As the holidays quickly approach, let’s not forget about your four-legged friend. If you plan any air travel with your cat this year, pre-flight preparation will be necessary as it is predicated to be a heavier holiday travel season than in past years.  First, you will need a valid health certificate from your veterinarian.  All airlines require a health certificate that is written no more than 10 days before the flight. Second, more airlines are using regional jets, so I advise that you call the airline ahead of time to determine if your cat carrier will fit on board.  If you are traveling by car, you might be required to have a health certificate depending on your final destination. 

All cats need to be up to date on their vaccines, especially Rabies, before holiday travel.  The distemper vaccine protects your cat against respiratory virus. So, it is an important vaccine when visiting a multiple cathouse hold or boarding your cat. Because other cats may not be vaccinated, it is important to give your cat the most protection. I also recommend an extra dose of Revolution for your cat to ensure that he/she is parasite free (for example, fleas, heartworm, roundworm, hookworm, and ear mites) and will remain so for 30 days. Again, you can’t be sure that other cats have been protected or that the place you are staying is free from intestinal parasites. Did you know that 15% of indoor potting soil has roundworm eggs in it?

In addition to vaccines, we need to prepare cats for traveling. If your cat is not accustomed to travel, you will want to introduce him/her to his/her cat carrier a couple days before travel. This will save your cat undue stress.  One way to do this is to place your cat’s meals in the carrier prior to the trip so he/she has a positive association with the carrier. To prevent car sickness, you shouldn’t feed your cat the morning of your car trip. It is not possible to bring your cat, using a cat sitter is always an option. It is important that a cat sitter comes over at least once a day to make sure that your cat still has food and water and is acting normally. Still another option is boarding your cat. If you plan to board him/her you should make reservations early, as boarding facilities fill quickly during the holidays. For your cat’s comfort and well-being, you should try to board your cat in a window unit and purchase the additional play times. These extras will help reduce his/her stress and make the boarding experience more pleasurable.  Again, if you choose to board your cat, consult with your veterinarian about the best time to vaccinate your cat. Typically, shots should be given at least 7 days in advance of boarding to give the maximum protection.

If instead of traveling, you are having guests for the holidays, be cognizant that your cat may become scared and stressed by the arrival of your guests. Starting your cat on natural calming medicine such has Composure treats or Feliway a couple weeks before your guests arrive will be advantageous. Stress effects cats in multiple ways. The most common effect of stress that I see is urinary and litter box issues.  I will review these issue in great depth in our next issue so stay tuned.

The holidays are very stressful for both you and your cat, so take some time out of your schedule to pet and play with your wonderful cat. The time spent together will benefit your cat and you, research has shown that spending time with pets can lower your blood pressure and stress.

Dermatophytosis, Microsporum canis, Trichophyton mentagrophyets, Microsporum gypseum.

Otherwise know as Ringworm.

Ringworm can affect dogs, cats, humans, horses, and cows. Ringworm can be transmitted between humans and animals but it is uncommon.  Ringworm is a fungal disease. It is called ringworm because of the pattern of lesions it produces; circular areas of hair loss with red, raised outer rims. This ring is caused by hair follicle damage and subsequent inflammation.  Cats, especially long-haired breeds, are more often infected than short-haired breeds. Some of them can become chronic carriers of the fungus even though they may not show any signs of infection.

If your cat has patchy or circular hair loss, scales (dandruff) and reddened skin you should bring your cat to FeederCreek. Your cat will only be itchy 50% of the time. Your vet at FeederCreek will most likely want to do a DTM test or a fungal culture to confirm the diagnosis. A Wood’s Lamp can be used but will only diagnose 50% of ringworm caused by Microsporum canis, the most common cause of ringworm.

Treatment of infected pets can be both expensive and frustrating, especially in households or kennels where several animals live.

After reviewing the most current published papers, I would like to summarize the most effective treatments.  Although each treatment protocol most be tailored to your cat and environment.  All cats in the household should be tested to determine if they are carriers even if they are not showing clinical symptoms.

