Pet care information, articles and guide for routine pet care.

Hepatic Amyloidosis in Cats

Amyloidosis refers to a group of disorders, all sharing a common feature: the pathologic and abnormal deposition of the fibrous protein amyloid into various tissues of the body, disrupting normal functioning of these areas.

Amyloid is a hard, waxy, substance that is the result of tissue degeneration. In this case, amyloid accumulates in the liver and occurs secondary to inflammatory or lymphoproliferative disorders (where lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, are produced in excessive quantities), or as a genetically acquired familial disorder.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management

Read Full Article Here

Chylothorax

Chyle is a milky to slightly yellow fluid made up of lymph and fats from the intestines and transferred to the circulation through the thoracic duct (the main trunk of the lymphatic system, which crosses the chest near the spine and empties into the circulation system), and lymph is a watery fluid that is produced by the tissues of the body and which contains white blood cells, which are essential for protecting the body. Chylothorax is a medical condition that results from the accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the pleural (chest) cavity where the heart and lungs reside, with the main culprit being chyle.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management

Read Full Article Here

Ceruminous Gland Adenocarcinoma of the Ear in Cats

Ceruminous gland adenocarcinoma is the primary malignant tumor of the sweat glands found in the external auditory canal. Though rare, it is one of the most common malignant tumor of the ear canal in older cats. And while it may be locally invasive, it has a low rate of distant metastasis (spreading of the cancer).

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management

Read Full Article Here

Ringtail Syndrome in Rats

Ringtail syndrome is a condition that occurs in accompanying high temperature, low humidity environments, with frequent drafts inside the rat’s cage. Ringtail syndrome most often affects the tail, but it may also at times affect the toes or feet as well. The condition occurs due to lack of proper blood supply to the body part, resulting from a constriction of the tail or limb – where the body part below the constriction ceases to receive blood from the circulatory system. Left untreated, the area of the body part will develop complications such as inflammation and swelling, leading eventually to gangrene – the death and decomposition of the soft tissue.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management
• Prevention

Read Full Article Here

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a medical condition that is defined as below-normal body temperature. It has three phases: mild, moderate, and severe. Mild hypothermia is classified as a body temperature of 90 – 99°F (or 32 – 35°C), moderate hypothermia at 82 – 90°F (28 – 32°C), and severe hypothermia is any temperature less than 82°F (28°C). Hypothermia occurs when an animal’s body is no longer able to maintain normal temperature, causing a depression of the central nervous system (CNS). It may also affect heart and blood flow (cardiovascular), breathing (respiratory), and the immune system. An irregular heartbeat, trouble breathing, and impaired consciousness to the point of coma may result.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management
• Prevention

Read Full Article Here

Dysuria and Pollakiuria in Cats

While the urinary bladder and urethra normally serve to store and release urine, there are two disorders that affect the lower urinary tract by damaging the bladder wall or stimulating the nerve endings in the bladder or urethra. Dysuria is a condition that leads to painful urination, and pollakiuria refers to abnormally frequent urination. In other words, you’ll have a cat that goes to the bathroom often; the cat may even have pain or show discomfort while urinating.

• Symptoms
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Read Full Article Here

Salivary Gland Adenocarcinoma

Saliva contains many useful enzymes that help in the digestive process. These enzymes increase solubility of food by lubricating the contents. There are four major salivary glands, including the mandibular, sublingual, parotid, and zygomatic gland. Adenocarcinoma can affect any of these salivary glands in cats, but the major target of this tumor in cats is the parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands. Adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland is highly metastatic and can metastasize into distant organs and tissues in the body. Siamese cats are at higher risk as compared to other breeds, and male cats are affected twice as much as compared to female cats. Like other adenocarcinomas, adenocarcinoma of the salivary glands usually affects cats older than eight years.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management

Read Full Article Here

Nonmetastatic Oral Masses Arising from Periodontal Connective Tissue in Dogs

Epulides are tumors or tumor-like masses on an animal’s gums, which do not come from the teeth. They appear early on as small masses sprouting from the gum, which seem to hang from a stalk, and often displace tooth structures as they expand. Most epulides stick to the bone, do not have a capsule, and have a smooth to slightly nodular surface. They do not spread but may deform the face.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management

Read Full Article Here

Avian Iodine Deficiency

If pet birds are not given a proper diet, they can suffer from nutritional disorders. One such nutritional disorder is iodine deficiency, which is common in budgerigars.

Iodine deficiency affects a bird’s thyroid gland — enlarging it from its usual size of three millimeters, to about about one centimeter, or more. (The swelling of thyroid gland, due to iodine deficiency, is called Goiter.) For birds, the thyroid gland is located in the neck and is one of the glands that maintain proper function for various bodily organs.

• Symptoms and Types
• Treatment
• Prevention

Read Full Article Here

Rabies is a severe, and often fatal, viral polioencephalitis that specifically affects the gray matter of the dog’s brain and its central nervous system (CNS). The primary way the rabies virus is transmitted to dogs in the United States is through a bite from a disease carrier: foxes, raccoons, skunks, and bats. Infectious virus particles are retained in a rabid animal’s salivary glands to better disseminate the virus through their saliva.

Once the virus enters the dog’s body, it replicates in the cells of the muscles, and then spreads to the closest nerve fibers, including all peripheral, sensory and motor nerves, traveling from there to the CNS via fluid within the nerves. The virus can take up to a month to develop, but once the symptoms have begun, the virus progresses rapidly.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management

Read Full Article Here