Mr. A's Surgery

We know how everyone loves to hear about Mr. A and Mr. B, so we thought we would share with you something about what's been going on with Mr. A, lately. We had been monitoring some weight loss over the past few weeks. Then we started noticing that he was acting aggressive towards Mr. B. Suddenly, about three weeks ago, we noticed that his urine started smelling strangely like an un-neutered male cat's urine (if you have never smelled it, un-neutered male cat urine smells very distinct: VERY strong and stinky), and he started urinating inappropriately. We were concerned that he had circulating testosterone in his system, which a neutered cat should not have. This led us to believe that he had something wrong with his adrenal gland.

We took some x-rays and drew some blood, and then looked at his penis under anesthesia. Why would we do that? You may not know this but un-neutered male cats have tiny barbs on their penises, kind of like the barbs they have on their tongues. These barbs disappear when a cat is neutered (or never develop, if they are neutered before maturity). Sure enough, Mr. A had developed barbs on his penis. Since his neuter surgery was uncomplicated and straightforward, we knew that he should not have testosterone in his system to produce these symptoms, this suggested even more strongly that he had a malfunctioning adrenal gland. His testosterone test results were the same as an intact male cat's. We then performed an abdominal ultrasound and found a small mass near his kidney that should not have been there.

A week ago, we scheduled him for surgery. During the procedure, we found evidence of recent bleeding or hemorrhage in the retroperitoneal space (a pocket around the kidney and adrenal gland). The bleeding became active during the surgery, and to control the hemorrhage, we performed a blood transfusion and removed the kidney that was associated with the affected adrenal gland. This was done to remove all of the abnormal vessels and adrenal tissue associated with the mass. It appeared that Dr. Bailey was able to remove the entire mass. Now that Mr. A has had a transfusion, he has sadly been removed from the blood donor list because his blood has been sensitized to blood proteins from another cat. This means that his blood is likely to destroy the red cells of a blood recipient.

The pathologist at our reference lab examined the mass for us and reported an unusual result. He could not see any evidence of tumor, but reported that the mass displayed signs of infarction – dead tissue due to a loss of blood supply. This infarct may have destroyed any sign of a tumor, or there may be a problem elsewhere in the body. Certainly, we don’t know at this point what caused the infarct, which means the outlook on his health is unknown. Right now, he is doing well, and recovering. Our staff is impatiently waiting while the pathologist takes a closer look at his biopsy samples in the hopes that he can give us more information.

De-stressing your cat's veterinary visit

The thought of your cat's annual exam shouldn't make you both want to hide under a towel!

At Exclusively Cats Veterinary Hospital, we know how stressful it can be for your cat to come visit us. We also know, that what stresses your cat also stresses YOU! You want to take the best care of your cat that you can, but you sometimes wonder if all the crying during the car ride, or the hissing in the exam room is worth it. We get that. We don’t like to see your cat stressed out, and we don’t want you to be stressed during your visit, either. 

However, regular exams with your veterinarian are so important, especially as your cat ages. There are common diseases in older cats that can sometimes be difficult to pick up on at home due to their subtle signs. That’s where your veterinarian comes in! A complete, whisker to tail physical examination will help reveal some of those elusive signs, and your conversation with the veterinary team will help pick up on other signs, such as increased vomiting, increased or decreased energy, night-time howling, bigger urine clumps, and increased thirst in your cat; these are all signs of common diseases in older cats such as diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, and chronic kidney disease. 

Even if your cat is indoors, he or she still needs to visit the veterinarian. Indoor cats can still get fleas, are still at risk for heartworm disease, and still may be exposed to rabies if a bat enters your home. If you have a kitten, he or she may need to visit every few weeks for the first few months, in order to get booster vaccines. Between 2-8 years of age, a visit every year is typically sufficient, if your cat is indoor only. However, as your cat approaches 8-9 years of age, ideally those visits should be twice a year. We recommend checking patients’ blood pressure at least twice yearly, as some patients with hypertension can display signs of retinal damage after only a few weeks of chronic high blood pressure. After all, the sooner we pick up on medical problems, the sooner we can treat it and the better the prognosis!

