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Over the years, Georgia has written many articles for The Jupiter Farmer about how to protect your pet from becoming lost or worse. Everyone needs to heed Georgia�s advice on the protection of animals.  

The very first thing you should do before your pet disappears is to ID the animal. It can be as simple as taking a marking pen and putting a phone number on the collar. Other ID – are tags with information printed on them. Probably the best way to ID a pet is the microchip. This is a small chip about the size of a grain of rice that is inserted just under the skin. Most veterinarians have a scanner that can retrieve the information and get your pet home fast.  

Here’s how the Pet Connection Program works:
1. If you find or lose a pet call one of the team members on the list. Leave a detailed message if you get a machine. They will contact the other team members.
2. Call the animal shelters and vets listed below to see if your pet is there.
3. If you have lost a pet: Put signs up at Publix, Town and Country Feed, West Jupiter Campground and on your street and main intersections at Indiantown Road. PUT A DATE ON THE SIGNS with the pertinent information. If you have found a pet just put “Found Dog (or whatever)” on sign with your phone # and DATE IT. Unfortunately some pets end up in lab research or as dogfight training bait. Make sure the person claiming the pet really owns it.
4. After notifying Pet Connection, email jupiterfarmer@aol.com to list your pet on the website. Include a full description and phone number.  

This needs to be done as quickly as possible for the best results in getting a lost or found pet home.  

Pet Connection Team Members:
Peg Bowman 741-0556
Maria Haws 743-5982
Misty Hughes  

Area Veterinarians:
Dr. Laurie Cook, North County Animal Hospital, 746-7496
Dr. Lori Minteer, In-Home Vet Care, 745-1626
Dr. Joan McMindes, Native Palm Animal Hospital, 747-9991
Dr. Lorraine Kassarjian, Jupiter Home Vet Service, 748-8651
Harmony Animal Hospital, 746-5501  

Area Animal Shelters:
Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary 747-1598
Animal Rescue of Palm Beaches 686-3663
Palm Beach County Animal Control 233-1200  

When an animal is returned to you please notify the pet connection team so we may take it off of our list.
Take down your signs.
Please ID your pet with a tag, chip or just write your phone # on the collar with a marker.
Don’t let your pet become another death statistic at animal control.  

Urinary tract infections
Symptoms: Your cat frequents the litter box much more often than normal but only a few drops of urine are expressed. Your cat may urinate outside the box. Sometimes the urine is tinged pink. The cat may cry when urinating.
Diagnosis: Your veterinarian will take a few drops of urine and test it to check for white blood cells, bacteria, protein and blood. Your veterinarian may also culture the urine to see which antibiotic is most effective.
Treatment: Your veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic that you must give to your cat either once or twice a day for 10 to 14 days. It may be a liquid or a pill. Pilling a cat is tons of fun!
Other info: This disease can be deadly, especially in male cats, if it goes untreated. Cats can have their urinary tract blocked by crystals caused by the infection which can cause the bladder to burst. Your cat may need to be hospitalized and catheterized.  

Feline Leukemia
Symptoms: Because this disease causes suppression of the immune system, the symptoms can be quite varied. Your cat could stop eating, lose weight, have masses in the abdomen, could cough, throw up, could have eye problems, could have seizures, and many more. Any time your cat is sick, your veterinarian may recommend a feline leukemia test.
Diagnosis: Your veterinarian can run a test in the office with just a few drops of blood. It is possible that the blood could be sent to a lab also.
Treatment: There is no treatment for this disease. All your veterinarian can do is treat the symptoms as they come up.
Other info: Since this disease is passed by saliva, and cats lick each other, it is imperative that you separate your cats from other cats. This means keep them indoors! There is a vaccine that will prevent this disease.  

Diabetes
Symptoms: This disease is most commonly seen in adult, overweight cats. Admit it; just about all of you have a fat cat! Your cat will have an increased thirst and therefore increased urination. Your cat may be weak, depressed or vomiting.
Diagnosis: The glucose in your cat blood and urine can be tested by your veterinarian. If increased, the animal should stay at the veterinarian’s office for at least a day. The blood glucose levels will be monitored throughout the day to check when it increases and how well it responds to insulin.
Treatment: Most important thing to do is put your cat on a high protein diet and have her lose weight! You will need to learn how to give insulin shots at home.  

Hyperthyroidism
Symptoms: Usually your cat eats more than normal, but continues to lose weight. Often, thirst will also be increased. Your cat will seek heat by lying in the sun constantly or even lying in front of the refrigerator where the hot air blows.
Diagnosis: Your veterinarian will need a few drops of blood to send to the lab.
Treatment: The most common treatment is to give a pill once or twice a day for the rest of the cat’s life. The blood will need to be checked regularly.
This is a very short list of problems your cat may have, but hopefully it may help you to identify problems ahead of time. If your cat is sick for any reason, or even acting differently, give your veterinarian a call. A timely call could save your cat’s life. Next month we will talk about common health problems in dogs.