DrBarchas.com is a free resource for people with pets. Searchable articles are available on diseases, behavior, symptoms, and medical treatments for dogs and cats.
Marked changes in an animal’s water consumption or urine output have many causes. Chronic or long-term changes in thirst or urinary habits may be indicative of serious disease.
More common causes are listed first. Less common causes are listed later.
Cats and dogs.
Carsickness is a common problem in cats and dogs. Pets suffering from carsickness show symptoms including salivation, vomiting, and diarrhea. Two factors play a role in carsickness. The first is true motion sickness. The second is anxiety or stress related to being in a car.
Cats
Feline leukemia virus, or FeLV, is a virus that infects cats. It is related to FIV and HIV, the virus that causes human AIDS. There is no evidence that FeLV can infect humans.
FeLV does not sicken every cat that is infected with it. However, some cats that are infected with FeLV suffer suppression of the immune system or develop cancers. These cats often die from the virus.
Primarily dogs; occasionally cats
Diarrhea is an extremely common problem in both cats and dogs. Mild, transient diarrhea rarely is a cause for concern. Severe or chronic diarrhea is often caused by major medical conditions, and can be damaging to a pet’s health in its own right.
More common causes are listed first. Less common causes are listed later.
Scratching and licking the skin generally have similar causes. Excessively licking the skin is a way of scratching the skin. Skin irritation leading to itching is responsible for most instances of excessive licking and scratching.
A certain level of scratching or licking is considered normal in all animals. Also, both cats and dogs groom themselves with their tongues. Therefore, it is important to determine whether your pet is scratching or licking excessively, or whether he or she is engaging in normal behavior.
Cats
Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a poorly understood and extremely dangerous disease of cats. The disease is resistant to treatment and very difficult to diagnose. Almost all cats that contract FIP die from the disease.
Cats
Psychogenic alopecia is a syndrome in which cats excessively groom their hair and skin. This results in hair loss and baldness that usually starts on the abdomen and progress up the rear of the body.
A synonym for psychogenic alopecia is psychological baldness. As this name implies, the syndrome is believed to have a psychological or behavioral basis.
Cats and dogs of any age.
Ear infections are common and painful problems for pets. In cats and dogs, ear infections typically are opportunistic and not contagious. They often occur when the ear’s immune system is disrupted by allergies, moisture, poor air circulation, or diseases such as feline AIDS. Under these conditions, bacteria and yeast that normally live harmlessly in the ear are able to proliferate to the point of infection.