A few weeks ago, I adopted a kitten from the Animal Care and Control Center of New York City (The Manhattan Branch) and was told that the kitten I was adopting was 8 weeks old. Over the next 2 weeks, my poor Jackie (as I named her) was getting sick. She was throwing up, not drinking enough water, she was sluggish and a few times there was blood in her poo. I made an appointment for the closest animal hospital to my apartment, and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. Though it may look like another store front on Steinway St. from the outside, you walk through sliding doors and are suddenly in a small but modern, high tech veterinary hospital. The lobby offers lots of info for your pets health, and even when you first visit, give you three options as to the care of your pet 1) Please do anything regardless of cost to help my pet 2) Please first give me an estimate and 3) Please give me exact prices and allow me to shop around until anything is done. These options are quite helpful, considering that while many people would do anything to help their pets, not everyone can afford it. The Dr. I visited immediately informed me that my kitten was not at all 8 weeks of age, that for her weight, hair, teeth etc. she was only about 5 weeks old, and weened of of milk to early, and probably not used to solid foods at all (no wonder she was getting sick!) He said shelters often lie about the ages of animals so that they can be adopted out quicker. It was very helpful, and while they did suggest further tests to find other causes, it was reassuring to know that the Dr. there had such great experience caring for animal, that he could see the cause right away.
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