Symptoms Of Diabetes Mellitus Most of the times Diabetes is asymptomatic, however It is very important to diagnose as early as possible to prevent

early and late complications of Diabetes. This is only possible, if you have some knowledge about common symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus. Glucose is an important source of energy for cells of our body. Glucose enters the cells and metabolized to provide energy. How does glucose enter in cells? It enters the cells with help of Insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by Pancreas. Suppose there is no insulin, or insulin production is decreased. Obviously, Glucose level in blood will increase and we will have a condition what we call as Diabetes Mellitus. There are many symptoms of diabetes but we will focus here on most common symptoms of Diabetes. Here is list of these symptoms. Increased Thirst Frequent urination Fatigue and weakness Blurred vision Abdominal pains Nausea and vomiting Sudden weight loss or gain Skin infections like abscess, pimples Impotence Fluid retention (especially in legs and feet) Chronic itching Poor healing of skin wounds Decreased tolerance to cold Increased heart rate

Dry scaly skin Numbness of fingers and toes Extreme hunger pangs Hot and sweaty with clammy perspiration Heart tremors and palpitations Apprehensive with no obvious reason Nervousness Disoriented, confused, inability to concentrate Frequent headaches, dizziness Mood changes. How will we relate these symptoms with Diabetes. Remember, most of symptoms are directly related to higher levels of Glucose in Blood. Increased Thirst and Urination Two symptoms that occur in many people with the disease are increased thirst and frequent urination. Increased levels of glucose in blood leads to increase excretion of glucose by the kidneys. Glucose will take more and more water with it, so a diabetic patient will suffer frequent urination which will in turn lead to increased thirst. To quench your thirst, you drink a lot of water and other beverages, and that leads to more frequent urination. There is also another condition Diabetes Insipidus, disease of the pituitary gland in brain, where we also see increase thirst and urination trends.

Extreme hunger, fatigue and weight loss: Fatigue and weight loss are also related with hyperglycemia. Without insulin like Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, or Decreased Insulin like Type 2 diabetes, Glucose can not enter in cells which is the main source of energy for cells, so cells will lake this energy and the patient will suffer weight loss and fatigue.

Headaches, dizziness, irritability: Your brain needs a constant supply of energy, if your brain cells don't receive enough energy, we become tired; most tired people tend to be less tolerant and more irritable!

Dry itchy skin: Normal skin cells require gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) which our body makes via a complex metabolic process. In older people and diabetics, this process is impaired and not enough GLA is produced; this results is chronic, severely dry and itchy skin and condition is aggravated by soaps, hot baths, detergents, environmental conditions; it is usually worse during the winter months and most commonly affects legs, feet, and hands but can affect other areas of the body as well.

Blurred vision Blurred vision: Diabetes can also affect your eyes as well. Again the cause is High Glucose Levels. High glucose in blood vessels increases the process of atherosclerosis resulting in a thickening of blood vessels. Chronically high levels of glucose damage blood vessels in different organs of the body, usually starting with the retina of the eye and the kidneys and heart; eventually some blood vessels are lost and remaining ones become leaky which allow blood and fat to seep out of damaged blood vessels. This makes the retina bleed and swell which causes blurred vision. Over a period of years diabetes can also cause new blood vessels to form in the retina of the eye, as well as damage old vessels. For most people this causes only mild vision problems. But for others, the effects may be much more serious. In some cases, diabetes can also lead to total blindness.

Tingling - burning pain in the feet: Another important symptom of Diabetes. It may sometimes be the very first symptom of diabetes. Our hands and feet are supplied by Neurons that due to diabetes blood vessels become thick, similary is the case with neurons, blood supply to these neurons decreases due to thickening of blood vessels which leads to degeneration of peripheral nerve fibers (Neurons) throughout the body which commonly leads to a lack of feeling in the feet, advances up the legs and then the

hands and is the most common reason for lower limb amputations. It can also be very painful. If there is Loss of motor nerve fibers it leads to muscular weakness. A loss of sensory nerve fibers leads to loss of feeling and numbness in hands and feet. Loss of autonomic fibers cause the loss of functions not normally under conscious control like digestion, heartbeat, blood pressure, and sweating. Neuropathy symptoms tingling, burning, aching, prickling, sharp jabs of needle like pain can also be caused by nerves that are damaged or are healing.

Slow healing sores or frequent infections: Bacteria love high glucose, Diabetes affects your body's ability to heal and fight infection. Urinary track infections and vaginal yeast infections can be a particular problem for women. Diagnose your diabetes as early as possible to keep yourself away from complex complications of diabetes Mellitus.

Disabled World - Disability News for all the Family: http://www.disabledworld.com/artman/publish/diabetesmellitus.shtml#ixzz2G307vcIW

Liver Disease: Signs, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Column written by: Dr. Fleming, Sherwood Animal Clinic (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)

This topic is as big as the states of Alaska and Texas combined. I really cannot do it justice in a short essay, but I think it deserves some mention, if only to give the pet owner some understanding as to the difficulties involved when a veterinarian is faced with a case of possible liver failure. If you asked ten people on the street what they knew about "liver", I would bet that the only consistent answer you would get is that it tastes really bad unless the cook really knows his stuff. The best description of the liver I can give you is that this organ is the main industrial centre of the body. The liver processes raw materials, manufactures the building blocks of the body, recycles the old to make new, and detoxifies the industrial waste of the body. In short the liver is involved in just about every biochemical process required to run e body. As a result of this relationship, liver disease can affect just about any other part of the body and thus the symptoms of liver disease are typically unpredictable and non- specific. Furthermore, because the liver acts as a "biochemical cross roads" for the body, it is affected by a wide range of diseases, including viral and bacterial infections, degenerative and neoplastic disease, and toxic insults. It is estimated that three per cent of all disease seen by veterinarians is liver based. The liver has a double edged nature which, while being life preserving, makes diagnoses and treatment of liver disease extremely difficult. The liver has a tremendous reserve capacity, which means that it can easily perform it's duties with up to 70 to 80 per cent of the liver mass affected by disease. While it certainly is a benefit that our liver can keep us alive despite an overwhelming infection or a massive tumour, it also means that the disease is well advanced and possibly untreatable before any symptoms are noted. We all know that disease is most easily conquered early, but the very nature of the liver makes this an impossible task. One thing about livers though: they are the only organ in the body which is capable of complete regeneration and thus is we do manage to successfully treat the disease, there is a chance of complete recovery. Because of the complexity of this topic, I am going to cover it using very abbreviated point form. I will try to skip over the experimental theories and the more esoteric points and keep to the meat of the topic.

Common Presenting Symptoms:

All, some, or only one of these signs may be present. 1. Intermittent recurrent abdominal or gastrointestinal upsets. loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation. 2. Progressive depression or lethargy. does not want to play anymore or refuses to go for walks. 3. Swollen belly with a "fluid filled" look. This is also known as ascites and is actually fluid accumulation in the belly due to circulation alterations in the abdomen. 4. Pale gray feces. Bile pigments are what gives poop it's characteristic brown colour and if the liver is not processing bile properly, the feces will not get their colour. 5. Orange urine. The improper processing of bile results in the excretion of bilirubin in the urine in high amounts, thus orange urine. 6. Jaundice, also known as icterus. Any pale or white skin or visible tissue takes on a yellow hue. Again the biliary pigments are accumulating in the body because the liver is not processing them. 7. Rarely: bleeding problems. Many of the proteins required for proper blood clotting are created in the liver. Remove these proteins and blood clotting decreases. 8. Hepatic encephalopathy, or severe neurological signs. behavioural changes, seizures, aimless pacing or circling, head pressing. May be associated with meal time. 9. Pain associated with the abdomen. This is due to the stretching of the liver capsule. May be noted when the dog is lifted around the belly or when the veterinarian probes (palpates) the abdomen. The veterinarian may also notice a swollen liver while palpating with some of the more acute liver diseases. 10. Chronic weight loss or wasting. The liver processes all the building blocks. If it fails to process, the body fails to maintain itself. 11. Increased water consumption and urination. Most likely due to dramatic shifts in serum and kidney salt balances. May be behavioural too.

Points on notable symptoms:

1. Bile pigment processing. Bile is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds. It is primarily responsible for alkalizing the intestinal contents (acidic from the stomach),emulsifying the dietary fat, and prevention of putrefaction of digestive material.

