On This Page:
Introduction to metabolic diseases.
A healthy body requires that all the organs in the body are working well and working in harmony. The spleen, the gall bladder, the liver, the pancreas, the adrenal glands, the bone marrow, the thyroid glands ... and so forth ... all have important metabolic jobs.
Any of these organs can become dysfunctional or diseased. And that's the subject of the following pages:
Diseases of the Spleen
Bone Marrow Diseases
Immune Mediated Disease
Sex Hormone Diseases
On Other Pages:
Clients who think cats trigger asthma in children might be mistaken
I thought this was interesting:
A study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found that high levels of cat allergen decrease the risk of asthma
by altering the body's immune response to cats. Researchers measured the levels of antibodies in children and found that although low-to-medium amounts of cat allergen trigger allergies, high amounts reduce immunoglobulin antibodies and the likelihood of asthma.
For more information, visit
For more information about asthma and other respiratory diseases in pets; go to our Respiratory Page
"Esse Quam Videri" from Cicero's Essay on Friendship: To be rather than to seem.
Something Unrelated to Metabolic Disease
...but
Is This Stuff True?
In Lebanon, men are legally allowed to have sex with animals, but the
animals must be female. Having sexual relations with a male animal is
punishable by death. (Like THAT makes sense.)
2. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman's genitals, but is
prohibited from looking directly at them during the examination.
He may only see their reflection in a mirror. (Makes you hope you never need
surgery!)
3. Muslims are banned from looking at the genitals of a corpse. This also applies to undertakers; the sex organs of the deceased must be covered with a brick or piece of wood at all times. (A brick??)
4. The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation. (Whoa!)
5. There are men in Guam whose full time job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins, who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the first time...Reason: under Guam law, it is expressly forbidden for virgins to marry. (Let's just think for a minute; is there any job anywhere else in the world that even comes close to this?)
6. In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands. The husband's lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired. (Ah! Justice!)
7. Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England - but only in tropical fish stores. (But of course!)
8. In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens, her mother must be in the room to witness the act. (Makes one shudder at the thought.)
9. In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman and her daughter at the same time. (This was a big enough problem that they had to pass this law?)
10. In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only "in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the
premises." (Is this a great country or what? ... Not as great as Guam,
though!!)
Introduction to
Metabolic Diseases
Metabolism is the magic and wonder of what goes on inside our organs and their cells.
Each organ ... the kidneys, the liver, the pancreas, the spleen, the adrenal glands, the sex organs, the gall bladder, the thyroid glands, the bone marrow, and
the immune system ... all have special functions in the body.
And when these organs get out of whack all kinds of things start going wrong in the body ... often one thing after another ... because as you might imagine, every function is inter-related.
In the study of medicine, we tend to study one organ system at a time for ease of understanding, but when one organ stops doing it's job well for whatever reason, you can be sure the rest of the body will be affected. Sometimes we forget this.
That said, it IS easier to discuss each organ disease separately, so this page is:
1. A directory to other pages discussing particular problems.
The list of links to our pages about each metabolic problems is at your left, below, and also at the top of this page.
2. A discussion about laboratory testing... our number one tool for detecting and monitoring metabolic diseases
3. Some humor and some great pictures towards the bottom of the page
A Directory of Metabolic Diseases:
Addison's disease or Hypoadrenalcorticism: one of the many major diseases that make your pet nauseated, weak, and lethargic. It's a treatable disease, but your vet won't know your pet has this disease unless you permit him or her to do some blood work. Click here to go to our page about Addison's disease.
Cushing's disease or Hyperadrenalcorticism: a hormonal disease that causes skin problems, bloat, excessive appetite, inability to fight off infections, muscle weakness, and excessive drinking and urination. Cushing's patients often also have diabetes and other problems a the same time. Once again, blood work is needed to make the diagnosis. Click here to go to our page about Cushing's disease.
Liver disease: Very common in both cats and dogs as either a primary problem or in combination with other problems. In other words, the liver is almost always affected in the negative by other diseases. Medications and anesthetics also affect the liver. And when the liver is sick, typical symptoms include weight loss, no appetite, nausea, poor digestion, poor general health, and lethargy. Yes, blood work is our main diagnostic tool. Click here to go to our page about liver disease in dogs and cats.
Pancreatic Diseases: The pancreas are responsible for making insulin. Other cells in the pancreas make enzymes that aid in digestion. When the pancreas doesn't do it's job well, this results in either diabetes or pancreatic insufficiency. Infection or inflammation of the pancreas ... a very common problem ... results in pancreatitis. Cancer of the pancreas is luckily much less common, but pancreatic cancer is very serious. Click here for details about pancreatitis and pancreatic insufficiency. For diabetes ... see below.
Diabetes: Common in both cats and dogs.
Heat Stroke and Body Temperature Problems: Pretty important stuff when you think about it.
Kidney Disease: The number one cause of death in older cats and dogs. (number 2 in humans)
Anemia: The bones do more than just support your body. They're also metabolic factories that make red blood cells for carrying oxygen as well as white blood cells needed for fighting infections. Anemia and other Bone Marrow Diseases:
Immune Symtem Diseases ... coming soon
Sex Hormone and Growth Hormone Disease: ...coming soon
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