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Welcome To Ace's 'Cat Health' Page.Get the latest breaking news & information on health and nutrition for your kitty. Come back often as we will update the content weekly. |
Cat becomes medical pioneer
Cat's surgery gives him a chance at a more wonderful life
George Bailey, a cat born with two feet, is shown before his operation.
His surgery Tuesday was the first of its kind.
Photo Courtesy of N.C. State University
RALEIGH -- Born with just two feet, George Bailey staggered through his first year
of life as an invalid cat, propping himself on his good paws and dragging his
stumps behind. Each trip to the food dish was a painful ballet.
Then Tuesday morning, doctors strapped him to an operating table for two hours,
drilled into his right tibia and fastened a prosthetic leg with titanium screws.
If the surgery takes and George Bailey's leg bone grows over the prosthesis, he
will be bouncing on a new foot made from spring steel inside of six weeks.
"He's a pioneer," said Al Simmons, his Moore County owner. "We tried crutch tips,
furniture tips, all sorts of Velcro. Nothing worked."
Simmons and his wife will pay thousands for the surgery at N.C. State University.
But there are implications beyond George Bailey's wobbly gait. He's the first
animal fitted with a custom-made prosthesis that fits inside the bone.
In Scandinavia, the same technique has already been applied to humans. A man
there was fitted with a detachable thumb, said Greg Thomas, NCSU spokesman.
Fitting a prosthesis inside a bone rather than attaching it to a stump makes a
stronger connection, relieving stress on areas of the body that aren't designed to
take it. It is not unlike total hip replacement, said Dr. Denis Marcellin, who
operated on the cat.
"Someday," he said, "that may be something we do for people who are missing
their fingers."
On Tuesday, Marcellin and a team of assistants strapped George Bailey to a
metal operating table shortly after 9 a.m.
His tongue dangled, and a tiny IV poked from a front leg. His tail was wrapped in
purple tape, and a pair of clamps held his shaven stubs in the air. He looked like
a Christmas turkey.
About 9:40, Marcellin began cutting skin from the tip of George Bailey's right rear
leg, pushing it upward until a few inches of bone gleamed through.
He cut the end off the cat's tibia and drilled a small hole up the middle. He drilled
again with a larger bit, then a larger one, until the hole was wide enough to admit
a titanium shaft.
Crowds of veterinary students gathered to watch through a window, and
engineering students who helped design the prosthesis took pictures. More
students stopped to watch the operation being broadcast on a screen hanging
over a nearby hallway.
"Is that a famous dog?" one of them asked, noticing the news cameras around the
operating table.
When he had the shaft in place, Marcellin screwed the metal into bone, securing
a pegleg for George Bailey. That peg will serve as the cat's legs for the next
month while the bone grows around the prosthesis. After it does, George Bailey
will be fitted with a steel foot, coated with rubber like the underside of a cat's paw.
A second prosthesis is unnecessary, Marcellin said. George Bailey's fourth leg
has a backward kneecap, which would make it hard to attach a prosthesis. And
cats do fine on three feet, Marcellin said.
George Bailey was the runt of his litter, a waif from the beginning. But like his
namesake from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," he knows what he's going to do
with the next day and the next year and the year after that.
He's shaking the dust of his invalid life off his titanium foot and he's going to see
the world -- one delicate step at a time.
Cat's surgery gives him a chance at a more wonderful life
George Bailey, a cat born with two feet, is shown before his operation.
His surgery Tuesday was the first of its kind.
Photo Courtesy of N.C. State University
RALEIGH -- Born with just two feet, George Bailey staggered through his first year
of life as an invalid cat, propping himself on his good paws and dragging his
stumps behind. Each trip to the food dish was a painful ballet.
Then Tuesday morning, doctors strapped him to an operating table for two hours,
drilled into his right tibia and fastened a prosthetic leg with titanium screws.