Bilirubin, one of the bile pigments, is derived from the break down of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying molecule carried in our red blood cell. Bilirubin is quite toxic, but it usually binds to a protein called albumin, which harmlessly carries it to the liver for detoxification and excretion. Albumin is made in the liver. Liver failure results in poor bilirubin processing and decreased albumin manufacturing, which results in a dangerously high level of free floating bilirubin. The liver excretes the bilirubin after binding it to an amino acid into the bile duct system. Eventually the conjugated bilirubin enters the digestive tract, where the intestinal bacteria break it down to a harmless product called urobilinogen. Urobilinogen, after complete digestion in the intestines, is brown, therefore the feces tend to be brown. Jaundice, also known as icterus, results from the accumulation of conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin in the body tissues. This becomes visible to the veterinarian, especially around the whites of the eyes and on the pale areas of the gums. 2. Important biological functions: a. hormone metabolism. The liver is both the target organ for many of the body's hormones and the recycling centre for most of the hormones. Some of the symptoms stemming from liver failure may mimic a major hormonal imbalance. b. vitamin metabolism. Practically all the vitamins consumed in our diets are either directly involved in liver function or require liver aided transformation to be used in the body. This includes Vitamin C, the B vitamins, Vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamin K is important to maintain blood clotting and requires hepatic transformation from the inactive form to the active form. c. Red blood cell maintenance. In the mature dog the liver plays an active role in the removal of aged or damaged red blood cells from circulation. It is also active in the metabolism of hemoglobin and the storage of iron. Abnormalities in red blood cell structure is one of the harbingers of liver disease. Anemia may be present in chronic liver disease. d. Hemostasis or blood clotting ability. Most of the proteins involved in the creation of a functional blood clot are made in the liver. The clotting system is an extremely complex, interlocking system ; remove some of the factors involved and you end up with a tendency to bleed or hemophilia. e. Carbohydrate and fat metabolism: Sugars, or carbohydrates are the basic fuel of the body. The liver is the primary centre for processing of the sugars into the form immediately required. The liver is also responsible for the destruction of insulin, the hormone directly involved with the cellular absorption of blood sugars. Alterations in liver function often do not affect blood sugar levels until much of the liver has been destroyed. Fat metabolism is extremely complex due to the vast number of functions fat carries out in the body. The liver sits at the centre of those many functions.

Cholesterol is probably the most common fat based product in the body, being the major component in the cell wall, the basis for the steroid hormones and bile pigments, and the precursor of vitamin D. Any disease in fat metabolism can adversely affect the liver, and any disease in the liver can result in problems in fat metabolism. An example of this is the "fatty liver syndrome" we see in cats, whereas the rapid mobilization of fat stores during starvation results in an overtaxed liver and eventually liver failure.
Protein synthesis:

The liver manufactures many of the proteins involved in the body functions. The major protein is albumin, which is required for transport of many nutrients and toxins (i.e. bilirubin). Albumin is also responsible for keeping the serum concentration constant, which is important with regards to serum fluid and salt balance. (also known as "oncotic pressure") Also synthesized in the liver is the globulin series, which are responsible for numerous biochemical reactions throughout the body. Elevations of select globulins may indicate a particular hepatic pathology. The building blocks of proteins are the amino acids. The liver is also primarily involved in processing of dietary amino acids to modify them into required or useful forms. Some of the amino acids require direct hepatic metabolism, while others can be used by the body unchanged. Experimental efforts have been made to diagnose and track liver disease based on the relative proportion of the various amino acids to each other. In liver failure the amino acids requiring hepatic alterations prior to use should climb in concentration as compared to those amino acids unaffected by the liver.
Important Liver Enzymes:

Traditionally the medical practitioner has measured the relative concentration of several enzymes which may indicate alterations in liver health. The following enzymes typically change values in the face of liver failure: Alanine Aminotransferase: ALT. Liver specific in the dog and cat. Cell damage will cause elevations of A-LT due to leakage. The elevation of the enzyme correlates with the number of cells damaged. Falling levels of ALT may indicate recovery or may indicate a failing number of functional liver cells. Rapid increases in ALT may indicate an acute process, while slow increases may indicate bile duct obstruction. Aspartate Aminotransferase: AST, an enzyme seen in the liver, heart, kidney, skeletal muscle and brain. The half life of the AST in the blood stream is much shorter than that of ALT, therefore the values of AST tend to drop more rapidly once liver function is resumed. AST elevations and ALT elevations should parallel each other in liver disease. Alkaline Phosphatase. This enzyme is present in many tissues, therefore it is not very specific in liver disease, but it appears very early in the progress of liver disease, therefore it is considered quite sensitive. ALP tends to be slightly more specific in the cat, but not quite as sensitive. A similar enzyme or isoenzyme is secreted as a result of high levels of cortisone, therefore an effort

must be made to separate Cortisole induced ALP or CALP and normal ALP. Liver ALP is released from the liver when many anticonvulsant drugs are administered to the dog. A similar sensitivity has not been noted in the cat.. This must be taken into account when evaluating ALP levels. ALP levels typically are greatly elevated in the young, growing animal and therefore a veterinarian should not mistake any elevations as disease in a young animal. Gamma Glutamyltransferase GGT: This enzyme is has it's highest concentration in the kidneys and pancreas, but it is also found in the liver and other organs. The major proportion of GGT in the serum seems to come from the liver. Elevations of GGT in disease seem to stem from new synthesis rather than leakage, therefore the changes seen due to disease are not spectacular. Large elevations of GGT are more commonly associated with pancreatitis and bile duct obstruction.
Bile Acids:

These series of organic acids circulate almost entirely in the localized blood flow between the intestines and the liver (a.k.a.: the Portal system). The flow is typically from the liver, into the bile duct system, then excretion into the intestines to aid digestion after a meal, to be reabsorbed into the portal system and recycled by the liver. Very little of the bile acids escape form the portal circulation system into the rest of the body. Leakage is considered abnormal and is a sure sign of a liver abnormality. This is one of the most sensitive tests available to diagnose liver disease. While the liver does actually manufacture this product, it has tremendous reserve capacity and can easily meet the bodies demand for bile acids despite severe disease. As a result of this reserve, the bile acid levels do not typically drop due to liver disease.
Ammonia and Urea:

Ammonia is a by product of digestion of protein in food and the catabolism of nitrogen based organic materials in the body. Eighty per cent of ammonia is delivered to the liver and converted to urea. In patients with liver insufficiency the ammonia is not detoxified to urea, but enters the circulation to act as a central nervous system depressant. In patients with a severely reduced liver function we may see a true intolerance of ammonia and thus neurological signs after a heavy protein meal or we may see substantially reduced urea levels. This is a late sign in liver disease, only seen after 60 to 70 per cent of the liver function is gone.
Ascites development:

This is the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity and results from several factors. Simply put liver disease tends to alter the blood pressure in the portal system, the albumin and salt concentration in the serum, the water retention in the body, the function of the surrounding organs and the permeability of the portal vessels. As a result of all these factors, fluid tends to build up in the abdomen and the animal gets a big, swollen, fluid filled belly.
Electrolyte and Acid-Base disorders.

Common side effect of liver disease due to a multiple of factors leading from metabolic disorders. Enough said.
Gastrointestinal Ulceration and Hemorrhage:

Again a sequellae to liver disease which may confuse the veterinarian. He may think he is treating a simple ulcer and miss the liver disease.
Hepatic encephalopathy.

Simply described as severe neurological dysfunction due to advanced liver disease. Has been linked to the accumulation of biological toxins, including ammonia, alterations in the blood brain barrier, alterations in the neuroreceptors in the brain, and decreased blood sugar.
Diagnosis of Liver Disease:

Having gone into such detail prior to this, I hope this section will be short and to the point. I hope most of my statements here will naturally flow from points made above. 1. Examination, specifically noting signs which may indicate liver disease. Periodic ascites, intolerance of a high protein diet, icterus, chronic weight loss, abnormally coloured feces or urine, bleeding disorders, chronic illness, and all that has been mentioned above. Sometimes urinary crystals formed from the improperly metabolised proteins and amino acids may indicate liver disease. 2. Extensive blood work:

A complete blood count to check for anemia and blood cell abnormalities. A complete chemistry screen, including ALT, ALP, AST, bilirubin, glucose, urea, electrolyte levels, albumin, globulin and bile acid levels. The bile acid levels should be checked on a empty stomach and two hours after feeding. All these values , with the exception of the bile acids, usually are included on a standard Small Animal Data Base Screen. A complete urine analysis. Check urobilinogen levels, bilirubin levels, glucose levels, protein levels. Again all this is usually on a standard urinalysis panel. Radiograph the abdomen. X rays can show increased liver size, decreased liver size liver abscesses, abnormal mineralization , and circulatory abnormalities (using special dyes) Ultrasound the liver. Perfect technique for visualizing the circulation of the liver, the bile duct system, the density of the liver tissue, the size of the liver. Biopsy of the liver. While this is a surgical technique, it is the ultimate for diagnoses, since it allows us to directly examine and test liver tissue, give an absolute diagnoses and hopefully a final treatment regime. Biopsies can be taken by full laparotomy, where the surgeon actually looks at the liver and removes a small piece, or they can be done by a biopsy needle guided by ultrasound through the body wall. The liver will regenerate any piece removed, therefore liver biopsy is usually a low risk procedure in capable hands.

