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Mike | 5 years ago
My Son’s Cat Tom, Is A Rescue We Have Had Approximately 12 Years, Putting His Age …

My Son’s cat Tom, is a rescue we have had approximately 12 years, putting his age about 13 to 13 1/2. Best cat I have ever had in my house! He thinks he is a member of the pack of 3 Jack Russells that run around here, and will not hesitate to stop one in it’s tracks to bathe them! For approximately the last 6 months he has developed a snoring noise, even when he is wide awake, and his local Vet says he has naso-pharyngeal polyps. Over the last month or so, he has had increasing difficulty swallowing his food. He has been on an Iams dry food for years and never had issues until no. We have switched to pulverizing the dry in a food processor and mixing it into some can foods he likes but he still eats very little at a time and always acts like he is starving. Having seen your videos of removing polyps from a cats throat area has led me to reaching out to you for help/advice. I certainly don’t want this cat to starve to death, and his discomfort is clear. Every local Vet I have contacted here in the Norfolk,Va. area has come back with estimates over $2000.00!!! I love this cat, but at 13 years old, I can’t do that and send my son to is first year of college. I am completely open to suggestions, and if need be, open to a 5 hour ride to see you.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    hello,
    I have to say that polyps (in my opinion) are less likely as cats age.
    Next, I do believe there are still vets out there willing and able to sedate/anesthetize a cat and look for a polyp. Please call all the vets you can and reach out to every shelter and rescue for advice on who they use. If, and when you find someone please (please!!!) add their names via the storylines section above so it can help someone down the road. If we dont start sharing info we will continue to lose options and affordable care.
    If all else fails I am happy to see your cat. call the clinic at 410-692-6171 and ask the receptionists to take your name and number. I cannot give advice over the phone, but I can arrange an appointment time for your cat to be seen so we can look for a polyp.
    There is someone closer to you, I am sure, its just finding them. I am appalled at how ridiculous vet med has become. No one will even look for these anymore? Why? Honestly I dont know?
    Please keep me posted and best of luck.
    krista

    1. Mike Post author

      After literally contacting over 40 Veterinary hospitals in our area, and in Northeast North Carolina and into central Virginia, still the lowest estimate is $2110.00 I have gone so far as contacting Virginia Tech School of Veterinary Medicine and N.C. State, and both require us to live within 35 miles of the school. I guess they are overwhelmed with people seeking help.

      His snorting, snoring, sounds are so bad he has cut back eating to maybe a bite or so per day. If I can make an appointment at your clinic, what type of bloodwork tests would I ask my local veterinarian to do and send the results to you ahead of time?

      He is a wonderful cat with a great personality and sadly to treat him here will end up being a death sentence, which is clearly not a treatment.

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Michael | 5 years ago
Am I House Training Properly? We Adopted A 6 Month Old Rat Terrier/collie Mix 2.5 Weeks Ago. …

Am I house training properly? We adopted a 6 month old rat terrier/collie mix 2.5 weeks ago. Monday-Friday I come home during lunch for water and a walk. He’s left without water for 4hrs at a time (8:30-12:30 and 1-5:30). I’m being very patient with making sure he has as much pee time as we can give him. Are the options to either continue walking him myself or hire a walker? I’d like to end the midday walks, but can’t leave him without water for 9 hours, right? What are my options for keeping everyone happy, keeping him hydrated and also keeping his crate and my apartment as urine-free as possible? Dog walkers can be expensive. $15/day means ~$300/month. I’ve debated asking the older (seemingly) retired ladies in my apartment complex to walk him for a fee.

