Cats urinating outside the litter box

I so often hear stories about people's cats urinating outside their litter boxes.  This happens not only in my practice, but when I travel or meet people who discover that I am a vet.  There are some basic "rules" to follow when you are personally faced with this problem, and I will mention a few here.  Cats have not evolved over years and years to know house rules when it comes to going potty.  We are lucky that cats are generally fastidious and we take advantage of that.  However, a clean litter box is a must.  The cat will find a different place to go if the litter box only gets cleaned once a week.  Some cats refuse to use the box after only a day or two of non-cleaning.  The litter box has to be in the realm of the cats natural territory in the house.  Putting the box in the farthest back corner of the basement does not promote use.  Having one box for two or more cats to share is not enough.  Having two boxes side by side equates to one box in the cat's mind.  The box can't be too close to the food and water.  Some cats like to urinate on one type of substrate and defecate on another.  Some cats can't fit into the box provided.  Cats have great noses - the litter box should smell like a favorable place to go potty, but not like a field of flowers (scented litter is for the humans, not the cats).  Cats may be returning to a formerly soiled area due to the odor that persists.  Some cats develop the tendency to urinate outside their boxes as a result of a medical condition.  Others have behavioral problems that have been triggered by other stressors or changes in their lives.  

You are probably getting the picture now.  There can be many factors at play and frequently medical problems must be ruled-out before behavioral therapy can be initiated.  But no matter what the cause, the rules to follow are good ones and making a change may correct the problem.  Even better, fix the situation early before a problem develops.  

Dr. Amy Hellard
West Chester Veterinary Care (WCVC)
www.westchesterveterinarycare.com

Dogs riding in the bed of the truck

Yesterday I saw a young dog riding in the back of a pickup truck.  Wow.  I just don't get it.  Are dogs disposable?  A dog has no awareness of how fast they are going or how high they are.  They do not have any way of understanding the level of danger of any given situation.  No one is sitting back there with the dog in an attempt to control their movement (it's against the law because it's too dangerous).  Even if they were, no training is foolproof.  Imagine the dog sees a bunny rabbit on the side of the road, or they are peering over the side with their front feet up when you drive over a big bump in the road, or they just decide they want out...

No, having them tied back there is not a solution.  Now we add hanging to the list of dangers.

If you travel with your dogs in this fashion or you know someone who does, please consider these things.  It takes only one fall out of the vehicle to end the dog's life.  Every time you travel this way, there is a 50/50 chance your dog will be in the back of the truck when you arrive at your destination.  Please help put an end to this bad habit through thoughtful consideration and discussion of the consequences. 

Dr. Amy's most recent CE: Class IV Laser Therapy

I have attended several CE courses in the past month.  The most recent was a discussion hosted by a laser manufacturer about the benefits of laser therapy.  Of course this leads to immediate skepticism: a lecture hosted by a company that wants me to purchase their product...

Nonetheless, I found the lecture intriguing and have continued to ponder the pros and cons.  Here is some basic information for you.  Class IV lasers are simply those lasers in a category that indicates the level of harm they can do.  These lasers, when used in practice, require that we wear a special type of eye protection.  They also have healing effects.  The therapy is supposed to reduce pain, reduce inflammation, and speed up the healing process.  It can be used on wounds, fractures, abscesses, sprains, and dermatitis, just to name a few modalities.  The therapy is the result of energy interacting chemically and biologically with tissue.  This causes "photobiostimulation".  Lasers produce a single wavelength beam of light that is uniform (in "phase").  It penetrates deeply into tissue to produce changes at the cellular level.  The lecture stated that pain is reduced through affecting stimulation thresholds and essentially reducing pain perception.  Inflammation is reduced by decreasing the body's production of inflammatory mediators as well as dilating lymphatics and helping to eliminate fluid build up.  Healing is said to speed up though vasodilation (increased blood flow) as well as stimulation of new cell infiltration. 

Further research is needed and there is still only anecdotal reporting on the benefits of this laser therapy.  I have not yet seen a scientific study in a peer reviewed journal.  I will continue to keep a watch on the development of this new modality and will let you know if it proves beneficial and useful.