Specific Diseases of the Liver:

Infectious Hepatitis. Typically caused by either an adenovirus or a herpes virus. Transferred from dog to dog by oral contact and ingestion. Usually only causes a transient non specific illness characterised by lethargy vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Sometimes develops into a full blown case of severe hepatitis with many of the symptoms previously noted. Treatment is geared to support while the body fights off the bug. Prevention is by vaccination. Another syndrome has been seen in England called Canine Acidophil hepatitis. Typical signs of hepatitis are present, but the case may take a very chronic course, lasting over a period of years. No specific viral organism has been identified, therefore no vaccine or treatment is available. No specific virus causes hepatitis in cats, but the feline corona virus responsible for Feline Infectious Peritonitis will cause a hepatitis in some cases. Diagnoses by biopsy. No treatment. Mediocre vaccine. Several bacterial causes of hepatitis are known. Treatment is based on a proper diagnoses and appropriate antibiotic use. There is good proof that the bacteria is a normal inhabitant of the liver and only becomes a problem when the liver is injured form other causes. There are notable exceptions. Blastomycosis, histoplasmosis and coccidiomycosis are fungal infections seen in various parts of the country (usually associated with river systems) Difficult to treat. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection common in wildlife and transferable to domestic animals and people through contaminated water. Dangerous, possible fatal, but the vaccine is quite good for prevention. Tuberculosis is still around and is considered transmissible to humans. Certain parasites will infect the liver. Typically the likelihood of parasitic infestation depends on the area you live in. Diagnoses is often based on symptoms, fecal examination, and standard diagnostic techniques for liver disease. Treatment is the use of appropriate parasiticides.
Liver Disease Secondary to other Disease:

Acute pancreatitis: the close proximity of the pancreas to the liver and the bile ducts results in some degree of hepatitis whenever there is a case of pancreatic inflammation. Treat the pancreatitis and the liver disease will regress. c bowel disease: the chronic inflammation of the bowel allows portal absorption of toxic intestinal products and bacteria. treat the colitis.

Shock, anemia, and congestive heart failure. All these result in severe loss of blood circulation to the liver and lack of oxygen. The liver disease is rarely of primary concern as the primary causes of the problem are most likely going to kill the animal prior to liver failure. Abdominal trauma: tears, bruising, biliary leakage, hepatic bleeding. Correction of these problems would require surgical intervention, assuming a timely diagnoses. Simple bruising of the liver will heal unaided, with only a transient increase in the hepatic enzymes. Feline Hyperthyroidism: many of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism and hepatitis are the same and in fact the hyperthyroidism will cause elevations in the liver enzymes. The thyroid level of any cat presenting with symptoms suggestive of liver failure should be checked. The hepatitis will resolve once the hyperthyroidism is treated.
Chronic Hepatitis:

Copper storage diseases in Beddlington terriers, Doberman pinschers, and West Highland white terriers. These are all genetically inherited diseases which result in abnormal and toxic levels of copper to be stored in the liver. The course of the disease is variable, some presenting with acute hepatitis, many presenting in end stage cirrhosis of the liver. Diagnoses is based on liver biopsy. Treatment requires the use of copper binding drugs, anti inflammatory to decrease liver inflammation, dietary modification to limit copper uptake. Chronic Active Hepatitis: In humans there is a chronic form of hepatitis characterised by chronic elevation of liver enzymes and biopsy samples showing scarring and active inflammation. The underlying cause for this entity falls into one of three categories: viral induced, toxin induced, and immune mediated. There is some question as to whether a similar syndrome exists in dogs. There has been cases which did show chronic elevation of the liver enzymes over weeks to months), symptoms characteristic of liver disease ill defined malaise), and a response of anti inflammatory treatment to limit the ongoing inflammation and scarring of the liver. At this time recommendations for treatment are that moderate or intermittent disease should only receive supportive therapy or basic nursing, while deteriorating chronic cases should receive steroid based anti inflammatory. If the case shows poor response, biopsies should be referred to a pathologist for evaluation in an attempt to find the underlying cause. In some cases it may be necessary to use strong immune suppressant drugs to stop the destruction of the liver. Leptospirosis associated chronic hepatitis: An example of bacterial infection leading to chronic disease. Diagnoses by biopsy and identification of the pathogen. Treatment by antibiotics. Infectious Canine Hepatitis associated chronic hepatitis. Exposure to the virus responsible for ICH leads to chronic active hepatitis due to an ongoing immune system malfunction. Diagnoses by biopsy and the use of special stains to demonstrate the viral antigens in the liver. Lobular dissecting hepatitis: rare disease diagnoses by biopsy.

Hepatoportalfibrosis: Disease primarily of the blood supply to the liver. Diagnosed by very specialized radiograph techniques which measure and visualize the blood flow through the liver. Biopsy critical for diagnosing location of lesion. Toxic liver injury: Primary disease is caused by the ingestion , injection, or inhalation of a toxic substance which adversely affects the liver. Due to the central nature of the liver with regards to detoxification of chemicals, it is no surprise that many are harmful to the liver. Factors contributing to the disease are: females more susceptible, fatty diets more dangerous, continuous exposure, high levels of exposure to toxins. Exposure results in death and inflammation of the liver cells, followed by replacement of damaged tissue by fibrous scarring. This can be a self perpetuating cycle, resulting in cirrhosis of the liver. Toxins include many common drugs, such as acetaminophen, ASA, anabolic steroids, chemotherapy drugs, some antibiotics, glucocorticoids, anaesthetics, parasite control drugs, and phenylbutazone. Some of the drug induced hepatitis is a predictable side effect of the drug, while other incidences of hepatitis are considered an unpredicted or abnormal side effect of the drug. This is difficult to diagnose unless there is a known exposure to the drug or toxin and the appropriate tests are taken. Biopsy will confirm liver destruction, inflammation, and fibrosis, but it will not single out the causative agent. Glucocorticoid Hepatopathy dogs seem abnormally sensitive to glucocorticoid drugs ("cortisone") and will develop typical lesions in the liver after multiple dose therapy or long term over production of intrinsic cortisone by the adrenal gland (Cushing's disease). Lesions are fairly typical and the rare animal which shows liver associated symptoms during glucocorticoid therapy will improve with the removal of the steroids. Liver associated lesions may take weeks to months to heal. Anticonvulsant associated hepatopathy; Phenobarbital, primidone, phentoin. May cause liver disease in 6 to 15 % of all dogs on anti-convulsant therapy. Inflammation seems related to dose. Degree of disease is variable and unpredictable. Diagnoses based on history, symptoms, laboratory tests, and biopsy. Treatment is removal of offending agent. Cirrhosis: This is the end point of chronic, active hepatitis. The cycle is one of liver cell death (due to insult, either toxic, viral, or immune mediated), followed by inflammation and scarification. The end requires all previously noted techniques. No treatment is possible and ongoing palliative and dietary care is the only treatment option..
Noninflammatory Liver Diseases:

