Few things distress a cat owner or a shelter worker, like a cat that will not stop scratching its head, with ears turning thick, grey, and crusty. Behind many such cases is a mite that most people have never heard of: Notoedres cati, the cause of notoedric mange, also called feline scabies. It is close kin to the mite that causes sarcoptic mange in dogs, and it follows a similar life cycle (Dryden, 2025). It is highly contagious between cats, it is uncomfortable, and if left

Figure 1a. Overgrown, the nails extend well past the paw pad and curl noticeably. Overgrown, untrimmed nails are one of the most common—and most preventable—sources of discomfort we see in the exam room. Trimming your dog's nails looks simple enough, and most of the time it is. But it is also one of those small routines where getting it slightly wrong can turn a two-minute job into a fearful, bloody ordeal that neither of you wants to repeat. A 2025 review of primary-care rec

A small, firm nodule under the skin of your dog's or cat's belly is one of the most common reasons pet owners bring an older, unspayed female in for examination—and mammary tumours are among the most frequently diagnosed neoplasms (cancers/tumours) in companion animals. This article explains what is happening at the cellular level, who is most at risk, how we tell a harmless lump from a dangerous one, and what the road to recovery looks like. The mammary gland is, by design,

Two small glands sitting just in front of your pet's kidneys quietly run an enormous share of their day-to-day biology—blood pressure, salt balance, stress response, and metabolism. When those glands make too little hormone, too much of one hormone, or too much of another, three very different diseases can result: Addison's disease, Conn's syndrome, and Cushing's disease. Despite living in the same small organ, they could hardly behave more differently. This article walks thr

Introduction Figure 1. The pituitary gland is often called the body's "master gland": beyond ACTH, it releases hormones that regulate growth, the thyroid, reproduction, water balance, and more. Cushing's disease arises when just one of these signals — ACTH, aimed at the adrenal cortex — becomes chronically overactive, while the gland's many other roles continue as normal (Merck Veterinary Manual). As our cherished pets enter their senior years, it is common to attribute chang

What is Conn's Syndrome? Primary hyperaldosteronism, commonly known as Conn’s disease or Conn's syndrome, is an autonomous overproduction of aldosterone from the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex. While once considered exceptionally rare, it is now recognised as the most common adrenocortical disease in domestic cats. Figure 1. The adrenal cortex and medulla between them produce several hormone families, each with its own target organs. Aldosterone (from the zona glomeru

Figure 1: Herbal medicine set up Interest in herbal and natural remedies for companion animals has grown substantially over the past three decades, with owner-reported use of complementary and alternative approaches rising from roughly one-third to over two-fifths of surveyed pet owners between 1990 and 1997 (dvm360, 2009). At The Andys Veterinary Clinic, we welcome this interest and are frequently asked whether herbal remedies are safe or beneficial for pets. It is a valid a

Introduction Addison's disease is a rare but serious condition affecting pets, mainly dogs and sometimes cats, caused by insufficient hormone production from the adrenal glands. Early recognition and management can significantly improve your pet's quality of life. If your dog seems "not right" for weeks—quiet, off food, with intermittent vomiting or diarrhoea—your vet might suggest testing for Addison's disease. Known as hypoadrenocorticism, it is called "the great pretender"

Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour (CTVT) in Dogs A contagious cancer that spreads dog-to-dog—here’s what every pet owner in Kenya needs to know about recognition, treatment, and prevention. What Is Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour (CTVT/TVT)? Canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT/TVT)—also called canine transmissible venereal sarcoma (CTVS), Sticker's tumour, or infectious sarcoma—is a naturally occurring, contagious neoplasm unique in oncology: it is one of only

Introduction Mpox (formerly monkeypox) has driven two global health emergencies since 2022. Pet owners understandably ask whether their dog or cat is at risk. The honest, up-to-date answer is more reassuring and more interesting than the early headlines suggested. Structural anatomy of the monkeypox (MPXV) virion. Labelled diagram of the monkeypox virus structure showing surface tubles, outer envelope, lateral bodies, pallisade layer, core membrane, core fibrils, and core nuc

A small, stealthy bacterium that lives only inside the cells of a cat’s conjunctiva is one of the most common — and most treatable — causes of persistent eye disease "flu" in kittens. Here is what every owner and clinician should know. Few presentations in feline practice are as familiar – or as frequently misread – as the young cat with a weepy, half-closed, reddened eye. Owners often assume their kitten has been scratched or has “something in the eye". In a large proportion

Anatomic arrangement of the liver lobes and extrahepatic biliary tract. A, Diaphragmatic aspect of the liver. B, Visceral aspect of the liver. C, Liver lobes, gallbladder, and hepatic ducts, visceral aspect. (From Evans HE: The digestive apparatus and abdomen. In Evans HE, de Lahunta A: Miller’s anatomy of the dog, ed 4, St Louis, 2013, Saunders/Elsevier.) Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a brain disturbance caused by liver dysfunction. When the liver can no longer clear toxins

Lactulose is one of the main medicines used to manage hepatic encephalopathy (HE). It is a special sugar the body cannot digest, so it travels intact to the colon — and there it does something clever. It changes the chemistry of the gut so that ammonia, the main toxin behind HE, gets trapped inside the bowel and carried out in the stool instead of being absorbed into the blood and reaching the brain. How it works, step by step: Lactulose enters the colon. Given by mouth, it p

Introduction For a congenital portosystemic shunt — the most common cause of hepatic encephalopathy in young dogs and cats — the definitive treatment is surgery to correct the abnormal vessel. The goal is to close the shunt so that blood from the gut once again flows through the liver to be detoxified, instead of bypassing it. Crucially, the shunt is closed gradually rather than all at once. Before surgery: Portal blood bypasses the liver through the shunt vessel Ammonia and

What Is Hepatic Encephalopathy? Anatomic arrangement of the liver lobes and extrahepatic biliary tract. A, Diaphragmatic aspect of the liver. B, Visceral aspect of the liver. C, Liver lobes, gallbladder, and hepatic ducts, visceral aspect. (From Evans HE: The digestive apparatus and abdomen. In Evans HE, de Lahunta A: Miller’s anatomy of the dog, ed 4, St Louis, 2013, Saunders/Elsevier.) Consider your pet’s liver as the body’s main chemical processing plant — it handles all s

Introduction Figure I: Kidney illustration Renal encephalopathy, also known as uraemic encephalopathy (UE), is a severe, life-threatening metabolic neurological disorder caused by advanced renal (kidney) failure. It occurs when the kidneys fail to filter out organic wastes, leading to an accumulation of uraemic toxins (nitrogenous toxins) in the blood and central nervous system (CNS). Besides, it also causes electrolyte imbalances, leading to metabolic acidosis, and often sys

What is triage? "Triage" is defined by the French term "trier", which means "to sort" or "choose". It is the process of ranking the urgency of a patient's care based on the severity of their condition. When multiple emergencies occur at once, it enables speedy inspection of each patient and classification of the patients based on how urgently their injuries need to be treated. The most urgent cases have historically involved issues with the circulatory, respiratory, or nervou

Animal triage: Every second counts. Structured animal triage ensures the right patient gets the right care at the right time. A trauma score is a numerical characterisation of the injuries sustained by a patient from a traumatic incident. It provides an objective assessment of the patient’s clinical status. The animal triage trauma (ATT) score was developed to stratify the veterinary trauma population by injury severity. The ATT score was designed to be a quick, easy, and rea

Introduction Mango worm Mango worms cause a condition called cutaneous myiasis in dogs. In tropical areas like Kenya, they are a common problem for dogs. The fly larvae infest and develop within the host's skin (Scholl et al., 2019). This condition is not only uncomfortable and painful for dogs but also represents a significant veterinary and public health concern, as it can occasionally affect humans (Jallow et al., 2024). Understanding the causes, recognising early signs, a

Occasionally, dogs become fractious during handling, especially when stressed, fearful, or in pain. Proper restraint is therefore essential to prevent injury to both the handler and the animal. The use of appropriate handling techniques, combined with protective clothing such as sturdy shoes, significantly reduces the risk of injury (Overall, 2013). Minimising exposure to sudden environmental changes and gradually acclimatising dogs to new stimuli is equally important, as abr