A microchip is implanted in the dog by a hollow needle, and we inject it under the skin between the shoulder blades. It's a quick procedure as we use a fairly large needle. Most dogs and cats tolerate it really well. Before we pull out the needle, I pinch it to ensure that the microchip stays in and then we scan to make sure that it's appropriately placed. Before we inject it, we also scan the chip to ensure it is reading properly. It's very rare to see a faulty chip.

That's a great question. In today's day and age, everyone is looking for more holistic methods. What I have learned is that I like to blend the two: eastern and western medicine. I would say that there are some studies I believe where catnip can help. However, it's not long lasting. It can overstimulate the cat and have unwanted effects, so you just have to be cautious. CBDis up and coming. I would say that the studies are kind of inconclusive as to whether or not this helps. You do need to be doing it using a veterinary brand. Please don't go to Joe Schmoe's CBD shop on the corner. A good website is vrshealth.com. They actually have veterinarians on staff and they have done the testing. Their products are tested and safe and have appropriate dosing because I know at every farmer's market that I go to, there's someone touting CBD for pets, and my question is, has it been tested? Just know that the studies are still ongoing. I'm sure that you can try it just if it's a veterinary branded product. If you have questions, please give the clinic a call about this and we can chat about it.

As for other natural remedies, acupuncture can do wonders, so if you can find a veterinarian certified in acupuncture, that can help with pain relief. Cold laser is another holistic approach that is natural and doesn’t involve medication. It uses laser technology to penetrate into the deeper layers of the tissue relieving pain and inflammation, and increasing blood flow. There's not a ton of options outside of that that I would recommend unless you were under the supervision of a veterinarian who has a veterinarian's degree in holistic treatments. There are some things that you can deal with there, but you need to be under the supervision of a veterinarian.

If they're prescribed for your cat, yes. When we talk about NSAIDs, we are referring to a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory category which includes Tylenol, Advil, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen. These are NSAIDs, and unless prescribed by a vet, they should not be given to cats. It is toxic to them, it will poison them, and some cats do not recover. If you have Onsior, which is an anti-inflammatory approved for cats, it is safe to give at home as long as you're under the direct instruction of a veterinarian.

No. Unless you are directly authorized by your veterinarian, most of the human pain medications like Tylenol, Advil, and Ibuprofen are extremely toxic to cats. Do not give your cat these medications unless you want your cat to go into kidney failure. It is crucial to consult with a veterinarian before administering any human medicine to a cat. There are certain doses of gabapentin that you can give, but it's very easy to overdose your cat because, in humans, I believe gabapentin only comes in a hundred milligram and three hundred milligram capsules. Occasionally, it'll come in liquid, but you do need to have the under supervision and instruction of a veterinarian before you do this.

This is a really great question. If you have a cat and you've had to medicate your cat, you're going to know there's no straightforward way. But there are some tips and tricks that I can give you to make it a little bit easier. Cat pain medication comes in a variety of forms and each has its own method of administration.

Some medications are flavored tablets. We have a flavored anti-inflammatory tablet called Onsior that is highly palatable. Most cats will take it like it's a treat, so that makes it easy. You can just squirt liquid into their mouth. Just keep in mind that when cats don't like the taste of something, they will drool or foam. This is legitimately them just being very dramatic. They're not rabid. They're not having an allergic reaction. They're just really wanting you to know that this is terrible, and you can always rinse their mouth out with some water.

There are some transdermal medications that we can use. Whenever we're getting these medications compounded, we just have to be aware that they may not absorb as well as they might orally because absorbing through the gastrointestinal tract or the stomach and the intestines is going to be one of the fastest ways to get in the bloodstream. I don't think I've ever sent home injections for cats, but there are certain injectables that we can teach owners to give. There are certain injectable medications that can absorb through the gums, where you don't have to use a needle, like buprenorphine. If you do have that medication at home and you're having to administer that, then put it onto the gums, unless told to do otherwise, because sometimes it can become pounded into a liquid to be given orally. I like to do it on the gums because it's just a lot easier to squirt something on the gums than to shove it down her throat. When it comes to pilling a cat with capsules, tablets, or pills, I pop it down the back of their throat followed by a little squish of water with a little syringe is another way to give medication. Ultimately, we just have to find out what works best for your cat. If you are struggling, please feel free to give the clinic a call. My entire staff is very well versed and trained in the tips and tricks of how to get our feline patients to take their meds.