Portal vascular abnormalities Usually a portal-systemic shunt which allows blood to pass from the digestive tract directly into the general circulation without being detoxified by the liver first. Usually a congenital defect restricted to young dogs and puppies, but can be the result of hepatic cirrhosis. Symptoms are never consistent, but many dogs are young, malnourished, chronically sick, poorly tolerant of toxins, drugs, and anaesthetics, and tending to eat strange items (pica). Diagnoses is based on physical exam, history, laboratory tests, and specialized X rays showing

blood flow through the liver. Treatment is surgical correction of the circulatory abnormality to force the blood into the liver prior to it entering the general circulation. Hepatic Lipidosis Most common form of severe liver disease in cats. Most often seen in obese cats suddenly subjected to dietary deprivation. May also be associated with diabetes mellitus, drug injury and toxicity. Thedisease seems to result from the sudden mobilisation of the bodies fat stores which quickly overwhelms the liver's ability to process the raw fat into useful nutrients. The fat accumulates in the liver rapidly and causes acute liver failure. The end result is a swollen, greasy liver which is fragile and yellow to see. The cats present with complete lack of appetite and many signs of acute liver failure. Treatment is based on the provision of a highly nutritious diet to provide the energy required to run the body, stop the ongoing mobilisation of the fat stores, and drive the liver to decrease the fatty accumulation in the liver. Treatment is difficult and a long process. Hepatic Cancer (Neoplasm) Falls into two categories: primary or originally stemming from liver tissue or secondary; originating in some other part of the body and spreading to the liver through the circulation system. Primary liver cancers can stem from exposure to toxins (oncogenic compounds) which attack the liver full strength, since the liver is the primary detoxification centre of Secondary cancers may stem from any part of the body, but the liver is a favourite destination for metastatic cancer because of it's central function in the body and the micro- capillary network which makes up the circulation passing through the liver. Primary liver cancer is usually quite advanced prior to diagnoses and tends to metastasize to the rest of the body very early in the course of the disease. Keep in mind the liver can function with less than one third of it's volume still operating, therefore liver cancer can be very advanced before any symptoms are noted. Treatment is usually pointless, but would be based on diagnoses of the specific cancer and the use of appropriate chemotherapy agents.
Basic Points for Treatment of Liver Disease

1. Removal of toxic agents. Identify and remove any drug or toxin which may potentially hurt the liver. 2. Rest and confinement. This will help divert body resources to the healing process at the liver and reduce discomfort caused by inflammation of the liver such as painful belly, nausea, malaise. 3. Dietary management: Extremely important. The goal is to provide all the necessary nutrients which may be lost due to failure of liver processing without overtaxing the liver with regards to processing of dietary intake. High levels of top quality protein to provide the essential amino acids in an easily digestible carrier which will not produce high levels of ammonia during

digestion. Cottage cheese is good, meat tends to produce high levels of ammonia. High level carbohydrates to drive the metabolism of the body, essential fatty acids not less than 6% of the daily intake, and a good mineral and vitamin supplement. Force feeding may be necessary. 4. Control of ascites and water retention. Reduce sodium intake. Diuretics will help in resistant cases. 5. Control concurrent infections with antibiotics. 6. Deal with the concurrent medical problems as they crop up. Remember that the dog may develop bleeding problems, malabsorption problems, and neurological problems. Each separate problem has to be dealt with both individually and as a part of the whole disease entity. Neurological symptoms such as coma need to be addressed aggressively with a combination of therapies. I realise that this is a long, possibly boring paper that is far from complete. I cannot emphasize too strongly how difficult this topic is. I gleaned this information from a single source Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine edited by Stephen J.Ettinger 1989.
Symptoms

Symptoms may be very noticeable, but sometimes you can have the disease and not have any symptoms. Chest pain or discomfort (angina) is the most common symptom. You feel this pain when the heart is not getting enough blood or oxygen. How bad the pain is varies from person to person.

It may feel heavy or like someone is squeezing your heart. You feel it under your breast bone (sternum), but also in your neck, arms, stomach, or upper back. The pain usually occurs with activity or emotion, and goes away with rest or a medicine called nitroglycerin. Other symptoms include shortness of breath and fatigue with activity (exertion).

Women, elderly people, and people with diabetes are more likely to have symptoms other than chest pain, such as:

Fatigue Shortness of breath Weakness

See: Heart failure for symptoms of heart failure

ymptoms

Common symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD) include angina, shortness of breath (particularly during physical exertion), and rapid heartbeat. Sometimes patients with CAD have few or no symptoms until they have heart attack or heart failure.
Angina

Angina is a symptom, not a disease. It is the primary symptom of coronary artery disease and, in severe cases, of a heart attack. It is typically felt as chest pain and occurs as a consequence of a condition called myocardial ischemia. Ischemia results when the heart muscle does not get as much blood (and, as a result, as much oxygen) as it needs for a given level of work. Angina is usually referred to as one of two states:

Click the icon to see an image about angina.

Stable Angina (which is predictable) Unstable Angina (which is less predictable and a sign of a more serious situation)

Angina may be experienced in different ways and can be mild, moderate, or severe. The intensity of the pain does not always relate to the severity of the medical problem. Some people may feel a crushing pain from mild ischemia, while others might feel only mild discomfort from severe ischemia.

Click the icon to see an image of angina. Stable Angina and Chest Pain

Stable Angina. Stable angina is predictable chest pain. Although less serious than unstable angina, it can be extremely painful or uncomfortable. It is usually relieved by rest and responds well to medical treatment (typically nitroglycerin). Any event that increases oxygen demand can cause an angina attack. Some typical triggers include:

Exercise Cold weather Emotional tension Large meals

Angina attacks can happen at any time during the day, but most occur between 6 a.m. and noon.

Specific symptoms that are more likely to indicate angina include:

Angina pain or discomfort is typically described by patients as fullness or tingling, squeezing, pressure, heavy, suffocating, or griplike. It is rarely described as stabbing or burning. Changing one's position or breathing in and out does not affect the pain. A typical angina attack lasts minutes. If it is more fleeting or lasts for hours, it is probably not angina. Pain is usually in the chest under the breast bone. It often radiates to the neck, jaw, or left shoulder and arm. Less commonly, patients report symptoms that radiate to the right arm or back, or even to the upper abdomen. Stable angina is usually relieved by rest or by taking nitroglycerin under the tongue.

Other symptoms that may indicate angina or accompany the pain or pressure in the chest include:

Shortness of breath Nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats A feeling of indigestion or heartburn Unexplained fatigue after activity (more common in women) Dizziness or lightheadedness Palpitations

Unstable Angina and Acute Coronary Syndrome

Unstable angina is a much more serious situation and is often an intermediate stage between stable angina and a heart attack, in which an artery leading to the heart (a coronary artery) becomes completely blocked. A patient is usually diagnosed with unstable angina under one or more of the following conditions:

Pain awakens a patient or occurs during rest. A patient who has never experienced angina has severe or moderate pain during mild exertion (walking two level blocks or climbing one flight of stairs). Stable angina has progressed in severity and frequency within a 2-month period, and medications are less effective in relieving its pain. Fainting episode.

Unstable angina is usually discussed as part of a condition called acute coronary syndrome (ACS). ACS also includes people with a condition called NSTEMI (non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) -- also referred to as non-Q wave heart attack. With NSTEMI, blood tests suggest a developing heart attack. These conditions are less severe than heart attacks but may develop into full-blown attacks without aggressive treatment.
Other Types of Angina

Prinzmetal's Angina. A third type of angina, called variant or Prinzmetal's angina, is caused by a spasm of a coronary artery. It almost always occurs when the patient is at rest. Irregular heartbeats are common, but the pain is generally relieved immediately with standard treatment.

Silent Ischemia. Some people with severe coronary artery disease do not have angina pain. This condition is known as silent ischemia, which may occur when the brain abnormally processes heart pain. This is a dangerous condition because patients have no warning signs of heart disease. Some studies suggest that people with silent ischemia have higher complication and mortality rates than those with angina pain. (Angina pain may actually protect the heart by conditioning it before a heart attack.)
Other Causes of Chest Pain or Discomfort

Chest pain is a very common symptom in the emergency room, but heart problems account for only 10 - 33% of all episodes. There are many other causes of chest pain or discomfort including injured muscles, arthritis, heartburn, and asthma.

Famous Pet & Animal Quotes I hope you find these animal quotes and pet sayings enjoyable & inspirational. If you have any favourite pet quotes about our animal companions you would like me to post on these pages, please let me know!

