Visit to the Vet

I took Kitty to the vet this afternoon. I took the opportunity while I have these days off. While she got all her essential shots and lab work done months ago, she has not had an once-over by the vet.

There has to be very few things worse than a car trip and vet visit for Kitty. She vomited in the car. I didn’t know it until I opened up her carrier in the vet’s office. Then she actually started panting like a dog from all the stress!

So, I learned quite a few things about Kitty. By looking at her eyes and teeth, the vet (Dr. B) estimated her to be 6-8 years old. I knew she was no spring chicken, but I had hoped she was a spry young fellow, but actually she’s in her golden years! Instead of the smooth coloration to her eyes, the vet said Kitty’s eyes were too yellow and resembled the pattern of crushed velvet. “It could be due to age or build-up of toxins,” said Dr.B. For that problem, she gave blue & green algae pills to detox her liver. “Her eyes should turn greener after her liver is detoxed,” said the animal doctor.

Kitty's eyes. Too yellow? Crushed velvet appearance = toxicity?

Next, we discussed a hack/cough Kitty seems to have every couple of weeks. I was assured by the vet that it sounds like a hairball hack, although the possibility of heartworms is not ruled out. For that, we are going to try Felilax for hairball elimination. We will start Kitty on heartworm prevention in the future after we are certain that her cough is not due to a fatal infection with heartworms.

Lastly, Dr.B thought Kitty was allergic to either her food or inhaled particles or both. The vet diagnosed this based on excessive cerumen production in Kitty’s ears and a bare patch on her belly where she’s missing hair. We talked about what food Kitty is eating. The vet informed me that most commercial pet foods are “4-D” foods meaning it consists of “dead, dying, debilitated, and diseased” meat. For the next couple of weeks, I am to gradually switch her to a more wholesome diet from several approved brands. I purchased the “Chicken Soup” brand catfood from the office. To facilitate this gradual diet change, I’m to give Kitty Udo’s Choice pet supplements with enzymes. “This will help her from getting allergies to her new food.” I thought I was being savvy by purchasing the brand of cat food with chicken as the no. #1 ingredients. No more Wal-Mart cat food for Kitty from now on. Home-prepared food for the cat is the best but I doubt I can commit to that.

Okay, I know what some people might think after reading the above: "the vet is a quack, " or "she's just out to make a buck." However I'm inclined to believe her. Aside from conventional veterinary medicine, Dr.B practices CAM (complementary/alternative medicine) for animals. She even does acupuncture on animals! Hmm, I wonder if the Chinese came up with that, too? I did not pick Dr.B for her CAM practice, it was just a coincidence. Now, I don't know if Kitty's eyes are really toxic, but I am now a believer in feeding her food that is more to its natural and fresh form. One thing I've come to learn is that some patients are too skeptical of their doctor's knowledge or motive. However, from my experience I know most doctors are capable and geniunely wants the best outcome of their patients. As for me with Kitty, I'm going to try every thing Dr. B recommended and go from there.