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Saturday, February 27, 2016
Hotel Fort Wayne - Marquis Ballroom
305 E.Washington Center Road, Fort Wayne, IN
6PM - Cash Bar, 7PM - Show
Tickets now available online!
$75 VIP Pass $40 General Admission
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Get Your Tickets for Pawject Runway!
Time is running out to get your tickets to the area's hottest creative dog grooming competition featuring the most talented, artistic groomers in the business! Enjoy an evening of glitz, glamour and Hollywood-style vibes as you and your friends walk the red carpet, have your photos snapped by the pup-arazzi, dine on delicious morsels and enjoy tasty cocktails during this one-of-a-kind event - all in support of the Allen County SPCA's Angel Fund. The Angel Fund helps the neediest of the animals in our care by providing emergency and life-saving medical treatments. Tickets are on sale now! Get your VIP passes or general admission tickets today! Want to see video from last year's Pawject Runway? Check it out
here.
Hurry and get your tickets as they are going fast! You can purchase them online
here.
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SPCA EDU
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4 Tips for Your Indoor Cat.
It's a myth that cats need to go outside to be happy. We can show you, with simple toys and items found around your house, how to keep your indoor cat entertained.
Our Shelter Manager, Stephanie Fries, shows us how these simple ideas will help you keep your cat happy, healthy, and safe for a very long time.
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Adoptable Pets
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Ellie
Ellie is a 9-year old spayed female.
Got a lap to spare?
Save that spot for me. I'm Ellie, and I'm a huge lap lover. I've even been known to sit on a lap when another cat was already perched there! Granted, I'm a little slow to warm up to other cats at first. But hey, I'm nine after all, so I'm pretty mellow these days. Plus, as far as cats go, nine is a comfortable middle-age for me.
If you're looking for a cozy lap buddy, then I'm ready to shower you with affection.
Now, how could you possibly resist that offer?
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Magnolia
Magnolia is a 50-pound, sable & white, spayed female Retriever/Rough Collie mix.
Hello, my friends! My name is Magnolia. I am a sweet and friendly 7month-old fun playmate.
I was turned-in to the shelter because my owners decided that their Christmas present puppy was a little more responsibility than they expected, and they just did not have the time to spend with me.
I'm a little timid at first until I get to know you, and I'm great with kids and other pets.
I'd love to be a new addition to your family!
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Visit our web site to see more of the
Allen County SPCA's adoptable
cats and
dogs!
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FELINE CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
At our clinic I am affectionately known as the cat lady. As far as I know I have yet to cross over to the "crazy" side. (Hopefully someone will tell me if I do!) So, for this month's column Dr. Stapleton has handed over the reins to me to discuss one of the most common diseases we see in cats, chronic kidney disease.
Even though more cats are owned as pets in the United States than dogs, in recent owner surveys almost three times more cats had not received veterinary care in the past year than dogs. Cats need annual or bi-annual visits to their veterinarian depending on their age and health concerns. Many cats are underserved simply because they are seen as self-sufficient animals that are strictly indoors and on the outside seem healthy. Unfortunately, cats are one of the best animals at hiding underlying disease and health concerns until they are already well advanced.
In the veterinary profession there is a long list of difficult conversations I have to have with owners. One of the hardest is answering the question "Could we have done more or gotten more time with our pet if we had brought him/her in sooner?" Sometimes the answer is no, a terminal, untreatable condition is present. Other times, the truthful answer is yes, and chronic kidney disease is one of those diseases that we can screen for to pick up on changes as soon as possible before they become life threatening. I cannot tell you the number of times I have diagnosed end stage kidney disease in a cat that had not been to a veterinarian in several years and is now terminally ill.