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ~ Martin Buber "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~ Immanual Kant "My little dog -- a heartbeat at my feet." ~ Edith Wharton "A cat is a puzzle for which there is no solution." ~ Hazel Nicholson "The purity of a person's heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals" ~ Anonymous "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras "There's no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat." ~ Wesley Bates "Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." ~ Anonymous "You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us" ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

"A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself." ~ Josh Billings "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France "Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to." ~ Joe Gores "A canter is the cure for all evil." ~ Benjamin Disraeli "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." ~ Anonymous "Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful." ~ Ann Landers "In the beginning, God created man, but seeing him so feeble, He gave him the cat" ~ Warren Eckstein "A house is not a home without a pet." ~ Anonymous "I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul." ~ Jean Cocteau "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans" ~ James Herriot "I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contained, I stand and look at them long and long." ~ Walt Whitman "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." ~ Ben Williams "A dog maybe a man's best friend but a horse made history..." ~ Anonymous "No heaven will not ever Heaven be; Unless my cats are there to welcome me." ~ Anonymous "Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that is how dogs spend their lives." ~ Sue Murphy "To err is human, to forgive, canine" ~ Anonymous "To err is human, to purr, feline" ~ Robert Byrne "A horse gallops with his lungs, Perseveres with his heart, And wins with his character." ~ Tesio

"A Horse! A Horse! my kingdom for a horse!" ~ Shakespeare "All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." ~ Samuel Butler "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" ~ Dave Barry "There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before." ~ Robert Lynd "The dog was created especially for children. He is the God of frolic." ~ Henry Ward Beecher "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi "The Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him." ~ Rudyard Kipling "If I have any beliefs about immortality it is that certain dogs I know will go to heaven, and very very few people." ~ James Thurber "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg." ~ Samuel Butler "I've met many thinkers and many cats, but the wisdom of cats is infinitely superior." ~ Hippolyte Taine "Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one" ~ Anonymous "Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled" ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky "A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." ~ Anonymous "The dog represents all that is best in man." ~ Etienne Charlet "The bird of paradise alights only upon the hand that does not grasp." ~ John Berry "And God took a handful of southernly wind, blew His breath over it and created the horse." ~ Bedouin Legend "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." ~ Andrew A. Rooney "A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." ~ Chinese Proverb

"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later." ~ Mary Bly "Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." ~ George Elliot "The Trouble with a kitten is That Eventually it becomes a Cat" ~ Ogden Nash "The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too." ~ Samuel Butler "I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it." ~ Abraham Lincoln "If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because you lap is warmer." ~ Alfred North Whitehead "...he will be our friend for always and always and always." ~ Rudyard Kipling "The best thing about animals is that they don't talk much." ~ Thornton Wilder "When I play with my cat, who knows whether she is not amusing herself with me more than I with her." ~ Montaigne

Quotes About Pets

Quotes tagged as "pets" (showing 1-50 of 86)

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods. Christopher Hitchens, The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever tags: affection, atheism, cats, dogs, food, god, pets, religion, shelter, water 711 people liked it like

I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time. Neil Gaiman tags: cats, chaos, cooperation, organization, persuasion, pets, willfullness 658 people liked it like

You know what I like most about people? Pets. Jarod Kintz, Who Moved My Choose?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change by Deciding to Let Indecision Into Your Life tags: people, pets, relationships 577 people liked it like

I said hello to the poodle. Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief tags: humor, mythology, pets 533 people liked it like

i made myself a snowball As perfect as can be. I thought I'd keep it as a pet, And let it sleep with me. I made it some pajamas And a pillow for it's head. Then last night it ran away, But first - It wet the bed. Shel Silverstein tags: childrens, pets 282 people liked it like

I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone tags: pets 265 people liked it like

Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them's making a poop, the other one's carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge. Jerry Seinfeld tags: pets 196 people liked it like

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. Anatole France tags: animals, love, pets 181 people liked it like

Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them. John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog tags: animals, dogs, love, pets 169 people liked it like

A dog reflects the family life. Whoever saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family, or a sad dog in a happy one? Snarling people have snarling dogs, dangerous people have dangerous ones. Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes tags: character, dogs, families, family, family-life, pets 159 people liked it like

No matter how close we are to another person, few human relationships are as free from strife, disagreement, and frustration as is the relationship you have with a good dog. Few human beings give of themselves to another as a dog gives of itself. I also suspect that we cherish dogs because their unblemished souls make us wish - consciously or unconsciously - that we were as innocent as they are, and make us yearn for a place where innocence is universal and where the meanness, the betrayals, and the cruelties of this world are unknown. Dean Koontz, A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog tags: dogs, love, pets, relationships 110 people liked it like

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort. James Herriot, James Herriot's Cat Stories tags: cats, comfort, pets 87 people liked it

like

Few religions are definite about the size of Heaven, but on the planet Earth the Book of Revelation (ch. XXI, v.16) gives it as a cube 12,000 furlongs on a side. This is somewhat less than 500,000,000,000,000,000,000 cubic feet. Even allowing that the Heavenly Host and other essential services take up at least two thirds of this space, this leaves about one million cubic feet of space for each human occupant- assuming that every creature that could be called human is allowed in, and the the human race eventually totals a thousand times the numbers of humans alive up until now. This is such a generous amount of space that it suggests that room has also been provided for some alien races or - a happy thought - that pets are allowed. Terry Pratchett, The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable tags: heaven, pets 77 people liked it like

Sometimes losing a pet is more painful than losing a human because in the case of the pet, you were not pretending to love it. Amy Sedaris, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People tags: humor, pets 71 people liked it like

Ill never go hungry, because Im a pet owner and a meat eater. I used to own broccoli, but taking it for a walk in the park didnt work out so well. Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title tags: animals, broccoli, hunger, hungry, meat, park, pet-owner, pets, walk 64 people liked it like

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet. Colette tags: animals, companions, friends, pets 57 people liked it like

Your pet is not your friend. It is your hostage. Scott Dikkers, You Are Worthless: Depressing Nuggets of Wisdom Sure to Ruin Your Day tags: pets 51 people liked it like

Later, when his father left him, the boy cried over his pet, until eventually his father sent a servant to take the body of the bird away and bury it. The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed. Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

tags: loss, pets 49 people liked it like

I love apricots. Theyre so fuzzy theyre furry. Theyre like little pets you can eat legally. Jarod Kintz, This is the story my great-grandfather told my father, who then told my grandfather, who then told me about how The Mythical Mr. Boo, Charles Manseur Fizzlebush Grissham III, better known as Mr. Fizzlebush, and Orafoura are all in fact me... tags: apricots, funny, furry, pets 49 people liked it like

Monsters cannot be announced. One cannot say: 'Here are our monsters,' without immediately turning the monsters into pets. Jacques Derrida tags: confusion, monsters, order, pets, tame, wild 43 people liked it like

Cats are the lap-dancers of the animal world. Soon as you stop shelling out, they move on, find another lap. They're furry little sociopaths. Pretty and slick -- in love with themselves. When's the last time you

saw a seeing-eye cat? Andrew Vachss, Safe House tags: cat, cats, pet, pets 42 people liked it like

Anyone who has no need of anybody but himself is either a beast or a God." Aristotle Bruce Wayne Sullivan tags: abused-women, animals, childhood-memories, dogs, good-book, life-struggles, meaning, nonfiction, pets, poetry, psychology, purpose, social-work, writing 26 people liked it like

There should always be one more cat than person, so everyone has one to pet, and I have two to myself. Jarod Kintz, This Book Title is Invisible tags: cat, cats, pet, pets, selfishness, share 26 people liked it like

Dogs have important jobs, like barking when the doorbell rings, but cats have no function in a house whatsoever. W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog's Purpose

tags: cats, pets 24 people liked it like

Cats are a mysterious kind of folk. Walter Scott tags: cats, pets 22 people liked it like

when I am feeling low all i have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns Charles Bukowski tags: cats, courage, pets, poem, poetry 22 people liked it like

Never mind, said Hachiko each day. Here I wait, for my friend whos late. I will stay, just to walk beside you for one more day. Jess C. Scott, Skins, Animal Stories tags: animals, dog, dogs, friends, friendship, hachiko, love, lovers, loyalty, owners, pets 21 people liked it like

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. Robert Benchley tags: animals, dogs, pets 20 people liked it like

If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail. Fran Lebowitz tags: pets 20 people liked it like

My philosophy when it came to pets was much like that of having children: You got what you got, and you loved them unconditionally regardless of whatever their personalities or flaws turned out to be. Gwen Cooper, Homer's Odyssey tags: pets 19 people liked it like

