Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” collection, the place each Monday we convey professional recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their cat’s well being and well-being.
Whether or not you’re a brand new pet dad or mum or a seasoned cat lover, Dr. Paola is right here to supply solutions to your most urgent questions. From diet ideas and preventive care to troubleshooting widespread behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to supply insights that may maintain your kitty blissful, wholesome, and feline positive. Keep tuned for professional steering on a spread of subjects that matter most to you and your cat, so you may make knowledgeable selections and supply the very best care to your furry companion.
Have a query? Ship it in right here!
Assist! My Cat Suffers from Allergic reactions!
“Expensive Dr. Paola,
My 6-year-old cat Nikki suffers from allergy symptoms. We don’t know the precise allergen, however a change in litter, meals, and water has helped a bit. She was badly traumatized as a kitten. Though she likes to be petted, any try to carry her to provide treatment brings on a panic response. I’ve tried every part I can consider—mixing with meals, liquid treats, making use of to her fur—nothing works. Are there any new subdural meds that her vet would possibly apply?” – Linda
Hello Linda,
Taking good care of a cat with a historical past of trauma and allergy symptoms can definitively be difficult. Working carefully with a vet is important to make sure the remedy plan addresses Nikki’s bodily and emotional wants. Figuring out allergy triggers is a key step, because it permits for focused methods to handle her indicators successfully.
Remedy choices might embody antihistamines for gentle circumstances or as a part of a broader plan, corticosteroids to scale back irritation and itching, and immunotherapy to desensitize her to particular allergens over time. Different choices, like immunosuppressants reminiscent of Atopica (cyclosporine) or off-label use of Apoquel (oclacitinib), may be thought-about, however this must be based mostly on her particular case. Stress administration can be essential, as it will possibly considerably impression her general well-being since stress worsens allergy symptoms.
In the event you want to be taught extra and discover the totally different obtainable choices for Nikki whereas minimizing stress and making certain her consolation, we advocate chatting with one in all our veterinarians in a one-on-one seek the advice of at PangoVet.com. PangoVet’s companies can present personalised recommendation and enable you to navigate the following steps, making certain you and the veterinarian can work collectively to create a plan tailor-made to her particular wants.
Finest needs!
Dr. Paola
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Assist! My Cats Are Fart Machines!
“Expensive Dr. Paola,
I’ve two 5-month-old kittens, Tux and Max, from the SPCA. They eat Purina professional plan kitten meals moist 2 instances a day along with their dry meals. Are they speculated to be little raging fart machines? I choose one up and WAM, it’s so foul I’ve to cowl my nostril. Is that this regular? Thanks.” – Mary
Hello Mary! It’s not unusual for kittens to expertise occasional gasoline, nonetheless persistent foul-smelling flatulence isn’t thought-about regular. There are a number of potential causes for this. Dietary components are sometimes the first trigger. Extremely processed meals might comprise elements that some kittens discover more durable to digest, reminiscent of sure proteins, fillers, or components. Swallowing air whereas consuming, particularly in the event that they’re enthusiastic eaters, may contribute to the issue. Moreover, kittens just lately adopted from shelters might have an imbalance of their intestine flora or might nonetheless be harboring intestinal parasites, even when they have been handled for worms.
I like to recommend beginning with a better have a look at their eating regimen. Transitioning to a species-appropriate, much less processed meals with fewer components would possibly assist enhance their digestion and cut back gasoline. You need to steer clear of meals with “Meat By-Merchandise” within the ingredient checklist as you possibly can by no means know what they comprise. Including a high-quality, veterinary-recommended probiotic can assist them in constructing a wholesome intestine microbiome. It’s additionally a good suggestion to substantiate along with your veterinarian that Tux and Max are free from intestinal parasites, as these can typically trigger gastrointestinal upset, together with gasoline. If the problem persists or is accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting, or weight modifications, a vet go to could be important to rule out different underlying considerations.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paola
Assist! My Cat Wants Weekly Baths!
“Expensive Dr. Paola,
I’ve a foster cat, Catsby, with critical environmental and meals allergy symptoms. Since he’s allergic to mud mites he will get a weekly bathtub with a hypoallergenic shampoo. (Plus HEPA filters, frequent bedding modifications, steam mopping, and many others.) Somebody advisable month-to-month remedy with Revolution as a result of it will assist with any mud mites within the atmosphere. Is that true? I hate to place chemical substances on his pores and skin except they actually would assist considerably. Thanks, Dr. Paola”
– Kitty
Hello Kitty,
Thanks to your dedication to Catsby’s care whereas he finds a without end dwelling! Whereas Revolution (selamectin) is efficient towards many parasites like fleas, ear mites, and sarcoptic mange mites, it doesn’t work on mud mites. Mud mites, reminiscent of Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, reside within the atmosphere, feeding on family members’ pores and skin flakes and different natural particles. Since they don’t reside on or feed from pets, they’re not uncovered to selamectin, which primarily targets parasites that reside in and work together immediately with handled animals.
I have to congratulate you, you’re already doing a superb job managing Catsby’s mud mite allergy symptoms with HEPA filters, frequent bedding modifications, steam mopping, and hypoallergenic baths. These steps are the best for controlling mud mites and minimizing allergens. Including Revolution is unlikely to supply further assist with mud mites, so I perceive your hesitation about making use of chemical substances unnecessarily. Please by no means take remedy
This text is part of our weekly Ask Dr. Paola collection
