a long time and is not easy to get rid of.  The main symptoms to look out for are weightloss, anaemia, and nose bleeds. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine yet available against Ehrlichia, so the protection of dogs from ticks is an imperative for dog-owners.

One disease for which we now have a vaccine is the ‘sandfly disease’.  Sandflies are tiny mosquitoes that prefer areas with vegetation and coastal regions, and prevail during hot still summer evenings.  Sandflies transmit the dreaded Leishmanosis disease.  Even if you have vaccinated your dog with the newly-available Leishmania ‘Sandfly’ Vaccine, you still need to consider protecting your dog against sandflies since, as with most vaccines, this measure is not necessarily an absolute prevention.

 

The number of different products on the market intended to prevent fleas, ticks and sandflies is huge, and some are more effective than others.  The products range from a variety of sprays, spot-ons, tablets and injections, as well as natural repellants and other means of protection.  In deciding what preventive measures to take, you need to consider the number of cats and/or dogs in the house, as well as the type of property you live in.  The number of times your dog gets washed may be important since not all products are waterproof; in the case of cats, you’d need to consider whether they are allowed to roam outside and whether they have contact with other cats.

Before deciding on which products to purchase it would be a good idea to ask the advice of your vet as to which are best to use, and how they should be applied – both if you want to take preventative measures, as well as against full blown infestation.  It is important to give your vet the whole picture…remember the story of the client who did not feed stray cats.

 

Dr Martin Debattista

Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Veterinary Emergency Services

Last week I was on my 24-hour emergency duty shift and one evening I experienced one of those cases where, no matter how late at night it is, you know that it was well worth the effort of providing the service.

An enormous Alkaskan Malamut had collapsed due to a multitude of ticks which had attacked him after he was left in a field for a couple of days. The ticks had sucked so much blood from him that he had almost died… but that’s another story.

The Veterinary Emergency Service has been running for many years now and is quite possibly unique in that it involves almost all resident veterinarians and provides a veterinary service on a 24-hour basis that complements their availability and opening hours.

As you can imagine, working as an emergency vet involves coming across a remarkable array of challenging cases and situations. But there was one particular dog I met on one of my very early duties as an emergency vet that taught me a great deal about the mutual respect that exists between vets and animals.

I recall that when I was fresh out of vet school, I was lucky enough to find a job at a 24-hour clinic in Milan, the city where I had graduated. My shifts consisted of one night in four, working from 7 p.m. till 9 a.m.

At the time we typically had normal clinic hours up until about midnight, usually visited by residents who worked very late and needed to have their pets attended to when they got home. After midnight, the doors were locked and we were allowed to get some sleep; anyone turning up to see the emergency vet would have to ring the doorbell.

It was 2 a.m. during one of these night shifts when I heard the doorbell ring. Looking through the glass door, I could see four youths pointing to a black poodle which they had secured by its collar using a length of string.

I opened the door and let them into the clinic, hoping that it was a genuine veterinary emergency.
Thankfully, it actually was.  In the darkness of the street I had not noticed that the poodle had a bandage on his front paw. The young people explained that they were walking back home and took a shortcut through the park when they came across the dog all alone with the bandage on its paw which had become so black with dirt that it could hardly be seen. Clearly it had been on the poodle’s paw for a very long time.  The youths had decided to do something about it that same night. For a young vet, this was memorable enough, yet nothing compared to what I was about to experience.

I placed the poodle on the examination table. Although very thin he was still able to stand and remained very, very calm. When I looked at him he just looked straight back at me. It was as if he knew I was going to help him.

Those of you who have experience with removing very tight bandages know that the best way to remove them is to unfold or unwrap, rather than trying to insert a pair of scissors and cutting underneath. And so I did.

 I held the dog’s paw with one hand and with the other slowly started to unravel the bandage that had adhered to its flesh.  What transfixed me that night is that every time I managed to undo a piece of bandage, the poodle would quickly pull away his paw in pain, and then slowly put it out again into my hand, all the while looking straight at me with teary eyes.

