March 2003
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Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends
of the astronauts of the space shuttle Columbia.

This month:

• We will highlight Sylvester Pepper. Stephanie, his "mom" is our receptionist.
• We will begin a series of articles about different diseases or disease processes. We begin with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). We've chosen FLUTD because it is quite common in cats, yet can be deadly if not discovered and treated quickly.
• We get lots of "stuff" over the internet. Much of it is truly junk, but sometimes you get something you really enjoy. Many of you may have seen this already, but we thought it was cute and decided we would reprint it here.
• And last, but most certainly not least, we welcome Matthew Joseph Bell.

The Vester Pepper Story
My name is Stephanie Pepper and I have been the receptionist at East Hilliard Veterinary Services for more than 2 years. This is the story of 3 1/2 year old Vester (formally Sylvester - believe me, Vester fits his personality much better), who came to live with me and my husband, Russ, in January of 2000. The following is a true tale of how a cat named Sylvester transformed into Vester Pepper.

Vester belonged to a lady who worked with my husband. He was evicted from their home due to some behavior issues, which he now denies. My kindhearted husband just could not stand for the poor little guy with the sweet face to be taken to the humane society, so he brought him home to surprise me. I was truly surprised when the next morning I awoke to a knocked over trash can and pieces of garbage carried all over my house. By "all over the house" I mean behind and under the couch, under the beds, down the hall, even in the bathtub. After that Vester became know as the "Trash Cat". We tried many different things to stop this behavior, and then we found a miracle product called Cataway. After using this on the trash can daily for about a month it stopped the behavior entirely and he has not touched the can since. One hurdle down, only a few more to go...

The next thing I found out about my new cat was that his favorite food was my houseplants. Slowly but surely I had to get rid of all my plants. I was down to one plant, a huge spider plant in a 6-gallon pot. I placed this plant on top of my 6 foot high cabinet thinking there is no way that little guy can get up there to eat it. Well, I soon found out that where there is a will, there is a way. I walked into my dining room one day to find 5 pounds of dirt and pieces of half eaten plant spilled across the entire room, and a little black and white cat with muddy paws sitting in the corner with the most angelic look he could muster up. After that we came to a compromise. He does not eat my fake plants.

Those first few months were a little rough but we worked through them. Vester is now an upstanding citizen. Well, as upstanding as a curious, spunky cat can be who has a little mischievous streak. I will admit it has been pretty easy going since then and I would not trade him for anything.

We had a new addition to our family in May of 2002 and Vester is still trying to get used to his new human sister, Madison. So I am sure this story is to be continued........

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)

Symptoms of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease Difficulty urinating Straining to urinate Urinating small amounts frequently Excessive licking of the anogenital area Vocalization (expression of pain) Blood in the urine Urinating outside the litter box

Any irritation of the urinary bladder or the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside) is very painful. The processes that cause the irritation and pain can be deadly.

It is very important that every cat owner know and watch for any of these symptoms. It is not uncommon for an owner to call us saying their cat must be constipated because they are seeing the cat make many trips to the litter box and straining, but nothing is being produced. We treat this call as an emergency because the disease can be deadly. The sooner we see the pet, the better.

The first thing that must be done is to diagnose the cause of the symptoms. A complete urinalysis should be performed. Occasionally the veterinarian will recommend an x-ray or ultrasound of the bladder to check for bladder stones, tumors, or anatomical defects. A blood test may be performed to rule out systemic diseases.

There are several causes of the symptoms of FLUTD.

• One of the causes is a urethral plug composed of varying quantities of protein and crystals. This is the potentially fatal cause of FLUTD. The plug causes an obstruction, and the cat is unable to pass urine. Male cats are more prone to obstructions because of their anatomy. Once the obstruction is in place, urine backs up into the bladder causing extreme pain. Finally, the bladder becomes so full that urine will back up into the kidneys, shutting them down. When the kidneys quit functioning, the cat quickly becomes toxic and can die within several days. The cat must be catheterized to allow the urine to flow out and the kidneys to function again. The cat will receive intravenous fluids to help flush out the buildup of toxins in his bloodstream. The patient will also receive antibiotics, pain medications, and anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea medications.

• Another cause of FLUTD is bladder stones. If the cat is diagnosed with bladder stones, the veterinarian will recommend surgery to remove them. The stones are then sent to a lab and analyzed to determine their structure. This will help the veterinarian develop a plan of treatment to reduce the chances of a recurrence of the bladder stones.

• Urinary tract infections, another cause of FLUTD, are commonly treated with antibiotics for 10 days to two weeks. Recurring urinary tract infections, however, may be a sign of a different problem. The veterinarian may recommend further testing.

• The most common cause of FLUTD is cystitis. Cystitis is often recurrent and can go away without treatment. The cause of cystitis is not fully understood. Although no medication has been proven effective, veterinarians have used various medications to reduce inflammation, and tranquilizers and antispasmodics to minimize spasms of the bladder and/or urethra. Often, anti-anxiety medications have been effective, leading many veterinarians to encourage the owners of cats who are prone to cystitis to minimize stress in the cat's life.

There are a few things that can be done to decrease your cat's risk of suffering from FLUTD. Feeding a high quality diet is very important since an improper balance of certain minerals in the diet can increase the risk of crystals in the urine. Also, encouraging your cat to drink more water promotes urination and lowers the concentration of minerals in the urine. Make sure their water is clean and fresh and always accessible. In some multi-pet households, the dominant member of the household guards the food/water area. Having fresh water available in multiple places makes it more likely your cat will drink. Some cats like running water. Cat bowls with little fountains are a good idea for those cats. And, as gross as it seems, many cats like to drink out of the toilet. Make sure it is accessible to those cats and don't use any bowl cleaners that stay in the water all the time. Canned food is another way of boosting the water content of your cats' diet. But there are good reasons for your cat to NOT eat primarily canned food, so be sure to discuss this option with your veterinarian.

Dog Letters to God

Dear God,

• Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom if ever smell one another? Where are their priorities?
• When we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it the same old story?
• Excuse me, but why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not one named for a dog? We dogs love a nice ride! Would it be too hard to rename the Chrysler Eagle the Chrysler Beagle?
• If a dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad dog?
• When we get to the Pearly Gates, do we have to shake hands to get in?
• Are there dogs on other planets or are we alone?
• Are there mailmen in heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?
• We dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?
• If we come back as humans, is that good or bad?

Welcome to Matthew Joseph
Erin Bell, one of our technicians, and her husband Brian had been told to expect a little girl, based on the ultrasound examination. Erin, however, will tell you that she was not as surprised as her doctor at delivery. She had that "motherly" sneaky suspicion that the doctor was wrong. Born February 8th, Matthew Joseph was 7 lbs., 4 oz, and 20 ½ in. long and, according to Mom, is wonderful. We are looking forward to meeting this newest member of the East Hilliard Veterinary Services family.

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