Over the years I've come to appreciate how animals enter our lives prepared to teach and far from being burdened by an inability to speak they have many different ways to communicate. It is up to us to listen more than hear, to look into more than past. Nick Trout, Love Is the Best Medicine: What Two Dogs Taught One Veterinarian about Hope, Humility, and Everyday Miracles tags: dogs, love, pets 18 people liked it like

I hate to be obvious," added the Scarecrow, "but you'd have saved yourself a heap of trouble if you weren't too cheap to invest in a leash, Dorothy. Gregory Maguire, Son of a Witch tags: pets 17 people liked it like

Maybe this is kind of cliche, but animals, well, dogs, are what I do for a living. One reason I like spending time with them so much is they seem to think people are really good. They live with us, and obey our rules, most of which make no sense to them. And the main reason they do it is because they like us. When I watch them, sometimes I'm so blow away by how enthusiastic they are about everything we do that I have to go out and buy them something squeaky or chewy. Just because I love proving to them that it's not a mistake to see the world as a great benevolent place. I hope one day to react to something with as much pure ecstasy as I see in Chuck's face every time I throw the ball. Sometimes he looks so happy, it reminds me of the way blind people smile way too big because they can't see themselves. And if none of this links to anything in you, well... I think you don't know who I am. Merrill Markoe, Walking in Circles Before Lying Down tags: dogs, empathy, pets 16 people liked it like

Did I ever tell you my pet peeve?' No,' I said. People who dress up their pets to look like Little Lord Fauntleroys or cowboys, clowns, ballerinas. As if it's not enough just to be a dog or cat or turtle. Jerry Spinelli, Love, Stargirl tags: animals, pets 16 people liked it like

As for his name, well, what attorney wouldn't want to be able put a Judge in a crate every now and then? Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper tags: pets 13 people liked it like

Perhaps the greatest gift an animal has to offer is a permanent reminder of who we really are. Nick Trout, Love Is the Best Medicine: What Two Dogs Taught One Veterinarian about Hope, Humility, and Everyday Miracles tags: love, pets 13 people liked it like

It may be a cat, a bird, a ferret, or a guinea pig, but the chances are high that when someone close to you dies, a pet will be there to pick up the slack. Pets devour the loneliness. They give us purpose, responsibility, a reason for getting up in the morning, and a reason to look to the future. They ground us, help us escape the grief, make us laugh, and take full advantage of our weakness by exploiting our furniture, our beds, and our refrigerator. We wouldn't have it any other way. Pets are our seat belts on the emotional roller coaster of life--they can be trusted, they keep us safe, and they sure do smooth out the ride. Nick Trout, Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon

tags: grief, love, pets 12 people liked it like

A strongly accentuated zoophilism, such as an inordinate love of horses or dogs, throws the emotional nature out of balance; and those who are possessed by it are not likely to care very much for people. W.E. Woodward, Meet General Grant tags: dogs, pets 12 people liked it like

Our pets are the kids who never leave home, and that's absolutely fine by us because these kids don't ask for the keys to the car, don't turn up drunk at two in the morning, and don't complain if you turn their bedroom into a home gym. Their presence in times of upheaval and transition acts as a touchstone, a reminder of normalcy, of comfort, and the certainty of a love that can get you through. Nick Trout, Ever By My Side: A Memoir in Eight [Acts] Pets tags: pets 12 people liked it like

Anyone who thinks money can't buy happiness has never owned a cat [or any pet]. Arya Riverdale tags: humour, life, pets 10 people liked it like

The misery of keeping a dog is his dying so soon. But, to be sure, if he lived for fifty years and then died, what would become of me? Walter Scott tags: pets 10 people liked it like

6th grade. My dog, Katie, is hit by a car and killed. A mean girl during recess says it committed suicide because it didn't love me. I cry and swear revenge on mankind. Eugene Mirman, The Will to Whatevs: A Guide to Modern Life tags: humor, pets 9 people liked it like

I dont understand people who dont touch their pets. Their cat or dog is called a pet for a reason. Jarod Kintz tags: cats, dogs, pets 9 people liked it like

It's just the way things are. Take a moment to consider this statement. Really think about it. We send one species to the butcher and give our love and kindness to another apparently for no reason other than because it's the way things are. When our attitudes and behaviors towards animals are so inconsistent, and this inconsistency is so unexamined, we can safely say we have been fed absurdities. It is absurd that we eat pigs and love dogs and don't even know why. Many of us spend long minutes in the aisle of the drugstore mulling over what toothpaste to buy. Yet most of don't spend any time at all thinking about what species of animal we eat and why. Our choices as consumers drive an industry that kills ten billion animals per year in the United States alone. If we choose to support this industry and the best reason we can come up with is because it's the way things are, clearly something is amiss. What could cause an entire society of people to check their thinking caps at the door--and to not even realize they're doing so? Though this question is quite complex, the answer is quite simple: carnism. Melanie Joy, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism: The Belief System That Enables Us to Eat Some Animals and Not Others tags: animals, carnism, cats, cows, dogs, food, meat, pets, pigs 7 people liked it like

This is the silliest thing I've heard since the cat yoga craze a couple of years ago. I went right out and bought a cat yoga instruction book and tiny terry-cloth headband and renamed my girl cat 'Olive Neutered John,' which she didn't think was funny. Cats have no sense of humor. Celia Rivenbark, You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning tags: humor, pets 6 people liked it like

The strangest thing has happened. I really missed my dog. That's never happened to me before. You know, on a long tour you do hear people saying they miss their pets. I never have. But last night I started

really missing my dog. It's very odd, 'cause I don't have a dog. Bono tags: bono, dogs, pets, touring 6 people liked it like

We get a lot of calls where the person is murdered at home, but is not found for a period of time. And so the animals have already started to take the body apart because they haven't been fed in that period. So your evidence is being chewed up by the family pet. I tell you - Dogs are more loyal than cats. Cats will wait only a certain period of time and they'll start chewing on you. Dogs will wait a day or two before they just can't take the starving anymore. So, keep that in mind when choosing a pet. You know how a cat just stares at you, maybe at the top of the TV, from across the room? That's because they're watching to see if you're gonna stop breathing. Connie Fletcher, Every Contact Leaves a Trace tags: cats, crime-scene-investigation, dogs, evidence, humor, pets, science 6 people liked it like

Somewhere between poetry and science, somewhere between heaven and earth, clairaudience is born. Clairaudience is the sweetest mystery any human being could ever experience. Fortunately, it is the most contagious, too. Most, if not all, of my students walk away with some level of clairaudience after spending three hours in one of my workshops. Amelia Kinkade, Straight from the Horse's Mouth: How to Talk to Animals and Get Answers tags: animal-communicator, animals, intuition, intuitive, love, nature, pet-psychic, pets 5 people liked it

like

Somebody needs to pet me, and I guess that somebody is me. My cat is busy sleeping. Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title tags: cats, pet, pets, sleep, sleeping 5 people liked it like

Our pets are our family. Ana Monnar

Quotes About Pets

Quotes tagged as "pets" (showing 1-50 of 86)

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods. Christopher Hitchens, The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever tags: affection, atheism, cats, dogs, food, god, pets, religion, shelter, water 711 people liked it like

I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time. Neil Gaiman tags: cats, chaos, cooperation, organization, persuasion, pets, willfullness 658 people liked it like

You know what I like most about people? Pets. Jarod Kintz, Who Moved My Choose?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change by Deciding to Let Indecision Into Your Life tags: people, pets, relationships 577 people liked it like

I said hello to the poodle. Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief tags: humor, mythology, pets 533 people liked it like

i made myself a snowball As perfect as can be. I thought I'd keep it as a pet, And let it sleep with me. I made it some pajamas And a pillow for it's head. Then last night it ran away, But first - It wet the bed. Shel Silverstein tags: childrens, pets 282 people liked it like

I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone tags: pets 265 people liked it like

Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them's making a poop, the other one's carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge. Jerry Seinfeld tags: pets 196 people liked it like

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. Anatole France tags: animals, love, pets 181 people liked it like

Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them. John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog tags: animals, dogs, love, pets 169 people liked it like

A dog reflects the family life. Whoever saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family, or a sad dog in a happy one? Snarling people have snarling dogs, dangerous people have dangerous ones. Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes tags: character, dogs, families, family, family-life, pets 159 people liked it like

No matter how close we are to another person, few human relationships are as free from strife, disagreement, and frustration as is the relationship you have with a good dog. Few human beings give of themselves to another as a dog gives of itself. I also suspect that we cherish dogs because their unblemished souls make us wish - consciously or unconsciously - that we were as innocent as they are, and make us yearn for a place where innocence is universal and where the meanness, the betrayals, and the cruelties of this world are unknown. Dean Koontz, A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog tags: dogs, love, pets, relationships 110 people liked it like

