Scratch

As a Cat Specialist, many of my cases come to me as second opinions on difficult illnesses that may not have worked out well at another vet. One cat certainly made me a hero to his owner. His name was Scratch, and his owner was Cindy Kilgore.

Cindy brought Scratch in many years ago and he looked like the kitty in this photo. Nearly completely bald and even given the name "Scratch" because he was always scratching himself. Cindy was at her wits end and even considering euthanasia because she thought Scratch was suffering. I told her I could diagnose his skin condition and get him to back to normal.

The first thing I did was run a comprehensive feline blood panel on him to test for Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, and his thyroid levels. The blood panel also tested his internal organ functions and gave differential white blood counts that could indicate allergies or other problems. I also started Scratch on a twenty milligram injection of Depo-Medrol given subcutaneously because his skin condition looked empirically like an allergic skin condition called Miliary Dermatitis.

The comprehensive blood panel came back all normal and my diagnosis was correct. Cindy brought Scratch back in a month for a recheck and an additional Depo-Medrol injection. To Cindy's great joy, Scratch already looked like a new kitty with ninety percent hair regrowth and almost no scratching.

Skin diseases are some of the easiest diseases to diagnose, because the skin is right there in front of you, but I have noticed that some practitioners just don't see the skin disease. The other defect some veterinary practitioners have is they have this idea that steroid use is harmful to animals. In fact, steroids are miracle drugs and have many applications that are life enhancing and life saving. Steroids only have a bad reputation because they are overused and abused by athletes who do give them a bad name.

Scratch lived happily for years to come and lived the usual cat lifespan of about fifteen years until nature called him home. Cindy became a good friend and devoted client and I enjoyed watching her get married and have a family of her own.

Remember all people are different and the veterinary profession has moved forward in it's offering of specialization. Get a second, third, or fourth opinion if you are not satisfied with your pet's diagnosis and treatment. It can make all the difference in the world.

Dr. Doug Ikeler http://www.ikelerbooks.com/

http://www.lifeextensionbooksbydrdougikeler.blogspot.com/