Suddenly, for the young naive vet that I was at the time, dogs transformed from being animals we studied in books to medicate or operate on, to creatures capable of mutual respect for us. The poodle’s unwavering trust in me lasted throughout the treatment. As expected, under the bandage, I found some very sore and tender skin, something a gentle wash and some soothing cream applied soon helped to start the healing process.

Whenever you have an emergency and your regular vet is unavailable at the time, it is important that you inform the attending emergency vetereinary surgeon that you would like a copy of the medical details of the consultation so that you can refer the case back to your regular vet at the earliest possible time.

For the safety of your pet, it is vital that a full history of the patient is kept on file. This should avoid embarrassing situations arising at a later date when you try to obtain a late report, and it would also help your vet treat your pet with full knowledge of past medication administered.

The following are important telephone numbers that you should take note of:

5250 2000

This is the telephone number of the Malta Veterinary Association’s 24-hour service, which enables you to have your pet seen to and treated at any time of day or night by the roster vet on duty. (Each call costs €5.)

7940 4030

This is a Veterinary Emergency Helpline which is intended to give immediate professional advice on how best to deal with your emergency.

Dr. Martin Debattista,
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththvet@gmail.com

Stay cool, dog

The week was almost over and I was still undecided as to what to discuss when in walked Snoopy. And as Snoopy’s problem unfolded, it reminded me of a series e-mails that Ihad received from a friend that same week. Here, I thought, is a very timely topic to discuss.

Snoopy is a beautiful white-speckled elderly racing greyhound who chose Malta as his country of retirement. Whenever I see him, I invariably wonder at all the stories he would have of his racing days in the greyhound stadium.

I was informed by Snoopy’s owners that his professional life would have lasted around four years; after which he was placed up for adoption.  Today he is lucky to have become a companion pet and this is his first summer here. Unfortunately, Snoopy has not taken very well to the hot weather and although he is a lot better now, he did have a couple of days of feeling, quite literally, ‘under the weather’.

Dogs do not sweat; therefore they need to pant to reduce their body temperature. Snoopy’s was a relatively mild case of ‘heat stress’, but when dogs are left in very high temperatures, the condition rapidly turns into ‘heat stroke’ which becomes life threatening.  During a heat stroke, a dog’s body temperature can go up to 41.1˚C and over, when the normal body temperature of a dog is 38.6˚C.
Quite apart from the obvious rule of never leaving your dog in the car in the sun – with or without ventilation – there are also unfortunate situations where dogs are left on the roof with no shelter, or unthinkingly left in a yard which then becomes a heat trap on summer days.

I have encountered situations of intense heat building up behind a metal garage door with pets left locked up in the garage. And I remember one fatal case when a dog was taken for an enthusiastic run by a friend of the owner in the early afternoon on a hot summer’s day.

Although such incidents should be consciously avoided, in case of an accident, an immediate cold shower or bath, repeated until the dog’s temperature is at a more acceptable level, would be the best first aid that you can give to your pet, followed by a call to your vet as soon as possible for additional guidance, and a follow-up visit for peace of mind.

Cats tend to avoid heat stroke, and this is possibly because they normally have more freedom of movement around their environment and so always manage to find the coolest place to lie in.
With cats, an important thing to be aware of is severe inflammation of the tips of the ears that can occur, particularly in white cats. This is due to the fact that white cats’ ears have no protection from the sun’s rays and, if left unchecked, can become extremely serious.  White cats that regularly sunbathe are at risk of skin cancer on their ears and, in extreme cases, the ears have to be amputated in an attempt to prevent the cancer from spreading.

The e-mail I mentioned earlier on discussed issues regarding dogs and boats. First of all it is important that whatever precautions we take for ourselves with regard to heat stress and sun stroke, such as staying in the shade and drinking lots of water, we also need to apply to our dogs if they are going to spend the day out on a boat.

In terms of safety, you’ll find that all manner of canine life jackets are available on the online market.
Another thing to remember, especially when you have a puppy, is that the first times that it goes swimming it will have no idea that seawater is not potable; if you’re not careful your puppy may drink quite alot of seawater and this will give it terrible diarrhoea.