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort. James Herriot, James Herriot's Cat Stories tags: cats, comfort, pets 87 people liked it

like

Few religions are definite about the size of Heaven, but on the planet Earth the Book of Revelation (ch. XXI, v.16) gives it as a cube 12,000 furlongs on a side. This is somewhat less than 500,000,000,000,000,000,000 cubic feet. Even allowing that the Heavenly Host and other essential services take up at least two thirds of this space, this leaves about one million cubic feet of space for each human occupant- assuming that every creature that could be called human is allowed in, and the the human race eventually totals a thousand times the numbers of humans alive up until now. This is such a generous amount of space that it suggests that room has also been provided for some alien races or - a happy thought - that pets are allowed. Terry Pratchett, The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable tags: heaven, pets 77 people liked it like

Sometimes losing a pet is more painful than losing a human because in the case of the pet, you were not pretending to love it. Amy Sedaris, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People tags: humor, pets 71 people liked it like

Ill never go hungry, because Im a pet owner and a meat eater. I used to own broccoli, but taking it for a walk in the park didnt work out so well. Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title tags: animals, broccoli, hunger, hungry, meat, park, pet-owner, pets, walk 64 people liked it like

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet. Colette tags: animals, companions, friends, pets 57 people liked it like

Your pet is not your friend. It is your hostage. Scott Dikkers, You Are Worthless: Depressing Nuggets of Wisdom Sure to Ruin Your Day tags: pets 51 people liked it like

Later, when his father left him, the boy cried over his pet, until eventually his father sent a servant to take the body of the bird away and bury it. The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed. Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

tags: loss, pets 49 people liked it like

I love apricots. Theyre so fuzzy theyre furry. Theyre like little pets you can eat legally. Jarod Kintz, This is the story my great-grandfather told my father, who then told my grandfather, who then told me about how The Mythical Mr. Boo, Charles Manseur Fizzlebush Grissham III, better known as Mr. Fizzlebush, and Orafoura are all in fact me... tags: apricots, funny, furry, pets 49 people liked it like

Monsters cannot be announced. One cannot say: 'Here are our monsters,' without immediately turning the monsters into pets. Jacques Derrida tags: confusion, monsters, order, pets, tame, wild 43 people liked it like

Cats are the lap-dancers of the animal world. Soon as you stop shelling out, they move on, find another lap. They're furry little sociopaths. Pretty and slick -- in love with themselves. When's the last time you

saw a seeing-eye cat? Andrew Vachss, Safe House tags: cat, cats, pet, pets 42 people liked it like

Anyone who has no need of anybody but himself is either a beast or a God." Aristotle Bruce Wayne Sullivan tags: abused-women, animals, childhood-memories, dogs, good-book, life-struggles, meaning, nonfiction, pets, poetry, psychology, purpose, social-work, writing 26 people liked it like

There should always be one more cat than person, so everyone has one to pet, and I have two to myself. Jarod Kintz, This Book Title is Invisible tags: cat, cats, pet, pets, selfishness, share 26 people liked it like

Dogs have important jobs, like barking when the doorbell rings, but cats have no function in a house whatsoever. W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog's Purpose

tags: cats, pets 24 people liked it like

Cats are a mysterious kind of folk. Walter Scott tags: cats, pets 22 people liked it like

when I am feeling low all i have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns Charles Bukowski tags: cats, courage, pets, poem, poetry 22 people liked it like

Never mind, said Hachiko each day. Here I wait, for my friend whos late. I will stay, just to walk beside you for one more day. Jess C. Scott, Skins, Animal Stories tags: animals, dog, dogs, friends, friendship, hachiko, love, lovers, loyalty, owners, pets 21 people liked it like

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. Robert Benchley tags: animals, dogs, pets 20 people liked it like

If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail. Fran Lebowitz tags: pets 20 people liked it like

My philosophy when it came to pets was much like that of having children: You got what you got, and you loved them unconditionally regardless of whatever their personalities or flaws turned out to be. Gwen Cooper, Homer's Odyssey tags: pets 19 people liked it like

Over the years I've come to appreciate how animals enter our lives prepared to teach and far from being burdened by an inability to speak they have many different ways to communicate. It is up to us to listen more than hear, to look into more than past. Nick Trout, Love Is the Best Medicine: What Two Dogs Taught One Veterinarian about Hope, Humility, and Everyday Miracles tags: dogs, love, pets 18 people liked it like

I hate to be obvious," added the Scarecrow, "but you'd have saved yourself a heap of trouble if you weren't too cheap to invest in a leash, Dorothy. Gregory Maguire, Son of a Witch tags: pets 17 people liked it like

Maybe this is kind of cliche, but animals, well, dogs, are what I do for a living. One reason I like spending time with them so much is they seem to think people are really good. They live with us, and obey our rules, most of which make no sense to them. And the main reason they do it is because they like us. When I watch them, sometimes I'm so blow away by how enthusiastic they are about everything we do that I have to go out and buy them something squeaky or chewy. Just because I love proving to them that it's not a mistake to see the world as a great benevolent place. I hope one day to react to something with as much pure ecstasy as I see in Chuck's face every time I throw the ball. Sometimes he looks so happy, it reminds me of the way blind people smile way too big because they can't see themselves. And if none of this links to anything in you, well... I think you don't know who I am. Merrill Markoe, Walking in Circles Before Lying Down tags: dogs, empathy, pets 16 people liked it like

Did I ever tell you my pet peeve?' No,' I said. People who dress up their pets to look like Little Lord Fauntleroys or cowboys, clowns, ballerinas. As if it's not enough just to be a dog or cat or turtle. Jerry Spinelli, Love, Stargirl tags: animals, pets 16 people liked it like

As for his name, well, what attorney wouldn't want to be able put a Judge in a crate every now and then? Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper tags: pets 13 people liked it like

Perhaps the greatest gift an animal has to offer is a permanent reminder of who we really are. Nick Trout, Love Is the Best Medicine: What Two Dogs Taught One Veterinarian about Hope, Humility, and Everyday Miracles tags: love, pets 13 people liked it like

It may be a cat, a bird, a ferret, or a guinea pig, but the chances are high that when someone close to you dies, a pet will be there to pick up the slack. Pets devour the loneliness. They give us purpose, responsibility, a reason for getting up in the morning, and a reason to look to the future. They ground us, help us escape the grief, make us laugh, and take full advantage of our weakness by exploiting our furniture, our beds, and our refrigerator. We wouldn't have it any other way. Pets are our seat belts on the emotional roller coaster of life--they can be trusted, they keep us safe, and they sure do smooth out the ride. Nick Trout, Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon

tags: grief, love, pets 12 people liked it like

A strongly accentuated zoophilism, such as an inordinate love of horses or dogs, throws the emotional nature out of balance; and those who are possessed by it are not likely to care very much for people. W.E. Woodward, Meet General Grant tags: dogs, pets 12 people liked it like

Our pets are the kids who never leave home, and that's absolutely fine by us because these kids don't ask for the keys to the car, don't turn up drunk at two in the morning, and don't complain if you turn their bedroom into a home gym. Their presence in times of upheaval and transition acts as a touchstone, a reminder of normalcy, of comfort, and the certainty of a love that can get you through. Nick Trout, Ever By My Side: A Memoir in Eight [Acts] Pets tags: pets 12 people liked it like

Anyone who thinks money can't buy happiness has never owned a cat [or any pet]. Arya Riverdale tags: humour, life, pets 10 people liked it like

The misery of keeping a dog is his dying so soon. But, to be sure, if he lived for fifty years and then died, what would become of me? Walter Scott tags: pets 10 people liked it like

6th grade. My dog, Katie, is hit by a car and killed. A mean girl during recess says it committed suicide because it didn't love me. I cry and swear revenge on mankind. Eugene Mirman, The Will to Whatevs: A Guide to Modern Life tags: humor, pets 9 people liked it like

I dont understand people who dont touch their pets. Their cat or dog is called a pet for a reason. Jarod Kintz tags: cats, dogs, pets 9 people liked it like

