kitty-wearing
March 31, 2006 l 1 Comment
It’s been over a month since the three youngest cats have had any sign of urinary problems. Which may not seem like very long, until you realize that from the end of December until the end of February, every two weeks there would be at least one cat at the vet.
But a month ago, after it seemed like we would never get to the root of these issues, the vet thought it was time for a radical diet change. I agreed. Only I had a very different change in mind.
Raw food isn’t a universal solution. But has worked for us, and marvelously. The cats are sleeker, have softer, shinier coats, and absolutely no signs of ill health.
Our vet is somewhat anti-raw food (and by ’somewhat’ I mean that he thinks it’s stupid and dangerous). So it gives me no small amount of pleasure to think about the next time the cats have their check-up (many, many months from now), when I will have the opportunity to educate the vet about what has been working for us.
update from the zoo
March 28, 2006 l 2 Comments
Mice: Chuck and Martin are doing well and keeping themselves quite busy by alternately trashing their cages and begging for treats. Not that the little porkers need anything extra, but they’re just so darned cute I find it hard to resist. Their round of antibiotics was completed last week, and Chuck’s eye infection has cleared up, which means that for the first time in several months I’m not medicating animals on a daily basis. Cause for celebration indeed.
Rabbits: Sweet as ever, and growing more mellow in their golden years. Peanut seems to have a very sensitive tummy, and we are still going back and forth on the issue of excessive soft poops. We switched to a lower protein pellet, and that helped a little, but not entirely. Now we’ve cut out all fresh greens in the hopes of bringing things back into balance. If all goes well, we can try reintroducing greens at a later time. They sure do love their parsley.
The rabbits are also heading into their spring molt, which means dust bunnies galore. Rabbit hair is such a tasteful fashion accessory, don’t you think?
Cats: It’s been nearly a month since the start of their raw food diet, and they now eagerly await each meal (aka, cry for half-an-hour before mealtime). Even Beeper, our old Fancy Feast-addict, loves the raw food. Considering her advanced years and failing health, we have to be very careful about the safety of a raw diet, but it seems to be doing her some good. The three younger cats are more active, and look quite sleek and shiny. But being their ‘mom’, I naturally think they are the most gorgeous cats in the world.
~ Emily, the animal slave
Happy Birthday Rex!
March 13, 2006 l 5 Comments
My lil’ man is seven years young today.
A bunny, though, is never heard
He simply never says a word.
A bunny’s a delightful habit,
No home’s complete without a rabbit.
- from “A Poem in Praise of Rabbits”
(Marshmallow, Clare Turlay Newberry)
oy
March 12, 2006 l Comments Off
Did I mention the fact that my mouse is allergic to hay?
Despite a round of antibiotics (which cleared up his chest sounds) and applying ophthalmic ointment twice a day, Chuck still had a runny eye and was sneezing frequently.
That is, until I removed the hay from his cage.
Both the mice like to nest in pre-bagged field grass hay, and I honestly never thought that Chuck’s symptoms (unrelated to the upper respiratory infection) would be tied to the hay. But he showed improvement within hours of taking it away.
It figures, really…I would be the person to get a mouse with allergies.
God is cool
March 9, 2006 l 1 Comment
Took the mousey boys in to the vet today. They’ve gained a little weight (mostly from the treats we’ve been giving in conjunction with meds), but their lungs sound significantly better. The vet said we caught this flare-up early and were able to nip it in the bud. She doesn’t feel the mice need to be on the meds any longer than two weeks, and I think she was pleasantly surprised that I was already treating their eyes with the antibiotic ointment. And as we were checking out, she gave me a discount. We were only charged for one animal, and it was a re-check fee, so the whole visit cost me $48. Much better than I expected.
