5 Reasons to Flip the Lip

If there was one thing that you could do- only once a month- that could prevent your cat from suffering constant pain, would you do it?  That is a silly question, right?  OK, here's the challenge.  It involves flipping up the lips, and taking a look at what is hiding behind the lips.  What I hope you see are shiny white amazingly healthy teeth and pink gums. But....

Here are 5 reasons why you should be FLIPPING the LIP :


DENTAL disease is COMMON in cats of any age.  A cat as young as 6 months old can suffer from red swollen painful gums.  This condition is called gingivitis and is reversible if caught early in its progression to periodontal disease.  Do you notice a smell from your cats mouth? -this is often the first sign that infection is starting below the gum line.  Mouth smell (or hallitosis) usually equals infection in a cat.  And infection equals pain.

You don't KNOW if there is a problem  unless you look!  Teeth crack, teeth fall out, teeth abscess, gums bleed, gums swell, gums become inflammed.  ALL of this happens behind the lips, where you can not easily see.  Your cat does not brush or floss daily.  So, very slowly plaque and tartar and infection will begin to develop... it is just a matter of time....Your cat should get an annual physical exam, but what about the other 11 months of the year?  Flip the Lip.

YOUR cat is NEVER too old to benefit from dental care.        Most cats by the time they are six years old would benefit from a teeth cleaning, which requires anesthesia. But as a cat ages, dental health becomes even more important.  Infection in the mouth can be transported thru the blood stream to major organs, like the kidneys or the  heart. As your cat ages, it is vital to prevent this from happening, by keeping their mouth disease free.

CATS don't stop eating if they have a tooth ache.  Even with tooth pain, your cat will still be hungry and will eat.  They may only chew on one side of their mouth.  They may swallow their food whole.  But, don't use eating as a sign that your cat is pain-free.  You need to be a dental detective!

CATS don't show pain with a tooth ache.    It is a fact that a painful cat does not cry or vocalize at all.  A painful cat may become less interactive, may hide, or may stop playing, or may appear perfectly normal to you.  So, this makes it very challenging to tell if your cat's mouth hurts.  Assume they WON'T tell you it hurts -you need to flip the lip and look for changes, redness or smell. 

Your cat deserves the very best care.  And as an owner, you are on the front line, so flip the lip at least monthly, for your cat's sake. They will LOVE you for it (if you follow a lip flip with a treat!)

As always. please feel free to share this information with your cat loving friends.
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic
Menasha, Wisconsin

Hunter dodges Nerf Bullet

No one knows why some cats eat foreign material. Things like silk plants, crayons, kids plastic toys, and ribbons don't taste good but of course they are fun to play with and chew on, and without an opposable thumb, things get swallowed.     My own cat, Pipsqueak, used to chew on, and occasionally ingest the spiral part of phone cords (this was before cell phones were invented).  I have a client who now keeps her hair scrunchies under lock and key (after hair scrunchie surgical removal last year).    In my career as a veterinarian, I have surgically removed many interesting items -or  "Foreign Bodies." from the GI tract of dogs and cats.     The list includes a barbie doll head, a cassette tape, a plastic dinosaur, sparkle balls, a sewing needle, and several phone cord spirals.

Recently, I saw a patient with a history of eating  NERF BULLETS.   The kids in the house thought this was great fun when the cat would chase and chew on the soft spongy bullets.  They would occasionally find a nerf bullet in the litter box, and never thought much of this, until last week, when Hunter was vomiting, had a painful belly,  and was not interested in his food.

The good news for Hunter and his family is that he did not need surgery (this time).  His body was again able to pass the bullet.  The really  important lesson is this:  just because a foreign body passes one time, does not mean that it will EVERY TIME. If you see foreign material passing in your cats stool, remove the offending item from your house. ( I've been assured that the nerf bullets  and gun are now being kept at grandma's house.) 

We may not understand why certain cats chose to swallow things that are not food.  We DO KNOW that if you have a cat that fits this description, expect them to be a  REPEAT OFFENDER!  Any cat toy small enough to be swallowed should be removed from the home.  Any toy with chewable parts (like eyeballs, or tails) or ribbons that dangle should be avoided. A good rule of thumb is that any toy smaller than a quarter is a FOREIGN BODY WAITING TO HAPPEN for a cat.  Most cat toys are safe, but not all.  And many things that our cats play with are not really cat toys to being with. 