It's just the way things are. Take a moment to consider this statement. Really think about it. We send one species to the butcher and give our love and kindness to another apparently for no reason other than because it's the way things are. When our attitudes and behaviors towards animals are so inconsistent, and this inconsistency is so unexamined, we can safely say we have been fed absurdities. It is absurd that we eat pigs and love dogs and don't even know why. Many of us spend long minutes in the aisle of the drugstore mulling over what toothpaste to buy. Yet most of don't spend any time at all thinking about what species of animal we eat and why. Our choices as consumers drive an industry that kills ten billion animals per year in the United States alone. If we choose to support this industry and the best reason we can come up with is because it's the way things are, clearly something is amiss. What could cause an entire society of people to check their thinking caps at the door--and to not even realize they're doing so? Though this question is quite complex, the answer is quite simple: carnism. Melanie Joy, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism: The Belief System That Enables Us to Eat Some Animals and Not Others tags: animals, carnism, cats, cows, dogs, food, meat, pets, pigs 7 people liked it like

This is the silliest thing I've heard since the cat yoga craze a couple of years ago. I went right out and bought a cat yoga instruction book and tiny terry-cloth headband and renamed my girl cat 'Olive Neutered John,' which she didn't think was funny. Cats have no sense of humor. Celia Rivenbark, You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning tags: humor, pets 6 people liked it like

The strangest thing has happened. I really missed my dog. That's never happened to me before. You know, on a long tour you do hear people saying they miss their pets. I never have. But last night I started

really missing my dog. It's very odd, 'cause I don't have a dog. Bono tags: bono, dogs, pets, touring 6 people liked it like

We get a lot of calls where the person is murdered at home, but is not found for a period of time. And so the animals have already started to take the body apart because they haven't been fed in that period. So your evidence is being chewed up by the family pet. I tell you - Dogs are more loyal than cats. Cats will wait only a certain period of time and they'll start chewing on you. Dogs will wait a day or two before they just can't take the starving anymore. So, keep that in mind when choosing a pet. You know how a cat just stares at you, maybe at the top of the TV, from across the room? That's because they're watching to see if you're gonna stop breathing. Connie Fletcher, Every Contact Leaves a Trace tags: cats, crime-scene-investigation, dogs, evidence, humor, pets, science 6 people liked it like

Somewhere between poetry and science, somewhere between heaven and earth, clairaudience is born. Clairaudience is the sweetest mystery any human being could ever experience. Fortunately, it is the most contagious, too. Most, if not all, of my students walk away with some level of clairaudience after spending three hours in one of my workshops. Amelia Kinkade, Straight from the Horse's Mouth: How to Talk to Animals and Get Answers tags: animal-communicator, animals, intuition, intuitive, love, nature, pet-psychic, pets 5 people liked it

like

Somebody needs to pet me, and I guess that somebody is me. My cat is busy sleeping. Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title tags: cats, pet, pets, sleep, sleeping 5 people liked it like

Our pets are our family. Ana Monnar

Dog Quotes
Home > Quotes > Dog Dog Quotations "If there is no heaven for dogs, then I want to go where they go when I die." -Anonymous

"The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too." -Samuel Butler

"If dogs could talk, perhaps we would find it as hard to get along with them as we do with people." -Capek

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -Billings

"The dog who meets with a good master is the happier of the two." -Maeterlinck

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." -Ben Williams

"Whoever said you cant buy happiness forgot about little puppies." -Gene Hill

"No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as much as the dog does." -Christopher Morley

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -Josh Billings

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -Andrew A.

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Unknown

"I've seen a look in dogs eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." -John Steinbeck

"If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either." -Unknown

"Old dogs, like old shoes, are comfortable. They might be a bit out of shape and a little worn around the edges, but they fit well."

-Bonnie Wilcox

"The more people I meet the more I like my dog" -Unknown

"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." -Edward Hoagland

"I once decided not to date a guy because he wasn't excited to meet my dog. I mean, this was like not wanting to meet my mother." -Bonnie Schacter

"No Matter how little money and how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich." -Louis Sabin

"Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail." -Josh Billings

"A piece of grass a day keeps the vet away" -Unknown Dog

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." -Roger Caras

"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear." -Dave Barry

"The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic." -Henry Ward

"To his dog, every man is Napolean, hence the constant popularity of dogs." -Aldous Huxley

"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that is how dogs spend their lives." -Sue Murphy

"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends." -Alexander Pope

"Do not make the mistake of treating your dogs like humans or they will treat you like dogs." -Martha Scott

"Every dog must have his day." -Jonathan Swift

"I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who have not got the guts to bite people themselves." -August Strindberg

"I have always thought of a dog lover as a dog that was in love with another dog." -James Thurber

"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful." -Ann Landers

"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons." -James Thurber

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. It is the principal difference between a dog and a man." -Mark Twain

"The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue" -Anonymous

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog." -George Graham

"Every boy who has a dog should also have a mother, so the dog can be fed regularly." -Anonymous

"Even the tiniest poodle is lionhearted, ready to do anything to defend home, master, and mistress."

-Louis Sabin

"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made." -Roger Caras

"A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk." -O. A.

"A dog is man's best friend, and vice versa." -Anonymous

"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down." -Roger Caras

"The dog has got more fun out of man than man has got out of the dog, for man is the more laughable of the two animals." -James Thurber

"A good dog deserves a good home." -Proverb

"A watchdog is a dog kept to guard your home, usually by sleeping where a burglar would awaken the household by falling over him." -Anonymous

"There's just something about dogs that makes you feel good. You come home, they're thrilled to see you. They're good for the ego." -Janet Schnellman

"Every dog isn't a growler, and every growler isn't a dog." -Anonymous

"A dog's bark may be worse than his bite, but everyone prefers his bark." -Anonymous

"The ideal dog food would be a ration that tastes like a postman." -Anonymous

"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours." -Anonymous

"There is only one smartest dog in the world, and every boy has it." -Anonymous

"Every dog may have his day, buy it's the puppies that have the weakends." -Anonymous

"It's no coincidence that man's best friend cannot talk." -Anonymous

"A dog's bark may be worse than his bite, but it's never quite so personal" -Anonymous

"Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails." -Max Eastman

"Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job." -Franklin P.

"I can train any dog in 5 minutes. It's training the owner that takes longer." -Barbara Woodhouse

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us." -Robert Louis

"You can't keep a good man down -- or an over affectionate dog." -Anonymous

"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." -Rita Rudner

"No animal I know of can consistently be more of a friend and companion than a dog." -Stanley Leinwoll

"When most of us talk to our dogs, we tend to forget they're not people." -Julia Glass

"You own a dog; you feed a cat." -Jim Fiebig

"Any time you think you have influence, try ordering around someone else's dog." -The Cockle

"Old Yeller was bought for 3 dollars from a shelter; his real name was Spike." -World Features

"Disney's "Shaggy Dog" was bought for 2 dollars at a pound." -World Features

"None are as fiercely as dog. In return, no doubt, for the never-ending loyalty of dogs." -Linda Shrieves,

"Happiness is a warm puppy." -Charles Schulz

"A collie has the brain of a man, and the ways of a woman." -Scottish Proverb

"Many dogs will give a greeting grin much like a human smile." -Richard A.

"Intelligent dogs rarely want to please people whom they do not respect." -W.R. Koehler

"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog." -Konrad Lorenz

"The old saw about old dogs and new tricks only applies to certain people." -Daniel Pinkwater

"I have caught more ills from people sneezing over me and giving me virus infections than

from kissing dogs." -Barbara Woodhouse

"A dog is nothing but a furry person." -Anonymous

"A well-trained dog will make no attempt to share your lunch. He will just make you feel so guilty that you cannot enjoy it." -Helen Thomson

"A dog desires affection more than its dinner. Well - almost." -Charlotte Gray

"Have you hugged your pug today?" -Marty Moose

"Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement" -Snoopy

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read" -Groucho Marx

"Cats. Can't live with them CAN live without them." -Richard S.

"A dog is the only thing that can fill the void in your empty heart" -Kate

"Acquiring a dog, may be the only time a person gets to choose a relative." -Unknown

"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

"A good dog never dies, he always stays, he walks besides you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and winter's drawing near, his head within our hand in his old way." - Anonymous

"A dog is the only thing that can mend a crack in your broken heart" -Judy Desmond

"(most) Dogs have a better life than you. If you think about it your waiting on them hand a foot." - Anonymous

"Dogs teach us a very important lesson in life: The mail man is not to be trusted" -Sian Ford

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown