181 Mocksville Hwy.
Statesville, NC 28625
704-872-3625   

Animal Hospital
 Of 
Statesville

"Where Pets Are Family Too" 

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PETS OF THE MONTH
                         

 CANINE  

Bronx  

Bronx is a two-year-old West Highland White Terrier who first presented to AHS last October as a second opinion. Bronx was having a hard time getting up and around and he seemed to feel puny. On physical exam, he had a right kneecap that popped out of place and he walked stiffly in the rear legs. X-rays of the hips, back and knees did not indicate a problem other than joint swelling in the right knee. He was placed on pain medication but did not respond. After a week, he was rechecked and the left knee was also swollen. A full blood screen was normal. Bronx was scheduled for a joint tap to assess why his joints were swelling. The joint taps confirmed our suspicion that Bronx had developed a disease called Polyarthritis. This is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease that affects the joints, causing pain, and can be very difficult to treat. It also causes pets to feel awful, lie around and quit eating. Bronx was started on high doses of prednisone and soon began to feel better. He was slowly weaned back off the medication and at a recent visit was doing much better, as he was getting around well and his attitude was vastly improved. We will continue to slowly wean him off his meds and see how he responds. While this disease can go into permanent remission, we will always have to monitor Bronx for recurrence of symptoms and lifelong treatment may be necessary. Bronx’s owners gave us a recent update – Bronx is feeling great and is almost back to his old self! He and his owners love their new home in Florida! Because of Bronx’s recovery from this frequently debilitating disease, he is AHS’s Canine Pet of the Month.

   FELINE  

Dominique

Dominique is a beautiful 17-year-old kitty. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2008. Hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder of senior cats. It causes weight loss despite a ravenous appetite. It is diagnosed using a simple blood test. Dominique has been well controlled on medication since she was diagnosed. She was found to have blood in her urine this past May on a senior wellness visit. She has not been clinical nor showing any signs of discomfort. She was treated and cleared for a urinary tract infection but the blood persisted. Hematuria, or blood in the urine, can be due to many different causes. Some of which are infection, stones, tumors and more. Dominique did not have any of these, so we are unsure of the source of blood in her urine. Cats can get a condition called idiopathic renal hematuria that causes blood in the urine but does not cause any other symptoms. During the past couple of months, Dominique started losing weight and her behavior changed as well. Her routine lab work continued to look normal, so we submitted a GI panel, testing for pancreatitis and small intestinal disease. The tests came back positive for pancreatitis and small intestinal disease. She was started on flagyl - an antibiotic, prednisone for inflammation, and a novel protein diet - Hill’s venison and pea. She has been a trooper through all of this and this is why she is Animal Hospital of Statesville’s Feline Pet of the Month.