Advise houseguests to keep chewing gum and medications out of reach from the furry paws and teeth of any nosy pets. Sugarless gum containing Xylitol can cause liver failure and low blood sugar, both of which can be life threatening. If your pet does get into any medications be sure to note the type, the quantity and the strength and bring your pet in to the hospital or call ASPCA Animal Poison Control immediately.

After a big Thanksgiving meal, when you and your family head outside for a walk, don’t forget to bring the pups along too. It’s the perfect time to spend a little time together and get in some extra exercise.

I know you’ll do your best to keep your pets safe and healthy on Thanksgiving, but if any of the above scenarios do happen, I will be seeing emergencies at the hospital on Friday. Hopefully there won’t be too many patients who overindulged on Thursday and wake up with an upset stomach.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Friendship Hospital for Animals!

Linus, a six-year-old neutered male cat was brought in when his owner noticed him making multiple trips to the litter box. He would position himself as if trying to urinate but nothing would come out. While he did this, he cried, which his owner thought was unusual behavior.



On presentation Linus was moderately dehydrated, slightly depressed and his heart rate was lower than I would have liked at 180 beats per minute. During abdominal palpation I was able to feel a very large, hard bladder and determined that he had a urinary obstruction. After quickly placing an intravenous catheter we collected blood to check his electrolyte status.

The potassium in his blood was dangerously high, which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and rapidly result in death. We started Linus on IV fluids and gave him a medication to help lower his potassium. Because he was unable to urinate, the waste products normally excreted in urine were building up and making him feel sick.

I performed a cystocentesis which involves sticking a needle into his bladder to remove the urine and relieve some of his discomfort. Because urinary obstruction is very painful for kitties, Linus was also given pain medication. X-rays showed he had stones in his bladder causing the obstruction. In male cats (and also male dogs), the urethra is very narrow, so it’s easy for things to get stuck in it. Stones are not the only cause of urinary obstructions in cats; mucus plugs, inflammatory cells, and crystals can also a blockage.

I used an injectable anesthetic agent to sedate Linus so a urinary catheter could be passed. This was necessary for many reasons. First, he needed to be able to empty his bladder. We also needed to start him on intravenous fluids to flush out his system. This would decrease the dangerously high levels of potassium and waste products he had been unable to eliminate. And finally, given Linus’s current state, he was at an increased risk for general anesthesia, so I wanted to stabilize him before going to surgery.

The next morning, Linus went to surgery to have the stones removed via a cystotomy. He was sent home the next day. Analysis revealed that his stones were struvite. This was great news, because this type of urolith responds very well to diet change and has a low level of recurrence. Linus started his new prescription diet and his owners report he is like a new cat at home.

Urinary obstruction is incredibly common and can quickly become fatal, so it’s important for all owners of male cats to be aware of the condition and its symptoms. If you ever notice your cat making multiple trips to the litter box, straining to urinate and vocalizing, please bring him in immediately.

When I called Toby's owner four days later with the negative culture results, she informed me that the bloody urine and accidents had not resolved with antibiotics. I had Toby come in immediately for an x-ray to see if any stones were present in his bladder. Sure enough, he had multiple bright white objects in his bladder consistent with uroliths. Luckily he was not obstructed and immediately surgery was not required.

Toby's owners had two options at this point. We could try switching his diet to see if the stones would dissolve. Alternatively, we could take him to surgery, remove the stones and submit them for analysis. His owners decided to go forward with surgery. I performed a cystotomy, entering the abdomen and making an incision in the bladder to remove the stones. Toby sailed through surgery and was able to go home the next day.

A few weeks later, the results of the stone analysis revealed that Toby had calcium oxalate stones. This was not great news, as this type of stone has a very high frequency of recurrence. Fifty percent of patients will have stones return within three years of initial diagnosis.

We started Toby on a prescription diet to alter the acidity of his urine and switched him from dry food to canned food. Thanks to its increased moisture content canned food would ideally create a more dilute urine. Toby's owners were instructed to take him out more frequently to prevent urine from sitting in his bladder too long.

We had a great time this morning with Holly Morris and Fox 5. In case you missed anything or would like some more information I have everything posted below:

Winter care for your pets:
Watch it on Fox 5
Winter Dangers Post
Canine Influenza Post
A Case of Pneumonia Post

Dental tips:
Watch it on Fox 5
Dental Disease Post
Kitty Cavities Post

1) Warm car engines: many people let their cats outside which is not a good idea on many levels but once it gets cold kitties really put themselves at risk for death by seeking shelter in a parked car. In an effort to warm up during a cold night cats will crawl up under the hood of a car and curl up on the warm engine block. This does not end well when you come out the next morning and fire up your car to head off for work. Luckily this is easy to avoid by keeping your kitties inside during the chilly months.