 Hoping that all your cats are able to "dodge" the foreign body bullet, like Hunter did!
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic 

     

MRSA and your cat...

I fielded a question from a client this week about MRSA and cats.  As many of you know, MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.  MRSA is considered a zoonotic disease.

A zoonosis (pron.: /ˌzoʊ.əˈnoʊsɨs/) (also spelled zoönosis) is an infectious disease that is transmitted between species (sometimes by a vector) from animals other than humans to humans or from humans to other animals (the latter is sometimes called reverse zoonosis or anthroponosis). (Wikipedia)

With the recent Salmonella contamination of many of our pet foods and human foods  in the last year (spinach, tomatoes, peanut butter....) I thought it would be a good idea to share a web page that is one of my favorite sources for information about specific diseases that both people and pets can share (ie zoonotic diseases).  

This web page blog contains well researched information sheets for pet owners on each specific disease such as:  MRSA, Salmonella, Giardia, Rabies, Toxoplasmosis, Cat bites and more.  For each disease, they divide the disease risk into 2 catagories:  Healthy Adult/ Older Children and Young Children/ Immunocompromised persons.

 Here's the link:  http://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/

Worms and Germs Blog is supported by the Ontario Veterinary College's Center for Public Health and Zoonoses.  Please trust this site for fact based information pertaining to safe pet ownership -not just with cats, but the many different species of animals we chose to share our lives with.  We love our pets, but it is good to remember that we can share more than love....

The internet is a powerful tool for knowledge -but sometimes it is not easy to know what to believe.  I hope you find WORMS and GERMS as valuable as I do.  As always, if you found this information helpful, please share with other cat lovers.

Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic

Salmonella found in Evo and Innova

Every week it seems there is another pet food recall.  This week it is Natura Pet Food.  They make brands like Evo and Innova.  These are brands that I consider excellent quality, and I know many of my clients feed them.   As I discuss daily with my clients, in this day and age, no pet food brand is safe from recalls.  All we can do as pet owners is be wary, and vigilant, and ROTATE BRANDS to minimize the effects a recall will have on your cat.

Salmonella is a zoonotic disease -a disease that people can get from animals -and in this case,  also by handling pet food. It should be a reminder to all of us to wash our hands carefully after preparing our pets food. And to prevent young  children from ever  handling pet foods.    Diseases like Salmonella are most dangerous to children and also immune compromised individuals.

Here is a link to more specific information, and  the specific production lots that are being recalled: http://truthaboutpetfood2.com/natura-pet-food-recall

As always, please share this information with other cat owners.  It could save a life.
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic

Diamond Kitten Food Recall -Low Vitamin B1 levels

Another recall, folks.  This just happened over the weekend.  Diamond Pet Foods are recalling their dry kitten formulas (see link for product codes) due to a low vitamin B1 level.  This vitamin is essential for healthy growth, and is VITAL for kittens.  Please pass this information on to ANYONE who is feeding kittens! 
Follow this link for more information:  Diamond Kitten Food recall.

Happy Monday!
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic
www.foxvalleycatclinic.com

Food Recall Alert

This week, Nature's Variety has announced a recall of several batches of their Frozen Raw Chicken Diet -Please follow the link for specific batch numbers and more information
Current Food Recall

As always, safety first.
Dr. Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic

My thoughts on Trap, Neuter and Release

Trap-Neuter-Release, or TNR is happening in the Fox Valley. It is one approach to addressing the explosion of stray cats in our area, and all across Wisconsin and the country. 

Why is TNR important?    Stray cats are everywhere. You don't have to look beyond your back yard to see stray cats.  In rural areas,  it is an ever present problem. And many of these cats are feral- they have been born in the "wild" and have never been handled, and so are more like wild animals than domesticated pets. They starve, they are hunted,  they are shot, they are trapped, they get sick, suffer and die. They need our help to stop reproducing, and eventually this will help to solve the overpopulation.