Finally, always remember to rinse your dog from seawater after a swim.  This brings to mind a related topic: a common problem I find is that many dogs are not washed often enough in summer.  This causes the skin to dry out and by September, dry skin problems become evident.  The skin needs to be considered as a tree and unless we keep it hydrated it will dry out.  The nicest coats I see are those of dogs which are rinsed or washed on a regular basis – at least twice a week if not more often during the hot summer months.

Dr. Martin Debattista,
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

A vet, a law student, and a goat

This week I removed Gracy’s stitches. Now, you’re probably thinking this is no big deal; after all, I’m a veterinary surgeon and this is what we do.

Well, surgery was not always regarded as a normal part of our work and I remember a time when any suggestion of surgery to pet owners was met with horror – their expectation being that animals couldn’t possibly survive surgery.  Thankfully, this mindset was common a good 30 years ago when I had just qualified, but pet owners are now very open to recommendations for surgery when it is needed or when it can improve an animal’s quality of life.  Along with this, people’s perceptions of the capabilities of our profession has certainly increased... and rightly so.

The great advances made in the drugs and systems of anaestesia, as well as the personal investment in knowlege and capabilities by our local veterinarians over the years has ensured that surgical procedures have become so much safer. Indeed, dogs and cats are operated on for a multitude of reasons. Neutering, whether male or female, is by far the most common reason for surgery.
We also often need to perform abdominal surgery to remove foreign bodies or abdominal tumours, correct internal or external hernias, do caesarean sections, as well as operate on the urinary system to remove stones.  We get to do plenty of soft-tissue surgery following trauma, or to remove cysts orperform mastectomies. There is also considerable need for orthopeadic surgery for bone fractures and orthopaedic problems in the knee or hip joints.

Sometimes surgery involves delicate procedures on the eyes or ears and occasionally we need to operate on other animals, such as rabbits or guinea pigs. But my patient this time was a heavily-pregnant pygmy goat. 

I knew that she was due to give birth soon.  I also I knew that her owner was going to be abroad. But what were the chances that it would all go wrong on a Saturday night?  I received the call for help at 6 p.m. telling me that Gracy the goat was in distress. Something was showing from the back, and the last time she had been checked was several hours before. There really was no alternative but to go and have a look.

By the time I arrived at the residence, it was too dark to be able to examine Gracy in her pen. The best light and table in the house were in the kitchen, so the table was duly scrubbed down and up went Gracy.

My misgivings were not unfounded. As I examined Gracy, I could feel two tiny legs, but the head had not followed the limbs. Gracy being such a tiny goat, there was simply no room to manouever the head back into place.  A couple of valiant attempts by Gracy to give birth convinced us that whatever plans we had made for Saturday night should be cancelled or largely delayed. And it was going to have to be a caesarean section.

What I had in front of me was a pygmy goat that could not give birth, as well as a law student, his friend and a kitchen-cum-examination room which needed to be converted into a makeshift operating theatre.  After a quick dash to the clinic to collect all the required medication and instruments, all the while mentally walking through the entire operation to make sure I did not forgot anything, and back to Gracy’s house to prep the counter tops and aside a functional area for the instruments, I gave Gracy her anaestetic.

The newborn did not survive the caesarian section. Yet, had we not gone ahead with the operation, Gracy would have also died.  After the operation Gracy spent the night recovering in a very warm room. What was really touching was that she would relax only when her head was being stroked by a member of the family – the owner’s family, that is, not Gracy’s!

So this week I was delighted to be removing her stitches because these were certainly not stitches that had been put in under the ideal conditions.  I was also happy to remove these stitches because it also meant that Gracy had recovered from her ordeal.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Caring for pet rabbits

This week I didn’t recognise Stewie. First of all I should tell you that I did not fabricate Stewie’s name and possibly only in Malta can a pet rabbit have a name that simultaneously suggests a local epicurean delight as well as the shortened form of Stewart. So Stewie it is.

I didn’t recognise Stewie because the last time I saw him, which was three months ago, he was suffering from the worse case of mange that I have ever seen in a rabbit.  Mange is caused by a microscopic mite which falls under the Arachnida class – the eight-legged invertebrates to which ticks, spiders and scorpions also belong.  Mange is also known as scabies.

