LIVER DISEASE

A little known fact: There is an abnormality concerning cat’s kidneys. Once in a while a cat is born with only one kidney. Usually it is a male kitten, and the missing kidney occurs on the right side.

Good to know: An older cat with kidney failure can be brought from a state of debilitation to a state of being nearly normal with lifelong treatment by using homeopathic medicines, restricted protein diet and fluid therapy as needed. The treatment may improve the kidneys only by about 5% but that 5% can make all the difference in the world concerning survival.

As a cat gets older kidney deterioration is common. It is the second leading cause of death in cats. Most cat parents don’t even realize that the kidneys are not acting normal because the kidneys compensate for loss of tissue. As long as one-third of the kidney tissue is still healthy there are no signs of illness. It is after this point that the illness gradually develops. Death comes when only 15-20 percent of the kidney tissue is still functional.

Early signs of kidney problems are: increased thirst, frequent urination, large quantities of pale urine, inability to hold urine all night , low energy, lack of appetite, nausea, and vomiting that last for a few days at a time. The cat may get repeated bladder inflammation

(cystitis -use antibiotics and kidney diet food using dry and canned or home-made). Skin irritations often precede eventual kidney failure in older cats.

Early symptoms of kidney disease progress into uremia (blood poisoning) which is low energy, frequent vomiting, dehydration, complete loss of appetite, foul breath and inflammation of the mouth including presence of mouth ulcers. If your cat is this sick you should take it to your veterinarian where it will probably receive emergency intravenous fluids to save it’s life. At this point approximately 60-70 percent of the kidney tissue has been destroyed and cannot be regained.

Reduce protein, phosphorus and sodium.

Give the cat vitamins:

(B complex 5-10 milligrams), (C 250 milligrams or 1/16 teaspoon if using sodium ascorbate twice daily), A, cat multi-vitamin, calcium lactate, calcium gluconate or chelated calcium (avoid calcium supplements containing phosphorus). Enriched white rice contains helpful levels of iron and major (B complex 5-10 milligrams) vitamins. Many cats will develop low potassium levels-have your vet test your cat and also ask about the levels suggested here. Ask your vet about adding potassium gluconate if the potassium level is low. Alfalfa may strengthen kidney tissue-1-2 drops. Start with three times daily until you see improvement and then reduce to one time daily or as needed. If your cat mainly has nausea, vomiting or loss of appetite you could try Sepia 6C (cuttlefish ink)

Note: Do not feed special acid-forming food for cats with kidney disease that are formulated to prevent cystitis because the body becomes too acidic and the kidney function is reduced. Feed your cat’s daily ration of food in two meals instead of one.

Vigorously brush the cat’s coat and skin regularly and give a weekly bath with a natural, mild nondrying shampoo. Take the cat outdoors on a leash to expose it to fresh air and sun. 

During a crises, call your veterinarian immediately.

Your vet may show you how to give daily fluid injections, which may help many cats to survive for additional months or even years. Without adequate fluid, treatment will not be successful.

What is holistic medicine/alternative medicine/complementary medicine?

Complementary medicine complements mainstream traditional medicine in that they are used together as one effort.

Alternative medicine is used without the help of mainstream medicine.

Holistic medicine examines all aspects of the being whether animal or human. The holistic doctor’s objective is to help an illness through complementary and alternative methods based on a holistic approach which is to examine all aspects of a life and treat illness in an approach to heal the whole body not just a part of the body. This would include the food, dietary supplements and the environment.

Each kind of medicine is meant to improve the quality of life and recovery from illness.

Dietary supplements refers to a food product supplement that is designed to enhance health.

Note: avoid supplements containing garlic for your cat unless suggested by your veterinarian. Garlic can damage feline red blood cells, causing anemia. Also don’t give your cat glandular or whole tissue supplements without your veterinarians ok. They contain animal glands or organs which could potentially harm your cat.

Holistic Approach to Fleas & Ticks

It only takes a few fleas to set up the infestation. Fleas feed on blood of all warm blooded animals including cats by piercing the skin to draw out the blood. This causes the cat to scratch itself and chew on its skin. The protein left behind by the bite causes some cats to have an allergic reaction. Anemia occurs when the cat looses too much blood due to too many bites. Fleas can also transmit tapeworms.

Ticks bury their mouths under a cat’s skin and drinks their blood possibly spreading Lyme disease,Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Bobcat Fever (cytauxzoonosis), or ehrlichiosis. 

The fleas and ticks can make humans sick with the same deadly health hazards as animals. 

The holistic approach to fleas and ticks is to prevent them. The holistic way to prevent them is to keep your cat inside at all times and to keep your cat away from animals that go outside. If your cat lives indoors only you probably don’t need any type of flea or tick treatment since there is nothing to treat.

The holistic approach to flea control is to regularly comb your cat’s fur with a flea comb while standing on white paper. If your cat is infested perform the combing twice a day for two weeks or until you no longer see any black specks on the white paper.

Note: Whenever using a new product on your pet test a small amount on a small area to test for negative reactions. Discontinue if your cat experiences redness, burning or itching. Choose a day of the month and apply a preventive topical treatment on that day each month.     NOTE: Never use adog flea preventive on a cat and keep your dog separate from your cat until the preventive has dried. These treatments are designed to stop the flea’s life cycle by killing the adult fleas and therefore preventing their eggs from hatching in the cat’s fur. Consider using one that also kills ticks and mosquitoes if your cat is allowed outside or if your doors or windows don’t have screens. Apply the treatment directly to the cat’s skin at the top of the neck. Keeping your cat indoors helps to avoid flea, mosquito and tick infestations.

You should examine your cat on a regular basis for fleas and ticks by standing your cat on white paper and separating the cat’s fur in several places and combing the cats fur starting at the skin. Look for signs of fleas on the skin, in the fur and on the white paper. The fleas will look like small, black specks.

An embedded tick looks like a small, round, hard bump. It can be removed with a pair of tweezers by grabbing the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling the entire body out. After removal of the entire tick apply antiseptic to the cat’s skin.

Cat’s will require a bath to wash off flea feces. After, apply a topical treatment to all household animals at one time even if you see fleas on just one animal. Wash your cats bedding on the hottest cycle. Vacuum all the carpets, hard floors, couch, chairs (wherever your cat’s lay). Immediately empty the vacuum outside. Mop hard floors with hot water.