Tag Archives: hyperthyroidism

Is Your Pet’s Water Bowl Half Empty? Disorders of Water Drinking

cat drinking water
A common reason pet families bring their pets to the veterinarians at the Animal Medical Center is an increase in water consumption, or polydipsia in doctor speak. If the pet family doesn’t mention water consumption, the veterinarian will usually ask about any changes in water drinking habits. In today’s post, I outline some of the

How to Recognize a Sick Cat

A cat
Cats are the masters of disguise. Here we see a beautiful Abyssinian cat decoratively perched on a pedestal and disguised as a piece of sculpture- that is until she changes her mind and becomes something else! Although cats in disguise bring enormous enjoyment to our lives, many cat owners are frustrated with their favorite fur

Dogs, cats and blood pressure

When you visit the doctor, before our physician comes into an examination room, a nurse measures our weight, temperature and blood pressure. When your pet goes to the veterinarian, the veterinary technician comes in to take his weight and temperature, but not blood pressure. Does this mean blood pressure is not important in dogs and

How Many Ways Can the Thyroid Malfunction?

Diagram of a thyroid in a cat
The thyroid gland sits in the neck of dogs and cats, just below the voice box, and controls metabolic functions. Most of the time, a routine physical examination cannot detect the organ if it is normal. Last week, my patient list ran the gamut of thyroid dysfunction. Here is a sampling: A Tail of Two

Failing Feline Kidneys: No Need to Think the Worst

A black and white cat
This is the second in a series of blogs about our fabulous felines written for Adopt-A-Cat Month. An annual visit to your cat’s veterinarian will result in blood tests being submitted to a veterinary laboratory to test for a variety of diseases such as hyperthyroidism and chronic kidney disease. To the typical cat owner, a