The mange mite is not visible to the eye and burrows into the outer layers of skin, resulting in a build-up of multiple layers of dead skin.  In rabbits, the usual mange lesions are found on the ear flaps, the toes, and the nose tip. Stewie had a nose which was overgrown by at least two inches, and ears so heavily laden with extra scale that they they had flopped downward.  Mange mites are obligatory parasites: they can survive only a limited amount of time unless they have a host, and Stewie had been purchased three months previously, which was probably how long he had been infested.

Luckily, mange mites are what we call species-specific; there is no risk of these mites infesting other animals or humans.  The good news is that there is a very effective injectable insecticide treatment which has been available since the early 1980s, and which has made it possible to eradicate mange from rabbits, even when it is present in large commercial holdings.

Now I could finally see Stewie's face for what it was, looking perfectly normal and healthy. But mange is only one of the ailments that typically affect rabbits. 

The lifespan of pet rabbits is about eight to twelve years. There are a large number of breeds of rabbits, yet it is usually the minature types that are kept as pets like, for example, the Polish, the lion head or the Netherland dwarf.

Rabbits are hind gut fermentors which means that the bulk of the digestion process is done by fermentation and this occurs beyond the stomach, in the caecum and colon.  Fermentation is a very delicate process, so to avoid intestinal problems do not introduce sudden changes in diet.

There are other reasons why rabbits need to be taken to the vet. These could include trimming of the front teeth which are overgrown due to malocclusion. The incisors of rabbits grow continuously so, if they are not perfectly aligned, they overgrow.  Torticollis is another ailment rabbits may suffer from. This causes the rabbit’s head to be permanently tilted. Treatment is not often successful, though the rabbit can otherwise eat and drink despite this condition.

If you have pet rabbits, especially if you own a small breed, it is important to remember that due to the large surface area relative to body weight they can easily become cold and suffer hypothermia, especially if left in a cold and drafty place.

Rabbits can also suffer from normal ailments like eye infections, respiratory problems, skin infections or bone fractures. One of the smallest plasters I have ever placed was on a two-year-old rabbit called Sally.

Also important to mention are two infectous diseases for which we can fortunately vaccinate: myxomatosis and VHD (viral haemorraghic disease), which has been around only since the early 1990s. Your veterinarian will be able to advise as and when these vaccinations should be administered.

Rabbits can make excellent pets. Besides the benefits of providing small animal companionship, rabbits can serve as an excellent medium to educate children about the importance of animal ownership and care.

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

It's good to smile

This week Tiny Zeus – known as TZ – came to the clinic. This is always a big affair because TZ is a seven-year-old, proud and beautiful Great Dane, weighing in at 50 kg.

TZ came to the clinic to have his teeth cleaned. This is generally done under light anaesthetic. It’s important that dogs’ teeth are checked regularly and it was good to note that TZ’s teeth were not half as bad as some dogs that come in with severe gum and teeth problems. A lot more care is needed in this area.

Teeth are the only exterior part of the body which does not naturally shed their surface; therefore, they are not self-cleaning and are prone to getting covered by a thin, soft and sticky film which comprises a mixture of biological material and bacteria. This is pale yellow in colour and is known as dental plaque.

If left undisturbed, mineralisation of dental plaque transforms it into tartar, which is darker, thicker, harder, and less easily removed.  A build-up of bacteria occurs beneath the tartar, which causes inflammation of the gums. It is also a possible way of entry and colonisation by bacteria in other parts of the body such as internal organs.

Inflammation of the gum (gengivitis) causes these to recede, which is not only painful, but also exposes the roots of the teeth. This can and will eventually cause tooth loss.  All this manifests itself with the obvious symptoms of bad breath, trouble with eating and chewing, and sore or bleeding gums.

It is estimated that over 80 per cent of dogs and cats above three years of age have dental problems.
Although it is known that different breeds tend to have different build-up rates of tartar, both dogs and cats should have their teeth checked during their bi-annual check-up.

In my experience, the smaller the breed the more build-up prevails, but top of the list for tartar formation and tooth decay is the Greyhound – this is because of the soft diets racing Greyhounds are given and the poor layering of enamel coating on their teeth.

