This may not be for everyone, but here’s a video of cats vomiting with techno music in the background.  I don’t know why I found this so hilarious!

Does your dog leak urine? Do you find big puddles of urine where she has been sleeping?

She may have a condition that is called either estrogen responsive incontinence, urethral sphincter mechanism incontinence or spay incontinence.

I’ve just written an article about this condition which you can read here:

USMI in dogs.

Aww….why are kittens so cute?

Wow, does this cat ever have patience! This bird keeps annoying him!

Augh! This is one of my worst nightmares. I just read a story about a vet in the UK who accidentally euthanized the wrong cat.

The story goes like this…

Mandy Raab took her two kittens in to stay at the veterinary hospital.  We don’t know why both cats were taken in, but we do know that one of them, Maddy had a serious problem with her leg.  It was not revealed what the problem was, but Maddy was having extreme difficulty walking and was falling over.  For whatever reason, the vet had recommended that Maddy be put to sleep.

Next, one of the veterinary technicians in the hospital retrieved the cat from the cage and brought it to the  vet for euthanasia.  But, she accidentally picked up the wrong cat!!!  Unfortunately, the healthy cat, Tammy was put to sleep.  Both cats were black and white.  They looked similar, but were not identical.





Oh, the horror.  I have euthanized hundreds if not thousands of animals and the possibility of a situation like this is always in the back of my mind.

Imagine the owner’s shock when she went to pick up Tammy, the healthy kitten, and was presented with Maddy.

Eventually Maddy was euthanized as well.  The veterinary hospital paid for cremation of both animals and the ashes were returned to the owner.

Apparently, the veterinary hospital gave Mrs. Raab two new kittens and one of them had to be replaced because it developed a respiratory virus.

How could this happen?

In my opinion this is simply a very sad and unfortunate accident.  It’s one of those things that makes your heart drop and your blood run cold.  And then, after reading it, it makes people like me become a better and more conscientious veterinarian.

I once worked with a veterinarian who was doing tail docks on 3 day old puppies.  She administered what she thought was a local anesthetic called xylocaine but instead took a bottle of a drug called xylazine. All of the puppies who had their tails anesthetized died.  And the vet felt HORRIBLE.  This was a good vet, who made a mistake.   And now, every time I grab a local anesthetic, I think of her accident and double and triple check what drug I am using.

My heart goes out to Mrs. Raab.  And my heart really goes out to the veterinary staff at this animal hospital in the UK, especially the veterinary nurse who made the error.  We can point fingers and shout about negligence but in my opinion this was a horrible accident.

I’d love to hear your opinions on the situation.

Oh, I get so frustrated when companies make claims of having a miracle treatment for a problem that is difficult to fix!

I just had someone ask me on my website about a product called Pet Alive UTI treatment.  The product claims to reduce the size of bladder stones in cats.

The product listing comes complete with testimonials but no scientific evidence and no list of ingredients.

So, in my opinion this is another example of a company trying to take advantage of pet owners who are desperate for a solution.

This product could be one of two things:

• A harmless mixture of herbs.  If this is the case, then it may appear like this product is helping certain cats.  If a cat has a condition called interstitial cystitis this can cause symptoms similar to a urinary tract infection.  However, in some cats, the symptoms last 2-3 days and then go away on their own.  So, if you give this product and then the symptoms go away, it can certainly look like the product helped.
• A uinary acidifier.  This could be dangerous!  A urinary acidifier will reduce the size of struvite stones in the bladder.  However, this is not a safe thing to do without veterinary supervision.  If we make the urine acidic then we are promoting the formation of calcium oxalate stones.  Nothing shrinks calcium oxalate stones.  The only way to get rid of these stones is by doing surgery.

Please don’t get “taken” by companies like this.  If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!

You can read my full response to this question here: Cat has bladder stones again.

Did you buy this product?  I’d love to know what the ingredients are…if you know, please leave a comment below.

An aural hematoma is not a fun thing for any pet to have!  This condition causes an extremely swollen and painful ear.  I’ve just written an article about this condition and what can be done.  There’s a pretty gross surgical video you can watch too (if you’re into that kind of thing!)

Aural hematomas

Hope you enjoy!

Dr. Marie.

I have a busy surgery day booked today…a dentistry and also five cat spays.  Most of the cats are in heat! 

While cats can go in and out of heat regularly (unlike dogs who usually go into heat every 6 months) we seem to see a real increase in cats in heat when spring is a couple of months away. 

It is best to spay an animal when they are not in heat.  However, it is often difficult with cats because their heat cycles are so unpredictable.  When an animal is in heat the blood vessels are larger and the uterus is more “friable” which means that it can rip very easily.

How do you know your cat is in heat?  You may see the following symptoms:

• Increased vocalization
• Wanting to be around you all the time
• Raising her bum in the air
• Rolling on the floor

A cat’s heat can last a few days or a few weeks.  When a cat is in heat she will have a very strong desire to be bred, so be sure that she doesn’t get outside!

Ideally it is best to spay a cat before their first heat.  We recommend spaying them between 5 and 6 months of age for this reason.  Studies have proven that spaying a cat before her first heat cycle greatly reduces the risk of mammary (breast) cancer later on in life.

Well, I am off to do surgery now….many uteri to remove!

Dr. Marie

Want to talk to Dr. Marie?  Click here to ask an online vet question.

Hi guys!  Just wanted to let you know that I have finally finished my book : “Save Money on Vet Bills“.

I have been working so much on my book that I have neglected my blog!

Ask A Vet Question is really taking off!  I’d like to thank all of you who have tried the website out.  I am really enjoying answering your veterinary questions.

So, let me update you on what is going on with my life.  My little girl is almost 2 years old now.  She is such a sweetheart!  Today she had a blast in the McDonald’s playground.  She loves when mommy is home to play with her!

It has been extremely busy at the animal hospital.  Usually the winter months are slow but we have been fully booked almost every day.  I think this is a good sign that the economy is doing well.

We’ve unfortunately had a number of cats with a urinary tract blockage in lately but we have managed to treat them all and all are doing well to this point!  We’ve also had a rash of ACL tears lately.  I usually find that we see these more in the summer time when animals are running free at the cottage and parks but we have seen several in the last few months.  These cases always make my heart drop because I know it is going to cost the owners so much money.  We usually end up calling in our orthopedic surgeon to do a TPLO surgery which can cost $2500-$3000 or so.

The other thing we are seeing lots of is cats with upper respiratory tract infections.  But again, almost all of them are being treated successfully.

I look forward to updating you on how my cases are going!  Stay tuned!

Dr. Marie

Here’s another great video. This dog does the best “play dead” I have ever seen! Very realistic!

Dr. Marie.
www.askavetquestion.com