Citywide Pet Clinic

11/25/2024

We know how much you want your furry friends to be included in the holiday festivities, but please avoid giving them table scraps altogether. Foods such as turkey skin, gravy, and stuffing can cause digestive issues or even pancreatitis. We don’t want your pets to feel sick during the holidays - or any day, for that matter - especially during these special moments. Not sure what is best for your pet? Contact us at (608) 222-8387.

11/25/2024

Turbo is living his best life ❤️

11/23/2024

The doctor said my cat has idiopathic cystitis. What is this?

Feline idiopathic cystitis is a bladder disorder that causes inflammation and abnormal urinations. The cause of this is unknown, however, STRESS seems to be a common factor (“stress bladder”).

Common symptoms:

*️⃣ Bloody urine
*️⃣ Urinating in abnormal spots
*️⃣ Straining to urinate
*️⃣ Licking urinary opening

Symptoms can mimic other diseases: bladder stones, UTI’s, bladder tumors, crystals, et cetera. When all other diagnostic tests are normal, FIC is usually the most likely cause of the symptoms.

This can be life threatening in male cats since their urethra is extremely narrow. If you suspect that your cat is blocked, seek emergency care immediately.

Some cats are more prone to stress and anxiety and can develop chronic cystitis. Also, if there are sudden changes in the household, this can cause a flare up.

Make sure your cat has a stress free environment full of scratching posts, easily accessible litter boxes, and areas where they can eat and drink without competing with other animals. Outdoor cats that come close to the house can also provide stress.

Some common treatments involve pain management, anti-anxiety medications and prescription urinary food. Feliway (a synthetic pheromone) can also help relieve symptoms.

11/21/2024

Chucho says, “Happy Thursday!”

11/21/2024

Mobility problems with our aging pets ❤️

My animals are getting old and their mobility is suffering. What are some things I can try?

*️⃣ Librela—this is a once monthly injection to manage osteoarthritis in dogs. Monoclonal antibody therapy helps reduce pain and improve the quality of life.

*️⃣ Solensia—also a monoclonal antibody that targets nerve growth factor—a protein that can cause pain associated with osteoarthritis. By blocking NGF’s interaction with pain receptors, there is a significant reduction of inflammation, soreness and unwanted pain.

*️⃣ Dasuquin and Cosequin—these are joint supplements available for cats and dogs. It helps support cartilage growth and inhibits it from breaking down.

*️⃣ Acupuncture—this can help with chronic pain, inflammation and arthritis. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Berkovitz today!

11/21/2024

A little info!

We do dental radiographs because around 40% of dental disease happens underneath the gum line. Radiographs help find problems such as bone loss in the jaw, tooth root abscesses, impacted teeth and other bone abnormalities.

By the age of 3, about 80% of dogs and 70% of cats display some signs of periodontal disease!

11/20/2024

Thanksgiving hazards!!

Onion and garlic: A lot of thanksgiving meals (especially that wonderful stuffing) are made with these ingredients. This can be toxic for your pets.

Desserts: Cakes, pies and cookies can contain artificial sweeteners like Xylitol—this can cause severe liver damage and low blood sugar levels. Chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, et cetera. These can be fatal to your pets.

You can give your pets a little treat!—while it’s not advised to give your pet table scraps, we understand if you want to give them a special treat on thanksgiving. Only feed a small amount. Turkey, green beans, or sweet potatoes are okay!

Don’t forget the trash—bones, chocolate, onions, et cetera—all these get dumped in the trash while cooking and savoring your delicious meal. Keep this out of reach from your furry friend.

❤️❤️❤️🥧🍗🍗

11/20/2024

Your dog is due for a “Heartworm Tick Panel.” What does that test for again? Why do I need to do this if they are already on preventative?

Some fleas, ticks and heartworm microfilariae have evolved and become resistant to certain preventatives. We want to make sure preventatives are working and protecting your pets. Sometimes owners will forget a few months, or give the prevention a few days late. It happens!! I’m guilty of it too!

This annual test only needs a small amount of blood and takes 10 minutes. The panel will show us if your pet has been exposed to heartworm disease (carried by mosquitoes) and three prevalent tick diseases—Lyme, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma.

11/19/2024

My vet said my cat has a “resorptive lesion.” What is that?

The longer name is “Feline Oral Resorptive Lesion.” It’s a condition where the body begins to break down and absorb the parts of a cat’s tooth (in shorter terms, your cat has a cavity). Lesions are usually found on the outside of the tooth where the gum meets the hard surface of the tooth.