If the surgery takes and George Bailey's leg bone grows over the prosthesis, he
will be bouncing on a new foot made from spring steel inside of six weeks.
"He's a pioneer," said Al Simmons, his Moore County owner. "We tried crutch tips,
furniture tips, all sorts of Velcro. Nothing worked."
Simmons and his wife will pay thousands for the surgery at N.C. State University.
But there are implications beyond George Bailey's wobbly gait. He's the first
animal fitted with a custom-made prosthesis that fits inside the bone.
In Scandinavia, the same technique has already been applied to humans. A man
there was fitted with a detachable thumb, said Greg Thomas, NCSU spokesman.
Fitting a prosthesis inside a bone rather than attaching it to a stump makes a
stronger connection, relieving stress on areas of the body that aren't designed to
take it. It is not unlike total hip replacement, said Dr. Denis Marcellin, who
operated on the cat.
"Someday," he said, "that may be something we do for people who are missing
their fingers."
On Tuesday, Marcellin and a team of assistants strapped George Bailey to a
metal operating table shortly after 9 a.m.
His tongue dangled, and a tiny IV poked from a front leg. His tail was wrapped in
purple tape, and a pair of clamps held his shaven stubs in the air. He looked like
a Christmas turkey.
About 9:40, Marcellin began cutting skin from the tip of George Bailey's right rear
leg, pushing it upward until a few inches of bone gleamed through.
He cut the end off the cat's tibia and drilled a small hole up the middle. He drilled
again with a larger bit, then a larger one, until the hole was wide enough to admit
a titanium shaft.
Crowds of veterinary students gathered to watch through a window, and
engineering students who helped design the prosthesis took pictures. More
students stopped to watch the operation being broadcast on a screen hanging
over a nearby hallway.
"Is that a famous dog?" one of them asked, noticing the news cameras around the
operating table.
When he had the shaft in place, Marcellin screwed the metal into bone, securing
a pegleg for George Bailey. That peg will serve as the cat's legs for the next
month while the bone grows around the prosthesis. After it does, George Bailey
will be fitted with a steel foot, coated with rubber like the underside of a cat's paw.
A second prosthesis is unnecessary, Marcellin said. George Bailey's fourth leg
has a backward kneecap, which would make it hard to attach a prosthesis. And
cats do fine on three feet, Marcellin said.
George Bailey was the runt of his litter, a waif from the beginning. But like his
namesake from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," he knows what he's going to do
with the next day and the next year and the year after that.
He's shaking the dust of his invalid life off his titanium foot and he's going to see
the world -- one delicate step at a time.
5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health
Owning a pet can ward off depression, lower blood pressure, and boost immunity. It may even improve your social life.
By Jeanie Lerche Davis
WebMD Feature Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
A pet is certainly a great friend. After a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love.
In fact, for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood
pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates.
1 Allergy Fighters
"The old thinking was that if your family had a pet, the children were more likely to become allergic to the pet. And if you came
from an allergy-prone family, pets should be avoided," says researcher James E. Gern, MD, a pediatrician at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
However, a growing number of studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with "furred animals" -- whether it's a
pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals -- will have less risk of allergies and asthma, he tells WebMD.
In his recent study, Gern analyzed the blood of babies immediately after birth and one year later. He was looking for evidence of
an allergic reaction, immunity changes, and for reactions to bacteria in the environment.
If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies -- 19% vs. 33%. They also were less likely
to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of
some immune system chemicals -- a sign of stronger immune system activation.
"Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger
immune system," Gern says.
2 Date Magnets
Dogs are great for making love connections. Forget Internet matchmaking -- a dog is a natural conversation starter.
This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness, Nadine Kaslow, PhD, professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, tells WebMD.
"People ask about breed, they watch the dog's tricks," Kaslow says. "Sometimes the conversation stays at the 'dog level,'
sometimes it becomes a real social interchange."
3 Dogs for the Aged
"Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home," says Lynette
Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
"Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a
dog," says Hart.