With most of our feline patients, our Feline Friendly Handling Guidelines allow us to perform exams and treatments with limited stress. A calm and quiet environment, skilled and gentle handling, knowledge of feline behavior and body language, Feliway diffusers in the exam room that give off calming pheromones, warm towels, and making slow, steady movements all help provide an environment most likely to make a cat feel safe. But some cats are so stressed by any part of the whole experience that they go into defensive mode for self-protection.

Here are some great tips to help decrease the stress you and your cat experience when you visit:

  

Conquer the Carrier Crisis

Many dogs enjoy getting in the car and going for a ride because they never know if they are going to the pet store, grandma’s house, the dog park, or McDonald’s for a hamburger! On the other hand, most cats only see the carrier when it’s time to see the vet, which makes it a doubly scary thing.

You're never too young to learn about the carrier!

If you start acclimating your cat to the carrier when they are young, you may be able to make your cat like the carrier right away, but even older cats can learn to fear the carrier less if you let them get used to the idea. The best carriers are those that can have the top removed by unclasping it or unzipping, so the cat can be examined in the carrier if they want (more on that, later!). If you start weeks prior to your annual visit by introducing the bottom half of your carrier in a room that your cat likes to spend time in, your cat will start to see it as less of a threat. 

Offer your cat a bowl of delicious food or special treats in the carrier to encourage him to inspect the carrier at his leisure. Replace the food and treats daily. Once your cat is going into the carrier willingly, you can try putting the carrier back together, and let him get used to entering the full carrier. Then, encourage him to enter a carrier, close the door and carry him on a lap of the house. Gradually work your way up to taking short rides in the car, always starting by encouraging, not shoving, your cat into the carrier. Always give abundant encouragement with treats, calm words and snuggles afterwards (and during the process).  

Another thing that you can do to help make the carrier less stressful is to spray Feliway onto a blanket you place inside to make your cat comfortable about 15 minutes prior to encouraging your cat into the carrier for travel. You can also cover the carrier with another blanket to help block scary sights and smells as you travel to the hospital. Cats are very fond of the philosophy “what I can’t see doesn’t exist!”

Grab the Gabapentin

Gabapentin generally calms but does not fully sedate cats

Another tool that you can use to help your anxious cat de-stress is a medication called gabapentin. This medication is used in human medicine for neuropathic pain, and is also an anti-seizure medication. It is also an excellent, gentle, and safe sedative for cats. A nice bonus is that gabapentin is a flavorless powder inside a capsule, which can be opened and mixed into some canned food 1-2 hours prior to the appointment and most cats will just eat it right up along with the food. For most cats, 100mg prior to the appointment is all they need, while others only need 50mg. Some cats benefit from a dose the night before the appointment in addition to the dose prior to the appointment. Side effects are mild, including excess salivation and sedation, and these will wear off in 6-8 hours after the dose of medication. For some people, gabapentin is also a nice solution for those cats that will not allow nail trims or grooming at home!

We want to emphasize that gabapentin is not just for cats that show their teeth and claws at the hospital – cats that are anxious or vocal in the car, those that urinate or defecate in their carrier, or scratch their face and tear their nails on the carrier doors, trying to escape, even cats that lead you on a merry chase around the house when they sense it is time to go to the vet – any cat could benefit from this anti-anxiety medication. They may still not be happy about coming, and are probably never going to feel like our office is their favorite place, but the whole ordeal will be less traumatic – both for them and for you!

 Deliver Delicious Delicacies

You may want to bring your cat with a good appetite! Not only will that help if your cat gets car sick (motion sickness), but it’ll allow us to shower your cat with his or her favorite treats during the veterinary visit (as long as it’s not medically contraindicated - occasionally some tests do require fasting). Personally, we find that Friskies Party Mix, canned tuna and Fancy Feast are a hit in the veterinary clinic. We have recently had some success with INABA Churu grain-free lickable cat treats, as well, which is a meat flavored puree in a tube (kind of like kitty GoGurt). Just in case, we welcome you to bring your favorite snacks too!