The optimum treatment involves clipping your cat’s entire hair coat, twice weekly topical antifungal therapy, concurrent systemic antifungal therapy, and environmental decontamination. The best topical product is a Lime Sulfur dip, which should be done twice weekly.  Lime Sulfur should not be rinsed off your cat.  There are two commonly used oral systemic therapies. One is Itraconazole for 28 days, followed by pulse therapy of one week on and one week off for 4 weeks.  The second is Terbinafine; it is the newest drug and should be used for 28 days. Finally, the environmental decontamination involves using a 1:10 bleach to water mixture twice weekly to disinfect brushes, beading, and bowls. This combined treatment should not stop until three negative consecutive fungal cultures are obtained at bi-weekly intervals. 


Jonathan A. Yardley, DVM

Only two days before the first leg of the triple crown, the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum Brands. The Kentucky Derby was first run in 1875 and first televised May 3 1952. It is know as the most "exciting two minutes in sports" because the race is usually run in about 2 minutes at distance of 1.25 miles or 10 furlongs. I find the derby to be exciting because it is the best three year old race horses in the country running. The Derby is sometimes referred to as the "run for the roses."  The horses have been training all winter for this race and needed $125,000 in winnings to be entered.  The Kentucky Derby is run on a dirt surface so weather can be a factor. 
 
One Derby tradition is hats!  No one knows for sure where the derby hat tradition started but Courtney Stinson, public relations manager for the Kentucky Derby Museum states that "They went around to all of the women's clubs in town and invited the women to dress up in their finest to come to the Derby. ... In that period, of course, the hat was essential, and the hat just carried through."   It is exciting to see all the hats, each with their own unique style . Hats can range in price from $45 to $5000. So even if you don't enjoy horse racing, the people watching can be just as fun. NBC will carry the coverage of the race this year, turn on your HDTV early and enjoy!
 
Another tradion of the Kentucky of Derby is the Mint Julip. The Mint Julip is a very yummy drink.  It is an iced drink consisting of Kentucky bourbon, fresh mint leaves  a sugar cube , and  traditionally served in a silver or pewter cup. If you go the derby you will get your Mint Julip in a commemorative Kentucky Derby glass which is a great collectors item. Also, it lets you keep track of how many Mint Julips you have consumed on biggest day of racing. 
 
Because we are a veterinary clinic I need to insert a little veterinary knowledge into this blog. One of the most common questions I get is about using Lasix in race horses. Lasix is a loop diuretic (water pill) and causes the horse to urinate before the race. Lasix helps to decrease the severity of EIPH (exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage).  EIPH is likely caused when the horse runs at full capacity and has micro blood vessels in their lungs break and blood enters the lower airways. The horses that bleed usually have a harder time finishing a race and are also predisposed to a respiratory tract infections. A recent paper was published that proved the Lasix decreases the severity of EIPH and keeps horses healthier. Most good trainers will have an endoscopic exam performed on
the horse after the race to see if  there was any bleeding. This is an important function of a racetrack veterinarian as they can choose the correct treatment based on the findings. Horses are not alone because it has been reported that human athletes, racing camels and racing greyhounds all experienced EIPH while running at maximum intensity.  Enough science for now.

To support the race, head to your closest parimutuel window to place your bets (like at Scioto Downs or Beulah Park) on  May 7th 2011 and pick the Derby winner. Hopefully your long shot will come in first!. Post time for the 137th running of the Derby is 6:25pm on NBC.  
  
If you wear your Kentucky Derby hat on Friday or Saturday into FeederCreek Veterinary Clinic you will receive a free Frisbee for your dog. 
 

Jonathan A. Yardley, DVM

If you suspect your cat has come into contact with any of these substances you should immediately contact your veterinarian. He/she will need to do a physical and neurological exam and possibly blood work to assess your cat’s health. The veterinarian will place an IV catheter and start fluids along with other treatments.  If your veterinarian suspects that your cat has ingested a toxin, he/she might give your cat medicine to make it vomit, or he/she may perform a gastric lavage (stomach pumping) If the cat has a skin reaction to the toxin, washing him/her in a luke warm bath with dish soap will help remove the toxins from the skin. Unfortunately, there are no “antidotes” in veterinary medicine for treating toxicity in cats, and therefore other treatments have to be used.