Walking a dog or just caring for a pet -- for elderly people who are able -- can provide exercise and companionship. One
insurance company, Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of
their medical screening -- which often helps tip the scales in their favor.
4 Good for Mind and Soul
Pet owners with AIDS are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. "The benefit is especially
pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets," says researcher Judith Siegel, PhD.
In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful
situations than did people without pets.
People in stress mode get into a "state of dis-ease," in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can
negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of
Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.
Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, says Justice.
Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine -- nerve transmitters that are known
to have pleasurable and calming properties, he tells WebMD.
"People take drugs like heroin and cocaine to raise serotonin and dopamine, but the healthy way to do it is to pet your dog, or
hug your spouse, watch sunsets, or get around something beautiful in nature," says Justice, who recently hiked the Colorado
Rockies with his wife and two dogs.
5 Good for the Heart
Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have less
sign of heart disease -- lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels -- than non-owners, researchers say.
Owning a pet can ward off depression, lower blood pressure, and boost immunity. It may even improve your social life.
By Jeanie Lerche Davis
WebMD Feature Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
A pet is certainly a great friend. After a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love.
In fact, for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood
pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates.
1 Allergy Fighters
"The old thinking was that if your family had a pet, the children were more likely to become allergic to the pet. And if you came
from an allergy-prone family, pets should be avoided," says researcher James E. Gern, MD, a pediatrician at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
However, a growing number of studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with "furred animals" -- whether it's a
pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals -- will have less risk of allergies and asthma, he tells WebMD.
In his recent study, Gern analyzed the blood of babies immediately after birth and one year later. He was looking for evidence of
an allergic reaction, immunity changes, and for reactions to bacteria in the environment.
If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies -- 19% vs. 33%. They also were less likely
to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of
some immune system chemicals -- a sign of stronger immune system activation.
"Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger
immune system," Gern says.
2 Date Magnets
Dogs are great for making love connections. Forget Internet matchmaking -- a dog is a natural conversation starter.
This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness, Nadine Kaslow, PhD, professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, tells WebMD.
"People ask about breed, they watch the dog's tricks," Kaslow says. "Sometimes the conversation stays at the 'dog level,'
sometimes it becomes a real social interchange."
3 Dogs for the Aged
"Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home," says Lynette
Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
"Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a
dog," says Hart.
Walking a dog or just caring for a pet -- for elderly people who are able -- can provide exercise and companionship. One
insurance company, Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of
their medical screening -- which often helps tip the scales in their favor.
4 Good for Mind and Soul
Pet owners with AIDS are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. "The benefit is especially
pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets," says researcher Judith Siegel, PhD.
In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful
situations than did people without pets.
People in stress mode get into a "state of dis-ease," in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can
negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of
Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.
Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, says Justice.
Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine -- nerve transmitters that are known
to have pleasurable and calming properties, he tells WebMD.
"People take drugs like heroin and cocaine to raise serotonin and dopamine, but the healthy way to do it is to pet your dog, or
hug your spouse, watch sunsets, or get around something beautiful in nature," says Justice, who recently hiked the Colorado
Rockies with his wife and two dogs.
5 Good for the Heart
Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have less
sign of heart disease -- lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels -- than non-owners, researchers say.
WASHINGTON - Cats not only can catch the deadly bird flu but can spread it to other felines, Dutch researchers reported
Thursday, raising important questions about the pets' role in outbreaks.
So far, cats haven't been implicated in the spread of avian flu to people, cautioned World Health Organization's influenza chief
Klaus Stohr.
There are two potential reasons, he said: "One is nobody looked. The other is they don't play a role," as infected cats don't
shed nearly as much virus as do infected poultry.
Bird flu has caused recurring outbreaks in recent years, including killing 27 people in Asia this year. Human infections until
now have been traced to direct contact with infected poultry or poultry waste, and millions of chickens and other fowl have been
slaughtered in attempts to stem the disease.
But hearing of the Dutch discovery, the WHO alerted scientists to examine household cats and other mammals whenever they
investigate human bird-flu infections. The first such check, in Vietnam last week, found cats in patients' households were
healthy, Stohr said.
Because the bird flu is quite different from human influenza strains that typically infect people, scientists fear it eventually could
lead to a human flu pandemic. So they are closely watching for the virus among other mammals.
Three house cats killed by disease
Last winter, Thai veterinarians reported that bird flu had killed three house cats. That was a big surprise, because
domesticated cats have long been thought resistant to infection from influenza A viruses, the family that harbors bird flu, called
H5N1.
The new research, reported Thursday in the journal Science, goes farther to show cats fairly easily spread the disease to each
other.
The scientists obtained H5N1 from a fatal human case in Vietnam and sprayed it into the throats of three cats. All became very
ill; one died within the week.
Next, they housed two healthy cats with the sick cats. And, they fed three other healthy cats an infected chick apiece. All the cats
got sick.
In contrast, cats exposed to a common human influenza A strain weren't infected.
"The role of cats in the spread of H5N1 virus between poultry farms, and from poultry to humans, needs to be reassessed,"
concluded lead researcher Thijs Kuiken, a virologist at Rotterdam's Erasmus Medical Center.
The discovery isn't as alarming to flu specialists as was China's recent acknowledgment that a few pigs harbored bird flu.
Because pigs catch human influenza, too, they are considered the mammal in which genetic mixing to create a super-flu is
mostly likely.
Still, Asian farmers battling bird flu should "keep an eye on your other animals in the house," WHO's Stohr said. "If there's any
disease, there is reason for concern."
Thursday, raising important questions about the pets' role in outbreaks.
So far, cats haven't been implicated in the spread of avian flu to people, cautioned World Health Organization's influenza chief
Klaus Stohr.
There are two potential reasons, he said: "One is nobody looked. The other is they don't play a role," as infected cats don't
shed nearly as much virus as do infected poultry.
Bird flu has caused recurring outbreaks in recent years, including killing 27 people in Asia this year. Human infections until
now have been traced to direct contact with infected poultry or poultry waste, and millions of chickens and other fowl have been
slaughtered in attempts to stem the disease.
But hearing of the Dutch discovery, the WHO alerted scientists to examine household cats and other mammals whenever they
investigate human bird-flu infections. The first such check, in Vietnam last week, found cats in patients' households were
healthy, Stohr said.
Because the bird flu is quite different from human influenza strains that typically infect people, scientists fear it eventually could
lead to a human flu pandemic. So they are closely watching for the virus among other mammals.
Three house cats killed by disease
Last winter, Thai veterinarians reported that bird flu had killed three house cats. That was a big surprise, because
domesticated cats have long been thought resistant to infection from influenza A viruses, the family that harbors bird flu, called
H5N1.
The new research, reported Thursday in the journal Science, goes farther to show cats fairly easily spread the disease to each
other.
The scientists obtained H5N1 from a fatal human case in Vietnam and sprayed it into the throats of three cats. All became very
ill; one died within the week.
Next, they housed two healthy cats with the sick cats. And, they fed three other healthy cats an infected chick apiece. All the cats
got sick.
In contrast, cats exposed to a common human influenza A strain weren't infected.
"The role of cats in the spread of H5N1 virus between poultry farms, and from poultry to humans, needs to be reassessed,"
concluded lead researcher Thijs Kuiken, a virologist at Rotterdam's Erasmus Medical Center.
The discovery isn't as alarming to flu specialists as was China's recent acknowledgment that a few pigs harbored bird flu.
Because pigs catch human influenza, too, they are considered the mammal in which genetic mixing to create a super-flu is
mostly likely.
Still, Asian farmers battling bird flu should "keep an eye on your other animals in the house," WHO's Stohr said. "If there's any
disease, there is reason for concern."
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