There are many theories about why cats develop these. Genetics, autoimmune disease, Calicivirus, and imbalances of calcium regulation, have all been proposed as correlations.

Once the resorption is exposed in the oral cavity, it opens a door for bacteria to invade. This can sometimes lead to a “tooth root abscess,”— a painful infection of the root. Oftentimes you will see swelling of the cheek, or chin.

Signs to look out for include: Bleeding from the mouth, drooling, jaw spasms, pawing, or rubbing the mouth, vocalizing when eating, difficulty eating, weight loss and bad breath. Sometimes cats will not show outward signs and the lesions are caught during a routine dental cleaning. The typical recommendation for treatment is extracting the tooth and roots.

11/19/2024

My pet’s ears stink! YUCK!

Some pets are prone to ear infections. Some common signs include: inflammation of the ear pinna and/or canal, brown/blackish debris, shaking of the head, scratching the ears, rubbing of the face and hesitancy for you to touch the ears. You might notice a strong odor, or yeast-like scent.

You can try cleaning your pet’s ears every week for maintenance. A common ear cleaning solution we carry is “MalAcetic Otic Cleanser.” Avoid harsh liquids such as peroxide. You can use the cleanser by gently filling the ear canal and massaging at the base gently. Use gauze pads, or cotton balls to clean the canals and pinna. We don’t recommend Q-tips, as this could potentially cause pain, or hurt the ear drum.

If you are cleaning weekly, but your pet is NOT getting relief and the ears are still dirty, we’d recommend getting them checked out. A doctor can examine the ears and do an ear cytology to check for infection. Identifying yeast and different types of bacteria will help us choose what ear treatment is best. Also, the doctor will make sure the eardrum looks healthy enough to apply the medication. A complication with the eardrum could lead to deafness.

If you ever want an ear cleaning demonstration, just ask us! We’re here to help!

11/18/2024

Madison is here to get some Senior blood work done. In the meantime she’s offering free kisses 💗

11/18/2024

Why does my pet need pre-anesthetic blood work?

Having bloodwork done beforehand can help assess your pet’s health status and make sure their internal organs are functioning properly. We want to ensure values are within a normal range before they are given anesthetic treatments.

A chemistry panel can check for many different factors that affect how well the patient performs under anesthesia. For instance, it will show us liver, kidney and pancreatic values. Anesthetic drugs are filtered and metabolized through the liver and extracted through the kidneys. It can also give insight to metabolic diseases such as diabetes, or Cushings disease.

A complete blood count measures red and white blood cells and platelets. This can help determine any anemia, infections, or blood clotting disorders.

Hydration status is also important. We measure electrolytes to make sure there aren’t any imbalances. (sodium, potassium, chloride, etc).

Urine can show us how well the kidneys are functioning and check for urinary tract infections.

If your pet is at risk for anything, we will need to change the drug protocol to make them safe. In some cases, we will postpone surgery if there is a heightened risk.

11/16/2024

11/15/2024

What are the best dental health products?

There are many choices when it comes to oral health products: Rawhides, chews, diets, toothpaste, water additive etc. Look for products that are approved by VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council). Visit this website to learn more: https://vohc.org/

What else can I do?

Daily brushing! Use enzymatic toothpaste specifically for dogs and cats. Do NOT use human toothpaste, as it contains fluoride. This is toxic to our pets!

Annual dental cleanings. Once your pet develops heavy tartar, there is no way to get it off besides ultrasonic scaling. Just like we go in for routine cleanings, dogs and cats need this preventative care too.

Sanos! Sanos is a liquid bandage that seals the subgingival line against the formation of plaque. This product lasts for 6 months. We will put this on at the time of the dental cleaning.

11/15/2024

Meet Zoey. Zoey is 45 pounds of wiggle cuteness and is going to fly away with her happy helicopter tail :)

11/15/2024

Turbo says “Hi!”

11/15/2024

Welcome Tink! ❤️♥️💗

11/14/2024

Hi, Pet parents!

It’s that time when we’re done with work and it’s already dark. It’s also COLD! There are some things you can do to protect your pets during the harsh winters in Wisconsin.

Monitor signs for “cold stress.” Shivering, lethargy, and reluctance to go outside are signs your pet is too cold. If you have outdoor pets, make sure the shelter has warm bedding and is well-insulated and draft free.

Proper clothing and paw protection: pets will often lift their paws up on walks because of irritating salt, or ice. Consider getting booties and a jacket for thinner coated dogs.

Be careful with Antifreeze! Make sure this is safely contained far away from your pets. Clean up spills right away. Antifreeze is highly toxic and life threatening.

Most importantly, snuggle up with your pet under a cozy blanket!