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Nichole | 1 month ago
My Daughter’s Cat Age 3 Has Thrown Up 3 Times In 5 Hours. He’s A Neutered Male, …

My daughter’s cat age 3 has thrown up 3 times in 5 hours. He’s a neutered male, indoors only. Proplan chicken catfood…. He is acting normal. However his throw up is thin bloody looking water (including a picture) I am calling the vet in the morning but right now I’m fighting with myself on whether or not this is an er visit issue. I know he hasn’t ingested anything poisonous. He is spoiled and has a lot of toys. Would love to know opinions please. Thank you.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m not overly concerned with vomiting when it is an acute episode, ie a few times over a short period of time as long as the patient is acting normally otherwise. In some cases it can be a hairball or something else hat just didn’t agree with the stomach so vomiting is the bodies way of taking care of it.
    Don’t feed or give water for a few hours to let the stomach settle down.
    If your cat doesn’t vomit again and is still acting normally I think you are ok.if you cat is not acting normally, for example depressed or lethargic or cannot keep anything down 4-12 hours later then then it’s time to see the vet.

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Sarah | 1 month ago
My 12 Yr Old Siberian Husky Has Always Been A Picky Eater / Grazer, But Recently She Has …

My 12 yr old Siberian Husky has always been a picky eater / grazer, but recently she has been acting like her mouth might hurt when she goes to eat her kibble. I took her to a vet near me and they want to do a dental with bloodwork and possible extractions, and quoted me almost $1300. Does this seem like a reasonable price? Are there any vets in Harford County, MD that might be cheaper?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    The price of a dental can vary greatly because the service and needed care once the dental is started can vary greatly. If this is just a cleaning, ie all of the teeth are healthy and no extractions are needed then the typical cost at my clinic can be about $400-600. If there are multiple teeth that need to be removed if can go up to almost $2,000. So it’s import try to understand where your dog might fall on this spectrum of need to get a better idea if rhe cost of their care.

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Linda | 1 month ago
My Cat Sassy Who Is Almost 16 Yrs Old Has A Large Mass On Her Back Leg. …

My cat Sassy who is almost 16 yrs old has a large mass on her back leg. Took her to our vet and at first she said it was a cyst. It never went down and it’s still there. I took her back to the vet and she did blood work to check her kidneys. Which are not good at her age. Vet said she would most likely die from kidney failure before that mass will do anything. It doesn’t seem to bother Sassy but she doesn’t like me touching it. She eats her can food well, not to crazy about dry food anymore but will eat her treats. Sorry I don’t have a picture of it right now but I can get one in the near future. What do you think of this? At her age I am worried about surgery. I don’t want to lose her to soon.
Thank you
Linda Karppinen

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    The best way to understand whether or not a mass is a problem that requires surgery to remove it is to try to get an idea of what the mass really is. If I am concerned about anesthesia I recommend an aspirate. See if that is an option or go get a second opinion from another vet to help decide what to do.

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Sandra | 1 month ago
Please Help Diagnose This Cat. My Sister In Law Has A Cat With A Huge Belly. …

Please help diagnose this cat.
My sister in law has a cat with a huge belly. I have told her multiple times that she should take it to the vet. She agrees but never does. I’m sure it’s because she can’t afford it. I would offer to help, but I’m sure it will be extremely expensive. I just had a baby and taking on this expense is also something I can’t afford right now. Every time I see this cat, I always feel bad for it. It looks miserable 💔

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  1. Laura

    Hi Sandra.

    I would struggle with your SIL’s deliberate neglect of her cat’s health. This cat absolutely needs to be seen by a vet – no one can diagnose this online, this cat needs hands-on exam, likely xrays/ultrasound, definitely bloodwork.

    If she cannot afford to care for her cat, please encourage her to surrender the cat so the cat gets care.

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Gina Lastner | 2 months ago
Does Anyone Know Where To Locally Get Medication For Dry FIP Or Is It Best To …

Does anyone know where to locally get medication for dry FIP or is it best to use Stokes Pharmacy?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Last I checked (a few weeks ago), Stokes had two options and it was the most affordable place we could find. They have quite a bit of information on their site.

    Good luck

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Tina | 2 months ago
I Just Rescued A Kitten, I Believe He Will Be 12 Weeks Next Week. He Has Not …

I just rescued a kitten, I believe he will be 12 weeks next week. He has not been to a vet yet. He has a weird patch on his neck under his mouth that is raised, hard and almost scabby. It is getting larger by the day; it is about an inch long now. It seems to be spreading and itches him. I have been watching it and putting Neosporin on it. I am trying to figure out how to come up with the $1k to have him seen, vaccinated and tests run. I did not plan on rescuing a kitten and had NO idea the cost to care for him. Is there anything I can do to help him with this skin issue while I try to figure out how I’m going to afford the vet visits? He should be less than 2lbs. Please help

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    Thank you for rescuing this kitten.
    I think it is really important to see a veterinarian for your kitten to be vaccinated, dewormed., and have the skin looked at. I also don’t think that is going to cost as much as you propose.
    As far as the skin goes I would guess that the skin lesion might be ringworm which won’t respond to what you are using. Please be very careful what you put on a kitten. It might not be safe to be ingested or absorbed.

