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Hi, I have an elderly female cat. She is 16 yrs. old and she is on thyroid medication. She is very thin and is an indoor cat. She hasn't had any shots for a few years because of her age and has been eating the same food for years. She doesn't seem to drink excessively and her stools look normal. The problem is last night she had mucus and clear liquid coming from her rectum. Do you have any suggestions? Because of her age we are unsure about getting too many tests done on her. Thank you.
You might want to have her thyroid levels checked as the medication can cause some side effects if she is getting to large a dose. A little blood pull is all the vet should have to do.
Mucousy stool can be caused by food intolerance also but since she hasn't had any issues with that up till now I would suspect the medication first. If not, it could be that because of her advanced age she might not be tolerating the same food as well.
This is something you should discuss with your vet but I would definitely have a medication check first.
Vaccinations are not something I would worry about at this point.
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Answers by Expert:
Jana Connell RVT, CVT
Expertise
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!
Experience
I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina.
I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.
Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.
Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT.
Certified Veterinary Dental Technician
Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).
Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.
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