If you have questions or concerns about the level of stress your cat experiences before, during or after his or her visit, don't hesitate to call our office at 248-666-5287 and ask us how you can help make things easier for both you and your cat so that they can get the crucial health care they need.

Case Report: Cessna - His tail's not all it's cracked up to be...

Cessna

This handsome 8 year old came to see us for the first time in May, this year, with a particular tale to tell. His owners had found him on April 18^th, with an injured tail and a trail of blood through the house, leading back to their daughter’s bedroom and under her bed, where he loved to sleep. His owners had no idea what could have happened to his tail.

Cessna's damaged tail bone

They rushed him to a veterinary hospital on emergency basis and they repaired the injury by amputating the injured tip of his tail. About a month later, he returned to the hospital, having traumatized it again. He had been wearing an Elizabethan collar all the time and still managed to injure himself.  In addition, he was hiding, no longer social and good natured. It was recommended that the rest of his tail be amputated. Cessna’s family was uncertain that was what they wanted to do, so they brought him to Exclusively Cats Veterinary Hospital for a second opinion.



On May 24^th, there was no sign of infection, and the tail tip seemed to be healing well, so we re-bandaged it and attempted to manage his apparent chronic pain with a prescription for Tramadol. At this visit (and previously, at the other veterinary hospital), Cessna was notably quite grumpy and intolerant of much handling.

Cessna's new, short tail

Cessna’s hind end was very sensitive and his owners were not able to look at his tail at home, and was also very difficult to medicate. On May 30th he managed to remove his bandage and get at his tail, again. On June 16^th, Cessna’s family found a tick on him and wanted to have us look at him. He had been doing well on the Tramadol, but still seemed bothered by his tail. At least, however, he was not attacking it anymore. On the ride into the hospital, he started attacking his tail again, and urinated and defecated on himself. His family was distraught because they felt that he was miserable and could not live with this issue. They wondered if he needed his entire tail amputated. We took x-rays of the tip of his tail, and it appeared that due to his attacks, he had either exposed a sliver of bone, or some nerve tissue or tendons. At this time, his owners opted to pursue another tail amputation, and another 2 inches of tail needed to be removed. The concern about amputating completely was that if the entire tail was removed and he was still painful, he might start attacking his hindquarters and cause irreparable damage to himself. We applied a pain patch, gave him a mild sedative, an epidural, and a cocktail of other pain medications. He recovered from surgery well, and we sent him home on phenobarbital for pain control, sedation, and suppression of hyperesthesia-like symptoms.

Abnormal bone-like material in one of the tail joints

He went home again, but went into hiding. He started attacking his tail again on the 18^th. His appetite decreased and started trying to bite his mom when she medicated him. He hid under the bed and defecated on himself when his family members tried to get him out from under the bed.

Cessna was a little embarrassed by his Thundershirt, at first...

His family was beginning to lose hope. Cessna was miserable, and they wondered if it wouldn’t be kinder to euthanize him. He was no longer the loving cat they had known, and he seemed to be in constant pain and distress for no known reason. We examined his tail again and reviewed the x-rays from the previous hosptal and discovered an abnormal joint much closer to the base of the tail that did not flex as nicely as the rest. We x-rayed the area and discovered a very small round mineralized object located in the joint space between two tail vertebrae. This is likely abnormal bony growth due to arthritis. Because it is located between two vertebrae, it likely sends shooting pain down the length of the spine whenever he moves his tail. Since the pain was radiating down the length of the tail, Cessna was attacking the part of his tail that he could easily reach, and not the area that was causing the pain.



We amputated the tail behind the affected joint, leaving about 3-4 inches of tail for him to wave, and crossed our fingers. He received another pain patch, a local nerve block and was started on a medication regimen of gabapentin for neuropathic pain, phenobarbital again, and Onsior for inflammation. In addition, Cessna started wearing a Thundershirt. He stayed with us at the hospital for 18 days as we balanced his pain medications – little enough that he could walk around, eat, and use the litterbox, but enough that he would ignore his tail. Over the time that he was here, he grew continually more affectionate and well-mannered. He began asking for attention, rather than hiding. He was allowed some exercise time to sit in the office with the doctors while they worked on paperwork, and he sat on the cat tree with Mr. A.

