Justine Lee

Just because your dog’s nose feels extra cold and dry today doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with him. While you may sleep with your pet, pick up his poop, and know all of his intriquicies, it’s not worth chancing your pet’s health on your self-appointed vet degree! Here are the top 3 common mis-diagnoses I see owners making at the expense of their pet’s health, all of which can be life-threatening if not cared for right away.

Putting up with puking
Why is it that we cat owners are so tolerant of puke? While it seems like a “normal” cat thing – it’s not. If it’s happening more than once a month, something is wrong. Here’s a simple hint: if there’s no hair in the vomit, it’s probably not due to hairballs! If your cat is long-haired and vomiting up hairballs, sure – you can home remedy and try laxatives like Laxatone – or better yet – more frequent brushing and grooming instead. But if you’ve tried that to no avail, your cat could have an underlying metabolic problem (like inflammatory bowel disease or even kidney failure) that is causing it. If it’s an acute episode of vomiting (like vomiting multiple times in a day), rush your cat or dog to a vet – a foreign body (like a toy, hairball, or corn cob stuck in his intestines or stomach) may be the cause!

The mis-diagnosed urinary tract infection
If you’re the lucky owner of a male cat, take heed. If you notice your cat squatting and straining to urinate in multiple areas of the house (like in the tub, on your comforter, outside the litter box, or in your potted plant container), don’t just think he has a urinary tract infection (UTI) and reach for your expired antibiotics. Chances are, it’s a feline urethral obstruction (FUO), which is when the tip of your cat’s urethra (the tube leading from the bladder to the tip of the penis) becomes blocked by crystals, grit, or mucous plugs. Having a FUO means your cat can’t urinate for days and results in severe pain, malaise, and temporarily kidney failure (with secondary vomiting). A FUO can be life-threatening, and is very different from a UTI (only 2% of these symptoms are actually from an active infection). If you’re the lucky owner of a male dog (particularly a Dalmatian, Schnauzer, Shih-Tzu, or predisposed breed), don’t think you’re off the hook - these signs could be from a bladder stone and secondary obstruction also.

Coughing up hairballs
The misnomer “coughing up hairballs” isn’t accurate – after all, you cough from the trachea, while you vomit from your esophagus. These two tubes don’t cross, so you physically can’t cough up a hairball. If you notice your cat doing this without actually bringing anything up (like a hairball or vomit), your cat is likely coughing instead. Certain cats – like Siamese cats and obese cats living with smokers – are often asthmatic, and are misdiagnosed as having hairballs instead. If you notice this, videotape it for your vet to see and hear, as you’d want to have emergency inhalers and medications at home if in the event another asthmatic attack occurs…. instead of just chalking it up to vomiting. If your dog is doing this, he may actually have a tracheal collapse – when the cartilage of the airway is too weak- resulting in a narrower airway to breath with. Unlike cats, dogs don’t get asthma, so something else like an airway problem, bronchitis, pneumonia, or even cardiac problems could be causing this instead. Regardless, it’s not normal for either species to cough, so get it checked out at a vet!

Playing with poisons
While most people suspect their pet is poisoned by eating something off the street or something thrown over the neighbor’s fence, it’s pretty rare. In fact, your pet is more likely to be poisoned inside your house than outside! Before you mis-diagnose your pet and attempt a home remedies that don’t work (like milk, ipecac, or vegetable oil), contact a veterinarian first. They’ll often times be able to diagnose the true cause of the problem with an exam and blood work. When in doubt, you can also call a pet poison control number just in case.
 
•    When in doubt, call a vet – there’s not a charge to ask a question, so check with the experts before doing anything that may potentially misdiagnose or mistreat your pet!
•    Trust your instinct – you do know your pet the best. If something is wrong, don’t self-diagnose. Bring him to a vet for advanced diagnostics to truly get to the bottom of things.