I'll be making an appointment with you to bring in Mojo. He is about 7 years old and about 2 years ago started having very watery diarrhea (no blood) deposited in certain parts of the house where we normally often do not go. He also uses the litter boxes when he has more firm stools. We have multiple cats and 3 huge little boxes. No other cat has this issue.
He has been on prednisone and I believe methisazone with really no positive results. He is virtually impossible to pill or use liquid medicine.
Appreciate your thoughts prior to bringing him in to the good doctor.
Hello, I'm a dog trainer and dog lover. My question is why don't more vets reccommend a raw diet for pets? I am pretty shocked if they don't. Some common reasons I've heard is choking and contamination. However, choking is not likely when the right size pieces are chosen, and dogs have been known to even choke on kibble or even Greenies- yet those are still considered safe. With contamination, dogs eat many nasty things and their stomach acids kill most bacteria, as long as you're not feeding non-human quality meat, is this a big issue? It is obviously superior to any commercial diet, in my opinion, especially after all the recalls. Many natural rearing breeders are having great sucess with raw diet an no vaccines. I'm not sure what that would mean to Vets, but to me it's a wonderful thing. Dog food companies have only been around for about 80 years, and have our pets gotten any healthier?
Is 1 egg yolk a day too much for a 70 pound German Shepard mix?
I have a 4 month old Jack-A-Bee named Tootsie. Last night, she got out of bed. She got into the kitchen and ate some leftover tacos (meat, sauce, cheese, Doritos). When I got home from work today she had vomited a lot, which I expected she would since she has never had table scraps. I cleaned her up and took her out where she refused to have a bowel movement (she has yet to do this since this morning and usually has 5-6 a day). She normally pees small amounts about every 1-2 hours. She just squatted on the floor and peed A LOT, I would say 300-400ml. Then as I was cleaning this up, she did the same thing with the same amount of urine (this was within 10 minutes). She always drinks a lot of water and eats small, frequent meals throughout the day. She is drinking about the same amount, but eating a little less than normal for her. She has had her first round of shots, and is supposed to get the 2nd round Saturday. Should I seek medical attention for her?
Recently, I had a client ask me what the difference is between having one blood work profile done over another. She explained that she had always thought all blood work was the same and tested for everything we need to look at. I explained that this is not the case at all.
Blood work panels can be very simple or very complex. Most basic blood work panels evaluate a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and Chemistry. A CBC looks at white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This can be particularly effective for evaluating for infection, inflammation, anemia, coagulation problems, blood parasites, hydration and blood volume, in addition to other things. A basic chemistry panel evaluates a few liver enzymes, kidney enzymes, protein levels, glucose levels and that's about it. More thorough panels will also evaluate more liver enzymes, enzymes associated with the gallbladder and pancreas, electrolytes and minerals.
Of course, there are specific blood tests that can just test for something in particular. For example, common blood work tests that we run every day in clinics include a test for Heartworm disease ( a blood borne parasite that migrates to and lives in the heart), Feline Leukemia and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), Pancreatic Serum Lipase tests, Tick borne disease tests. These simple, fast blood tests can help rule out these diseases. Other commonly performed blood work includes specific panels to evaluate metabolic changes and likely endocrine disease. These include blood work to evaluate the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and pancreatic testing. There are even panels that are designed to test for levels of medication in your pet, such as seizure medications. These are often used to follow up on your pet's response to a specific medication.
Keep these tests in mind next time you visit your veterinarian. Blood work is usually recommended once yearly as a screening profile to be sure everything is looking okay with your pet. The type of panel and cost of the panel should be discussed with your vet. Senior or geriatric panels should always be considered with pets as they age. Pre-anesthetic blood work can also add insight prior to surgery and is always recommended.
Let me know if you have specific questions about certain panels or information for pets with obvious clinical signs, such as vomiting or fever. A physical exam and history always aids a veterinarian in making a decision about blood work and helps them pick the panel that will tell us the most about what might be going on with your pet.
Hello Dr. Spohn, you have seen my dog Biggie at the Taylor Ranch Vet Clinic. I usually feed him 1/4 cup twice a day. I put hot water and carrots in his morning food and then he just eats dry in the afternoon. Lately, he has had no desire to eat in the afternoon. Sometimes he will eat if I handfeed him or mix hot water in with it. I am just wondering if I am spoiling him. If he doesn't eat, should I just let him skip that meal and not worry about it? Sometimes if he doesn't eat, he will throwup yellow. I am just thinking that he is hot.When I put his dinner down, he hides under the bed. He is still very active and drinking water and eating his breakfast. By the way, he is a Shih Tzu and he is 4 years old.
Thank You!
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Questions Answered By:
Dr. Lauryn Spohn, DVM