Cessna became more outgoing after a while

At first, the Thundershirt was hard for him, because he wanted to curl up in a ball and not move with it on, but by the time he was discharged, he was jumping up into laps for cuddle time. Our entire staff enjoyed his antics as he became more adventurous and learned how to steal tuna fish from Dr. Demos, or snuck through the door to visit the receptionists. On July 6 ^th, we took his sutures out and for the rest of the morning, he was angry at his tail again, so we gave him an injection of Simbadol, which is a long-acting pain medication. We suspect that his tail was a little painful again, because we meddled with the tail and scrubbed it to clean the incision area.



On July 7, he went home to his family, and the purrs that rumbled out of his chest were so loud they could be heard across the room! We are hoping that he continues to improve over the next few weeks so that we can stop his medications and continue with just the Thundershirt. We’ll have him wear the Thundershirt for another couple weeks after that before we have his family try to take it off. At that time, we hope that his life can get back to normal – his long tale cut short for good reason!

Environmental enrichment (tuna in a cup) becomes Cessna's preferred method of keeping his tail safe

Case Report: Tangled Newborn Kittens

Being a veterinarian can be very humbling, sometimes, because no matter how long a veterinarian practices, there is still the likelihood that each day, they may see something they have never seen before. Exclusively Cats Veterinary Hospital has been around for 25 years, and Dr. Bailey has been practicing even longer than that, and he observed, "In all my years of practice, I have never seen anything like this before!"

Dr. Brooks was presented with 5 kittens that were two days old, born to a feral mother that had been trapped. The foster owner had not been able to access the kittens well, because the mother cat would not let her near them, and she did not want to disturb the litter because all the kittens seemed to be nursing well and appeared active and content. That morning, the mother cat had moved away from the kittens and it became apparent that something was wrong. One of the kittens was nursing on the mother cat, but the other 5 kittens were together in a pile across the cage, struggling and crying. When she reached into the cage to pick up one of the kittens to check on it, she realized that it somehow seemed to be stuck to the other 5 kittens!

Desperately, the foster owner called veterinary hospital after veterinary hospital, looking for help. Time after time, she was told that there was nothing the hospital could offer, or that they didn't work with neonatal kittens. Finally, when she called Exclusively Cats, we told her to rush the kittens in. When she arrived, Dr. Brooks discovered that the kittens were entangled in their umbilical cords. Often, young cats do not know enough to separate kittens from the placenta effectively, and this can cause complications. Sometimes, kittens may end up missing tails or legs because the mother cat is unaware of what she is doing, and in this case, because she only separated a couple of kittens, the rest became ensnared as they moved around. At first, they were happily nursing, but as time went on, they became even more tangled and eventually, the mother cat abandoned them across the cage, because she couldn't figure out what to do.

Immediately, all of our technicians started dropping what they were doing to come to the aid of the kittens. Some held small feet and tails out of the way of Dr. Brooks' work, while she attempted to disentangle them, others weighed, cleaned, fed and warmed the kittens as they were separated. Two of the kittens had hind limbs that were too badly injured to save, and two kittens had umbilical hernias, so Dr. Bailey also jumped in as we cleaned and prepped four of the kittens for emergency surgery. Two leg amputations and two abdominal surgeries later, all five kittens were warm, fed and snuggling in warmed blankets. They received antibiotics and tube feedings because they would not drink from a bottle and the mother had not allowed them to feed recently. At that age, too, kittens cannot urinate or defecate on their own - the mother must stimulate them to eliminate, and so all the kittens were "pottied" as well.

Once all the kittens were recovered, fed and warmed, we taught the foster mom how to tube feed them, if necessary and sent them home. We hoped that they could be re-introduced to the mother so that they could nurse. The prognosis for the tangled kittens is very grave, as there is a huge risk of infection in kittens so small, and with such daunting beginnings. Fortunately, as soon as they were put back with their mother, she accepted them and they started nursing! this is great news, since they will do better with their mother's milk than with kitten milk replacer.




