Vestibular Disease in Pets

My cat is currently afflicted with this disease, which affects a growing number of cats over ten years of age. The vestibular system governs an animal's sense of balance. When this system is disrupted, a number of distressing symptoms may occur. These include stumbling or limping, walking in circles, an oscillation of the eyes, listlessness, vomiting, a refusal to get up or turn the head, and a weakness of the jaw. If your pet is exhibiting any of these symptoms, it should be taken to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

There are two forms of vestibular disease: peripheral and central. Peripheral vestibular disease is often caused by an ear infection that causes inflammation in the inner ear and upsets the balance function. This is relatively easy to treat with antibiotics, after which your pet should be back to normal. Central vestibular disease is more complicated because it involves a problem with the animal's nervous system. This could be caused by cancer, a physical injury, or by no known cause. When a cause cannot be determined, it is termed idiopathic vestibular disease.

When my cat began showing these symptoms, the vet prescribed an antibiotic and a steroid. Her condition improved in a matter of days, but then she relapsed a few days after the last of the medications was administered. This indicated that an ear infection was not the cause, or else she would likely not have relapsed. According to the vet, the temporary improvement was most likely due to the steroid's anti-inflammatory effect on a possible tumor in her nervous system. As you can imagine, this was not good news! Scans are required to further diagnose a central vestibular issue, and without pet insurance, these cost thousands of dollars. Not all pet owners can afford to spend that amount, and not all pet owners can afford to put their pets on medical insurance. A more effective approach, in my opinion, is to use the same common sense approach with our pets' health that we use for ourselves. Just as we are not meant to consume overly processed foods, our pets are not meant to consume them, either. Preventative care is the highest form of medicine.

Veterinarians across the country have been working to raise the public awareness about the deteriorating health of pets in conjunction with the rise of commercialized pet food. According to Dr. Wysong, Cancers have increased, as have heart disease and premature geriatric disease. Dogs and cats are carnivores and therefore are not meant to consume fillers like soy and corn. They thrive on raw meat and bones. When buying food for your pets, look at the ingredients and make sure that meat is the first item on the list, and that grain, corn, and soy, if present, are far down the list. Research raw food for pets and transition yours from dry food to its natural, unprocessed carnivorous diet. Some good brands I have found for transitioning are Wysong, Nature's Variety, The Honest Kitchen, and Primal Pet Foods. My cat still has periodic bouts of vestibular disturbance, but she comes out of them without the help of steroids (which will become harmful in the long run). I have changed her diet from commercial pet food to Wysong, and I plan to transition her to a raw meat. Let us all take a better look at what we feed our pets!

Sources:

Author/Artist - Dr. Wysong
Page Title - Should You Feed Raw to Your Pet?
Site Title - www.wysong.net

Author/Artist - Linda Zurich
Page Title - Nature's Prey Model
Site Title - www.rawfedcats.org