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Jennifer | 4 years ago
My Dog Jase Was Diagnosed With A Moved Disk June 2019 And Hes On Hip And Joint …

my dog jase was diagnosed with a moved disk june 2019 and hes on hip and joint supplements but I’m wondering what i could give him that could be better for him

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    This is a question for your vet. No one outside of your vet knows your pet and all of the many things that make them who they are outside of you and your vet. Please ask them about diet, supplements and even seeing a specialist to find out other options for your pets medical needs. Also in some pets this can be a chronic ever evolving condition so it is important to stay in touch with your vet so they can be ready to help if anything does change. I hope this helps.

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Jeri | 4 years ago
Hi Dr Krista, My 14 Year Old Male Cat’s BUN Is 40 Mg And Creatinine Is 2.3 Mg. …

Hi Dr Krista, my 14 year old male cat’s BUN is 40 mg and Creatinine is 2.3 mg. Calcitriol is suggested. I wonder your opinion of using Pet Wellbeing kidney support gold instead (it’s a natural remedy) and changing his diet for a month and rechecking? Is a high or low protein diet suggested? Thank you!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    As with all patient treatment plans they need to be specially tailored to your pet based on a huge number of factors. It is not appropriate for any vet outside of your vet to recommend a diet or treatment plan as your vet knows your and your pet and the rest of us do not. Your vey can refer you to a specialist or ask for help from a veterinary nutritionist. I can say that I typically like to do a full chemistry and a urinalysis in these patients and I always repeat them a few weeks later to check consistently and progress. After a disease or condition is diagnosed and confirmed we set a list of short and long term goal and we recheck patients and diagnostics frequently.

    1. Jeri Post author

      I will schedule an appointment with you for a day within the next few weeks. I will have the 7/7/20 test results sent to you for comparison. Thank you!

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Madison | 4 years ago
I Have A 2 Year Old Pug That Has Started Acting Strange Since Monday The Day He …

I have a 2 year old pug that has started acting strange since Monday the day he went to get his anal glands expressed. Hey has stopped welping at the table when we eat , he has also stopped eating his canned food and only eats his kibble at night, and he has stopped snoring at night like he used to. The thing I’m most worried about is that he has lost two whiskers this month.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If a client calls me with concerns like this I always tell then to listen to their concerns. You know your pet better than anyone else and you are their only advocate. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?

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Karen Hesch | 4 years ago
HELP I Put Sentry Flea Medicine On My Cat’s Last Night I Woke Up This …

HELP I put sentry flea medicine on my cat’s last night I woke up this morning and my my smaller cat not a kitten she’s just small is like drooling really bad and panting I called Jarrettsville vet but they can’t get me in because I’m not a patient and I don’t have the money for the pet ER it’s too expensive even to walk in I’m desperate can I give her Benadryl what can I do to try to help her any answers will be greatly appreciate it thank you very much…

10 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    If you cannot afford the vet ER, please call your regular vet right away and explain to them what you think has happened. Is this an OTC preventative? Or one suggested by your vet?

    1. Karen Hesch Post author

      We just moved back to md n haven’t been to one… n with being out of work n haven’t gotten unemployment yet im ABSOLUTELY broke… pet er is like a 100 to walk they the door ???????????????? it was an otc needs smh…

  2. Krista Magnifico

    You can call the product manufacturer and ask for help. Or call pet poison but I am worried that you need an ER for hospitalization. You can call all of the rescues and animal rescue in new Freedom pa. Also call best friends in harford county. Start calling all of your friends and family for help

  3. Krista Magnifico

    I would also bathe her throughly. Repeated washings with a small amount of dish detergent. Oh have to get the product off.

      1. Krista Magnifico

        Wash the product off immediately. Call the product manufacturers phone line for advice and call the rescues to see if they have a vet in staff to help. If your cat declines you can reply and I can see if one of the rescues can help. It is $50 for an exam at the clinic. But we have no openings today.

      2. Krista Magnifico

        Hello. I just spoke to dr Ahrens at jarrettsville vet. If you can go there now she will help you. You May have to drop off for the day so they can take care of your kitty. We can talk about your bill later. I am expecting that you will help with some part of it and that we can help you in the futur with better flea and tick options. Please go now. Tell them I okd it and dr Ahrens is seeing your cat. Call the clinic when you arrive. 419-692-6171

        1. Karen Hesch Post author

          Yes i will be able to pay something today my mom said she could help a little… n will definitely pay off the rest asap… thank you sooooo very much… ????????????