You can always give us a call. Call your veterinarian or Four Paws at Fulshear Veterinary Clinic and we will guide you. We will need to know if you have leftover medication from a different patient or another pet. Is it safe to give or not? For us to fully answer that question, a doctor-patient relationship is necessary. Therefore, you'd need to be a current client. Always call your veterinarian because there are some drugs that are safe for cats and then some drugs that are not. Cats are not small dogs. Their bodies process drugs completely differently. There are some medications that do cross species that you can use, but there's also a lot that don't.

This is a good question because so many people, if there's like a little skin tag or something, they might not want to put their pet under anesthesia or if we have like a 16 year old dog with a heart condition, I'm not going to want to put them under anesthesia. But we do have some options. If there are small skin tags that are irritating either to the pet or to the owner, we do have cryotherapy here, which is painless. It is cold, but it involves freezing these growths off. In some cases, we can try to do local anesthesia. Because the lidocaine stings, some pets will not tolerate it and any procedure that's going to be done on the face will require sedation and/or anesthesia. There's just not something we're going to get away from because we only get two eyeballs. But if we have a skin tag on the top of the head that keeps scabbing and is gross, and a little cauliflower-like benign growth, that's something we're going to be able to use the cryotherapy and freeze that off without anesthesia.

Risks with anesthesia are very low. The incidence is super low. In this practice, we've only had maybe two incidents in almost four years, so it's an extremely low risk. But there is always risk. The biggest one I would say and the one that scares most owners, including myself, is that we can lose them under anesthesia. They can go into cardiac arrest. It can be a drug reaction, an underlying heart condition that was silent and we weren't able to pick up on. Unfortunately, there are certain breeds of cats that can have silent heart disease like our sphinxes or Maine Coons, which is why we do a lot of preoperative monitoring and/or testing to make sure they can safely undergo anesthesia and the same with our canine patients. That's why every patient gets a preoperative exam, and for every patient over the age of four, our blood work, preoperative lab work is not optional. We do strongly recommend it for pets that are under four, but it is optional. What we're looking for is infection, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. What are our organ functions with our liver and kidney? What are our electrolytes doing? Do we have normal clotting times? Because if we're having surgery we need to make sure we can clot. So these are possible risks, possible complications from anesthesia. Even though we do place a breathing tube down to protect their airway when they're asleep, aspiration pneumonia or when we get contents into the lungs from the esophagus like if they regurgitate or vomit while they're under anesthesia is a risk. There are different complications with each surgery, and if your pet is having one of those surgeries, we’ll go over those risks with you before the procedure.

Paying attention to your cat's normal behaviors is a form of preventative care that you can do at home. Changes in their behavior, such as drinking more water. Cats are really good at hiding their diseases, so you may notice that your cat is limping, not playing as much, sleeping more than normal, or maybe instead of jumping straight up on the cat tree, they're taking steps to stick it up to the top and steps to stick it down. Where they used to run up your steps fluidly, now they're kind of taking their time, or when they're coming down the steps in your house, they're taking time and they're kind of bunny hopping down. These are signs that have actual pain. Checking your cat's teeth and monitoring their breath can also help detect problems early. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, it's best to make an appointment with a vet. I thought I found a bump or a little growth on one of my cats about six to eight months ago. It was a little tumor, so that had to come off. But this is the type of preventative care that you can do at home. You're going to pick up on things because you're seeing your cat every single day. I see your cat once a year.

By the fact that you're seeing them all the time, you are going to pick up on things and what I would tell you is listen to your gut. If something is not normal, call and make an appointment. You are going to be the best advocate for your cat because you are the best person that knows them a hundred percent. You're the one that knows all their different meows. You're the one that knows their behaviors and their patterns. You're going to know when something's different. Are they hiding under the bed? Are they sleeping in the closet? Are they not greeting you when you come home? Are they not chirping at you for their food at the regular times? So you are going to be the best person to help with preventative care at home because you are going to pick up on those tiny nuances that I'm not going to see because I'm only seeing them once a year.

Even if your cat is indoor-only, flea and tick prevention is still important. Fleas can come inside on us or other pets, and here in Texas, we also have to worry about heartworm disease which is transmitted by mosquitoes that can come inside. Once a cat gets heartworms, it's very difficult to treat, so prevention is key.