| Indian Hills Animal C;inic and Pet Hotel your best bet in vets in Tuscaloosa, Northport, Coker, Mt. Olive, Brookwood, Cottondale, and all points in-between and surrounding. The highest quality veterinary care for your cat, dog, bird, rabbit, ferret or other small animal. Emergency vet care available to clients. |
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| This is an extremely rambunctious, super-cute kitten. This is the type of kitty which leaves the shelter first -- pawing at the bars, meyewing at prospective owners... The kids would fall in love with this kitten and, nurtured by its owners, it would grow into a loving, playful companion. Except, sadly, this seemingly healthy feline tested positive for the presence of feline leukemia virus. That makes this cutie pie a mortal threat to other cats. |
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| As with every difficult situation, there are some important lessons to be taken from this kitten's case. Despite all appearances, this is not a healthy pet. It was found to be a carrier not only of leukemia, but also ringworm and roundworms -- both of which can be transmitted to humans -- and, least threatening of all, ear mites. How can such a beautiful, energetic creature be so infested with problems? |
| Such are the ways of Nature. Not every animal born into this world will survive. This kitten's only hope for adoption was to find a home free from other cats, and to NEVER EVER BE EXPOSED TO OTHER CATS!!! A cat with leukemia will be a carrier for the rest of its life, able to infect other, healthy cats with the virus... |
| WHAT CAN YOU DO? 1) When adopting a pet, have a veterinarian examine and test your new animal immediately. It only takes minutes to become attached to a pet, especially a kitten or puppy. Looks can be deceiving, as this case illustrates. If you adopt a pet from the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter, a health exam from the vet-of-the-month is included in the adoption fee. 2) Keep your pets up-to-date on all their vaccines. This will both help to protect your pet against carriers out in the world AND avoid having your pet become a carrier, or the pet which spreads such deadly viruses as FIV and leukemia around the neighborhood. |
| OUR PHILOSOPHY |
| Dr. Philip Smith and his staff take a problems-oriented approach to caring for your beloved pet. We take the guesswork out of prevention and treatment by testing pets to insure they are at their healthy peak during all stages of life, from adolescence to the geriatic stage. Nothing is left to chance: we recommend a thorough schedule of vaccinations and routine testing for all animals. Our veterinarians and staff can explain all treatment options to you, the owner, that you can make informed decisions about the care of your pet. When you need to know, chose Indian Hills Animal Clinic. |
| UPDATE: Dec. 15, 2003 In accordance with our recommended approach to pet care, we retested this darling kitty (who is now named Ringworm and is everyone's buddy). In some cases when a kitten tests positive for leukemia, the test is showing the presence of an immunity transferred from the mother to the youngster. Retesting Ringworm 24 days after the original test showed that he was likely free of the virus. A process known as sero-conversion may have occurred. So Ringworm lives on and we gain first-hand knowledge related to the process of sero-conversion in leukemia-positive felines. |