The best way to reduce build-up of plaque on your pet’s teeth is to brush them on a regular basis. In order to be effective this should be done at least three times a week.  Do not use human toothpaste as this is not ideally formulated for dogs and cats. There are special pet toothpastes attractively flavoured to help reduce your pet’s anxiety.

It would be a good idea to get your pet used to having its teeth brushed from an early age; there are finger toothbrushes to help you in the process.  There are special dental diets for pets. In combination with certain ingredients which contribute towards the reduction of plaque mineralisation, the shape and fibre content of these diets exert a mechanical action on tartar formation.  There are also various edible and non-edible dental chews and treats on the market which claim to reduce the amount of plaque and tartar build-up whilst improving your pet’s breath. Most of these products need to be given on a regular basis to be effective.

If you decide on one of these treatments, you need to find the right match for your dog according to how aggresively it chews and how large it is.  When it comes to chews, you need to consider the added calories and cost of upkeep. Some chews are better than others. I’m not particularly keen on hard-compressed chews or hard bones as parts of these may be broken off, ingested, and cause injury or blockage.

There are a number of dog toys which are shaped and formulated to reduce tartar formation; again, make sure toys are of good quality.  There also a number of natural remedies. One which is increasingly gaining importance for both dogs and cats is derived from a specially selected seaweed. The seaweed comes ready pulverised and is administered by sprinkling over food.

No matter what form, single or multiple, of dental hygene product you decide upon, none of these substitute your veterinarian’s tooth and mouth check-up.  With TZ’s teeth cleaning session over and his owner happy that he could once again resume his ‘close’ relationship with his dog, it was time for the dog to go home – not quite as happy as his owner, but certainly smelling better.

Dr Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

The heat is on

This week Sufa came in. I’m so glad she’s still alive.

Sufa is a reserved, nine-year-old, black and white, flat-faced, female cat, and sister of Sacha, Beauty, Timmy, Tutina, Betty, Micha, Cici and Vince. Sufa had already come in two weeks earlier looking extremely thin and dehydrated; her eyes deep in their sockets, very lethargic and completely off her food.  I’ll jump ahead here and skip the diagnostics to say straight up that she was suffering from a uterine infection which is medically known as Pyometra.  We pumped Sufa up with drip to counter her dehydration plus a good dose of vitamins and the appropriate antibiotics.

 

 

Sufa was well-loved and her owner was very worried. I saw and treated Sufa again the next morning; the medication that I had given her just a few hours before had done its job and that same evening she was well enough to be operated on and have the infected uterus removed.  I had not seen her since her operation, and with no phone call from her owners to report her progress, I had no idea how she was faring.

So I was delighted not only to see her well and truly alive, but also to see that she had gained some weight and was looking good.  Having no crisis to deal with during this visit, I learnt that of the nine cats residing in this household, only the male cats had been neutered.

Male cats are neutered because they have a tendency to urinate around the house and will almost certainly fight other tomcats in the vicinity given half the chance.  Apart from the physical harm this could cause, there are a number of viral diseases that they can contract when they scratch each other.

Most dangerous of these are Feline Leukaemia (also known as Felv), and Feline Immune Deficiency virus (known as Fiv). Both of these diseases are very serious and are often found among stray cats.
It is also recommended to neuter female cats that are not intended for mating since cats are on heat every three weeks in the spring and in autumn and the call signs made by female cats on heat can be very vocal

As in Sufa’s case, cats do not handle uterine problems very well if and when these develop.  Pyometra occurs mostly in cats thatm have not fallen pregnant for a number of cycles. This can happen at any age, but usually in cats which are at least five years old.  The reason for this is due to the hormonal changes to the uterine wall which favour the establishment of an infection.

Problems start approximately four to six weeks after being on heat. Symptoms can vary depending on whether the cervix is open or not, which may result in a vaginal discharge. Typically, among the first symptoms to occur is a loss of appetite and an increase in water intake.

What did amaze me with this case was the love and concern shown by the owner towards Sufa, even though she was one of nine cats. I’m sure that it is not easy to be able to feed and take care of so many cats.  And yet these cats have now been living together for a number of years, with ages spanning from as young as two to as old as 15.

Reading through, I am glad that I managed to avoid the obvious play on words that if one cat has nine lives, what happens when you have nine cats …

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com