A Simple Reason Your Older Cat Can't Walk

Midnight

"I think my cats kidneys are shot because she can't walk anymore."

Such was the way Midnight's appointment began.

Midnight is 16 years old, and chronic renal failure in  an elderly cat is certainly a good guess, and very likely affecting every 16 year old cat. To confirm kidney disease blood and urine must be tested.

There are some appointments that are incredibly time consuming, require complex and complete diagnostics, days of treatment options and attempts, AND, then there are the few that just take a few seconds of looking.

It was very obvious why Midnight couldn't walk.

Her very sharp toenails had grown into her soft foot pads, and every step she took was four needles driving into her skin.

OUCH!

Her diagnosis was easy: Overgrown nails.

Her treatment plan: Easy. Trim nails.  (See my Nail Trimming Guide here.)

Her Prognosis: Excellent, (far better than kidney failure), as long as her family keeps them trimmed.

After we trimmed all of Midnight's nails she had multiple open wounds in her foot pads. We sent her family home with foot soaks, antibiotics and a request to change her clumping litter to newspaper. 

I expect she will be walking better shortly.

As cats age their instinct to scratch and shed their nails decreases. Cats should be encouraged to scratch on appropriate surfaces by keeping them accessible and enticing them with fresh organic catnip re-applied weekly. Even with ample opportunities to scratch older cats tend to not shed their nails well. Older cats should have their feet and nails checked weekly, and trim as often as needed. If you are reluctant to trim ask your vet to show you how.

Related Posts;

Top 5 Things Overlooked By Cat Parents

How To Trim Nails

If you have any pet questions of any sort you can find me, and a whole slew of incredibly smart, very generous, dedicated pet people at Pawbly.com.

Or, you can bring your kitty (or pup) into the vet clinic for a visit by coming over to see me in person at Jarrettsville Vet.

Or find me on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

House Cleaning, Pig-Pen Style.

Today is Friday, July 5th, 2013.

Yesterday, the Fourth of July the clinic was closed so we all got a day off and a reason to hit the pool parties, fireworks, and barbecues. I took full advantage of all!

Today, is the second day of my long weekend and the first official day of the long To-Do list.

At the top was pig house cleaning.

Now I realize most people don't have a pet pig, but, most of us have pets, and all of those pets need a scheduled cleaning and exam.

For the dog people out there I recommend the following schedule:

• Puppy. Visit the vet within 3 days of adopting your new pup. See puppy primer.
• Puppy. Visits for vaccines based on the puppy visit schedule your vet prescribes.
• Puppy. Set up a schedule for nail trimming, grooming, tooth brushing on a calender. You may also need anal sac visits, ear cleaning, skin fold maintenance and behavior classes. Schedule as needed for as long as is needed.
• Adulthood. Yearly veterinary visits, which may include; fecal examinations, dental cleanings, heartworm, and tick borne disease tests, urinalysis, blood screenings, set up monthly heartworm and flea and tick prevention schedule. Discuss any items to be addressed before the next yearly examination. (This may include re-checks, bi-annual exams, maintenance of persistent or chronic problems, like allergies, arthritis, heart or other disease monitoring, etc.).
• Senior. Bi-annual examinations to better monitor onset or progression of disease or change in health or ability.

My point is to remind all of us that a coordinated and agreed upon schedule is the best way to avoid time sneaking up on us and problems slipping through the cracks of our ever busy lives. 

Every aspect of our pets care benefits from a thorough understanding of what is needed when and how to do it efficiently.

A few very good examples will follow in the next few blogs.

It is always my hope that I can educate my clients to understand, identify and address their pets needs before they get out of hand and need my intervention.

For my house my pet pig, Strawberry, this is; spring hoof trimming (ugh, the drama of that. pig hoof trimming, .), summer housecleaning, and fall is winter prepping. I also check on her daily when I feed her. Everyday is a quick visual exam and careful monitoring for her overall health and mentation.

I watch her walk to her food bowl.

• Is she walking comfortably and in a direct path? Is she using all feet equally and fluidly? Are her hooves too long? 
• Are there any wounds, scratches, or evidence of bruising, hair loss, or drainage from eyes, ears, mouth, etc.
• Does she seem bright, alert, responsive, AND happy? This is an assessment of mental health and mental well-being.
• Does she dive into her food..let me tell you, for a pig, or my beagle this is the one sure sign that they are feeling good. 

I check her house to make sure it is safe, sound, clean, and comfy.

Strawberry's house is emptied from all of the hay that insulates her house during the winter.

For your pet remember to clean bedding, toys, clothes, bowls, and their coat, nails, teeth, anal sacs, ears, etc. on a routine set schedule.

For dogs I recommend;

• Daily. Monitor for mentation, eating, ambulating, hearing, seeing, attitude, sleep behavior, teeth, urination and defecation, etc. Clean food and water bowls.
• Weekly. Monitor, ears, nails, coat. Brush and comb out the coat. Clean bedding. Check all toys, wash or dispose of if damaged.
• Monthly. Provide monthly flea & tick and heartworm prevention. Check grooming schedule. Check yearly, or bi-annual schedule for veterinary needs. Check all pets identification collar, tags, leashes. Replace any that need to be.
• Yearly. Check microchip and confirm information with microchip provider. Plan for the next month and year. Discuss your pets care with your veterinarian at your visit. 

For cats the same schedule applies except I would add; 

• Weekly. Change and clean litter boxes. Add fresh catnip to scratching mats. Clean out the water fountains. 
• Monthly. New scratching mats. Fresh grass to grow in the cats flower pots.

Food is the best way to get pig out of her house so it can be overhauled.

Watermelon is the best summer snack for pigs.
Lots of water and fun to eat!

A clean house, new hay, and fly tapes.

 For those of you that have a pig, or an outside pet. It is imperative to have a shady spot, a safe protected house, unlimited always available fresh water, and a place to hide, or retreat to, if needed.

Strawberry may not be the most popular pet in America, but she shares basic needs that all of our pets do. Like all of my pets, I am responsible for her health and well-being, and I love her for the independent self-reliant little bundle of obstinacy that she is.

The best care that you can give your pets is to be attentive to them. Whether you are two or four legged, toed or hooved, we all need food, housing, attention, medical and emotional care.

This is an interactive blog! Please comment any items that you check with your pet. And please share your thoughts, experiences, and pet stories with me. I can be reached anytime @pawbly, pawbly.com or here, at KMDVM.blogspot.com.

Have a wonderful summer everyone!