Hello, I’m Dr. Karyn! Learn my introduction to be taught extra about me and meet my 5 hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
You may already know that my buddy, Clutch, enriches my life along with his quirky persona and distinctive habits. There are additionally some methods during which he contributes to my already vital quantity of grey hair, and never too way back, a kind of was having a spate of neurological episodes.
One morning, as I used to be chasing the ultimate dregs of cornflakes round my cereal bowl, I seen motion out of the nook of my eye. Clutch was lurking underneath a chair with a perplexed look on his face, slowly reaching one leg in entrance of the opposite, seeming confused about the place he was and what his limbs have been doing. His head was wobbling ever-so-slightly, and he didn’t appear to have the ability to get up. This odd habits didn’t final very lengthy, however lengthy sufficient for me to seize my telephone and take a brief video clip. Not as a result of I believed it could make an entertaining TikTok publish, however as a result of I knew how helpful this type of footage may be when attempting to diagnose an issue.
Regardless of my preliminary intuition to PANIC!! I saved a detailed eye on Clutch over the following few days, searching for another indicators or aberrations, and aside from his wobbly episode, all the pieces appeared to be fully regular. Simply over every week later, he was at it once more, incomes himself a visit to work with me.
Working ALL The Checks
I used to be lucky sufficient to be working at a veterinary hospital with a CT scanner on web site, and provided that Clutch was totally insured, I wished to check for all the pieces. We drew blood, carried out a CT scan, and obtained a pattern of his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a spot just under the bottom of his cranium. Other than a slight change in certainly one of his electrolytes, all the pieces got here again regular, which in some ways was a reduction, however was additionally very irritating.
I even consulted a veterinary neurologist, solely to be told that Clutch’s medical indicators have been “fairly uncommon.”
I’m positive you’ve had the same expertise, whether or not with your individual pet, your self, or a member of the family, the place there was one thing unsuitable, however all of the medical exams got here again regular. It’s excellent news, however it doesn’t clarify what the issue is! As a vet, I typically must cope with the frustration of working a barrage of exams, solely to have the ability to present anxious homeowners with an in depth listing of all of the issues it isn’t. This may be an essential course of in fact, however it doesn’t alleviate the sentiments of irritation and helplessness.
One potential clarification for Clutch’s neurological episodes was epilepsy, a prognosis solely supported by his in any other case regular take a look at outcomes. However these episodes weren’t according to the generalized seizures we might count on to see with epilepsy.
And Then There Have been None
Other than a slightly elevated sodium stage, Clutch’s take a look at outcomes have been regular, and now, there have been no extra episodes both. That is nice information, or no less than it must be, proper? He was wholesome, no extra neurological indicators, and his blood exams, CSF evaluation and CT outcomes have been regular – this must be excellent news. However an unsolved thriller doesn’t sit nicely with me, and I used to be decided to resolve it.
A Ornamental Design Flaw
It was now a number of months after Clutch’s well being scare, and there had fortunately been no extra incidents. We have been making ready for the arrival of visiting household, and I used to be getting the spare room prepared for company. I placed on contemporary sheets, checked all the pieces was clear and tidy, and that’s when it hit me: The salt lamp.
Not actually in fact, in any other case I might need been the one with a neurological downside, however the realization that this supposedly purifying lump of salt might need been our wrongdoer lit up brighter than the lamp itself. Why had it not occurred to me earlier than?
Conscious that not everyone seems to be as tolerant of cat hair on their… all the pieces, we at all times maintain the spare room door closed, however there have been a couple of weeks, earlier that 12 months, after we had allowed the cats to entry the room whereas we have been doing a little repairs. And also you guessed it, these weeks have been proper across the time that Clutch began behaving unusually.
Why Blame the Salt Lamp?
For anybody that doesn’t know, consuming an extreme quantity of salt causes a shift in our electrolyte stability, which impacts how water strikes out and in of our cells. An excessive amount of salt primarily dehydrates our cells, inflicting them to shrivel up like a wrinkled raisin. This makes us extraordinarily thirsty, and if we drink too shortly, our little raisin mind cells turn out to be huge juicy grapes too shortly, and this will trigger non permanent, even everlasting, mind injury.
You won’t suppose {that a} salt lamp could be all that interesting to a cat, however ask anybody who tries to place a bag of potato chips down as soon as they’ve began munching, salt is fairly moreish!
So even though Clutch not had entry to the lamp, I wasn’t taking any possibilities – it needed to go! Don’t fear – it discovered a loving house in a brand new, pet-free house.
But One other Lesson Discovered At Residence
There are two optimistic outcomes to Clutch’s temporary and horrifying expertise:
- Realizing that Clutch is okay!
- Highlighting the potential hazard posed by salt lamps within the house, one thing that served me nicely when introduced with the same case in a canine, one 12 months later.
It wasn’t one thing the canine’s homeowners had thought to say, however due to Clutch, it’s one thing I at all times keep in mind to ask, proving as soon as once more that my cats present me, not solely with laughter, cuddles, and a lifetime provide of cat hair on all the pieces, however with data and views I might need in any other case missed.
Thanks, Clutch!
