I am agonizing over the hardest decision we have as pet parents…euthanasia. Our 12 1/2 year standard schnauzer has been having various behaviors and symptoms the past 6 -8 weeks. Excessive panting, fatigue, decreased appetite. We brought him in and he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He finished all his meds and we brought him back in for follow up X-ray and labs. He really wasn’t much better. X-ray confirmed pneumonia had cleared but lab work, which had been normal 2 weeks prior, now showed probable pancreatitis. He has declined rapidly the past 3 days. We are trying to get him to take meds, Pepcid, Cerenia, Carafate but we literally have to force them down his throat. He will not eat and I have tried everything , rice, scrambled eggs, bread, even doughnuts He is isolating, going upstairs instead of being with us. He still has labored breathing, his legs give out, he is restless. He has a strange odor. I have had dogs my whole life and all this points to end of life. I know this in my heart. When do you know when is the right time? I really was hoping he would pass naturally. Thank you for listening

Hey everyone. My sweet baby girl Ellie May is 11 going on 12 and has IVDD with back leg paralysis. The funny thing is that overtime she has been able to sometimes memory walk which resembles a raccoon on our carpet and can even kick her back feet when you carry her. She’s unable to urinate on her own so I do that for her and have for years. She has a wheelchair, her own playpen and even her own stroller because she is my diva child.

Last weekend little miss decided to jump from her stroller because she was too impatient to see what I was cooking in the kitchen. She didn’t help or anything and has even done this before and it doesn’t phase her but about gives me a stroke. Last Sunday morning I was getting her out of bed and she yelped and when I gently sat her on the floor to get her morning drink before tinkle time she flopped out on her left side. Since then she has weakness In the front and she knuckles the foot but can still put pressure but is hard to get around and will cry in pain and breathes heavier. She’s a dachshund so we all know their attitude and behaviors.

I called my veterinarian and it has been a back and forth battle the ENTIRE week and I haven’t actually spoken to the vet just desk people who apparently don’t like to pass messages or do anything really. I totally understand how busy a farm vet practice is but some communication would be nice. Thankfully I had some gabapentin left from her sister Miley’s dental and have been doing that twice a day but the dose is in half as she weighs less than Miley. When they did call me back they said yes what I was doing was fine as I’m also doing crate rest. I’ve done this dance before with my girl so we know what to do. From the start she wasn’t a candidate for surgery they said since she had already lost function In her legs. But with my love and care she bounced back within 2 weeks and then slipped again a few weeks later and has been without full use since.

I expressed my concern she could have slipped a front, they don’t seem all too worried,really????? Now my hubby and I have a game plan that as long as Ellie has the will to fight and live then so do we but the second she is truly suffering we will not allow her to deal with that. I’ve had so many folks wonder why we have a special girl and didn’t just put her down, I respond with would you shoot your own child if he broke his leg and couldn’t play sports again? You don’t give up on your dogs. If anything she has more attitude being my handy girl. We call her the sheriff of tiny town. I called my vet yet again yesterday to try and get in for a steroid injection and some nsaids and they just don’t seem to pass the message. So tomorrow I’m calling as their hours are 8a-12pm and if they can’t get me in then praying that at least doc can call the meds in for her. As a mama of an IVDD baby I’m familiar with the drill. Thank you for letting me vent.

We are ordering a secondary pop up playpen for her for when we are upstairs and when we are downstairs . Also ordering a raised bowl set so she isn’t angling her head down, I’ve rolled up blankets into the open areas in her playhouse so she is more secure and comfortable. Are there any other IVDD parents out there? Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated

My 10 year old cat has a giant nasal polyp. I took him to a specialist and they said he needs a bulla osteotomy, and possibly a double as he may have it growing on both sides. My question is if you are able to do that surgery, along with a CT scan, and if so what is the earliest appointment I can get in. (“You” meaning Dr. Magnifico at the Jarretsville Vet Center). Bc he now can not eat due to the obstruction of everything, he still wants to eat and tries to everyday but it is too difficult to swallow and it kills me that this superficial thing may actually kill my otherwise healthy cat. My other option is to get the CT scan here, along with a feeding tube, to help bridge the gap for me to get an appointment with you. Any help or suggestions I would appreciate. If you need any other info just ask. I could ramble endlessly telling you everything but I’m trying to be as concise as possible. Thank you for your help.

My female sealpoint siamese cat, Lika, has been constipated. She is 16 years old and has historically eated Science Diet dry cat food. She turns her nose up at canned foid; I have tried many. I have tried putting mineral oil on her treats and she would sometimes eat them but now will not, at all. She is still eating and she drinks a lot of water. She is active, bright, and seems to usually be in no distress. Her abdomen does not feel hard or distended. She vomits on occasion after which she sometimes poops. For the past two weeks she has been straining as if to poop but nothing comes out. I gave her an enema 4 days ago and it was successful. She had not pooped since, so I gave her another enema today, with success but with not as much poop obtained as there should have been after 4 days. Her stool is very hard. I would like to know if I can give her liquid docusate sodium , which I can buy in the grocery store and if so, how much can I give to my 5 lb. cat. How do I administer it? I would not want her to aspirate any medicine I’d give her. I am trying to avoid large vet bills because of my financial situation and bevause Lika is an old cat and I prefer to avoid any major costly intervention(s).

Can I help my 2 yr old cat to pee by removing the sludge, massaging him and drain him slowly? and putting a catheter myself once he’s sedated?

My dog (beagle, 4yr) has been diagnosed with potential IVDD. Vet provided meds for 2 weeks to see if there is improvement.

She is still able to walk, eat and urinate/poop normally. However, when she gets spasms in her neck, you can see she is in pain and she cries.

Is there anything else I can do to release her pain? Massage? Ice pack? Heat pack?

Also, the Vet did not say that I needed to crate her. She is pretty much always laying down, getting up when she wants to go out to pee or to eat. Should I still crate her? She is not used to it so I’m afraid she will try to fight out.

We have had our puppy for one week. He is nine weeks old. He started having soft stool yesterday and today it is diarrhea. What can we do and does he need to see a vet?

My cat had a polyp according to the xray, but veterinarian could not find it when he was going to remove it. He tells us to go to a specialist but it’s too expensive for us. What can we do?

7y/0 M golden retriever had mass removed near spine. Incision site was relatively large and is healing quite nicely . Since about day 5 post op he has had a sac of fluid underneath the skin (diagnosed by vet as seroma). After 2 fine needle aspirations, 2 rounds of anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic, the seroma has not gone down in size. He has been very minimally active (just goes out to use potty). Seroma has not reduced size and vet said it is ok to ease back into routine.

Any advice on how long this will last and if playing with buddies at park (he wrestles his one best friend) will delay healing? It seems no activity is not helping the swelling anyway.

Just want my pup to have a bit more fun during the day he’s been isolated for over one month!

My 3 year old male cat had emergency urinary tract obstruction. Luckily we very able to get him to teh hospital on time. He stayed 2 nights in hospital (super expensive). All went well and he was back home on Friday. Eating well, purring, playing, sleeping. He also goes and pee in litter box, but also is peeing small amounts around house. Like he cannot hold it. I just hope that is because of sensitive urethra and relaxation medication that they gave him. I stopped that relaxation medication immediatelly.

Another worry is he also has not been able to poop. He ppooped in hospital last time on Friday and today is Monday morning. I am thinking because of brand new urinary food that he started eating and his stomach needs to adjust. Or maybe antibiotics.
I hope he is OK and that this is just healing process. Ut has been only 2 days since catheter was pulled out. I am worried so much here.