This is Neville who is a 1 year old neutered male cat. His owners bought him to PAWS on the 3rd
April for an emergency consultation with our Duty Veterinary Surgeon. They were concerned that
Neville had been sick that evening after having his tea. On examination he was also ataxic (wobbly on his legs)
Feet and his third eyelids were protruding (these are rarely seen in cats unless they are feeling unwell).
Apart from the clinical signs seen, Neville was bright and no other problems were found with him.
Neville’s owners told the Veterinary Surgeon that a cat in their street had been treated for
Ethylene Glycol poisoning (Anti-Freeze) and he was very worried. Ethylene glycol commonly known as
Anti-Freeze, is extremely poisonous to cats. It can be found in products such as car de-icer and is
normally part of the liquid found in car radiators. The Veterinary Surgeon’s concern was that
Neville had possibly come in to contact with this whilst outside. It was agreed that a blood test
should be obtained so that we could check Neville’s organ function and to look for any more
evidence that he had been poisoned with Ethylene Glycol. The blood test showed that Neville
had some abnormalities on his blood results relating to his kidney function but whether this was
caused by Ethylene glycol poisoning we were unsure. The Veterinary surgeon discussed the results
with Neville’s owners and it was decided that as a precaution Neville would be admitted and placed
on to a drip to support his kidney function and hopefully stop any deterioration if he had been
poisoned. The next morning Neville was bright, his third eyelids had returned to normal and on
clinical examination no problems were found. It was still too soon to re-test Neville’s kidney function, he
would need to stay on his drip at least 48 hours. The Veterinary surgeon decided to re-test them
the next day, he also requested that the nursing staff tried to collect a urine sample from Neville.
Ethylene glycol can make a cats urine fluoresce under ultra violet light and this may also show if
Neville had been poisoned. Neville spent the rest of the day on his drip he was very bright and
was eating well. On the 5th April Neville provided us with a urine sample it was tested under
ultra violet light and thankfully it did not fluoresce. Neville was so bright; he had eaten really well and had no vomiting since
he was admitted. His owners came to visit him and he really enjoyed this. Due to Neville being so happy the Veterinary
Surgeon decided that he would re run Neville’s kidney function and if they were all ok he could go home. His owners were
really pleased about this. Unfortunately when Neville’s results were read it showed that his kidney function was nearly three
times as bad as when he was first tested, it was a real shock as Neville was so bright. It was almost certain now that Neville
had been poisoned with the Ethylene glycol. The Veterinary Surgeon contacted Neville’s owners and explained the results
and told them he was very concerned about Neville. He explained that Neville would not be able to go home; he told them
that we could keep Neville on his drip over the next few days in the hope that this would help improve Neville’s kidney
function but there were no guarantees that it would work, his owners opted to this and they visited Neville that evening. The
next day Neville was not as bright he, had vomited and had diarrhoea. He was given medication to help with this and given
plenty of TLC, but the following day Neville once again was much brighter, he ate well and had no diarrhoea. We continued to
keep him on his drip and medication and over the next 3 days Neville really seemed very happy. Due to Neville being so bright
the decision was made that he could go home, he would have to stay on a special kidney diet and have a check up the
following week. The Veterinary surgeon also warned Neville’s owners that unfortunately he may be left with permanent
kidney damage. One week later on the 20th April Neville returned to PAWS for his check up. His owners were really pleased
with him; he was eating well and was brighter. On clinical examination he had lost a little weight since going home and also
one of his kidneys felt a little large although it was not causing him any discomfort. Despite this the Veterinary Surgeon was
happy with Neville overall and advised his owners to continue monitoring him at home and she would see him in a few weeks
to check his kidney function levels. On the 17th May Neville had his kidney levels re- tested and they had improved massively.
Although still slightly higher than normal, the Veterinary Surgeon was really pleased. She informed Neville’s owners of his
results and explained that his kidney function was nearly back to normal they were delighted. All the Veterinary Staff who
looked after Neville were also really pleased he had made such a good recovery. He had been such a character to have in our
cat ward. Neville was a very lucky cat, if it had not been for his owner’s decision to bring him to PAWS that evening he most
likely would not have survived the poisoning.
SUMMER 2012
Rabbits, especially in the warmer
months, are susceptible to flystrike. This
occurs when flies lay their eggs on the
rabbit, normally around the bottom and
tail area. These eggs will eventually hatch
into maggots, which start very quickly
will to eat away at areas of skin around
the bottom and tail. To help prevent
flystrike we recommend more regular
cleaning of the rabbits living quarters,
twice daily checks of your rabbit,
checking for any fly eggs and cleaning off
any soiled areas. You can also treat your
rabbit with REAR GUARD.
This product is designed
to repel flies and help
protect against flystrike.
We all try to protect our own skin from the
sun in the summer months, but were you
aware you must do the same for your pets?
Cats especially with white ears and white
noses, and dogs with white ears and pink
noses are prone to getting sun burnt.
Regularly treating these areas with pet
approved sun cream can prevent them from
getting sun burnt over the summer months.
After regular exposure to the sun cats can in
later life suffer from cancer on the ear tips.
Regular application of
sun cream can help
reduce the risk of this
occurring.
In the hot weather we see many cases of
dogs suffering from heat stroke.
Commonly they will have an increased
temperature, be panting and generally
unsettled, but this can become more
severe. Heat stroke can increase the
animal’s body temperature so much that
in the worst cases they can collapse, go in
to a coma or even die. Easy ways to
prevent heat stroke are to walk your dog
in the evening when its cooler, offer
plenty of fresh cold water and do not
leave your
dogs in a car even
with the windows
open.
If you think your pet is suffering from any of these problems we advise you seek veterinary
treatment as soon as possible.
WELL DONE TO GENTIAN
Gentian started his weight loss programme on 6/10/11; his
starting weight was 15.7kg. His owners struggled to get him to
lose weight with normal diets; they eventually went on to Royal
Canin Obesity Diet. Over 7 months he lost weight steadily and he
now weighs only 11.6kg a total loss of 4.1KG AMAZING! His over
all body mass was reduced dramatically: he lost a total of 14cm
off his waist, 12cm off his chest and 8cm off his neck. I am so
proud of Gentian’s owners they worked extremely hard to get
him to where he is today, and as you can see he looks amazing.
BANK HOLIDAY CLOSURES
Please be aware we are closed on the 27th
August 2012. For emergencies please ring
our usual telephone number and follow the
answer machine instructions.
DO RABBITS NEED TO COME TO THE
VETS LIKE CATS AND DOGS?
YES Rabbits really benefit from regular veterinary check ups. Just like dogs
and cats they require regular vaccinations, worming and can even be
neutered. For advice about your rabbit feel free to speak to one of our pet
health counsellors.