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Marilyn | 2 months ago
My 17 Y Old Female Australian Silky,( Who Is A Rescue From A Puppy Mill That Abused …

My 17 y old female Australian silky,( who is a rescue from a puppy mill that abused her by breeding her over and over again for several years) has had a serosanguinous-looking lump the size of a plum hanging from her abdominal area for approximately 6 years. Within the past week the lump grew in size a bit and started to leak dark brown fluid. The lump also feels hot to the touch. My dog has also grown more lethargic and unsteady on her feet over the past two days. I made a vet appointment but I have to wait 5 days as he has no other openings. Question 1) is it safe for my dog to wait that long? 2) if so, what should I be doing to help her until we get to see the vet?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It sounds like this should be seen as soon as able. If it is open and leaking you can try a soft belly bandage to keep it from being traumatized and protected from licking and infection. You will likely have to have it surgically removed to resolve this. If cost is an issue ask if the local shelter or rescues might be able to assist.

  2. Marilyn Post author

    Thank you so much for your comments and advice; much appreciated! We have a ‘male dog-type ‘ sling velcro’ed around her with a maxi pad inside. This morning we went to change it while we had her standing on a large pee pad and the entire sac had burst open. It now resembles a popped balloon. We tried to clean her up a bit and put a new sling with a fresh maxi pad around her abdomen. We are trying not to make the sling too tight but snug enough to support the leaking sac. She feels very warm in her underbelly near and around the sac. We are very worried about infxn. Thank you for the idea of asking a shelter for help. Funds are an issue for us now as we are both on fixed incomes. (We have always paid our vet bills; however, and we are not understanding why our vet can’t get us an appointment sooner😢). Thank you everyone, Marilyn

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Tyson | 2 months ago
My 11 Year Old Cat Has Slowly Developed Noisy Breathing. For A Long Time It Was Bearly …

My 11 year old Cat has slowly developed noisy breathing. For a long time it was bearly noticeable, then over time I noticed she was getting worse, a snoring/snorting sound when sleeping and occasionally after playing or running. A short time after that I noticed she was having trouble eating, specifically swallowing. That was when I knew somthing was definitly wrong. I callled my vet and explained everything, they got us in, the vet checked her over and said everything seems fine.. not an emergency. Told me it was potentially a polyp in her throat, but said they cant do “scoping” at that location and said I would need a referral to another clinic. This annoyed me because I explained the symptoms on the phone while booking and they didnt mention their limitations. So they charged me ($200) to basically tell me they cant help. Luckily my cats symptoms subsided a bit while we waited for the referral. Some days are worse than others. This is when I found Krista Magnifico’s video removing a cats polyp!! It made me feel so much better know it might just be that simple, hopefully. I finally got the call back from the referral, they said they need to do a consultation first before anything else ($330) then after that they would need to sedate my cat, do a CT scan ($3000) and if my cat needs surgery I would need to come back, sedate the cat again and surgery would be roughy ($4-5000) This was devastating to hear…. now I completely understand vet bills arent always cheap and working people need to be paid, but this seems excessive… Any advice is greatly appreciated. I dont know what do to at this point…

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In my experience polyps are unlikely in a cat this age. I would ask for a few rounds of either an antibiotic or anti inflammatory to see if these help. In cases where clients struggle with the cost of diagnostics we often try various treatments to see if we get a favorable response. You can also ask for a sedated exam to look for a polyp behind the soft palate. Like I do in the video.
    I hope this helps.

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Susan | 2 months ago
Misha Finally Caught A Bug. According To My Son It Was A Stinging Kind. His Words. …

Misha finally caught a bug. According to my son it was a stinging kind. His words. She seemed ok from when it happened at 11, with no effects. She has vomited everything she had to eat today starting around 8 pm. Last time it was barely anything. Misha 75-80 pound German shepherd

I was planning on plain rice, and water tomorrow. Would you do anything else?

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    We cannot offer treatment options here. It just isn’t prudent without an examination in person. And I feel that it too often leads to false pretenses about degree of illness and injury.
    So the best advice I can give is to call your vet and discuss your concerns. If the vomiting persists, or your dog isn’t better in a few hours, or worsens at anytime it’s time to go see the vet.
    A sting can cause local swelling and the mouth is a really important part to not be swollen (breathing issues), so I don’t want to offer advice about the vomiting without an exam.

  2. Susan Post author

    Thank you, I totally understand. Luckily today she seems back to her usual throwing balls at me and body slamming me. I had asked because to Misha, vet tech, are appetizers, and vets are entrees 🙁 -id have been good with any swelling, I have all the human meds lol

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Ashley | 2 months ago
I Have A Cat Who Seems To Be Having Tooth Pain. The Gums Are Slightly Red …

I have a cat who seems to be having tooth pain. The gums are slightly red around the tooth and it’s discolored. Could we try antibiotics or maybe a simple extraction? Looking for options or the best way to help her. She is a rescue and we have a lot of cats. We already have 2 with liver problems that have costed us a lot of money. Any ideas or options are greatly appreciated!

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  1. Shiria

    How old is she? It is possible that the gums are simply inflamed. But in my experience, even if not much is visible above the gums the roots may already be severely affected (FORL). Antibiotics don’t really help with this, the tooth has to be removed. But only a vet can see that with an x ray.
    I hope you find a good solution. I wish the best to all your cats!

    1. Ashley Post author

      Thanks! She is about 8. It’s definitely more than just inflamed. There is also some weird build up on the tooth. It’s definitely going to need to be removed unfortunately. Just hoping to find an affordable way to get it removed