Santa Cruz, Galapagos
Copito, a six month old kitten, was brought into the Darwin Animal Doctors’ clinic due to a fracture of the femur. Such a fracture is particularly dangerous as the femur is a very crucial large bone. Copito was hospitalized so that the Doctors could give the little kitten everything he needed to make a full recovery.
Not long into his hospitalization, the team of Doctors noticed that there was more going on with Copita than just his femur fracture. Dr. Natasja recognized Copito’s syndromes from a previous case she had treated in one of her own rescue cats. The six month old kitten was suffering from something called “secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism”, also known as “all meat syndrome”. This disease develops in cats when they are fed a diet of only meat and fish without a good calcium source. This lack of calcium was also what lead to the fractured femur, as calcium is essential for the maintenance of strong and healthy bones.
The Doctors informed Copito’s carers of his condition and the cause of it. The family were unaware of the dangers of only feeding a growing kitten meat and fish, thinking that they had been giving him the best food possible. The family immediately agreed to change Copito over to a diet of nutritionally balanced cat food, something our Doctors always advise to our clients.
A poor diet can cause a lot of problems for animals – just like it can for humans. It is essential to feed your animal a balanced and healthy diet. If you are choosing a special diet for your pet, please always check with a medically qualified veterinary professional to see if the diet has everything your four-legged friend needs.
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