At our hospital, we discuss the benefits of blood testing our patients routinely and early to detect any changes in their kidney values as soon as possible. In otherwise healthy patients, this may be once a year with their routine wellness visit or more frequently in senior cats or those with other illnesses. Kidney disease is most commonly seen in senior pets over 8 years of age but can occur at any time. The youngest patient I have lost to the disease was barely 2 years old. A simple blood draw is all that is needed for the initial screening. When we send the blood to our laboratory there are two main values we are looking at, BUN and creatinine. Both of these are markers of kidney function and are the classic values most people are familiar with. These values start to increase in the blood when ~75% of the function of the kidney is lost. This past summer a new screening tool was added to our blood chemistry panels called SDMA. This test was developed when research showed SDMA would increase much sooner than the traditional values, letting us hopefully detect underlying kidney disease much sooner than previously.
If it is determined your cat has kidney disease there are many steps and factors that determine what medications, food etc. your cat may need to slow the progression of the disease. Chronic kidney disease cannot be cured but many cats can live for months or years when proper therapy is started early in the disease. A urine sample is a very important part of the screening process. In cats, the urine will start to be dilute (not concentrated) when about two-thirds of kidney function is lost. This finding will verify that the blood values are elevated from kidney disease and not something as simple as dehydration. With the urine, we are also looking to make sure there is no infection present or that the body is not losing protein out of the kidneys. An infection can usually be cleared easily with antibiotics but protein loss will usually require long term medication to control. Another important step is getting a blood pressure on the cat. It is very common for cats to have high blood pressure with kidney disease and medication is often necessary to keep the blood pressure at a safe level and to prevent further damage.
Once all the testing is completed, the information is used to stage the kidney disease. A standard system was developed by the International Renal Interest Society which divides the disease into four stages. Stage 1 is the earliest with minimal changes and clinical signs at home, whereas Stage 4 is end stage kidney disease and the cats that are most ill. The staging system helps to monitor progression of disease but also offers some guidelines to therapy that should be considered at different stages.
Unfortunately, kidney disease is not the same in every cat, some are clinical and do poorly with only slightly elevated blood values, while others have significant increases and are showing few clinical signs at home. The most common signs owners will see at home are weight loss (can be gradual over time), muscle loss, vomiting and decreased appetite. These are also what we monitor at home once treatment is started.
For early disease, the treatment can be as simple as a diet change to a prescription kidney diet. Some cats will need fluids under their skin to keep them from getting dehydrated anywhere from weekly to daily. The kidneys are also responsible for eliminating any extra phosphorus that the body doesn't need. As function decreases, sometime phosphorus levels in the blood will increase and binders will be added to keep extra phosphorus from being absorbed by the body. Cats will also lose potassium and may need extra supplemented into their diet. The kidney disease is so advanced in some cats that they need hospitalization for several days.
I work with my clients every day to make sure the cats with kidney disease in my care are living the longest, happiest lives we can give them. Early detection gives us the best chance of slowing the progress of this all too common disease. If your cat is showing any of the clinical signs I discussed or hasn't made a trip for a wellness visit in a while, please contact your veterinarian for an appointment. I will be back soon with more feline focused columns. Until then, keep yourselves and our four legged friends warm and healthy this winter.
Dr. Michelle Hendrickson
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Upcoming Events
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Pawject Runway
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Hotel Fort Wayne - Marquis Room
305 W.Washington Center Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
6PM - Cash Bar
7PM - Presentation
$40 - General Admission
$75 - VIP Pass
Volunteer Orientation
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
5:30PM
ACPL Shawnee Branch
5600 Noll Ave
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
PETCO Community Outreach
315 Coliseum Blvd E
Saturday, March 5, 2016
11 AM - 1 PM
See who's available for adoption!
Rural King Community Outreach
Saturday, March 12, 2016
10AM - 1PM
See who's available for adoption!
27th Annual IPFW Health Fair
Wednesday March 23, 2016
9 am - 3 pm
IPFW Walb Student Union
Theme: "Good to Know Head to Toe"
PETCO Community Outreach
315 Coliseum Blvd E
Saturday, April 2, 2016
11 AM - 1 PM
See who's available for adoption!
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The Allen County SPCA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been providing shelter to northeast Indiana's homeless cats and dogs for over 60 years. Our mission is to promote the prevention of cruelty to animals by providing a safe haven for animals, an effective and comprehensive adoption program, education and outreach programs for the community and deep and broad membership and volunteer programs.
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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