Question: Feline Urinary Issues pt 1

Dr. Schaeberle,

My cat continues to have urinary issues and problems, why?

Thanks,
Heather

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Dear Heather,

A number of years ago one of my partners, Dr. Hoffman, commented that many diseases that we had difficulty either diagnosing or treating 25 to 30 years ago are now diagnosed and treated with ease. One exception however is feline urinary disease. The trouble is that feline urinary disease is a complicated syndrome with multiple causes. Thus my plan is a three-part series. Today I will talk about the variety of lower urinary tract syndromes we see, next week I’ll discuss the causes, and in two weeks I’ll review the treatments.

The usual history of lower urinary disease is either that the cat is urinating outside the litter box and/or straining to urinate in the litter box. Our first job is to decide if the cat has urinary disease or a behavioral problem. A urinalysis is needed to determine if we have disease.

What are the typical feline urinary diseases seen?

Bacterial infection. The simplest cause but researchers say it is not that common in young or middle-aged cats.

Irritating crystals in the urine. The development of mostly magnesium crystals in the urine can cause a life-threatening urinary blockage in male cats. As crystals develop they can plug the urethra, which if left untreated, can be fatal. It is believed by many veterinarians that these crystals in the bladder can cause a cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) in both male and female cats.

Bladder stones. As with dogs and people, cats can develop bladder stones which mostly are made up of either calcium or magnesium. A bladder x-ray is necessary for this diagnosis.

Bladder cancer. A relatively a rare disease in cats.

Feline idiopathic cystitis. The word idiopathic means that we simply do not know the cause of the bladder inflammation.The inside of the bladder is inflamed but no cause has yet been determined.

Please visit our website myshilohvet.com, go to Resources, and explore feline lower urinary tract disease. You will see that this syndrome causes almost 50% of our cystitis cases.

Next week we will talk about the cause of these syndromes.

Thanks,
Thomas Schaeberle, V.M.D.

Question: How safe is anesthesia for my pets?

Dr. Schaeberle,

How safe is anesthesia for my pet?

Thanks,
Jody

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Dear Jody,

As with the human medicine, anesthetic agents and protocols have greatly improved over the past few decades. When I was a student at the University of Pennsylvania 32 years ago, I was trained to use a common combination of human anesthetics to anesthetize pets. Shortly thereafter I experienced my first anesthetic death in a small poodle. It was devastating to me and I even questioned whether I wanted to practice veterinary medicine.

With the many changes in anesthesia protocols through the years, veterinary medicine is now safer for all pets, including older dogs and cats with chronic medical conditions, not just young pets for neutering.

What is the difference over 30 years?

1. Probably the biggest difference over the past few decades has been in anesthesia monitoring. As a certified member of the American Animal Hospital Association, we are
obligated to monitor all pets that undergo surgery. All of our patients are monitored for oxygen levels, respiratory and pulse rates, body temperature and EKG recordings.

2. As mentioned in last week’s article, we are proud to have 8 college graduate technicians. Our technicians are well-trained in anesthesia protocols and the monitoring of anesthesia. They stay with the pet from the beginning of anesthesia to the pet’s awakening.

3. Over the past 30 years, there have been a few new anesthetic agents introduced but what has changed veterinary medicine the most is the combination of anesthetics that we use, increasing safety dramatically.

4. The placement of an IV catheter and administration of IV fluids helps to maintain a stable blood pressure while a pet is under anesthesia. It also allows rapid delivery of the anesthetic drugs, and if necessary, life-saving medications in the event of an anesthetic problem.

5. Lastly, preoperative bloodwork is mandatory for most of our anesthesia and surgery cases. Anesthetic drugs are removed by the kidney and/or liver, and problems such as diabetes or clotting disorders are also picked up with preoperative bloodwork.

Go to our website, myshilohvet.com to download our surgery check list: under Services, Fees, click on Major & Minor Surgery. This informative brochure will help you understand the keys to a safe surgery for your pet.

Thanks,
Thomas Schaeberle, V.M.D.