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Chlamydiosis (Chlamydia) in Cats

What is feline chlamydiosis (chlamydia)?

Feline chlamydiosis or chlamydia is an infection caused by a bacterium-like organism. It is an unusual bacterium because it lives and multiplies inside the body cells of the cat whereas most bacteria live outside cells.

Chronic Kidney Failure in Dogs

What does “Chronic Kidney Failure” mean?

The term "chronic kidney failure" suggests that the kidneys have quit working and are not making urine. However, by definition, kidney failure is the inability of the kidneys to remove waste products from the blood. This term can be confusing because kidney failure doesn’t mean the inability to produce urine. Ironically, most dogs in kidney failure produce large quantities of urine, but the body’s wastes are not being effectively eliminated.

Chronic Renal Failure in Cats

What do my cat's kidneys do?

The kidneys have many functions. They principally act to remove waste products from the blood stream, retain essential nutrients such potassium at the correct level, maintain hydration and produce urine.

Chronic Upper Respiratroy Tract Disese

What is the Upper Respiratory Tract?

The upper respiratory tract includes the nose, throat (pharynx and larynx) and the windpipe (trachea). Because the mucous membrane covering the eyeball and eyelids is a similar tissue (ask for our conjunctivitis handout) and also because the eye is connected by a draining tube (the lacrimal duct) that carries tears to the nose, these are also considered associated parts of the upper respiratory tract.

Chronic Vitamin A Deficiency

What is hypovitaminosis A (Vitamin A deficiency)?

Hypovitaminosis A, or vitamin A deficiency, is the result of feeding a diet low in β-carotene. This is commonly seen in animals fed imbalanced diets, such as reptiles that are being fed only insects without supplements or vegetables low in these nutrients such as fruit and iceberg lettuce. 

Chylothorax in Cats

Chylothorax is a relatively uncommon disorder in the cat in which lymph fluid (chyle) accumulates in the pleural cavity. The pleural cavity lies between the lungs and the inner lining of the chest wall. Normally, only about a teaspoon of clear fluid is present in this space. The purpose of the fluid is to keep the surface of the lungs slippery so that they don’t adhere to the chest wall. When chylothorax is present, up to a quart of fluid may be present.

Cloacal Organ Prolapse

What is a Cloacal Organ Prolapse?

A Cloacal Organ Prolapse is when tissue normally located within the cloaca (the excretory orifice of reptiles) protrudes for an extended period of time. This tissue may be any of the structures located within the cloaca. This includes structures associated with the bladder, reproductive organs (penis or oviducts), or colon. 

Coccidiosis

What is coccidiosis?

Coccidiosis is an intestinal tract infection caused by a one-celled organism (protozoa) called coccidia. Coccidia are sub-classified into a number of genera, and each genus has a number of species. Some six different genera of coccidia can infect dogs. They are microscopic parasites that spend part of their life cycle in the lining cells of the intestine. Most infections are not associated with any detectable clinical signs (they are sub-clinical). Most clinical infections in dogs are caused by the species Isospora canis. Cryptosporidium parvum is another coccidian parasite that may cause diarrhea in some puppies.

Coccidiosis in Cats

What is coccidiosis?

Coccidiosis is an intestinal tract infection caused by a one-celled organism (protozoa) called coccidia. Coccidia are not parasitic worms; they are microscopic parasites that live within cells of the intestinal lining. Because they live in the intestinal tract and commonly cause diarrhea, they are often confused with worms.

Conjunctivitis in Cats

What does “conjunctivitis” mean?

Any medical term that ends in “itis” means “inflammation of”. Conjunctivitis is defined as inflammation of the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is a mucous membrane, similar to the lining of the mouth and nose. It is a layer of epithelial cells with mucus-secreting cells that covers the eyeball and lines the eyelids.