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Ask Dr. Universe veterinarian
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How do sedatives work (like for endoscopy)? – Zara, 11, Colorado

Dear Zara,

I love visiting the vet. But, like many cats, sometimes I need medicine to keep me calm.

I talked about that with my friend Lais Malavasi. She’s a veterinarian at Washington State University.

She told me about two kinds of calming medicine. Vets and human doctors use them to reduce pain and fear.

Sedatives make patients feel relaxed and sleepy. But they’re mostly aware of what’s going on. When the medicine wears off, they’ll probably have fuzzy memories.

Anesthesia makes patients unconscious. They can’t feel pain or move. They aren’t aware of what’s going on. When they wake up, they won’t … » More …

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Dr. Universe: Why do dogs and cats spin around before they sit down? – Antonio, 10, Richmond, Va.

Dear Antonio, That’s a great observation about cats and dogs. Even I wasn’t sure why cats spin around before they sit down, so I took your question to my friend Dr. Jessica Bell. She is a veterinarian at the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and has seen quite a few cats and dogs walk in a little circle before they sit down. “It’s a common thing we observe as veterinarians, but we can't talk to cats and dogs and ask them ‘why,’” she said. “From a behavioral standpoint, it probably stems back to their wild instinct.” Read More ...