Weight Loss

Cino (and Cino's mother) are worried that he is losing weight despite a hearty appetite. Burmese are more likely than other breeds to develop diabetes so we checked his blood glucose first. It was normal and so were his kidney and liver tests.
Hyperthyroidism is more common in older cats like Cino who turns 12 shortly. However the blood test showed that his thyroid is functioning normally.
Cino occasionally vomits. Because everything else seems normal we will zero in on his intestinal tract. First we will try a diet that will minimise inflammation in his stomach and intestines. If we don't get any response to that we will scan him from top to bottom for abnormalities.
Some cats suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which may escalate into mild or, less frequently, severe lymphoma. Many of these bowel conditions are treatable and well-managed cats do well.

Cats can have hypos too!

Ivo is a diabetic on insulin. For many months his dose was stable but just lately we have had to increase it to control his blood sugar levels adequately.
The last dose increase was one too many. Last Wednesday night he was wobbly on his feet and looked a bit spaced out. His attentive owner soon realised he was having a hypo and gave him an early dinner. Within minutes he was back to his normal self.
Ivo spent a chilled out day with us today while we checked the fluctuations in his blood glucose. With the dose reduction we hope he will have a much better week this week.

Watching her weight

Beautiful British Blue Tess is looking to the future. She is just entering her more senior years and is trying to get some extra grams off her waist line. She hopes to avoid nasties like diabetes, arthritis and heart disease by getting her weight down.
She still has a fat pad swinging from her belly under that soft thick coat. Another 200gm weight loss should do the trick.
Good luck Tess!

Diabetes

Mini checks out her blood glucose this morning

Cat diabetes is very similar to human diabetes. Slimming down and a particular diet help control or even cure it.
However diabetes in cats always requires an intial intense period of insulin treatment and, unlike humans, cats require a high protein diet to overcome their diabetes.
Mini visits us every Thursday morning for a blood glucose test. Her carer gives her an insulin injection twice a day with her meals. Until we find the best dose for her she will visit us every Thursday for a weight check and a blood glucose check.
Mini had already lost her extra kilos when she was diagnosed so she didn't have to go on a weight reduction diet. High protein diets help keep cats' blood glucose down and reduce the insulin dose though. 

Surprising seniors!

Our cats are living longer lives than ever before because of desexing, better diet and improved health care. Many of Hall Veterinary Surgery’s feline patients live well into their teens and your cat could too.

Cats are very good at hiding illness and discomfort. It is easy to overlook subtle changes in appetite and behaviour. Changes in bodyweight are often the first sign of disease. Regular examinations of the mouth, joints and eyes pick up some signs of disease. Increased blood pressure warns of kidney or thyroid disease. Many serious health problems in cats are only picked up with blood and urine tests.
Diseases commonly seen in older cats include arthritis, dental disease, kidney insufficiency, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus and bowel disease. Often cats have several of them at a time. If we detect problems early and manage them appropriately then our feline friends can enjoy longer, happier and more comfortable lives.
The key to detecting and managing most of these diseases is regular monitoring of body weight, body condition and blood pressure. Urine and blood tests are important in kidney and thyroid disease while serial examination of joints, eyes and teeth triggers early preventative strategies.

Annual checkups are adequate until 10 years of age. Because cats age four times more rapidly than humans we recommend twice a year checks from 10 years of age on.