And so I think, help our v- our listeners to know, you know, when does constipation go from something that can be manageable at home to this needs a vet?

Well, part of that is predicated on your cat's behavior, isn't it? I mean, the, the, the, the fear that I have as a veterinarian who's been around the block a time or two is that the stress that I create by throwing a kitty into a box, tossing that said box into a car, driving 15 minutes to your local veterinarian, and then going through an examination, examination process, I don't think that does wonders for the ca- for the cat patients in my care and their stress.

And so I am a believer in, as long as a cat is enjoying their quality of life at home and eating well and drinking relatively well, then I, I believe that our first responsibility is try to, you know, help that cat in the comfort of their own home.

But what I would tell you is that from a constipation perspective, there really, the, the three biggest concerns that always cross my mind whenever I run into a constipated cat are, you know, the infamous relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and lymphoma in kitties can be creating just simply a thickening of the intestinal wall, and as that intestinal wall thickens, you lose the diameter to poop through.

It's not rocket science there.

I worry about dehydration, and the most common player for me as a, as a veterinarian is kidney disease in these older cats.

And then the final component of constipation cases, of, of physical constipation cases, is, uh, orthopedic disease, and you alluded to bone spurs in the foot or, uh, you know, or, or whatever the case may be.

And so for the, tell us a little bit about that and, you know, for the average cat guardian, what's really relevant today and what might still be emerging or experimental?

Yes

... human longevity, the human immune suppressant, has been proven to be a game changer for these sick cats.

But I wanna take a step back really quickly and put rapamycin in context, because so many people come to me, Tracy, and say, "Listen, I want my dog or my cat to live longer.

Will you send me rapamycin?" And yes, we can, we can talk about that, for sure.

But I would submit to you that there are really four different approaches that, uh, you know, kind of act as the stools of the longevity... or excuse me-

Okay

... and that is that if you and I lived in the same house in, um, in, in southern Vermont, and we bought a puppy, one of the ways that we can safeguard that puppy's longevity-Is to not have stairs, is to not have tile or hardwood floors in that home.

Because every time the typical dog goes up and down a set of stairs, or jumps off of a sofa, or slips and falls as mom or dad come home and they're running to the front door, the reality is those, those, the damage to your pet's joints, the damage to your pet's spine, is cumulative.

Let's talk about what your recommended, uh, activity for animals are.

Absolutely.

And so that's the reason that I'd asked about, about your girl's weight.

Uh, because s- small dogs and cats are prone to one set of risks and, and large breed dogs are prone to another.

And in particular, the, the disease that many old dog...

Excuse me.

Let me try that again.

[laughs]