What does DSH mean?

Our question this week was:

Hi Dr. Debra – What does DSH mean on my cats chart? It says my cats name “Sweetie” then her age – which is 6 months old then it has DSH?

Confused in Kansas – Sweeties Mama.

Answer

Hi there Sweeties Mama– thanks for your email. Veterinarians and medical personnel in general toss around a lot of abbreviations. DSH is an example of one.

DSH means “Domestic Short Hair” or “Domestic Short-Haired” which is a type of common short haired cat. Most cats in this country are “mutts” and not purebred cats. They are commonly classified as domestic short-haired (DSH), domestic medium-haired (DMH) and domestic long-haired (DLH). The two most commonly used classifications is DSH and DLH.

Here are a couple articles that might be of interest:

Choosing a Domestic Longhair
Choosing a Domestic Shorthair

Regards,

Dr. Debra

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