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kathy welsh | 2 years ago
How Long Does My Dog Have To Fast Before Having An Abdominal Ultrasound?

How long does my dog have to fast before having an abdominal ultrasound?

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Cheyenne | 2 years ago
Hello, I’m Currently Fostering An Animal Whose Been In Limbo With Two Previous Owners. The …

Hello, I’m currently fostering an animal whose been in limbo with two previous owners. The first owner wanted to put her down because she supposedly didn’t do well with their children. The second home it seems like they don’t have enough time for the sweet little girl. That’s where I stepped in to help. So long story short I wondered if it was possible there was a health issue with puppy and first owners didn’t want to deal with it. When the puppy sleeps, she breathes abnormal, she breaths so fast and hard. I have watched many puppies sleep and this is just different. It’s like she’s panting and breathing so quickly. It’s only when she lays down to sleep. I didn’t think much of it the first night but it okay today I’m concerned. She’s not hot, and she’s not cooling off from some sort of activity. I am not sure what to do. I can’t find any relevant videos or articles about this type of behaviors.

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  1. Laura

    As a foster, do you have the ability to get her to the vet? How old is she, and what breed is she?

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Andrea | 2 years ago
My 3yr Old Is Leaking Urine In His Sleep And Will Pee On Floor When His …

my 3yr old is leaking urine in his sleep and will pee on floor when his bladder is over full.
vet says I need to talk to urologist. she also said he has an abnormally large bladder for a cat. she said I can express him before sleep, to help him not leak. that worked for about a week now he is getting mad and biting. he has so much urine he will pee on floor 2x’s, I will express him, then in a couple minutes he will pee on the floor again. he is part Manx. he is considered a stubby tail. because he has 5 out of 7 vertebrates. this mystery is stumping my vet, so now I have to take him to the most expensive place around here. any suggestions for me or my vet would be greatly appreciated.
why would his bladder be so big all of a sudden?
why is he leaking?
why is he producing so much urine? we have not increased his intake. this has been happening since December. we have tried different thing; he doesn’t have a Uti. we have tried antibiotics and another pill.

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Dannielle | 2 years ago
I Had My Cat To An Emergency Vet For A Blockage Yesterday. I’m Pretty Sure …

I had my cat to an emergency vet for a blockage yesterday. I’m pretty sure he’s blocked again. I can’t afford for him to get the procedure done again, as I spent every penny I had on the last one. What can I do?

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  1. Autumn

    Hello,
    We apologize for a late response…
    We hope that you were able to find a solution with your kitty.
    If you have any questions or need any help, please reach out to us or your local vet.

    Best of luck,
    Autumn

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Sara | 2 years ago
I Adopted A Feral Cat Just Over A Year Ago. My Elderly Father Was Feeding Him …

I adopted a feral cat just over a year ago. My elderly father was feeding him twice a day for two years. He moved to a condo when my mother passed and the cat sat at the empty house day and night waiting for my Dad to come home. I ended up taking the cat and have worked on taming him. I’ve been making progress but not quite where I can pick him up.
He’s been mostly healthy up until 8 weeks ago. He seemed to be straining to urinate in his litter box and had decreased appetite. I took him to an animal hospital. At this time, I couldn’t touch him. He was anesthetized and examined. His exam and bloodwork were all neg. He was put on a urinary diet and given mirtazipine to stimulate appetite. I was not able to consistently get the stimulate in his ear but he would eat, just not a lot.
Followed up with my vet who said maybe he isn’t that hungry because he doesn’t have to worry about food and just watch his weight.
Weight continued to drop and found out last week he has tapeworms. He got a topical dewormer. Since then, it seems like he’s lost more weight and his lack of appetite is worse. He does eat enough to poop and pee daily.
My vet does house calls only and is coming Thursday. She’s limited in what she can offer for interventions. I am contemplating taking him back to animal hospital for evaluation,
It gets dicey though because he’s not completely tame. When I went with him before I could hear the attending talking to resident on other side of door saying, “he’s feral, what does she expect us to do,” I get that, but to a point. Is it unrealistic for me to want Pinky treated? He’s getting sweeter and sweeter and enjoys being petted.