Oh, and I found out that one of the employees there is our next-door neighbor.
of mice and meat
March 6, 2006 l 2 Comments
Chuck and Martin seem to be doing well. The respiratory problems responded almost immediately to antibiotics (Baytril/Doxycycline), but they’ve both developed the eye problems typical of a mycoplasmosis infection, so we’re working on treating that as well. They’ll see the vet this Thursday to determine whether or not they need to stay on antibiotics longer this time around.
And the fickle little cats are slowly coming around to their diet change. The only problem is that they don’t really care for the chicken hearts, and since they really need that taurine, I think I’ll just buy the powdered version and supplement their meals.
Mycoplasmosis
March 4, 2006 l 1 Comment
Infectious respiratory disease of rats and mice is the bane of their owners, be they scientist, fancier or pet keeper. It is the most common form of ill health in these animals and has many names. Traditionally fanciers have called it snuffles or asthma.
There are several infections that can cause it, both bacterial and viral but the commonest cause in adult rats and mice is Mycoplasma pulmonis. …
(from: Respiratory Disease in Rats and Mice)
Chronic murine pneumonia (CMP), or murine mycoplasmosis is the most significant and serious bacterial infection of mice and rats. It is caused by the rather unusual bacterium, Mycoplasma pulmonis. This organism is relatively difficult to isolate because it cannot be grown in the laboratory using ordinary culture methods. This makes diagnosis of CMP more difficult except for the fact that the disease is so very common and well recognized. For this reason, CMP is usually diagnosed by signs of illness, without attempts to isolate the causative bacterium.
Signs of CMP include sniffling, sneezing, squinting, red-brown tears, rough hair coat, and labored and audible respiration. If the inner ear becomes involved, a severe, often incapacitating, head tilt usually develops. In colony situations, this disease can seriously affect the reproductive capacity of female rodents, resulting in infertility and reduced litter sizes.
Because this disease tends to have a very chronic (long-lasting) course, afflicted individuals should receive antibiotic treatment as soon as the first signs are recognized. Antibiotics can be added to the drinking water for long periods. Individuals exhibiting serious, life-threatening signs must be treated aggressively with injectable antibiotics if there is any hope of helping them. Frequently, other harmful bacteria complicate CMP. This often necessitates use of multiple antibiotics.
Elimination of the Mycoplasma pulmonis organism from infected individuals is regarded by most experts as a practical impossibility. However, early treatment reduces the severity of the disease in affected rodents.
(from: Care of Mice and Rats)
update
March 3, 2006 l Comments Off
This morning, I dropped by the cats’ vet to return the unopened bag of dry food. I told the receptionist, “It’s been a week since I’ve been here, I thought you might be starting to miss me.” Of course, she had to ask for my last name, because everyone there knows me by my cats.
Then I called the mice’s vet. The boys seem to be coming down with another cold: slight chattering noises, weepy eyes, etc. I wanted to know if I could just pick up the medication, and save myself the hassle and expense of an actual visit, wherein the vet will confirm my suspicions (yes, they are making noises…) and since there’s no way to run a culture or any other definitive diagnostics, the vet will do the only thing she can: prescribe antibiotics.
Would I pay the cost for an exam? Absolutely. Would I avoid it if I had the opportunity? Definitely.The office finally called back this afternoon. One of the vet techs was able to get a hold of Dr. Dankoski (even though she’s off today), and she said I could pick up the medications, on one condition: that I bring the boys in towards the end of the round to see if we need to keep them on antibiotics a little longer. That makes a lot of sense, and now I have two weeks to save up that extra hundred or so dollars (it’s been rough lately with the cats urinary issues)In other news:
The shipment of frozen ground chicken and chicken hearts arrived from Hare Today. That means I can start mixing and freezing the cats’ food as early as tonight! I’m excited, I’ll admit it.
a typical response
March 1, 2006 l Comments Off
I went to Wal-Mart last night and bought two cases of Mason canning and freezing jars. As I was checking out, the cashier asked, “So, what are we canning?”
*pause* “Cat food, actually.”
“Oh really! Well, that’s a first…”
