From the Claim Files: "Fat Cats" and Chronic Diabetes

We don't mean to make light of this problem for a moment.

That's why in this episode, Dr. Larry and Dr. Bill talk about the special dietary needs of cats, along with the specific problem of feline diabetes mellitus. This chronic disease shows how important pet health insurance — and the details of what's covered or excluded — can be to helping us provide needed veterinary care over the lifetime of our pets.

Dr. Larry also has a post about the Dietary Management of Feline Diabetes over at the Scratchings & Sniffings blog.

Core VS Non Core Vaccines for Cats

I've gotten a couple of questions lately that deal with vaccinations for cats. The main source of confusion is how often and which vaccines their cats really need.

The "how often" question comes up frequently these days as the thinking on duration of immunity has changed over the years. Assuming your kitten received all her boosters including rabies and that your municipality does not require annual rabies vaccinations, the general consensus if that boosters are not required every year and may only be needed every three years for most vaccines. The caveat to that has to do your local situation and your cat's lifestyle.

Pet Healthcare: Vets Who Care Give Back

No doubt your veterinarian is involved in helping his or her community take better care of their pets. Vets, for the most part, are as much pet people as pet parents (and most are pet parents), so they understand the issues around not being able to pay for that regular care folks normally give their dogs and cats...in today's dark economy.

One vet, here in Rochester, NY, is taking what I think is a giant step in the right direction. Michelle Brownstein from the Henrietta Animal Hospital created something called PINC: Pets in Need Clinic. Here's what SHE's doing, along with a boatload of volunteers:

The truth about cats and dogs

Ok, for those of you saying, "Hey that was a movie," I know it was. But, you can't copyright a title so... I'm using the title. But my post won't be about the movie.

It's about the truth about cats and dogs. Here are 5 truths blown open for their falseness...from MY experience, nothing else:

Curious Kittens Chewing Electrical Cords

We did a post over at Scratchings and Sniffings about my daughter's puppy, Miles, and his puppy chewing up stuff problem. He chomped her cell phone recharger in half. I'm sure that's not the last thing he'll destroy.

The incident reminded me that Claire's kitten chewed through my cell phone recharger last summer. Being a true Scotsman, I spliced and repaired my charger!

Cats, and especially kittens, seem to have a real affinity for electrical cords. I don't know why, but maybe it has to do with their inquisitive nature. Maybe that's where the expression "curiosity killed the cat" comes from. They can get some pretty serious burns and shocks from chewing on cords.

There are a number of things you can do with curious kittens and cords to prevent serious injury. 

Waiting Periods

I was writing the script for a training manual on PurinaCare this morning. This manual is for veterinary hospitals to help get them up to speed on the nuts and bolts of PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance. When I got to the part on waiting periods it was a little harder to explain than I thought. I figured that might be a good topic for a post for everyone.

First of all, why do we have waiting periods at all? Basically we are trying to protect ourselves from paying benefits for pre-existing conditions. When you think about it that makes sense. 

My Daughter has a new Puppy

If you read this blog and our pet blog you probably know that my law student daughter Claire, just got a new golden Lab puppy named Miles. He's about nine weeks old and Claire is really smitten with him. She's been reading past posts on puppy care that we have done to make sure she's getting Miles off to a healthy start.

One of the issues we have not discussed yet is the need for pet health insurance.

 

Claire lives on a shoestring budget as most students do. She barely has enough money left over at the end of the month for a Latte. She spent about two hours waiting in line at the local animal shelter vaccination clinic last week for Miles' first round of puppy vaccinations. I'm sending her coupons for high quality puppy food so she doesn't have to scrimp on nutrition. Neutering is next on the list when Miles is about twelve weeks old. She's doing all the right things and she's doing it on a student budget.

So, does she need insurance?

Friday's Feature: Choosing A Cat

From the Pet Health Library Reference Desk -

This week's visit to the Pet Health Library takes us once again to the Articles section.

We've posted a lot of dog-related items lately, so here's one for the cat lovers out there: advice on choosing your new cat. While the article covers many considerations, including adopting shelter cats, strays, male or female, and pure breds, I especially liked this paragraph on the choice between kittens and adult cats:

"All healthy kittens are playful and silly. Their antics are necessary practice for learning hunting skills. Being nocturnal animals, kittens may practice a lot at night while you are trying to sleep. A cat’s true personality is not well revealed to an owner until adulthood. While having a kitten can be a lot of fun, some owners may choose to adopt an adult cat with an easy going, calm demeanor and forego the rambunctious kitten stage."

From the Claim Files: Your dog ate WHAT??

This week's case is about a Golden Retriever with, shall we say, an unusual appetite!

Last time Dr. Bill mentioned that Lab's have a "life is a party" outlook and, if anything, that's even more true of Goldens. In this one's home, when an amazing range of objects went missing, the dog became "the usual suspect."

Listen as Dr. Larry and Dr. Bill describe how the veterinarians solve the mystery of the missing [guess what] and helped this puppy's owners save her from herself!

A Note to President Obama, Michele, Sasha and Malia

On the subject of dogs, I could talk all day. As our First Family welcomes Bo into their home, I would like to share this little poem with them - lest they think they are merely bringing a "creature" into their home. Nay, this is a dog, and a finer being than any other.

So says the poem, "I Think I know No Finer Things Than Dogs," part of Best Loved Poems of the American People , a favorite book of mine. I quote from it here:

I THINK I KNOW NO FINER THINGS THAN DOGS

Though prejudice perhaps my mind befogs,
I think I know no finer things than dogs:
The young ones, they of gay and bounding heart,
Who lure us in their games to take a part,
Who with mock tragedy their antics cloak
And, from their wild eyes' tail, admit the joke;

Sublime the love they bear; but ask to live
Close to our feet, unrecompensed to give;
Beside which man men seem very logs --
I think I know no finer things than dogs. 
        Hally Carrington Brent