        2. Karen Hesch Post author

          Hey again… so i finally talked with someone at sentry.. they said the foaming n drooling is from licking it n it having a bitter taste… n that’s its common for them to act like that.. too save you all more stress i think in going to take her home n bath her n watch her carefully… thank you sooooo very much for your willingness to help… i will be seeing you soon. you guys are amazing n i thank you from the bottom of my heart… tytyty…

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Bina | 4 years ago
Hi, I Really Need Some Help And Advice. Last Week Thursday The 2nd Of July I …

Hi, I really need some help and advice. Last week Thursday the 2nd of July I found out my cat who is 15 years of age has got some type of liver cancer which I found so hard to believe due to him being so active and recently went for annual boosters in April 2020 all healthy during check up.

The blue cross animal hospital in London did a quick ultrasound which they found mixed echogenicity with multiple hard, irregular liver . mixed echogenicity with multiple hypoechoic circular lesions. What does this mean? Can anything be done?

Please can I get some advice on this if I was to go down a surgery route, Will he survive after surgery? Do cats have this due to there age? Any cure he has yellow ears and mouth.

Have been prescribed steroid and I got nutramin from another vet which has milk thistle.

They did refer me to an oncologist which are charging £2000 for a CT scan. Not sure if to proceed due to the ultrasound which confirmed the above. I don’t want to go and spend so much money and still back a square one with the above.

Please advice any experience will help. I am going mad here as I do not know what to do.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If you don’t understand the findings of the ultrasound it is best to have your vet explain them to you along with how they correlate to your cats clinical signs and examination findings. Only your vet can provide all of this information. In some cases they can also do an ultrasound guided aspirate to help with the diagnosis. If you can afford it a CT scan is also helpful. If you cannot afford it trek them and ask for help within your budget. Lastly for a lot of cats with these issues medical management can help.

    I hope this helps. I wish I could offer more advice. If you are still feeling confused and lost in what to do find a feline specialist or get a second opinion. Good luck

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Sandra | 4 years ago
I Have A 6 Month Month Old Puppy That Is Afraid Of People And Other Dogs. Have …

I have a 6 month month old puppy that is afraid of people and other dogs. Have taken her to just walk around in pet stores. If someone wants to approach her she squats and pees. If another dog wants to approach her she poops? I live with my son, daughter in law, 2 granddaughters (7 and 13). They have 2 pit bulls and she is fi with them. How do i socialize her outside the family?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    This is a very common issue that I see all the time. The great news is that your puppy is so young and you are very proactive in both identifying and trying to resolve the problem. That’s wonderful! The first piece of advice I can give is to call around for local References on puppy classes. That’s a great place to start. Next start taking walk with the dogs she is used to and see if they can help her build confidence. Next start to find out where her discomfort zones lie. How close does she need to get to someone before she starts signaling she is unsettled. From this you start working very gradually on reducing the distance. It may mean you sit at a park bench 20 feet away (if that’s her radius to anxiety) and just watch the world pass her by for a few trips. Then the next time try for 15 feet. No interactions. Tell people you are in training and they should not approach her. This is allowing her to be challenged very gradually on terms she is comfortable with. It needs to be slow, consistent and full of rewards when she is doing well. And understanding but not being harsh or reprimanding when she needs more time and patience. You can also ask for a positive reinforcement trainer. But be careful as she is demonstrating submissive anxiety now. I fear with hard reprimand it might turn to fear which can lead to aggression if treated unkindly. Be kind. Gentle and supportive but help her face her challenges. I hope this helps. I also love the training books by Victoria Stilwell. Try them. They are very helpful.

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Tomas | 4 years ago
Hello! What A Great Site This Is. I’m Really Hoping Someone Can Help Us Here, …

Hello! What a great site this is. I’m really hoping someone can help us here, as we’re stuck with our dog situation!

We have a 10 year old female Maltese called Yuca. She is the light of our lives but is getting old 🙁
She’s healthy but tends to sleep a lot, and we read that keeping older dogs active is essential to keeping them alive!

We both work, and although she’s totally happy by herself, we decided it might be good to get her a companion for the times we’re not around. We hoped this might keep her entertained and engaged more during the day. As we’re both working from home at the moment, we thought now might be a good time to grow our little pack…

So we got another Maltese female, Coco, who is about 5 months old now. We’ve had her for just over 4 weeks. She’s amazing. A really cute little ball of fluff. But things don’t seem to be improving with regards to their relationship.