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  1. Shiria

    Hello,
    No it is absolutely not unrealistic. When we get feral cats at our shelter we try to treat them as best as we can, too. Obviously there are things that you can’t do with feral cats like you can with tame ones. But still we were still able do give daily fluids and feed them with a syringe, when they wouldn’t eat on their own for most of them.

    However for this it helped a lot that they are usually in large crates, as this makes daily handling a lot easier. We place them in pillow cases to feed them or give them fluids. Most stay calm when they can’t see.

    Also, a lot of needed exams can be done under anesthesia. Ultrasound (except heart), xray, bloodwork, urin analysis…
    Not all treatments can be done with ferals, but there sitll is a lot of possible. That also depends on how far you are willing to go, and how stressfull daily handling for him would be. Most, while obviously hating to be forced daily, were still able to build trust after treatment or even with ongoing treatment. However it is helpful to have a second person do to the “bad” things.

  2. Sara Post author

    Thank you for your response. He is currently hospitalized and being ruled out for a brain tumor. He is getting excellent care and the medical team is treating him well.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    I applaud your dedication to this cat. It’s a hard case based on the cats temperament but it sounds like you are doing all you can. I wish you the very best of luck!

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Kristen | 2 years ago
My Sister Is Stuck In Cordova Alaska. Her Pet Cat Got A Blockage In The Urine …

My sister is stuck in Cordova Alaska. Her pet cat got a blockage in the urine and the local vet barely looked at him told her “ either he can be flown out to the emergency vet or be put down. “ she can’t afford to fly herself, the cat, and her 3 kids out to save this poor family member and she is devastated and just crying her eyes out.. is there anything at all she can do to save this poor little guy? She said it’s not in her heart to put him down and is trying home remedies..

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  1. Shiria

    If he is completely blocked and the local vet doesn’t have the possibilities to help him an she dan’t get the cat to an emergency vet…
    as hard as it sounds, putting him down can be the best option, as the death due to a blockage is extremely painful. If he can’t urinate at all his bladder can rupture and in the long run if the bladder is always to full – even when he can urinate a bit, the kidney will fail, too – together with everything that can cause. Pain, dizzyness, nausea…

    There is not something one can do at home with a complete blockage.

    I wish the ebst for your sister and her cat and really hope they can help him.

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Alexandra | 2 years ago
Hi! I Have Two Beloved Cats Who I Rescued About 4 Years Ago At The Age Of 2. …

Hi! I have two beloved cats who I rescued about 4 years ago at the age of 2. They are now 6 (biological brothers) one of them has always been on the more apprehensive side. This problem tends to go in phases but this time it’s lasting longer than usual. During the night time anywhere between 12-4 AM he is just a ball of energy and wants to play and will cry and run back and forth. Before we go to bed at night, I try to play with each of them for about a half hour. Is there anything else I can do? I feel bad that he has all this energy and just looking for love and attention in the middle of the night! I’m worried about when we go on vacation or something or that sorts because we won’t be able to comfort him when he is having these “moments”

Help!

-anxious cat mom

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  1. Laura

    Sounds like a typical cat to me! My old man would do the same in his younger years. As long as you’re making the effort to play with him when you’re both awake, he should be okay.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    I agree with Laura. There are lots of things you can add to enrich the time you spend with your cat, and, lots of things you can add to your cats environment to help provide additional play enrichment. Think about toys, rotate and add new ones. Add a bird feeder outside a window. Games. Even teaching your cat how to walk in a leash with a harness r in a stroller. There is no limit to what a cat can learn and where you can go with that.
    Have fun. Literally.