Who is involved?  Cat lovers (like you!) volunteer their time  to  trap, transport, identify and document, tranquilize, perform surgical prep, vaccinate, deworm,  anesthetize, neuter/spay, monitor recovery, and release.  There are volunteer opportunities even if you don't have experience in this type of work.  Trained veterinary volunteers perform the "technical" duties, but most of the pre- and post- surgery work is done by lay-people. 

Where can you find a TNR group nearby?
 Cats Anonymous is located in Green Bay:   http://catsanonymous.org/ 
 Wish TNR is located in Neenah:  http://wishuponapaw.org/tnr/                                                         Fox Valley Humane is located outside of Appleton:   http://www.foxvalleypets.org/Services/TNR_Program.aspx

How can you help?  Consider giving of your time.  It's a fun way to spend time doing good, surrounded by like-minded cat fanciers.  Or donate money.  All of these TNR groups function on donations only.  Although everyone volunteers their time, drugs and supplies and equipment are expensive.  Donate supplies. Become a "Colony Caretaker".   Talk to someone you know that has a colony of cats that need spaying/neutering.  Spread the word about the advantages of TNR.  Attend a fund-raiser for a TNR group.

I have volunteered with Cats Anonymous several times in 2012,, and found it very rewarding.  I have met some great people through CA.   They are a great organization with an amazingly committed group of people from all walks of life.   We join together with one goal in mind -giving feral cats the help they need.
 I will be helping out in 2013, will you?

If you found my blog interesting, please feel free to "Share" it with others.
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic LLC

Be SAVVY about your cat's nutrition

I encourage my clients to  ask me questions about their cat's food because, as a consumer, making healthy choices  is not easy.  However,  it is SO very important to your cat.   Your cat DEPENDS on you for good quality nutritious food -and NOT ALL food on the market fits into this catagory. 

 Very few of the pet food manufacturers put useful information on their label.  The most important information, aside from the ingredient list, is calorie count.  How many calories are in each 8 oz cup or 5.5 oz can of your cat's  food?  The average 10# indoor  cat should be fed 200-250 kcal per day.  Without knowing how many calories are in the food you feed, you do not know how much to feed daily.  And PLEASE do not trust the chart on the bag that tells you how much to feed your cat!  These charts always encourage overfeeding!  (It is a sad fact that pet food companies are more concerned about the bottom line, than the health of your cat.)

 As many of you know, part of my annual exam appointment  includes a discussion of nutrition and  healthy choices, we calculate how many calories to feed , and the amount to feed based on YOUR food choices.  I do this because I am convinced that the way to keep your cat  healthy is by making healthy choices.  I also carry a variety of wellness diets in my practice that I have researched and feel comfortable recommending.  These are foods that I feed my own cats.  I know that many of you don't have time or the desire to do the necessary nutritional research before you chose your cat's food.   I have the calories per cup or can clearly posted on my shelves.  My staff can advise you on how much to feed to maintain a healthy weight.  I have recently posted the  percentages of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in these canned wellness foods.  Again, this information is not found on the label (without doing the math), but it is SO important.

I recommend looking for a food that is at least  40% protein, whether you are feeding canned or dry food.  Watch the carbohydrate percentage -cats should not be getting more than 25% of their diet as carbs (and some nutritionists think that even this is too high.).  The first ingredient in your cat food MUST BE meat based protein, or DO NOT FEED IT.  I recently had a client bring a bag of Science Diet dry food in for me to evaluate, and I was shocked to see the first two ingredients were rice and corn.  Remember that companies change their ingredient list AT WILL.  They are not required to change the label or notify their customers in any way -so ALWAYS read the label with every purchase. And a reputable name brand does not ensure quality ingredients. 

Lastly,  evaluate the water content in your chosen canned food.  Water in canned food should be around 75-78%, and this is plainly marked on the label .  If the water content is 78%, then you are paying for 22% food.  Water is a great addition to canned food,  but you can always add more water before serving .   I have seen some quality canned foods as high as 87 1/2% water -so your cat is only getting 12 1/2% food.    If the water content is high, the calorie count is usually lower, but the PRICE MAY STILL BE HIGH -so READ THE LABEL.

The internet can be your friend, if you are wanting more facts about the food you feed your feline friend.  Or, feel free to bring your cat food bag/can in with your next annual exam.  We will be happy to do the research for you!
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic