Hello, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to study extra about me and meet my 5 hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
You would possibly already know that my buddy, Clutch, enriches my life together with his quirky persona and distinctive habits. There are additionally some methods wherein he contributes to my already vital quantity of grey hair, and never too way back, a type of was having a spate of neurological episodes.
One morning, as I used to be chasing the ultimate dregs of cornflakes round my cereal bowl, I observed motion out of the nook of my eye. Clutch was lurking underneath a chair with a perplexed look on his face, slowly reaching one leg in entrance of the opposite, seeming confused about the place he was and what his limbs had been doing. His head was wobbling ever-so-slightly, and he didn’t appear to have the ability to rise up. This odd conduct didn’t final very lengthy, however lengthy sufficient for me to seize my telephone and take a brief video clip. Not as a result of I assumed it could make an entertaining TikTok put up, however as a result of I knew how helpful this form of footage will be when making an attempt to diagnose an issue.
Regardless of my preliminary intuition to PANIC!! I saved an in depth eye on Clutch over the following few days, in search of another indicators or aberrations, and aside from his wobbly episode, every little thing gave the impression to be fully regular. Simply over every week later, he was at it once more, incomes himself a visit to work with me.
Working ALL The Exams
I used to be lucky sufficient to be working at a veterinary hospital with a CT scanner on web site, and on condition that Clutch was fully insured, I wished to check for every little thing. We drew blood, carried out a CT scan, and obtained a pattern of his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a spot just under the bottom of his cranium. Aside from a slight change in considered one of his electrolytes, every little thing got here again regular, which in some ways was a aid, however was additionally very irritating.
I even consulted a veterinary neurologist, solely to learn that Clutch’s scientific indicators had been “fairly uncommon.”
I’m positive you’ve had the same expertise, whether or not with your personal pet, your self, or a member of the family, the place there was one thing improper, however all of the medical exams got here again regular. It’s excellent news, but it surely doesn’t clarify what the issue is! As a vet, I usually should cope with the frustration of operating a barrage of exams, solely to have the ability to present frightened homeowners with an intensive checklist of all of the issues it isn’t. This may be an essential course of in fact, but it surely doesn’t alleviate the emotions of irritation and helplessness.
One doable clarification for Clutch’s neurological episodes was epilepsy, a prognosis solely supported by his in any other case regular take a look at outcomes. However these episodes weren’t in line with the generalized seizures we might anticipate to see with epilepsy.
And Then There Have been None
Aside from a touch elevated sodium stage, Clutch’s take a look at outcomes had been regular, and now, there have been no extra episodes both. That is nice information, or at the very least it needs to be, proper? He was wholesome, no extra neurological indicators, and his blood exams, CSF evaluation and CT outcomes had been regular – this needs to be excellent news. However an unsolved thriller doesn’t sit effectively with me, and I used to be decided to unravel it.
A Ornamental Design Flaw
It was now a number of months after Clutch’s well being scare, and there had fortunately been no extra incidents. We had been making ready for the arrival of visiting household, and I used to be getting the spare room prepared for visitors. I placed on recent sheets, checked every little thing was clear and tidy, and that’s when it hit me: The salt lamp.
Not actually in fact, in any other case I might need been the one with a neurological drawback, however the realization that this supposedly purifying lump of salt might need been our perpetrator lit up brighter than the lamp itself. Why had it not occurred to me earlier than?
Aware that not everyone seems to be as tolerant of cat hair on their… every little thing, we all the time hold the spare room door closed, however there have been just a few weeks, earlier that 12 months, after we had allowed the cats to entry the room whereas we had been doing a little repairs. And also you guessed it, these weeks had been proper across the time that Clutch began behaving unusually.
Why Blame the Salt Lamp?
For anybody that doesn’t know, consuming an excessive amount of salt causes a shift in our electrolyte steadiness, which impacts how water strikes out and in of our cells. An excessive amount of salt basically dehydrates our cells, inflicting them to shrivel up like a wrinkled raisin. This makes us extraordinarily thirsty, and if we drink too rapidly, our little raisin mind cells develop into large juicy grapes too rapidly, and this may trigger short-term, even everlasting, mind injury.
You won’t suppose {that a} salt lamp can be all that interesting to a cat, however ask anybody who tries to place a bag of potato chips down as soon as they’ve began munching, salt is fairly moreish!
So even if Clutch now not had entry to the lamp, I wasn’t taking any possibilities – it needed to go! Don’t fear – it discovered a loving dwelling in a brand new, pet-free dwelling.
But One other Lesson Discovered At Dwelling
There are two optimistic outcomes to Clutch’s transient and scary expertise:
- Realizing that Clutch is okay!
- Highlighting the potential hazard posed by salt lamps within the dwelling, one thing that served me effectively when introduced with the same case in a canine, one 12 months later.
It wasn’t one thing the canine’s homeowners had thought to say, however due to Clutch, it’s one thing I all the time bear in mind to ask, proving as soon as once more that my cats present me, not solely with laughter, cuddles, and a lifetime supply of cat hair on everything, however with data and views I might need in any other case ignored.
Thanks, Clutch!