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  1. Sarah

    Hi Michael???? we have never withheld water, and have never had accidents inside the house (unless we were still working on training or one of the dogs was ill) Having said that, I can say that routine is your best friend. Dogs like to keep their area clean and once they learn where to go, will most likely stay with that routine. At 6 months old, your dog should be able to go quite some time without having to toilet. 9 hours is too long though. I’m not sure of your daily schedule, but if you get a good long walk in before work, it is very possible to get a 6 hour block of time where your new pup will not need to bathroom and for a majority of those 6 hours (depending on how much activity/exercise you’ve given them during the morning walk) will be spent napping and calm. However, a good long walk is necessary after such a large chunk of time alone. There are also a lot of training videos that you might want to look at…. some that give you a set time,one, like 5 or 7 days. Very best of luck to you and your pup????????

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Kari | 5 years ago
Female Cat With Urinary Blockage

Hi, my female torti Dusty has bumps on her tongue… The vet had me give her doxycycline liquid and prednisone for 2 months… the bumps didn’t change, but while I was there, she also told me to stop giving her wet food. About a week or so ago I stopped her wet food (which is Sheba Perfect portions) and just gave her the puro a one sensitive stomach hard food she has been eating for 2 years (I was doing 50/50)… I noticed she is having issues peeing… no pain, but she takes me to see she is only peeing about a teaspoon or so and she does it very often… she isn’t showing any signs of pain or lethargy, and eating fine. I tried to feel around but not sure if I found a bladder or not, nothing feels hard and she only complains as much as usual so I don’t think anything hurts.
I’ve watched videos on expressing a bladder and catheterizing a male, but I can’t seem to find any info on females (still looking)… my mom’s dog had 3 bladder stones for over a month just peeing a few drops every time and then all of a sudden they just popped out so I’m trying to weigh the cost-benefit with the local vet. Today is Sunday and I wasn’t about to go emergency if she wasn’t in pain, but I’m still afraid they’ll want $500+ to do anything since just a physical with no blood tests or shots is over $100 and I’m sure they’ll want xrays, etc. I’m in Florida and I know vets here charge 2x-3x more than other places.

Any info will help
Female
Indoor
Shorthair
About 10 yrs young
No signs of sick/injured/pain

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    When it comes to cats displaying issues with urination we always worry most about urinary blockage, which can be life threatening. This is less common in female cats. A blocked cat will typically frequent the litter box (obsessively and continuously), and produce no, or very little urine. A cat with bladder inflammation will do the same but NOT typically have a full, hard, distended urinary bladder, which is why an exam by a vet is imperative. We cant tell the difference without an exam and usually a urinalysis.
    I have to admit that I never recommend dry over wet for cats. I just find that dry has no benefits.. Not teeth, certainly not weight, and for urinary issues wet it better as you can add water and start to diurese the urine.
    If your cat is calm and comfortable you can probably wait until morning to be seen.
    If all else failed you could ask the ER vet to just assess for blockage and then ask to be seen by your vet (assuming they can and will have time to see you) tomorrow. If her heart, temp, color, respiratory rate and bladder are all normal I bet they would have trouble saying that she isnt stable enough to wait a few hours.
    I always think it is important for pet parents to be proactive, but also provide an honest admission of budget and ask for assistance to make care affordable and accessible. We all owe our pet parents and patients that. Please let me know what happens. Good luck

  2. Kari Post author

    Thank you. Yes, the only thing is her lack of pee. Today I put her back on the wet food and added water and her pee doubled this last time. Also, since everything I read seemed to say blood in urine, and she wants me to watch her pee, I took a paper towel and put it under her and her pee came out colorless… not red, or even yellow , but the paper towel looks like I put water on it…I will not it is a stronger smell than I would expect, smells like pee, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed her pee have a smell before (maybe because I never had her pee on a paper towel before, I dunno)
    Tomorrow I plan to take her in, they were good about seeing her same day when I took her in for a checkup (2nd trip to a vet in her life…1st was her spray trip when she was about a year old) hopefully they won’t rake me over the coals.
    Also I found a video that says to add ACV and water to the food and I happened to have some here so I added it…and she still ate half of it it (I was surprised because she can be picky)…

    While I’ve got your attention, since one reason they say in the videos is stress, my husband thinks this may have been caused by my recently changing them to a litter kwitter as I have started toilet training them.. Can holding it in cause a problem? And what are your thoughts on toilet training cats?

