Let’s get straight to the questions from pet owners who follow
this column:
Q: My friend has a 6-year-old Siamese cat that is cross-eyed.
She seems to see things all right and plays with our other cat. But
she looks very awkward. Is this an inherited trait? Is there
anything that can be done to correct it?
Let’s get straight to the questions from pet owners who follow this column:
Q: My friend has a 6-year-old Siamese cat that is cross-eyed. She seems to see things all right and plays with our other cat. But she looks very awkward. Is this an inherited trait? Is there anything that can be done to correct it?
A: Lots of cats have strabismus, or crossed eyes, but it seems that Siamese and other so-called oriental breeds are more often affected than others. On some, the symptoms are subtle. But for many (like your friend’s cat), it’s an obvious condition.
Strabismus is seen in family lines, so there’s likely an inherited component to this condition. Interestingly enough, most of these kitties seem to have adequate vision despite what everyone would assume. I well remember a neighbor’s Siamese that was very cross-eyed. Yaki was a tough cat, but he looked as though everything he saw was a blur. Even so, he was one of the best mousers on the block. Those little rodents never saw him coming!
Q: How often do cats get hiccups? Our kitty, Marvin, seems to have them a lot and they are really funny. We can’t help but laugh. What causes them?
A: Hiccups result from spasms of the diaphragm and they are usually harmless. Rumpy, our cat, gets the hiccups once in a while and it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. In fact, I think he can eat and even fall asleep in the middle of a hiccup!
On the other hand, hiccups sometimes are a symptom of more serious problems. Gastric or stomach reflux disease, ulcers, and even inflammatory bowel disease can all result in hiccups. Even some types of cancer can occasionally cause them. These conditions shouldn’t be ignored. If Marvin has just recently started having hiccups, they may signal that something has changed.
So before you disregard hiccups as just a funny little quirk, have Marvin evaluated to be sure he’s a healthy kitty cat. Most likely, his veterinarian will find nothing wrong, and he’ll go on wondering what you all find so amusing.
Q: My dog, Ringo, has a couple of places on his legs that we thought were ticks. Looking closer, we see that they are lumps of skin. My friend called these skin tags. Are they something we should worry about?
A: I’m not sure how your friend would define a “skin tag.” But let’s talk about the possibilities based on your description of Ringo.
There are many skin lumps that are considered harmless. These can be caused by simple hyperplasia or overgrowth of a gland in the skin. Some of these are epidermal cysts and they are almost always benign. Usually cysts look like small, elevated growths either on or just under the surface of the skin. Some have a wart-like appearance. These could easily be what you see on Ringo.
But other, similar skin bumps or lumps can be more serious, even cancerous. One very serious example is the mast cell tumor. Mast cell tumors can be very aggressive, causing lots of problems as they spread from the skin to internal organs such as the kidneys or the liver. They start out as a quiet-looking, small lump, usually just under the skin. Their appearance may not be much different than that of an epidermal cyst. But without treatment, some mast cell tumors are dangerous, even life threatening.
There are also many other types of skin tumors, and unfortunately, none have a unique, identifying appearance. Because of this, skin lumps or tumors can’t be accurately assessed with just a visual exam. A definitive diagnosis can only be made by taking a biopsy: a small sample for microscopic histopathology.
I recommend you have the lump biopsied or removed and ask your vet to send a sample of it to a pathologist for microscopic exam. If it’s a malignant tumor, you and your veterinarian will have an early diagnosis and you’ll know what to do for treatment. And if it turns out benign, your worries will be over.
• SPECIAL NOTE: We are reminded of the precious value of life almost every day in veterinary practice. The loss of someone’s good companion, even if simply to old age makes us realize how good life is because of our pets and our family.
Some friends of mine lost their furry friend this past week and somehow, their loss touched me more than usual. Every time a pet passes on, I am saddened. But this time, I was vividly reminded of the moment Pebbles left us. I remembered my sadness. And I remembered how lucky I was to have lived with her for all those years.
Our world lost another good one last week when Spanner left her family. She was a lucky girl. Like Pebbles, she was deeply loved. And like Pebbles, she will always be in our memory.
Give your pets a hug and I’ll see you soon.
Pete Keesling is a veterinarian at San Martin Veterinary Hospital and co-hosts “Petpourri,” a weekly show about pet health on KTEH in San Jose. He writes a bi-weekly column for South Valley Newspapers. If you have any questions about pet care, please mail them to Vets, 30 E. Third St., Morgan Hill, CA 95037
