Ruckus is a 9-year-old tabby cat who was referred to the Emergency and Critical Care Department for severely increased kidney enzymes due to a left ureteral obstruction. Ruckus had a blocked ureter, which is a tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder, because of a stone which caused his kidneys to not function properly, potentially causing irreversible damage. The most common cause of ureteral obstruction in cats is due to calculi which cannot be medically dissolved. The clinical signs can be non-specific and a general unwell feeling which can include lethargy, vomiting and/or decreased appetite.

Ruckus had to undergo two sessions of hemodialysis to decrease and normalize his kidney parameters before he was stable enough to go to surgery (along with having a blood transfusion and further supportive care). Hemodialysis acts as treatment to take over the excretory part of the kidney function. It can be helpful … Continue reading

In my last blog, I alluded to some medications that can affect the liver.

Medications used to treat infections caused by fungus is one such family of drugs and when they are used, blood tests are done on a periodic basis to help monitor the health of the liver.

While fungal diseases have always been an issue in patients with compromised immune systems, one such fungal disease affects individuals with normal immune systems.

Our neurology department has seen several cases of an emerging fungal disease.  The author of this week’s blog is Dr Nicki Davis who has been collecting data on these cases.

This infection, which can affect your pet in British Columbia more than any other place in the world, is a fungus known as Cryptococcus, or shortened simply to “Crypto”. This is a new type of this fungus that has arrived in BC and that can infect both … Continue reading