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Pawbly | 9 years ago
I Had A 6 Year Old Female Rabbit. The Day We Noticed These Symptoms Was…

I had a 6 year old female rabbit. The day we noticed these symptoms was the day we had to put her down unfortunately. When we saw her she was holding her head up constantly and only one side of her nose was twitching which wasn’t twitching properly in itself. She didn’t eat a single thing or drink anything that day despite our attempts. I called her and she was all over the place trying to walk, not steady at all, she was staying in one position. Once I lifted her up I noticed blood spots on her bottom but there didn’t seem to be any in the litter tray. Very lethargic and not responding to anything. As I said, I made the choice to have her put down. The vet did say she felt masses in the abdomen on her initial examination but we didn’t find out what was actually wrong. Any suggestions or answers would be much appreciated!

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  1. Kelly Furgason

    Hi Beth,
    I’m sorry for the loss of your rabbit.
    It’s very hard to say what may have been wrong with your rabbit. Since you said your vet did feel masses, I’d tend to believe that was most likely the cause of her having these issues. Most likely if  she felt masses, there may have been other issues as well that she just couldn’t see or feel. She could have had a mass rupture internally and that may have caused her odd head symptoms and lack of wanting to eat.

    Rabbits of course need to constantly eat or else their digestive symptoms start to shut down so once she’s to the point of not eating then it’s usually a downhill battle. It would have been interesting to get a necropsy done on her, but that would have been costly depending on your vet. Some vets will do it for free just for learning purposes.
    Again, very sorry for your loss.
    ~kelly

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
The Baby Squirrel Seemed To Chew Cardboard. Now It Doesn’t Drink Milk. Most…

the baby squirrel seemed to chew cardboard. now it doesn’t drink milk. most likely to sleep. can’t even walk properly.

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  1. chethi devini

    I was going to take it to the vet today but realized it was too late.. Thank you for your help btw.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Thought It Was Some Dog Treats So We Threw Out The Treats But That Was…

Thought it was some dog treats so we threw out the treats but that was 2 days ago and he threw up again today. I feed him half can wet and a cup and a half dry, all Pedigree brand.

3 Responses

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  1. Kelly

    Hi Beth,

    Sorry your dog isn’t feeling well. It’s definitely a good idea to go see your vet when vomiting happens routinely or more than once. It could have been the treats, but who knows. Try offering boiled chicken and rice, or withhold food for the day and offer tomorrow and see if things change. Did you change the regular food that he’s getting , that could be it too, unless you have kept that the same. To be safe, I’d go see your vet.

    good luck!

    ~Kelly

  2. Beth Spicer

    Thanks Kelly, the only thing I’ve done in the past month and a half was start adding dry food to his diet. For years my boyfriend only gave him wet food so I started to slowly introduce dry to him and it’s been fine so I don’t think it’s that, in fact he eats the dry by itself and likes it. We did just recently move and I’m not sure if maybe he eat something in a neighbors yard…

  3. Kelly

    Hi Beth, ahh,,could be the move/neighbors yard…maybe monitor him when he’s outside and see if he’s eating any plants or bugs? Our dog always throws up from eating stink bugs lately. Good luck!!

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Shiria | 9 years ago
Hello,

I’m From Germany And I Have A Queastion Regarding My Ca. 25 Year Old Cat…

Hello,

I’m from Germany and I have a queastion regarding my ca. 25 year old cat. Her true age is unknown as we got her from a shelter. She was in good health and my vet couldn’t believe her age.
She was diagnosed with pancratic cancer in October 2014. It was a random find, as she didn’t show any symtoms.
It was already around 5x4cm in size and I decided for surgery with the option of putting her down if it looked to bad.

The tumor was a solid mass in the pancreas. Small nodules were found in the surrounding tissue, but alls the other organs looked fine. The tumor was removed, which was easy duw to not being connected too much to the surrounding tissue.
My vet told me that the prognosis was still poor, with most patiens not surviving more than 6 months after diagnosis.

Whisky woke up normally and had no problems with eating/digesting afterwards. She was totally fine until after 10 months – in July 2015 – a new small tumour was found, around the size of a cherry.
We decided to wait how fast it will grow, as she still showd no signs or symptoms.
Las Friday on August the 8 I could feel that the tumour had grown fast – now back to old size. I drove to the vet and he confirmed that.
I knew if it grew so fats she would only have around one month more if it would start to cause her pain, so I decided for surgery again. She still was fine, always wanting no live and don’t show signs of old age.

This time it looked bad. Upon opening her up she already hat blood in her abdomen. The tumour was necrotic, starting with „tyrosis“ and half of the pancras was infected. The tumor started to fall apart when he touched it. Addiotionally not only th surrounding tissue had metastases, also the peritoneum now had some nodules. The other organs still looked fine. My vet said it looked very bad, normally he would put her down now, as the progmosis now was more than poor.

I still wanted to try it, and he did his best. Sadly she died during the wake up phase. Most likely it started bleeding again and she died of blood loss.

My vet told me that she would have died during the next days either way due to blood loss and infection during the next days. I now ask myself if she would still life if I didn’t have decided for surgery.
Or is what my vet said right and she would have died the next days either way, with that thing falling apart inside her. I trust my vet, but I have the feeling that I’m resposible for her death, that I have killed her somehow.

If needed I can provide pictures of the masses.

Thanks a lot for reading this wall of text!

Shiria

2 Responses

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  1. Kelly Furgason

    HI Shiria,
    First, very sorry to hear your cat died. My thoughts and sympathies are with you.

