Category Archives: Internal Medicine

Are Your Pet’s Kidneys OK? Early Detection & Protection for Kidney Health

A dog on a veterinary exam table
This year’s theme for World Kidney Day (March 13) is “Are your kidneys OK? Detect early, protect kidney health.” The veterinary staff of the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center supports that sentiment entirely. Inspired by my colleagues’ work on protecting kidney health, today’s blogpost provides a “kidney primer,” curated from previous blogposts, to help pet families understand kidney disease and its treatment.

Why Special Diets Matter for Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

A cat eating food from a bowl
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common disorders of cats and a common cause of mortality in older cats. Veterinarians don’t know what causes chronic kidney disease, but we know feeding a special diet helps cats with CKD maintain quality of life. In cats with CKD, kidney diets have been shown to be superior to regular adult cat food in limiting episodes of illness and death related to chronic kidney disease. Today’s blogpost will focus on the benefits of feeding your cat a kidney diet when they have a CKD diagnosis.

Diabetes in Cats: New Treatments and the Path to Remission

An overweight cat on a chair
November is American Diabetes Month. While exact data is not available, diabetes is probably the second most common hormone disorder in cats, after hyperthyroidism. Approximately 0.08–1.24% of cats develop diabetes. Today’s blog focuses on prevention, remission and new treatments for feline diabetes.

Mineral Imbalances in Pets: How to Avoid Deficiencies and Excesses

A small dog during a veterinary exam
For decades, the marketing of Wonder Bread, with its added vitamins and minerals, claimed to build bodies eight ways: muscles, bones and teeth, body cells, blood, appetite, growth, brain, and energy. Pet food contains many of the same vitamins and minerals as Wonder Bread to build your pet’s body eight ways. This blogpost will focus on why minerals are so important in your pet’s diet.