EMERGENCY CARE

Cancer Warning Signs

One in five cats ends up diagnosed with cancer, often in his geriatric years. Moreover, cancer in cats is three to four times more...

Should Your Cat Need Blood

In human medicine, anyone can receive blood donated by someone who is type O. Type O’s are known as universal donors; people with other...

Gentle Into That Good Night

Your cat’s heart disease has progressed to the point that there are no more medicines to try, no higher dosages to give, no more...

Cancer After a Rabies Vaccine?

Periodic rabies vaccinations are the law in most states, yet some people are nervous about getting a rabies shot for their pet because they...
Cat injury

Common Cat Injuries — and How to Avoid Them

There’s a significant silver lining to the injuries that land many cats in emergency rooms. In many cases, the accidents that threaten our pets’...

Dear Doctor: Pushing back on the diagnosis

My beloved cat, Tigger, has died of cancer at the age of 19, and his death has left me feeling somewhat guilty. He enjoyed going outdoors, and I would follow him around the yard to make sure he was okay.

If the Cancer Surgeon Got Clean Margins, Why Did the Tumor Grow Back?

You sit anxiously in the waiting room while your cat undergoes surgery to remove a cancerous mass. Finally, the doctor comes out in his scrubs and tells you he was able to excise the malignant tumor and that he believes he got it all. Relieved but not yet out of the woods, you wait for the pathology report. Sure enough, it confirms the surgeons belief that he excised the cancer in its entirety. There are clean margins. Why, then, does the tumor grow back in the exact same spot some months later?

Laser Therapy to Reduce Pain?

Laser therapy to mitigate pain is very commonly found in veterinary practices these days. Some pet health insurers have even started reimbursing for laser treatments aimed at treating pain. Lasers are thought to work by reducing inflammation, relaxing muscle tissue, promoting wound healing, treating musculoskeletal problems, minimizing post-operative complications, and mediating other pain-causing problems.

Detecting and Treating Arthritis

Cats are wily about concealing their pain. It comes from a genetically encoded instinct for self-protection, never wanting to let potential predators know they may be vulnerable. But if your cat has arthritis, there are frequently telltale signs.

Dear Doctor: Worried about the effects of chemotherapy

My cat has been diagnosed with gastrointestinal lymphoma, and the veterinarian says he will need chemotherapy. Ive seen my father go through chemo, and it was no picnic. Im worried about putting my cat through this. Will it really help?

Act Fast if a Male Cat Cant Pass Urine

Has the litter box remained dry over the last day or so, with no clumps forming no matter how hard your male cat tries to go? Get him to the veterinarian - now.

Dear Doctor: A cancer medicine for dogs but not cats

Last May my beloved 13-year-old cat was diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma and passed in August. A few months later our shelters newsletter told the story of a family whose dog had been diagnosed with the very same thing and, with a prognosis of 8 months, she actually lived 7 more years with the help of Piroxicam.