Of course, Coco is totally obsessed with Yuca. She will run to her and try to lick and play, but Yuca seems terrified of her. She backs away quickly and hides. Yuca has never been an aggressive dog, never. She doesn’t growl or bark or bite, ever. But she also has never been a dog dog, always avoiding them in public when out for walks.
We thought this was just a matter of them being strangers.
She has never once growled or barked or bitten Coco, she chooses to simply run away from her, even when Coco is trying to bite her playfully.

When Coco is calm, usually in the evenings and midday, Yuca is better. They will sit in the same areas, with Yuca sometimes letting Coco get quite close, but always with a cautious eye on her. The best moments we’ve had have been in bed in the evenings, with both of them sleeping almost touching! But then the day comes around and Yuca goes back to being her timid self again.

We’ve tried a lot of things to get them closer, and to help Yuca get used to her being around. They both have their own beds, food and water, and Yuca has a space she can be alone when she wants it. The problem is, she would choose to stay there the whole time! SHe seems anxious about walking around the house, which is not ok for us. We want her to feel dominant and have no fear of being anywhere at home.

We’ve tried using treats to bring them together, which works well in the moment. Yuca is a greedy lil thing and Coco’s existence doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference when there’s a treat around. She would take the treat from our hand even with Coco being right there next to her. But once the treat has gone, Yuca reverts back to scared mode.

We’re being firm with Coco on the rough play, although she’s tiny and couldn’t hurt a fly if she tried! We’re separating them for periods of time, so Yuca has her space and then trying controlled meet-ups several times a day. Of course, with us both working full time, this has been difficult and we’re very concerned about when we have to go back to the office.

We’ve made sure to give Yuca extra love and attention, always treating her as the alpha and giving her attention and food first. She doesn’t appear jealous at all.

As time goes on, we really hoped they would become close but we’re not seeing much improvement. There’s some improvement for sure, but it’s very slow progress. We really just want them to be friends. That was the whole point in getting Coco in the first place.

I really hope someone can help us. We love them both and just want them to get along.

Thank you for reading.

Tomas and Fernanda. Yuca and Coco.

6 Responses

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  1. Laura

    It’s possible that Yuca simply doesn’t enjoy puppies. And that’s NORMAL and perfectly okay! Puppies are annoying. Your best bet is to put a LOT of attention on working Coco’s brain more. A tired puppy is a good puppy, and the BEST way is to work their brain. This would be obedience training, beyond basic sit/stay/down. I know group classes aren’t really a “thing” right now, but I’d look into classes through Denise Fenzi’s dog sport academy: https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/

    Maybe work Yuca while you’re at it. It’s a good way to keep her engaged, and working them together can help.

    1. Tomas Post author

      Thank you for the reply Laura! I will take your advice and look into that for sure. It’s a shame we can’t walk Coco yet, as she still hasn’t had her final round of vaccinations. Next week hopefully! I’ve heard that walking them together will help the bonding process?

      1. Laura

        It can help, but the majority of this problem has to do with age disparity. Training is key.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    I agree with laura. I have an eleven year old dog. When his companion passed away I got a 4 month old. He was driving my older dog nuts. So I got a puppy for my puppy. The two puppies play endlessly and occasionally the old guy jumps in for just a little while. It is keeping him young and active but he isn’t being relied upon to be the single source of the puppy playtimes. Everyone is happy and healthy.

    1. Tomas Post author

      Thanks Krista. So your advice would be getting another puppy for the puppy? Ha! In an ideal world maybe, but we can’t afford that right now.

      1. Laura

        From the dog trainer perspective, do not do this unless you’re prepared to deal with possible littermate syndrome.

        (Yes, it’s real, and it can affect any like-aged dogs. It can be as minimal as one dog is shyer than the other, or they could want to kill each other. I’ve seen both. The latter isn’t worth risking it unless you’re VERY experienced with dog management.)

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Sierra | 4 years ago
My Six Year Old Male Mini Pin Was Crying Out In Pain Four Nights Ago. He …

My six year old male mini pin was crying out in pain four nights ago. He sticks his neck foward in a downward gaze, arches his back and lifts one leg. I timed each cry and they were 10 minutes apart. We decided to take him to the emergency vet, which was located 25 miles away. During the car ride, my baby did not cry out loud once. After completing blood work, the vet. did not mention anything concerning other than she thought he hurt his back. She prescribed two medications. Fast forward to today, and the pain continues, although it’s not every ten minutes, but almost every single time he moves his body. He can walk on all four legs, eats and drinks as he normally did, but he is not the same. You can tell he is in extreme pain- the medication does not seem to be helping. Why did the emergency vet not screen for IVDD? Do you think these are the early signs of the condition? If so, how should I go about mitigating the pain?

