A new week = a new business! Following last week's
smashing success
with Dr. Trinka of Rocky Mountain Thyroid and Adrenal Health Center, we'd like to continue with one of our long-time partners, Aspen Creek Veterinary Hospital and Drs. Amy Murdock and Shannon Harland
. Please join us in welcoming them to the hot seat, where they will answer your questions, and tell you more about themselves and their philosophy of care! We our pets and those who help us keep them happy and healthy!
Hi Dr.'s Murdoch and Hartland-
I have a quick question. I have a 13 y/o manx tabby that gets a red reaction around her eyes
when she eats allergenic food. Unfortunately, the list seems to include salmon, chicken and tuna, ubiquitous ingredients in canned cat food.
What is your take on kibble? And what is your take on raw food...seems natural to me. Do you recommend grain in a carnivorous diet? If so, why?
I was so excited to find Rad-Cat, a raw turkey blend. And the cat loves it. but dang it, the red skin reaction showed up. sure enough, I failed to recognize the last ingredient... Salmon oil!!
Is there some resource that matches breed of cat to the foods they do well with? Any suggestions?
Hi Terry,
Food and nutrition is an issue that is fairly specific to that individual animal. I think that some of the hypoallergenic cat foods (kibble) can be very useful for a cat like yours that has allergies to specific foods. As I'm sure you already know, animals (like humans) can be either environmental or food related. Raw diets are good too, however finding one that doesn't have specific ingredients can be difficult (as you have discovered). So sometimes feeding recommendations are individualized for that specific animal. Unfortunately cats can be very finicky about texture of their food, ie some cats only like kibble and some only like wet food. Switching food type or brand can potentially cause digestive upset as well. Sorry I don't know of a specific resource that matches food to specific breeds. Feel free to call me and ask more specific questions about your cat's allergies.
Also we can do allergy testing on your pet with a blood test that can tell you what specific foods your cat (or dog) is allergic to.
Hope this helps!
Amy Murdock DVM
small animal veterinarian at Aspen Creek Veterinary Hosptial
I have a 6 yr. old. male cat and his 4 yr. old sibiling (female). They're both healthy and happy. But I worry about the male. He is a big cat in build, but he's also 21 lbs! The female is around 9 lbs. I'd really like to get the male's weight down a bit - maybe to around 18. I ration their food - 1/2 c. each in the am and 1/2 c. each
in the evening.
I've considered cutting them back more, but I fear that the male is taking the female's food as well as his and by cutting back she may lose out.
Do you have any suggestions on how to put Hoover-Boy on a diet?
Cdyl, that is a common problem among multi-cat households, the more "dominant" or food motivated cat eating the majority of the food and potentially becomes overweight. Sometimes seperating the food dishes (in different rooms) can allow the thinner cat to get more time or opportunity to eat, or I have heard of putting more food in a box that has an opening that only the thinner cat can get through. Mostly you have to figure out what will work best for your animals' dynamic and household. Hope that helps.
Dr. Amy Murdock
small animal veterinarian at Aspen Creek Veterinary Hospital
Martin Ent Inc, I had never heard of thunder shirts until I googled them to answer your question, lol . I suppose they could help with some anxiety issues but I think it would depend on the dog and how severe the anxiety is....
Dr. Amy Murdock
I have a 13y/o aussie cattle dog /blue healer mix and lately have noticed that when he runs full tilt and has to make a sharp turn, he looses his balance a bit then keeps going. Is this due to back hips? Are certain breeds known to be prone to musculo-skeletal probs?
and if so, does doing a canine musculo- skeletal nutritional supplement have relevancy?
Also, I don't mean to be controversial here, but do pet vaccinations have the same adjuvants(poisonous crap) as human ones?
Finally, there appears to be a haze in the corneas of the aussie cattle dog. Uv exposure? I know it's not a cataract. Would pred on a taper be helpful?
thanks for being here I have always wanted to ask some of these questions.
My dog's about 12 years old and has developed a large growth on the side of her belly. It's soft and doesn't hurt her, but looks a bit odd. What's most likely the cause (I know you can't diagnose without seeing her, but was wondering if this is something fairly common or not).
Towermonkey,
The growth could be many different things, specifically cancer, and the best thing to do would be have a vet check to make sure it is not a malignant form of cancer. Better to know what is going on than not, in my opinion. Some cancers in dogs are benign and don't necessarily have to be removed unless it becomes so big that is is bother the pet. Other types of cancers that are malignant can spread to other parts of the body, how fast it spreads depends on the type of cells.
Amy Murdock
small animal doctor at Aspen Creek Veterinary hospital
our pets and those who help us keep them happy and healthy!