    When a pet dies like this, it is normal for us to think it was our fault, or something we could have prevented. It sounds like you went above and beyond with vet care and did everything you could have done for your cat. Surgery is always risky, but so is choosing to not do it and see what happens.

    I’d take comfort in knowing that you gave this kitty a longer life by helping her the best you could.
    I’m sure that your cat would have wanted to have every option at living and it sounds like that is what you gave her. It sounds like from what your vet found inside of her, that she was very very sick. Like you said, she seemed fine and didn’t show any signs of old age. But animals are not like people, they hide illness very well till the bitter end. She sounds like she was a wonderful kitty.
    I’m sorry things didn’t work out and sorry for your loss,
    ~kelly

  2. Shiria Post author

    Thanks a lot for your answer! It helps me a bit… In my head I know that most vets would have put her down after that finding inside of her… and that alone from what it looked like it had to be painful.

    But still, there is that voice that tells me “you should have taken her home and made her the best days she ever had”. She would still be here,,, I could still cuddle her, hear her voice, feel her next to me. Yes maybe she would have died the next time either way, but I would have time to say good bye. While this maybe is true, how would she have died? Alone and in pain while I’m at work? That is not what I would want for her…
    And than there is that tiny voice that tells me, that maybe her body would have found a way to build down that tumor and stop the bleeding, that maybe she would have weeks or months…

    My head knows that the possibility for this is near zero… Maybe making her some good last days would have been the most logic decision… maybe I would have felt better… Or maybe I would ask myself then, that she maybe would have survived surgery if I had just tried it.

    I guess no matter what my decision would have been, I would have felt guilty… I just want to know if my decision was right. And there is no definitive way of telling that…

    Thanks so much for reading my long text… It somehow helps me to talk to people that udnerstand the pain…

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Our Vets Suggests Euthanasia( We’ve Been Saying No To That).He Is Eating Minimally, But At…

our vets suggests euthanasia( we’ve been saying no to that).He is eating minimally, but at least he eats. he’s on IV fluid. He’s 1 year and 8 months old miniature pinscher.

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  1. Cartly Co

    There are ups and downs. there are days he’s doing good but other times he’s really sick. We would never give up, we love him. Do you have any idea about the signs of recovery? like the hardening of his pad foot?

    Thanks for the reply. we’ve been regretting about not having enough thought of giving him vaccines. Thanks again, best of luck!

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
She’s Eating And Drinking Fine, She Is Making Nest, Is This Normal For All Mice…

She’s eating and drinking fine, she is making nest, is this normal for all mice? Her weight gain is just around her belly area.

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  1. Kelly

    Hi Charlotte,

    Mice usually are jumpy/twitchy but without seeing your mouse, it’s hard to say what is going on. It could just be a normal mouse moving.

    If she’s eating and drinking she is probably fine. YES, mice , all mice make nests, usually quite large one’s too. Add some paper towel or toilet paper tubes and she will have a ball shredding them up. Sounds like she may be pregnant. If she is, you will soon find baby mice! They are only pregnant for a few weeks before having babies and they can have around 7-14 babies.

    Enjoy your new mouse!

    ~Kelly

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Why Is My Dog Licking Her Paws Raw?

Why is my dog licking her paws raw?

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  1. Jana

    Which ones? Most often it can be from allergies or secondary infection. I believe, though, that sometimes it can be neurological in nature too, such as having a spine pinching a nerve some place. A long shot is a nutritional issue, such as B vitamins levels issue.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
After That His Behavior Has Changed From Being An Energetic Dog (running A Lot, Jumping…

After that his behavior has changed from being an energetic dog (running a lot, jumping on me, etc.) and after that not so energetic. He sometimes just keeps standing. He eats well but now eats slower unlike before the haircut when he ate very fast.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Front Paws. When I Try To Get It He Snaps At Me. How Can I…

Front paws. When I try to get it he snaps at me. How can I remove it

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  1. PK Dennis

    Feed him great treats while you try to remove it.  Or muzzel him.  If he is small you can have someone else hold him up so you can see the paws and do the removal while they hold him in place.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My 7 Year Old Pitbull Recently Went About 4 Days (maybe 5) Without Defecating And…

My 7 year old pitbull recently went about 4 days (maybe 5) without defecating and eating minimally (no dog food, just occasionally would sneak some people foood) and escessively thirsty and peeing excessively . I made a vet appointment, and the day prior to the appointment she defecated, and began to eat (not much for the most part, juat a few bites here and there and was back to being herself in regards to personality. To be safe I took her to the vet anyway as an appointment had already been made. The vet diagnosed it as pancreatitis, noting that she seemed to have pulled through the worst of it on her own he said and put her on a course of meds (antibiotic and what I understood to be a probiotic) After the first day of meds she again became lethargic, and again won’t eat, not eating is putting it lightly, she has an aversion to it, regardless of what food it is she tends to get up and move elsewhere to avoid it. She is still urinating and defecating infrequently despite diminished food and liquid intake

3 Responses

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  1. Jana

    What diagnostics did your vet do to determine it was pancreatitis? It is possible that she’s reacting to the antibiotic or it is possible that the diagnosis is something else. I’d definitely call the vet back and tell them what is going on.

  2. Eric Block

    blood test and general examination. I will call to see if it’s a reaction to the meds

  3. Jana

    Can’t comment on the blood test much without knowing what it showed and whether or not they ran cPL. Please do talk to them, though.