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Jessica | 5 years ago
Hi I Just Recently Became A Mommy To A Blue Nosed Pit Bull. The Person We …

Hi I just recently became a mommy to a blue nosed pit bull. The person we got her from lied to us about her age. I came to find out she is only 4 weeks old. She was already weaned off of her mom’s milk for the most part when he got her. The “breeder” was feeding her an entire can of wet pedigree dog did with kibble mixed in. I knew right away that was horribly wrong. I went to pet smart and bought the ready made formula to start her back on. I went home and immediately tried to get her to drink it. She refused to drink any formula. She was starting to act lethargic and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the car ride home or her lack of eating so I added a small spoonful of wet puppy food and mixed it in with the formula. She immediately began to devour it. When I brought her home that same day her poop was normal and formed. The next night she began to have dark diarrhea. It was squirting out of her poor little butt. She’s been doing that for 2 days now. I called JV yesterday(Saturday) and spoke to a receptionist. She recommend continuing the formula and adding puppy kibble in and letting it soften for her to eat. I went out yesterday and bought Purina pro plan puppy food. She began that around 4 pm yesterday. She wasn’t drinking water up until yesterday but she is now. So de starting the kibble and formula mix her diarrhea is not so runny anymore but in 2 bathroom breaks back to back I did notice some blood spotting in her poop. It’s not a lot, it’s literally a few spots mixed in. Is that something I need to be concerned with? Do I need to bring her in to the walk in clinic today or should I wait longer to see if her poop begins to become normal again? She is sleeping a lot but I was told that she will do that for her age? When she isn’t sleeping she will run around and play, wag her little tail, she has 2 stuffed animals that she will playfully bite and drag around.
My question after giving you this info is should I bring her in to the vet? I know she can’t have any shots yet but I’m worried she is sick and don’t want her to die on me. ????

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I hope the receptionist told you to consider the ER. I cannot tell you if she is stable, or healthy enough to wait to come in at 1. I do always have to caution people with illness , any kind of change in behavior or fecal output and the tiny babies like you have are even more fragile. I think that if you are worried you are safest going to the ER.. I also know that in some cases I have to refer the patients I see on Sunday to the ER as we cannot provide the in patient care that we need to provide them,
    Please keep me posted. I really hope that everything is ok. I would also hope that you call the appropriate authorities to report the breeder. Most people are not as kind and able as you are to care for a neonate.

    krista

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Elizabeth Adkins | 5 years ago
Dr Magnifico, My Mother In Law Has Been Feeding About 6-8 Feral Cats For About 10 Years. …

Dr Magnifico, My mother in law has been feeding about 6-8 feral cats for about 10 years. Some of them we’ve brought to JVC clinic for vetting and snipping. She now has terminal cancer and dementia. She has for the last year been letting 2 of them into her house. They use the litter box and sleep in her house although she’s never touched them. She is about to be admitted to Gilcrest for end of life care and these cats will no longer be able to come inside. We will still go feed them but eventually the house will be sold. We are wondering if you have any suggestions on what to do with these cats. They are all very healthy, just not young anymore and need to find homes.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Im sorry to hear about your mom. I think the best thing to do is to call Jenn, my office manager tomorrow and explain all of these. We have some resources available that might be able to help. I also think that you should start posting on Facebook and Nextdoor.com. Reach out to everyone you know.

