KSBY Experts - When Cats Miss the Mark (the box)

Written by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

One of the most common veterinary behavior problems we hear about at Animal Care Clinic is a cat who fails to use the litterbox. This most commonly manifests itself as urinating in inappropriate places, but sometimes in involves feces. There is no doubt as to why this is an extremely upsetting issue for cat owners!

Oftentimes the problem is medical, not behavioral. Cats that produce large quantities of urine may need to "go" more often than you can clean the litterbox. This can happen to cats with diabetes, kidney disease, liver trouble or hyperthyroidism. Other cats will have pain or increased urgency associated with urination. This will happen with bladder infections, bladder stones, bladder tumors or a disease known as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD.) FLUTD is an inflammatory condition that comes and goes, often with stress related incidents. Cats with FLUTD often urinate in the bathtub, in purses or shoes or in other equally distressing locations. Cats that have diarrhea often have an urgency that doesn't give them time to get to the box. Cats with arthritis may have a hard time just getting up and over the edge of the box.

If your cats have all been thoroughly assessed medically and you still have a problem, then we need to look at behavior. Cats are extremely fastidious animals. They do not like dirty litterboxes, nor do they ever want to use a box that has previously been badly soiled. Imagine the worst gas station bathroom you have experienced - did you want to touch anything in there? Would you ever go back? Wouldn't you rather hide behind a large towel and use the bushes? It is essential to keep your boxes clean. If a cat ever has serious diarrhea, consider getting rid of the box that they used and buying a new one for a new location.

Cats also have substrate preferences. Some cats like pine shavings. Others like pellets. Others prefer sandy litter or shredded paper. Experiment with different products to see what your cats prefer. Recognize that you might need a different type of litter for each cat. On that note, you also should have one more litter box than you have cats. (Wouldn't a lot of human behavior issues be solved if we had one more bathroom than we had teenagers?) Cats can be territorial and may not want to use a box that another cat has used. Keep the boxes as far apart as is feasible. Be sure to have boxes in several areas of the house.

Be sure that every animal in the house is spayed or neutered. Both makes and females will mark territory. Cats usually do this by urinating on walls and other vertical surfaces. If you have an altered cat that is marking vertical surfaces, try spraying pheromones (Feliway, available at Animal Care Clinic) on the area they are marking. This can fool them into thinking they have already marked it.

If you are still having problems, it is time for a behavioral consult. Dr. Jennifer Evans at Animal Care Clinic is very interested in animal behavior and can utilize various medications to help your pets get over certain behavior problems. She can also help you to develop strategies to help your pets to better fit into your lifestyle.

Animals In The News!

There are so many interesting news stories out there about pets and other animals, veterinary medicine or other animal related topics!  Each week we'll be gathering some stories that might be interesting to you, so keep posted each week for new stories!

This week:

•"World's loudest cat:  Hear Smokey purr as loud as a Boeing 737" - This is a fun, short and sweet article with an audio clip.

•"Protect Your Pet from Alzheimer's" - Where people can get alzheimer's our dogs can get a similar syndrome called cognitive dysfunction.  As UC Irvine has found out, exercise is not only good for our dog's hearts and waistline, but for their brains!

•"Dog Head Size Predicts Strength, Speed" - Several recent studies have found correlation between head size and shape with strength and speed of dogs.  This likely applies to humans and apes as well!

•"A Teen's Best Friend?  Kids with Dogs Exercise More" - A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that children and teens in dog-owning families tend to exercise more.

•"Dog-Friendly Travel: iPhone Apps for Pets, and more" - This article gives information on some iPhone Apps that can make traveling with pets easier or at least ease the anxiety of separation.

•"Popular Exotic Pets in Focus" - Exotic pets are on the rise in homes across America and this article shows some of the more popular exotic pets.

KSBY Experts - Chronic Diarrhea

Written by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

No one likes having diarrhea. Luckily, for all of us, most cases of diarrhea are short-lived and resolve themselves within a day or two. I'm not sure if there is anything in veterinary medicine more frustrating than chronic, or long-term, diarrhea.

Whenever a dog or cat presents to Animal Care Clinic for chronic diarrhea, we start with a long conversation. History taking can be the most important test we do in finding the cause. We will want to gather a complete dietary history, deworming history and travel history. A thorough physical exam is also important. In most cases, further evaluation will be needed.

Parasites are a very common cause of diarrhea in pets. A proper fecal flotation should be performed to look for parasite eggs. There are good and bad ways to run this test. A proper float uses a large volume of feces (at least the size of a tootsie roll) and does not rely on a small volume scooped form the anus or the little bit that fits in those greenish collection containers that are sometimes sent home with owners. The type of fluid that is used and treatment of that fluid is also important. In other words, not all fecal floats are equal. Always ask for a Zinc sulfate, centrifugal float. Otherwise, many parasites can be missed. The most common diarrhea-causing parasites we see in dogs and cats include roundworms, hookworms, giardia, coccidia and whipworms. In cases of chronic diarrhea, we will treat for these parasites even if the tests are negative.

Systemic diseases can also cause diarrhea. A full lab panel including blood chemistry, complete blood cell count, thyroid level and urinalysis will usually be performed. We may also want to check blood levels of vitamin B12 and pancreatic enzymes. If an animal has a low-grade liver, intestine or pancreas problem, we want to know about it as soon as possible. In some situations, x-rays or ultrasound may be warranted.

