Body Language of Cats
Cats use body language to communicate a variety of information and emotions to others. The primary body parts they use to convey their state of mind are their ears, tail, eyes, body posture, and vocal cords. Types of emotions and behaviors that can be demonstrated are fear or anxiety, frustration, pain, play, mating, contentedness or […]
Asthma in Cats
Asthma is a recurring respiratory compromise featuring the constriction of the lung’s airways. First, excess mucus forms, the airway walls swell with inflammation and can actually ulcerate, and finally the airway muscles go into spasm leading to constriction. Airway constriction leads to inability to draw a deep breath, intolerance to exercise, coughing, and musical sighing […]
MORE INFO FROM THE FDA ON GRAIN FREE DIETS AND THE LINK TO DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY IN ATYPICAL DOG BREEDS
FDA Investigation into Potential Link between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy Updated June 27, 2019 In July 2018, the FDA announced that it had begun investigating reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods, many labeled as “grain-free,” which contained a high proportion of peas, lentils, other legume seeds (pulses), and/or potatoes in […]
Getting Fleas to Flee…
Although there are over 2000 flea species in the world, pet owners should be concerned with only one: Ctenocephalides felis, the cat flea. This is the flea that we find on our pets (cats, dogs, rabbits, and other species) in 99.9 percent of cases. In order to understand how to control the damage caused by this tiny […]
Sucralfate – A major player in helping cats, dogs and people with gastric ulcers
Background Stomach ulceration in humans is a prominent medical condition and there has long been pressure to develop effective and convenient ways to address this problem. Until relatively recently, we relied on simply neutralizing stomach acid by pouring alkaline solutions (i.e., Alka Seltzer, Tums, Rolaids etc.) into the stomach. In fact, ulceration is a complicated […]
Canine Arthritis and Some Information About the Drug Galliprant
The brand name Galliprant is used for a new drug callled Grapiprant. This drug was designed for long-term use to help with canine arthritis. It HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED FOR CATS.The importance of pain relief cannot be overemphasized. Dogs, especially large breed dogs, commonly suffer from arthritis pain and loss of mobility, especially as they age. The issue […]
Urban Animal Goes to World Pride 2019 and Celebrates the Right of Every Individual to Express Their Uniqueness.
This weekend was a busy, memorable and fun time for some of the Urban Animal folks. Some of us went to World Pride in NYC, an international celebration of the 50th anniversary of Stonewall and the rights of LBGT people. Urban Animal Veterinary Hospital values the dignity of every individual that walks through our door […]
Pemphigus Foliaceus in Dogs and Cats
Pemphigus is an immune-mediated skin disease involving inappropriate immunological attack against a normal layer of the skin. Different types of pemphigus involve different areas of the skin. Your Epidermis Is Showing The outer layer of the skin is called the epidermis and consists of cells arranged in layers. Live new cells are at the bottom […]
Hyperlipidemia in Dogs and Cats
Hyperlipidemia is a general term for disorders in which too many fat molecules (called lipids) circulate in the blood. The two most important lipids in pets are cholesterol and triglycerides. Lipids are insoluble, meaning they are not easily dissolved in water. Because blood is a watery substance, in order to move these insoluble lipids around […]
Coccidia Infects Intestines of Cats and Dogs
What On Earth Are Coccidia? Coccidia are single-celled organisms that infect the intestine. They are microscopic parasites detectable on routine fecal tests in the same way that worms are, but coccidia are not worms and are not susceptible to deworming medications. They are also not visible to the naked eye. Coccidia infection causes a watery diarrhea […]