Asthma can be a debilitating disease in humans but did you know that our feline friends are also susceptible to this life-changing condition?

Signs to watch out for:

- Persistent coughing or wheezing (often bouts of coughing)
- Laboured and/or fast breathing
- Open-mouthed breathing
- Squatting with shoulders hunched, neck extended and rapid breathing or gasping for breath
- Lethargy and weakness

The disease process
Asthma involves the small airways in the lungs over-reacting to the presence of an irritant or an allergen. There is a subsequent inflammatory response, an increase in mucus production and a contraction of the small muscles around the airways causing them to narrow. Both the mucus and the narrowed airway means a cat will have significant difficulty breathing.

What causes feline asthma?
Irritants such as cigarette smoke, pollens, dust from cat litter, perfume and moulds can all contribute to the condition. Parasites, heart disease and obesity may also play a role.

Diagnosis and treatment
Blood tests, x-rays, bronchoscopy (using a camera to evaluate the airways), or an airway wash to gather cells to look for inflammation or bacteria may be necessary to help diagnose the asthma. At Frankston Heights, we have the skills and equipemnt to perform these procedures.

Feline asthma can be successfully managed with medications that open up the airways or modify the inflammatory response. You may be surprised to learn that medication is often administered through a special inhaler, similar to those used in human asthma.

The most important point is that feline asthma can quickly become life-threatening, so any cat with a cough (or any of the signs mentioned above) needs to be seen by us as soon as possible.

You might laugh at us but we love wee! Just a small amount of your pet’s urine provides us with valuable information about their internal health and can also help rule out diseases such as diabetes and kidney insufficiency. It will also help diagnose bladder stones, infections, and inflammation (cystitis)

Urine can be collected by a "free catch" or sometimes we need to take a sample direct from the bladder to avoid comtamination of the sample (this is called cystocentesis) After we have collected a sample of your pet’s urine, we will perform a few routine tests. These will include:

USG (urine specific gravity) - this helps us to determine how well the kidneys are working by measuring how effectively they are concentrating the urine. This is especially important when we are on the hunt for kidney disease as sometimes a change in USG can be an early indication of disease. This early stage of kidney disease may not be detectable with a routine blood test.

A urine dipstick also allows us to look for the presence of blood, protein and glucose  It can also indicate if a diabetic patient is severely unwell by detecting ketones.

In some cases, it may be necessary to examine the sediment of the urine under a microscope to look for particular cells that may indicate disease. White blood cells and bacteria can be detected on a sediment exam as can urinary crystals, a telltale sign of other urinary tract problems.

We often need to send urine samples to an external laboratory to run more specific tests. This may include one to determine if there is a true bacterial infection present. The laboratory will culture the bacteria and then run tests to determine what antibiotic is required to treat the infection. Another example of a laboratory test is one to measure the level of protein that is being lost by the kidneys. This can help stage kidney disease and greatly assists in determining if medication is indicated to treat the condition.

it is remakable what a little urine can tell us!

How likely is my dog’s breed to go to the vet? At what age is my cat prone to hyperthyroidism? Has anyone ever named their pet ‘Prince Harry’?

The answers to all of these questions and more can be found in the newly published Pet Health Monitor. Compiled by Australia’s leading pet insurance underwriter PetSure from almost three million insurance claims over five years, the report provides a comprehensive picture of pet ownership today, as well as digging up some interesting trends. For instance, the most popular name for both female cats and dogs in the study was ‘Bella’, while ‘Charlie’ was the most popular name for both male cats and dogs. It seems the two species have more in common than previously thought!

But it’s not all light and *ahem* fluffy… being one of the largest studies of animal health trends in Australia, the report is an essential source of information on common health conditions by breed, age and gender. According to the report, the most common reason for a dog’s visit to the vet was for ear inflammation, accounting for 6.7% of all insurance claims in 2018 alone, with dermatitis a close second. Short-faced (brachycephalic) dogs such as bulldogs, pugs and boxers saw a 79% rise between 2013 and 2018 in surgery claims for obstructed airways.

The most common reason for a cat to visit a vet was for wounds (6.9%). The report also reveals a growing number of cases of hyperthyroidism in older cats, with 15% of cats 13 years of age or over afflicted by the condition, a benign growth on the thyroid glands that produces an excessive amount of thyroid hormone.

We highly recommend reading the full report for more valuable insights on pet health and the role pet insurance can play. You can download the report on the PetSure website at petsure.com.au.

Any advice is general only and may not be right for you. Cover is subject to the policy terms and conditions. You should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement or policy wording available from the relevant provider to decide if a product is right for you. Insurance products are issued by The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd (ABN 78 090 584 473; AFSL 241436) and administered by PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd (ABN 95 075 949 923; AFSL 420183) through our Authorised Representatives and our distribution partners.