Infectious agents may also play a role in diarrhea. Cats get infested with a protozoon called tritrichomonas. Dogs can get Ehrlichiosis. Animals who have been in other parts of the country could have fungal infections or other diseases you may never have heard of. Cats with Feline Leukemia or the Feline AIDS virus can have diarrhea. In middle-aged to older patients we have to consider cancerous causes.

Diet is often at the bottom of diarrhea. Many animals have dietary intolerances or a disease called inflammatory bowel disease. Sometimes, just a change in diet will solve the problem. You can always start by using a premium pet food. I define "premium" as a diet that never changes its ingredients (fixed formula), has been through AAFCO feeding trials, and is designed for specific life stages rather than being balanced "for all stages of life." There are not many diets that fit these rules! It is important to be sure that pets with chronic diarrhea do not eat anything aside from the premium diet - no table scraps, special treats, trash, goodies from the backyard, junk at the beach, etc, etc.

If your pet is properly dewormed and is eating only a premium diet, but still has diarrhea, you will need veterinary help in solving the problem. We may want to try a diet high in fiber or one with no fiber at all. Your pet may need a limited antigen diet (only 2 ingredients), a hydrolyzed diet (all proteins broken down) or specially formulated homemade diet.

The veterinarians at Animal Care Clinic can help you to determine just what your pet needs based on the physical exam, history and perhaps a few of the tests I've listed. Give us a call!

Tennis Balls & Teeth Wear

Written by Melissa Reuter-Wagoner, RVT

Many of our canine companions would agree that a tennis ball is one of themost exciting toys they own. The sight of a tennis ball usually leads to joyful tailwagging and a game of fetch. Unfortunately, this toy can also lead to excessivewearing of a dog’s teeth. The fibers that cover a tennis ball are surprisingly abrasiveand meant to withstand the hard surface of a tennis court. This abrasiveness canactually wear through the enamel and dentin of teeth, shortening the crown andsometimes exposing the internal root canal system. However, playing fetch withyour dog is a fantastic way to give them exercise and keep them fit.

A tip to keep your dog’s teeth from being damaged is to use a ball other thana tennis ball. There are medium weight rubber balls sold at pet supply stores thatcan serve just as well for a game of fetch, but do not have a fibrous covering. Rubberballs do not sand down tooth enamel because their surface is much more slippery.You should also keep in mind that smaller balls and pieces of chewed up balls(including tennis balls) are commonly removed from dogs surgically. Be sure thatthe balls you use are too large to be swallowed by your largest dog, and too tough tobe chewed into pieces by your strongest dog.

For dogs that just love their tennis ball, a good compromise is to only usethe ball for fetching and not allow free access to it. This means put the ball away inbetween games and don’t allow your dog to gnaw on it. This will help to minimizedamage to their teeth. In between games, offer your dog a safe rubber chew toy tokeep them entertained!

National Animal Poison Prevention Week

Written by Nicole Gunkel, RVT

This week is National Animal Poison Prevention Week!  Say that 10 times fast!  This really is no joking matter though and can be very serious for your pet.  In 2010, human medications topped the list of pet toxins, followed by insecticides, rodenticides, people food, veterinary medications, chocolate, household toxins, plants, herbicides and outdoor toxins.  Treatment of a pet can vary widely based on what the toxin is, how much, and if it was consumed or came in contact some other way.  The FIRST thing you should do is always call your veterinarian!  Your vet can guide you if your pet should be seen immediately or if there is something else that can be done at home.  Of course, prevention is always the key.  Almost any item can be toxic in the right amount, but it is a great idea to become aware of toxic human foods or plants.  Our website has some information on poisonous substances to pets between links and blog articles, for a summary click here.


The ASPCA runs the Animal Poison Control Center.  If you are ever concerned you can call the APCC at (888) 426-4435. For a $65 fee to your credit card they will tell you exactly what to do.  When a poison or ingestion emergency comes in to our hospital and we need more information on how best to treat your pet, we will call the poison control center for you for the same fee.  This may be easier for you since, depending on the case, the specialist on the other end can throw out some difficult medical jargon and treatments only a veterinarian can do
  The ASPCA website has an entire section on the poison control center and articles about toxic substances to your pet.

HealthyPet.com is always a great resource.  They have a great article on keeping your home a "Poison Safe Household."

Cornell University has an online toxic plant database containing information and pictures.


There was a very good article recently on USA Today on "Vet's view: Xylitol can be deadly to dogs." Xylitol is a sweetener used so widely now that can be extremely dangerous to dogs and cats.  This article has some great information about what xylitol is, why it's dangerous, and what to do about it.  Another source is an article Dr. Greenberg wrote on "The Dangers of Xylitol."

Prevention is always the best way to arm yourself and your pet from the dangers of poisonous and toxic substances.  If you have any question, as always, please call us or stop by!

Meet Bethany Lara!! Our Featured Employee of the Week!

Bethany came to us originally from Littlerock, California and is currently attending Cal Poly and working on a bachelor’s in animal science. Bethany currently works both in our lodging and veterinary nurse teams since March 2010. Her goal is to finish school and become a Registered Veterinary Technician and to work at an exotic animal park. Bethany has 2 dogs, Rascal and Luna. She also loves to dance, watch movies, hang out with friends, and perform theatrically.

About Your AAHA Accredited Practice

Learn more reasons why it is so beneficial to take your pet to an American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredited practice. Animal Care Clinic is very proud to be AAHA accredited since 1993 and is currently a top-5 finalist for the AAHA Practice of the Year Award! AAHA accreditation is a voluntary commitment that we have made to you and your pets. Only about 15% of small animal hospitals are accredited with AAHA!