Overnight, one of the kittens who had an abdominal hernia passed away. Two days later, the foster mom brought in the kittens to weigh them. One of the kittens was euthanized due to a septic infection in the leg that was amputated. All the other kittens gained weight, but the kitten that was not part of the entanglement outweighs the others by about 40 grams! Hopefully, with heavy doses of antibiotics and close observation and care, the rest of the kittens will survive this ordeal!

For continued updates on these kittens as we follow their progress, please follow our Facebook page!

Meet our Holiday Kitties: Snickers and Skittles!

SNICKERS AND SKITTLES

Snickers (orange and white)-age 16.5, 10lbs &
Skittles (white)- age 14.5, 13 lbs.
Skittles has one green and one blue eye.
Both are Russian Siberians
They have been patients with Exclusively Cats since they were kittens.

 Mommy adopted me (Snickers) first from a breeder and then I told her I was lonely so she got Skittles from a different breeder. She got us from a breeder because at the time the person she was living with was allergic, and we are considered hypo-allergenic because we have very low levels of the dander protein that many are allergic to, called FeL d 1.

We love to go outside in our tent and are good buddies. We like to play fight and even though I am smaller, I still beat up Skittles and mom has to break up our fights.

Snickers:

Me in my window

I'm the life of the party!

Hi! I am mommy’s little person.  I sleep on her head every night   We have a great bond as I have been with her for a long time.  She says I am emotionally in tune with her and people: if someone is sick, I take care of them and I always know when mommy needs cheering up.    I even greet everyone as they come in.  As you can see I really love the Christmas tree.  When the tree isn’t up I like to lounge in the window and get my sun on or sleep on the top of my cat post.  When I occasionally feel like playing, I love the little mice that shake and the laser beam.  I am a very social cat so I am always at the dinner table…usually I sit on the floor and hope food comes my way, but when one of the seats is open...I take it!  I also like to drink my water out of a Dixie cup on the bathroom sink. It is always filled up as I am being monitored for kidney disease.  I love to eat, and wet food is my favorite.  I also am always looking for cat treats but Cool Whip and turkey are my favorites!    The team at Exclusively Cats is great but I turn into a very bad boy at the vet.  I think I have scratched everyone there. :(  Mommy feels bad about it and now I have to be put under sedation for some procedures.

and always have to be in on the action.

I love the holidays!

Peek-a-boo!

Skittles:  

My little brother (see what I did there? He is small in the photo!)
showing off his three legs

Skittles' beautiful eyes

This is Skittles, he is my little brother.  We are very different as he is always the nonsocial one and runs and hides when people come to visit.  However, that mellow attitude makes him a good boy at the vet, unlike me.  He loves the dry food more than wet which I think is crazy.  He also loves the occasional small piece of cheesy puffs but doesn’t beg so that means more food for me!  Skittles is on special dry food because about 10 years ago he got a urinary blockage but we caught it in time and now he is good.  While I like to snuggle, he loves to be roughed up.  It is not unusual for him to yell and run around the house for no reason. He also likes the laser and our new cat dancer toy.

In May of 2015 mom noticed a very small lump on his back leg. After visiting Dr. Bailey for a check-up, we found out the lump was a fibrosarcoma that maybe he got from being vaccinated.  Mommy decided to have surgery performed, since amputation was the best option to try to rid him of the cancer.  It’s almost 2 years and he is still cancer free.   It’s funny but his personality has really changed since the surgery.  We call him “thumper” because you can always here him coming. :) He is so much more outgoing and is out and around all the time now.  He has a stool to help him get on the big bed that is one of his favorite places.  He is also demanding and yells at mom and dad when he wants them to sit on the couch so he can come up and lay on them on the blanket.  He has even become a snuggler in bed. I think he has become daddy’s boy.  He isn’t any different to any of us as a tripod. No one wants to hear the word cancer, but if it is an option to amputate do it. Cats are so resilient and we couldn’t imagine not having these moments with him! 

Skittles the snuggler

Happy Holidays from S&S!!!!

 

#SSselfie  XD