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Cats are incredible aren't they. Hardly a tooth in their head and they can still eat. What is unusual about your cat is the weight loss. Many cats have few teeth, but can still maintain their weight. Your kitty may need a special diet, but I wouldnt recommend you creating your own cat food as you make end up with a cat who has bigger problems. You veterinarian can run some tests to determine if your cat has any vitamin deficiencies requiring treatment and can recommend an appropriate food. There may be additional tests necessary to determine the cause of the weight loss.View Thread

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Both dogs and cats can become infected with Salmonella and that foam tray with the chicken juice on it would be a potential carrier of Salmonella. Dogs and cats with Salmonella look like humans with food poisoning, fever, vomiting, diarrhea- even blood in the diarrhea.
Best to keep your garbage hound away from the trash as it contains other nasties like bones peach pits and corn cobs.
For more on Salmonella here is a link. Ann Hohenhaus
http://amcny.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/salmonella-poisoning-in-pets/View Thread

Boy! kidneys are really the topic in the Community Exchange this week. Be sure to read the great stuff about kidney disease under "Cats Kidney Disease Any Experience with It?".
Hyperthyroidism is a common endocrine disease in cats. The resulting hypermetabolic state may mask kidney disease and treatment may make kidney disease more apparent. Your vet is wise to worry about the kidneys.
Research has shown cats with Stage 2 or 3 chronic kidney disease fed special kidney diets have fewer episodes of illness due to kidney disease and decreased deaths due to kidney failure.
This information may or may not apply to your cat since it has a complicating problem - hyperthyroidism. I suggest you discuss your concerns with your vet so you understand the rationale for the diet recommendation.
Ann HohenhausView Thread

Allergies are the number two pet insurance claim annually. Number one is ear infections. Most ear infections are a manifiestation of allerigies. Even skin infections can result from the scratching your dog does in responce to allergies. Since alleries are so common, it is reasonable to consider this diagnosis, but it seems like your springer is a perplexing case of skin disease. You might want to check with your veterinarian about arranging visit to a veterinary dermatologist. Most veterinary dermatologists deal with allergies many times a day and may quickly recognize exactly what is wrong with your dog.
Ann HohenhausView Thread

http://www.avma.org/petfoodsafety/recalls/2010/proctor-gamble_100725.asp
For general information about pet food recalls, you can check The AMC blog
http://amcny.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/pet-food-recalls/
Ann HohenhausView Thread

A swelling of the breast could be an infection, a tumor or a hormonal imbalance. This calls for a trip to the vet, not an ER visit, but an appointment sometime this week.
Ann HohenhausView Thread

One of my patients was doing this. Like Violets suggested I had the owner try pineapple and spinach in the food. She sprinkled meat tendarizer on the food. Ultimately I think she just grew out of it.
Ann HohenhausView Thread

Cats do like to prowl outside, but the safest environment for them is indoors. Indoors they will not be exposed to infectious diseases such as feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus. They can't get hit by cars indoors- so on a safety level, indoors is better. 4watermonkeys makes some good points as well. I don't think cats ever forget how to use a litter box - I just think your may prefer the privacy of the bushes in the backyard over her box.
Ann HohenhausView Thread

Anemia is a complex disease caused by three major types of disorders; excessive destruction of red blood cells, decreased production of red blood cells and loss of red blood cells from either external or internal hemorrhage. As you can imagine it is not easy to sort out these possibilities quickly. I suggest you have a chat with your veterinarian about which of these is the most likely problem in your dog and what the diagnostic plan is. Explain what your financial limitations are so your vet understands how best to proceed without exceeding your budget.
Good luck.
Ann HohenhausView Thread
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