Educational Articles
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The term chiropractic refers to manual therapy used to manipulate muscles and joints, especially the intervertebral joints in the spine. The goal of this therapy is to alleviate pain, improve mobility, and enhance overall wellness.
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Herbs are plants that contain ingredients with active therapeutic properties. These active ingredients may be present in the whole plant or only in a specific part. Herbal therapy is the use of herbs for medicinal purposes, either on their own or in combination with other herbs. Herbal treatment must be administered only after an accurate diagnosis has been made. Trained veterinary herbalists have the knowledge and skill to understand the interactions between different forms of treatment and to interpret the patient's response to therapy. Herbal treatment of serious disease in animals without veterinary training is not advised and frequently ineffective.
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Homeopathy is a distinct philosophy of medicine that has its roots in eighteenth-century Germany, and subsequently spread to Europe, India, Australia, South America, the United States, and Canada. The underlying basis of homeopathy is the principle that "like cures like": the idea that a substance given at a toxic dose can produce a certain set of symptoms, but given in much lower doses, it can cure the same set of symptoms, regardless of their perceived cause. As veterinary homeopathy gains acceptance, there are an increasing number of veterinarians in private practice who possess the necessary training and experience.
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Veterinary rehabilitation uses physical therapies to improve a pet's mobility and reduce pain. Many acute and chronic conditions affecting movement can benefit from rehabilitation. Rehabilitation therapy can cause significant harm to a patient if done by someone with inappropriate education and training, or incomplete knowledge of a pet's full medical history. Speak to your veterinary healthcare team to help you evaluate the suitability of specific therapy for your pet.
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Combining alternative medical therapies, either with other alternative therapies or with more conventional treatments, may improve a patient's health or speed the healing of disease. However, combined incorrectly, these same therapies have the potential to interfere with healing or cause serious health consequences. Veterinary practitioners trained in acupuncture, herbal therapy, and homeopathy are the best sources of information on what conventional and alternative treatments will combine well and which ones should not be used together.
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Feline viral testing typically encompasses testing for feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and coronavirus which causes feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Testing for FeLV and FIV is recommended to detect underlying causes to illness, to screen apparently healthy cats who may have been exposed to the viruses, and to identify carriers of the viruses prior to introducing cats into a household of other cats. FIP testing is somewhat more problematic.
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Testing for FeLV is recommended to detect underlying causes to illness, to screen apparently healthy cats who may have been exposed to the viruses, and to identify carriers of the viruses prior to introducing cats into a household of other cats. Testing protocols are discussed. Vaccination against FeLV will not affect the outcome of a cat already infected with the virus nor will it affect testing.
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Visceral vascular tumors are tumors which arise from blood vessels. The main tumor types are hemangiosarcomas (cancerous) and hemangiomas (benign). The clinical signs vary depending on the location of the tumor. Surgery is the recommended treatment option. Given the highly metastatic nature of hemangiosarcoma, chemotherapy is also recommended.
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Too much vitamin A can lead to poisoning. While somewhat uncommon in North America, vitamin A toxicity is sometimes diagnosed in cats that are fed primarily table scraps. There seems to be considerable variability in how susceptible individual cats are to this problem. It takes a long time for the clinical signs associated with vitamin A toxicity to develop; symptoms do not usually appear until the cat is at least middle-aged.
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Vitamin D poisoning occurs when a cat ingests a toxic dose of vitamin D. A common source of vitamin D poisoning is when a cat accidentally ingests rodenticides containing vitamin D. The initial clinical signs of poisoning occur anywhere from 8 to 48 hours after ingestion and include depression, weakness, and appetite loss. Vomiting, increased drinking and urination, constipation, and dehydration typically follow these signs.