One lump or two?  

One lump or two?  In the ideal world, and the ideal pet, your pet would have no lumps or bumps on them. 

What matters about lumps is  

1. size does not matter - small lumps can be worse than large ones.

2. it doesn't matter whether it is painful to touch or not - if it is a lump, that is not normal.

3. I would never say that a lump is ok to leave, or to wait and see.  What I would say is that lumps are not normal, and should be removed, but some lumps are not cancerous, and not all lumps need to be removed urgently.

4. Skinny pets can get fatty cysts.

5. A needle biopsy is not as accurate as a "hunk of tissue" biopsy, and many times, this is what is needed before we can give advice on what needs to be done. 

A Lump - it could be many things

I know I have moments of brilliance, but I am unable to diagnose what a lump based on a phone description of " its come up suddenly, it doesn't hurt to touch it, so what is it, why is it there, and when is it going to go away."

I am yet to come up with a tactful answer -there is no nice way of saying " a lump is a lump, and its not normal. Most lumps don't go away by themselves. Some lumps are nasty 'C" word things, and need aggressive surgery to cure.

I am not a pathologist, but a vet with an interest in cytology.  We deal with lumps and bumps daily, but I cannot diagnose what a lump is, without doing some simple (and sometimes not so simple) tests.   

And some lumps, I can't diagnose at all hence why I may send some to a professional pathologist for interpretation if I am in doubt.

Read on about Lumps & Bumps and some Case Studies:

 From one pampered puss to another how do you cope with chicken in food? I will not eat any form of chicken in any type of food. My family have trouble with feeding me as I am a fussy eater, so how do your owners cope with your fussy requirements. 
 

from Meow 
 

Dear Meow,

Some owners are just hard to train, but that doesn't mean they don't love us. I wish we could tell them not to stress about chicken, as it is like them not liking fried liver ( a delicacy for some and not others).

I am wondering whether you have a sensitive stomach, and chicken makes you unwell, as I do know other cats who vomit with chicken.  I know if I look at some brands of food, I can't stomach it.

"Chicken is friend, Not food"

Dr Liz's comment: As an untrained owner, it's not fun trying to read Pandora's mind on what she wants to eat. But Pandora could be right, you might be allergic to chicken and know it, and trying to give us the message by being fussy. 

If you  think about  where cats originally settled from, and what we have in our environment, it is no secret that feeding chicken  is a mismatch.

National Immunisation Awareness Month

 Just when technology advances to make life simpler for us, it just gets more complicated. And this is the case with vaccinations  (or immunisations in the human side). 

I believe in the OneHealth initiative, which understands the link between human and animal health, and forges a collective brain for the betterment of all. 

Gone are the days where dogs get their diseases, cats have theirs, and humans have theirs. We now know that many human diseases can infect our pets, such as the flu and Hendra Virus.  And many human illnesses come from our pets (Heartworm infection, roundworm) or other animals (rat lungworm).

We also know that our immune system is a precious resource, and we don't support it as well as we should.  It is also like a muscle, and needs to be exercised and stimulated. It is like an army, and needs to be prepared for the battle if it should ever need to enter one.  That is what vaccinations (or immunisations) are all about. For those that remember the days of polio (people) and parvo (dogs), know that you don't want to EVER go back to that kind of epidemic.

 Having pets doesn't make you sick (unless you're allergic). A recent study has shown that children with pets have less allergies than those without pets.  Many studies also show the health benefits to humans of pet ownership from reduced blood pressure, reduced mental illness, and general overall feeling of joy that a tail wag or cat hug gives you. 

For more information on Vaccinations and OneHealth:

 For more information on how to love your pet, go to where they are, and tell them that you love them! 

Liquid Gold.

and nothing to do with the Olympics. 

Many vets (including myself) call urine "liquid gold".  Strange, I know, but its because this yellow liquid can provide alot of information on the health of your pet.

From a simple dip stick (and in many cases we use our Idexx Urinary Analyser), we can identify diabetes, liver disease, and protein (dental or kidney disease).

In July, I saw two cats who had been drinking more than usual, with the owners (and I) thinking the cats had kidney disease, but both were diabetic - diagnosed with a urine sample (with supporting blood tests) -  Diabetes is  a treatable condition.

From measuring the specific gravity of the urine, we can assess your pet's hydration and renal function. 

Urine can be yellow because it is concentrated or because your pet has liver disease, and dogs with heavy urinary infections will have clear yellow urine too.  We cannot rely on colour alone. 

Urine - the Liquid Gold no matter what size you are

 Rabbits and Guinea pigs urine is normally cloudy due to the calcium particles, but this may predispose them to calcium bladder stones. These guys need to drink more and be more active, plus be on low calcium food.

In any animal, blood in urine is not normal, and passing blood is not normal either. This always needs a consultation and urine testing.

Read on.