2 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Hi there-
    I am so sorry you and your dog are going through this. I think I would get in to see your regular vet ASAP- bring all the info from the ER vet to share. Let your vet know your suspicions. I also think that you are within your rights to phone the ER vet and ask them about ivdd and why they didn’t check that possibility out (or do an X-ray). Also let them know that the meds are not helping. Meantime- I would think crate rest and limited activity might help- you might want to search out Dr. Magnifico’s YouTube videos on ivdd. She has a lot of experience and you could find some helpful info there. Very best of luck to you????

    1. Sierra Post author

      Thank you for the information Sarah! I am happy to report that he has not cried out once today! But I will still reach out to vet to ensure everything looks good.

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Laurie Nichols-Letra | 4 years ago
My Cats Have Been Patients At Your Clinic For Some Time. It’s A Bit If …

My cats have been patients at your clinic for some time. It’s a bit of a drive, which is fine for everyone but Flynn. He usually will poop in his carrier which in turn gets all over him. The poor staff and vet have to deal with his unfortunate messy, smelly “accident”. My question is if there is something we can give him to help this situation. Or if you have any recommendations to calm his obviously nervous digestive system. Thanks!

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thank you for the question and for being so loyal you would drive such a distance and put Flynn through this.
    The great news is that there is a whole lot you can do and try. First I would say start with making the carrier less scary and anxiety filled. This is accomplished by acclimating him to ir as a normal part of his day. Leave it out for at least a week before the visit. Or, try to incorporate it s part of his daily life. Put toys, catnip and food in it. Make it a part of his life and have it always be associated with enjoyable things.
    Two, use feliway pheromones in the home and car and carrier.
    Next when he is in the carrier in the car keep it dark and quiet by insulating with shredded newspaper inside and towels covering it on the outside. The less noise and motion from the car the safer he feels.
    Lastly try anti anxiety medications like Solliquin (available at JVC) with catnip, to Benadryl to gabapentin, or even a longer term medication like fluoxetine. Each work a little different and all have advantages and disadvantages but we can help you find which is best in his case.
    Hope that helps. Keep me posted and thank you again.

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Susan Poage | 4 years ago
My 6 Year Old Female Pit Was Diagnosed With Chylothorax Yesterday, 7/5. My Vest Was Only Able To …

My 6 year old female pit was diagnosed with Chylothorax yesterday, 7/5. My vest was only able to pull a little of the gel type liquid from her lungs. She referred us to a specialist, but they cannot see her until Aug 4. Do you know if there is another specialist in the Baltimore, Maryland area that could see her? She is currently taking 50mg of Lasix. I don’t want to wait four weeks. She has barely eaten anything over the last two weeks as it is. She’s lost about 7-10 pounds.

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Without knowing exactly where you are located I would go to UPenn through the ER service and that way you can be seen immediately. You should not wait until August. In fact I would be incredibly worried that you don’t have that much time to safely wait. My preference is UPenn above all other referral centers as I have found them to be the most efficient and affordable of all the specialty centers. There are other specialty centers like the PetER and Chesapeake Vet Referral in Towson but I have had many clients find them cost prohibitive for care. If you in the through ER at a specialty hospital you can be transferred to the internal medicine department from there same or next day at the latest. Good luck. Go very soon especially if your pet is acting unwell.

    1. Susan Poage Post author

      I ended up taking her to Pet ER in Towson and they said she has Pyothorax . The thick fluid includes bacteria and maybe cancerous cells.

      They said the only thing they could do was all in or nothing. Is surgery the only option? I did ask them to send the liquid from her chest to the Pathologist. I want to know for a fact that there are cancerous cells. What if it’s only bacteria, would antibiotics resolve the infection? Do they have to do open chest surgery to remove the liquid?

      1. Susan Poage Post author

        I have decided to wait for the pathology report to be certain it is cancer. I’m also looking into autoimmune disease. I’ve been told by several people that their dogs were going through the same as my Ginger. They were told it was cancer, but they fought and advocated for their dogs. They were both found to have autoimmune disease and have been treated with steroids and have been alive and well for over four years.