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Catherine | 5 years ago
We Recently Got A 5 Month Old Great Dane. She Was In Several Homes Before We Got …

We recently got a 5 month old Great Dane. She was in several homes before we got her. She wants nothing to do with us and after 4 days of working with her she refuses to go outside and growls when I come near her, but she continues to lay down. She will not take treats from me either. I want to try to make this work but don’t know how to gain her trust. I’ve tried setting and talking to her.. ignoring her… positive reinforcement.. petting her when she comes up to me but all she wants to do tonight is lay there and growl at me. I would love some help and don’t think I can wait to get a trainer to come.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thank you for giving this girl a chance. I guess I’m a little confused abo to how you manage the bathroom and what, if anything, she has had that has worked. I would start by calling everyone and anyone you can think of. Including the breeder. And start asking for resources to help. I also think this is a long and slow road in some cases so you really have to be prepared for that. And understand that each failure sets her back immensely. So I hope that you can find help. She is afraid. The only way to treat that is with time and patience and absolute dedication. There aren’t any tricks of fast cures here. Use everything you can to gain trust. Treats. Food. Anything. Some dogs will respond to other dogs. Some respond to men or women or no talking and just reassuring rewards. But it all takes time. I don’t know how you started out but I’m worried that it left you little negotiating room. We always start with an assessment. A leash walk. Understanding them. And train from there. It sounds like you need help. So please start calling. But please be vet upfront about only using positive reinforcement. It sounds like all of her previous experience might have been brute force and domination training which is part of the reason she already has trust issues. Also call a Great Dane rescue and see if they can help. I hope the others answer too.

    1. Catherine Post author

      Thanks, I tried a rescue, they weren’t much help. All they said was to get a trainer and they didn’t know any in the area. She was letting my husband carry her outside and once out she would walk with him, if I try to join them she doesn’t want anything to do with me. He’s away for work tonight and she won’t do anything for me despite taking my time and talking to her, trying to give her treats and feeding her. She went to bite when I was going to put the leash on. I try to let her have her space except for going out that’s the only thing I “force “ her to do. And when I take her out we go at her pace and as soon as she’s ready I let her go back in. (She let me take her out this morning)

  2. Sarah

    Good morning-
    Thank you so much for helping her. This is going to take a lot of time and patience. I would talk to my vet and find a reputable dog behaviorist that will come to your home. It will be time and money well spent. They will be able to see everything both you guys and your dog are doing and be able to assess the entire situation. This will make it possible for them to give you specific guidelines on how to help you and your dog. Until you can get a behaviorist out there- again I cannot stress that enough- I would start with walks. Walks help enforce a good bond and trust. This dog obviously has trust issues, and until she trusts you, you’re at a bit of a stand still with any other behavior changes. If your husband is the one she seems to trust more, he might have to take the reigns on this to start out and slowly you will have to incorporate yourself. On the flip side, if he is away, you’ve no choice but to try to find a way to bond with this girl on your own- which is quite possible. It will just take time to figure out what will help her let you in. Just know that time is key. Having said all of this, please know that it is a long road but definitely possible. Our household is living proof of that and what was once our most difficult rescue has turned into the best dog we have ever had????

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Lydia Schlitzkus | 5 years ago
Riachu: A 7 Year Old Male Cat That Needed To Be Unblocked
Treatment Cost (USD): $782.00
Riachu presented with trouble urinating and blood in the urine. After an examination and some bloodwork and a urinalysis, it was determined that he had a urinary blockage.
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Lydia Schlitzkus | 5 years ago
Ebony: A 7 Year Old Cat That Underwent An Exploratory Surgery
Treatment Cost (USD): $451.00
Ebony presented with wounds that needed to be addressed. She was also urinating outside of the litter box. After addressing the wounds and taking some bloodwork, it was determined that an exploratory procedure would be the next step in helping Ebony. This was being done to look any remaining hernias or to spay her if she was not spayed already.
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Lydia Schlitzkus | 5 years ago
Meet Skittles: A 5 Year Old Feline With A Pyometra
Treatment Cost (USD): $733.00
Skittles presented with abdominal swelling. After an examination it was determined that she had an infected uterus or pyometra. Because of the deadlines of this condition, it was determined that she needed to have surgery as soon as possible.
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Lydia Schlitzkus | 5 years ago
Magnus: Routine Neuter And Gastropexy
Treatment Cost (USD): $863.00
Magnus came in for a routine neuter and gastropexy (stomach tacking) procedure.
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