Q: I recently adopted a kitten. I already have an older cat. Even though I provided two separate litter boxes, they both want to use the same one. After being together for a couple of weeks, both developed diarrhea and occassional vomiting. Is this a problem from them sharing a litter box and is it something I need to visit my vet about?

A: Usually there is no reason why multiple cats can not share litter boxes, other than the fact that you will need to clean the box more often. Upon occasion, there could be an adjustment period where some particular bacteria could be introduced to one or all of the cats. This is not particularly harmful but could cause a bit of an upset stomach or diarrhea akin to a stomach virus.

Also, be sure to check your home for some potential problems that your original kitty may not have been interested in, but your new little baby could have called attention to, such as plants, plastics, or chemicals.

Finally, if the diarrhea and/or vomiting persists for more than 48 hours or increases, go ahead and take them in to your vet. They will want to perform a couple of tests just to make that a parasite or something such as that was not missed during the new kittens original exam. They will also be able to provide some medications to ease the nausea and diarrhea. Most often, it is nothing more than a simple gastro-intestinal upset, but especially in kittens or senior cats, it is important to catch these issues early as they can become dehydrated much more quickly.

Q: My dog has severe renal issues. I would like to feed her homemade meals but am unsure if I can provide her with adequate nutrition, and wanted to make sure that I know which ingredients are better.

A: LOW PROTIEN & LOW SODIUM & LOW PHOSPHEROUS are keys when feeding your dog homemade meals.

Kidney Disease, known as Canine Kidney Failure in dogs and Chronic Renal Failure in cats, is becoming more and more common in our domesticated pets. One of the major reasons is dry pet foods. Dry food is not a good option for any animal, much less those with kidney problems. Especially cats. Hydration is extremely important for animals with kidney disease. Cats, especially, tend to become chronically dehydrated on a diet of dry kibble. Inappropriate diet is thought to be one of the contributing factors to chronic renal failure.

The kidneys function is to filter out and excrete toxins from the body through the urine. One of the first signs of kidney failure is an increase in thirst and urination. This is why: A healthy kidney can concentrate toxins into a smaller amount of liquid to be urinated away. When the kidneys are damaged and become less able to concentrate the urine, more fluid is used by the body. As the kidneys become less efficient and the disease progresses, other signs of CRF begin to emerge such as weight loss, nausea, constipation, low energy/fatigue, and poor appetite.

Omega 3 fatty acids from marine fish oil have been shown to slow the progression of kidney disease in a clinical trial with dogs. The anti-inflammatory action of the Omega 3's may reduce kidney inflammation. Vitamin E is often recommended along with the Omega 3 oils as they act synergistically.

High quality protiens are advised since malnutrition can be a problem when feeding a low protien diet.

Feeding your pet a homemade diet is BY-FAR much better for your pet than commercial brand pet foods because their intake needs to be monitored closely, and there is no better way to do that than to prepare the meals yourself. It will take a while to get your feeding options and schedules correct for your pet, but the benefits far outway the little extra effort.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I have a diabetic cat. A diabetic cat also has moderate to severe renal issues. He was taking 2 shots of insulin a day - 15 units at a time - plus eating WD Weight Management pet food. Both of these items are not cheap and he still seemed to be urinating and drinking quite a bit. After doing research and beginning to feed homemade meals, he has reduced his insulin by 15 units a day and his drinking and urinating is back to almost normal. Baby food meats have been a very good source of protien for him, along with a small amount of carbohydrates and a small of amount of vegetables. ALL supplied by baby food. Check out this option with your veterinarian. It has worked wonders for our Smokey!!

Q: My dog will from time to time vomit - it ranges from a white froth to throwing up their last meal. He doesn't appear to be sick,as he continues to be active, but I just wondered what might be causing this and what I might be able to do to help him feel better.

A:This is a question that we receive many times in our office and, in most cases, the answer is fairly easy and painless for your animal. The first thing we like to do is to examine your pet for any underlying causes of their stomach upset (especially if they seem to not be feeling well in general). Once we have eliminated any serious problems, we then move on to the most common reason for vomiting in a pet. Dietary indiscretion. This can range from eating something they were not supposed to thru eating unhealthy, imbalanced diets.

First and foremost, you need to examine the type of foods you are feeding your pet. Since I have been working with Vickie Harris & Paws 4 Health, I have been reminding pet owners to consider cooking for their pet as an option, so that you will know EXACTLY what is going into the food that you are giving them. Whatever choice you make, make sure that it is an informed choice and what is best for your pets health. Just because a pet food "says" it contains certain ingredients or nutrients, does not mean that it actually does.

The next step is to consider probiotics for your pets. Dogs and cats alike have shown dramatic improvements in their digestion and overall health once introduced to probiotics. For more information, go to the following to view a one-page article on probiotics for your pets. http://www.flintriver.com/Probiotics-Healthy-Pet-Boost.htm