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Michelle | 2 years ago
I Have A One Eyed Cat Who About 1.5 Years Old. He Had His Eye Removed Before …

I have a one eyed cat who about 1.5 years old. He had his eye removed before we adopted him but know he had multiple eye infections that led to the enucleation. He has always sneezed A LOT since we’ve had him and we thought it was likely a side effect from his eye removal. In the last few months, every few weeks a very large pocket of air fills up in area surrounding his eye socket on the side with no eye. The first time it happened our vet was flummoxed when he aspirated it with a needle, expecting fluid but only air came out. Since the first time this happened, the area has continued to refill with air every few weeks. We continually take him in and they remove anywhere from 10-14ccs of air. It doesn’t seem to hurt him or bother him but it gets huge and uncomfortable. We took him to an eye specialist recently who said any exploratory surgery and tests would cost no less than 4k just to start and they had no idea what it could be. Since this doesn’t seem to bother him, are we crazy to think we could try to aspirate his eye at home when it fills up? Has anyone ever come across anything like this? Every vet we talk to has never seen anything like it. Would love any help or advice!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Well I have to say I haven’t had this experience with any of my patients. So we are in uncharted waters here.
    I suppose the answer is do you have to spend a whole bunch of money to try to find the reason for an issue that doesn’t really seem to be affecting your cat? The answer is both yes, because in my experience it can be really hard to know if this is truly causing your cat discomfort because they hide it so weep that often you don’t realize it was a problem until it’s gone and your cat acts happier. The answer is also no. If you can’t afford what the specialist offers (as many cannot) then it is acceptable to just go on as you have been.
    But my preferred answer is to find another vet who isn’t afraid to do an exploratory surgery and look for a fistula or draining tract that might be the solution to the problem. Keep looking there are vets out there who are very proficient in surgery and might be willing to try.

    Keep me posted. God luck.

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Brittney | 3 years ago
I Went To The Vet And Was Told To Put My Down My 5yr Old Male …

I went to the vet and was told to put my down my 5yr old male cat. He has a partial blockage but i have no money to pay what theyre asking. They said it would cost $2000-$4000 and wouldnt do anything for me besides ask how much money i have and that i have to decide to put him down or not. I just want him to get better and i cant seem to find anyone willing to help at a low cost i can afford.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m so sorry to hear about your situation. Here’s what I would recommend.
    One ask for an itemized invoice. Ask which are option and which are vital to unblocking the cat. Ie can you decline X-rays, bloodwork and possibly transfer to your vets office for monitoring. Ask for this with the vet. Also write down everything they say. If they decline to allow you to decline non vital items ask to speak to the owner or office manager. Again write down everything they say. Explain that you want to provide help to your cat but your budget only allows for the most vital items.
    Also ask if you can be referred to your vets office for care. Call your vet and ask.

    Keep calling and keep asking for help.

    If you do not find anyone to help use the invoice and written statements of your discussions and ask for assistance from your state veterinary board or social media reviews.

    I do think that vets need ti do a much better job of helping people and their pets on the owners terms or just our own. That is why state boards and online reviews are there.

    If all else fails there are documented and published protocols that do not include anesthesia. Some are coccygeal anesthesia blocks, decompression of rhe bladder and at home medications. There is always more than one way to treat an ailment. Remind your vet that you know this and they are obligated to offer you options outside of their way and euthanasia. When the public starts to demand better I think vets will have to start to listen. Further if the tables were turned I don’t know one vet who wouldn’t insist on being given affordable options were they the client.

    Good luck

    Let me know what happens.

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Hannah Snider | 3 years ago
My 14 Year Old Yorkie Has Recently Been Diagnosed With Spine And Nerve Problems. He Has Severe …

My 14 year old Yorkie has recently been diagnosed with spine and nerve problems. He has severe pain in his back end (hips, knees, lower spine). The doctor gave gabapentin and he is already on carprofen. It seems he’s getting worse with more pain, and sometimes whining and yelping in pain even when nothing has touched or moved him. Is there anything else I can do for him?? I hate to see my boy in so much pain.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    hello!
    I am sorry to hear about your pup. First things first. we can manage pain (or at least we should be doing everything in our power to try). If the pain isnt subsiding within a day or two call the vet and ask to be seen again. There is a litany of pain medications available. Often we dont provide enough, or the correct combination at the first vist.
    Second, we need a diagnosis, at least a tentative diagnosis to try to understand what course of treatment options are needed and what to expect from each option, or as time progresses.
    third, every patient should be offered a referral to a specialist sooner versus later.
    thats where i would start at this point with your dog.

    krista