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Posts Tagged ‘Lack Of Appetite’

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Hi Dr. Barchas,

Name and location withheld

I may have bitten off more than I could chew when I decided to discuss canine marijuana ingestion twice (here and here; you can also check out my website for more information on the subject here) on this blog.

Yesterday I spoke on the phone with a person who tracked me down on the internet. She was interested in using medical marijuana to help with lack of appetite in a dog who was undergoing chemotherapy. The dog had been to a number of specialists and clearly had received the best possible medical and home care. The client was exploring every possible option to promote a high quality of life for the pet. (My answer, in short, was that evidence-based studies on the subject were lacking. However, if adverse side effects could be avoided, the therapy might be beneficial. The legal ramifications of such therapy are uncertain but possibly (although probably not) serious depending upon the jurisdiction. The client elected to experiment cautiously.)

On the same day, I read the question posted above.

I am not a specialist in animal toxicology. This blog is not a clearinghouse for questions about pets and illicit substances.

Nonetheless I feel that rushing to judgment is not in the best interest of the animals involved in these sorts of situations. What follows is my best attempt at an answer. To the questioner:

Methamphetamine vapors almost certainly are harmful to cats. Cats’ lungs are exquisitely sensitive. Second-hand cigarette smoke can trigger or exacerbate a number of feline respiratory problems. Although methamphetamine vapors contain less tar than cigarette smoke, it is hard to imagine that second-hand meth is not deleterious.

That said, it also is hard to imagine that your cat’s lymphoma was caused by exposure to methamphetamine. Meth has numerous adverse effects on the body. It may well be a carcinogen in cats–this matter has not been well studied. But the carcinogenic effects of any substance of are dose-dependent. Second-hand exposure to methamphetamine vapors will not lead to high levels of exposure.

Bottom line: I doubt that methamphetamine exposure played a role in your cat’s illness. It is more likely that a hereditary predisposition to lymphoma was to blame.

I recommend that you monitor your Main Coon’s appetite, thirst and weight. Seek veterinary attention if you note any irregularities. I consider it unlikely that he or she will experience adverse effects from exposure to the illicit substance.

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Help! My dog, Duke, accidentally swallowed a milk ring. Should I take him to my vet?

Angie
Syracuse, IN

I field phone calls from people asking questions similar to this one every day. A receptionist or nurse will approach me and say, “Dr. Barchas, there’s a client on the phone whose dog just ate . . .”

What comes next is highly variable. The dog may have eaten a sock, or a rock, or a part of a tennis ball, or part of an aluminum can, or a piece of hardware, or a pair of underwear, or a string of Christmas lights, or a box of garbage bags–to name just a few possibilities.

Ingested foreign objects can be dangerous to pets in a few ways. First and foremost, they may get lodged in the intestines and cause an obstruction. This creates a life-threatening surgical emergency. Also, foreign objects may contain toxins that can lead to poisoning.

When a pet consumes a non-toxic foreign object such a milk ring, there are two basic choices. The animal can be brought to the vet immediately to induce vomiting or perform endoscopy, or the animal can be monitored at home for symptoms of gastrointestinal obstruction (symptoms include vomiting, lack of appetite, lethargy, tender abdomen, and sometimes diarrhea) until the object passes in the feces.

I don’t know what type of dog Duke is. However, if he is a medium or large sized dog, then the odds are high that the milk ring will pass through him without incident. Which I hope by now it has, since several days passed between when you wrote your question and when I received it. The dog who ate the string of Christmas lights passed them without incident (although I can’t imagine what they felt like coming out), so odds are high that Duke can pass a small piece of plastic.

As always, the safest course of action in these sorts of situations is to call your vet. Many factors can determine whether a foreign object passes harmlessly through the intestines or becomes lodged and requires life-saving surgery. Your vet can work with you to assess the best course of action for your pet’s unique circumstances.

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Another pet food recall was announced yesterday. This recall affects two types of Nutro Brand cat food. No dog foods are affected. Nutro issued a press release yesterday. Here is a quote.

This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

Based upon the limited information I have seen I am optimistic that this recall will not lead to serious illness in many cats. Zinc can be toxic in very high doses. Although I have not seen quantitative information on the amount of zinc contained in the recalled foods, it is unlikely that their zinc levels are high enough to cause problems.

Low potassium also can lead to a host of problems. However, they usually develop slowly.

In either case, I’m optimistic that switching affected cats to a nutritionally balanced diet will prevent major issues from occurring.

However, contact your veterinarian immediately if your cat has been eating a recalled food and he or she experiences lethargy, weakness, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, or any other unusual symptoms.

For more information, click here to read the entire press release.

A note about comments: emotions tend to run strong when pet food is discussed. Please keep your comments civil. Thank you in advance for not forcing me to delete your comments.

If you love dogs, you’ll love MyAwesomePet.com. My Awesome Pet is the number one social site for pet lovers. Their pet friendly community is like a "My Space" for pets. Create a free profile for you and your pet. Post lots of pictures, pet videos, read their professional articles and blogs.