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Hello, I have a question regarding a split nail, not sure how it happened. Just saw a small trail of bloody footprints when we got back in from a very short walk no blood outside just indoors. I check my dogs paw and I see that the nail is broken. It broken two pieces. The bottom piece is intact, but the quick is exposed, and the top is still attached, but barely… I saw the video on YouTube explaining how the top broken piece can be removed, but had a few follow up questions. If I’m not able to get the numbing agent from the vet, what else would work? lidocaine, ice? And after the piece is pulled out, what over-the-counter and anabiotic ointment can I use? Can I use Silver Honey ointment for her aftercare or do I have to take my dog to the vet after I pull the nail out for the antibiotics?
I have a question on a 9 year old boxer, back in January he was treated for respiratory cough, he was treated once, didn’t go away. Had to take him back to vet, and treated again was better but it continue for a few more weeks and finally went away. Now our boxer really isn’t eating properly will not eat dry food at all ,only if we give him people food. We rescue dogs and have 2 other dogs so we only have so much of budget.
Any suggestions of what it could be or what minimal testing we can do?
I start a work up for a cough with trying to decide if this is a respiratory issue (ie the lungs/trachea part of the body reposition breathing) or a cardiac problem (heart). An examination is key to this. After that I talk about an Xray or blood work. I wish I could help more than this but I think it’s time for a second opinion and diagnostics.
Not sure if Pawbly is still in operation. Does anyone know if Dr. Magnifico does the Urethrostomy surgery on male cats? We have a much beloved cat (Blackie) who is peeing just everywhere. Has been peeing and spraying for years but it’s gotten much, much worse. (His urine contains no crystals, according to our vet.)
As a next-to-last resort, we want to find a vet who can do this surgery. (You know what the last resort would be.) Thank you for any help, tips, info, etc.
Not sure if you answer this but had a question about our 5 year old cat. Since November she has been experiencing a fair amount of nasal discharge. We tried to rounds of antibiotics, a flush, and the vet searched for a polyp using a spade hook on her soft pallet while she was sedated. The vet was unable to see a polyp and the nasal xray didn’t show much either. A month later we saw no improvement on the nasal and over the past ten days our poor cat has been breathing terribly. When she is standing up and moving around it is clear her breathing is obstructed and it sounds like she is snoring. We have noticed a large decrease in her nasal discharge but her breathing is just awful. She is still eating and drinking as normal. We have been referred to internal medicine in St. Louis but aren’t excited to spend $2-3K for a CT Scan and scoping. Is it possible the poly behind her soft pallet has grown since they first looked for it or could a polyp be some where else? Do you think a CT scan us necessary or should the scope do the trick. We love our cat but are reluctant to spend $3K on her only to find out the couldn’t do anything to help her.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I’m also sorry everything in vetmed is so expensive right now. It sounds like your vet has done what I would do for my clients and that the next step is a CT scan. You can certainly see if another vet will look for a polyp for you, but you may be back where you are now if that isn’t productive.
There are also CT scans available outside a referral hospital for a lower price (I don’t know if this is the case in your area), but the dilemma there is that this will only help diagnose. You may still need that IM vet to help with the treatment plan.
I hope things work out for your cat.
Dr Magnifico
Hello,
We have a cat who has been sneezing, making noise when breathing, and has had discharge (sometimes bloody) from a nostril. She has had these symptoms for several months and they seem to be getting worse. Our regular vet has treated our cat with antiviral, antibiotic, and steroid medications. The medications have not helped.They are not sure of the cause of these symptoms, but a visiting vet suggested our cat may have nasal polyps. We were referred to a specialist vet who suggested testing (biopsy, CT scan, X-ray) with a quoted price of $8,000, which is more than we can afford. We saw your video on nasal polyps and wanted to see if you are able to help us and our cat, Koshka. Thank you very much!
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I’m also sorry it’s so expensive to do these cases at referral centers.
If you have not looked for a polyp in the oropharynx yet I would start there. If you cannot afford the referral hospital and referral vet see if you can find a vet locally who will help. If you cannot afford find anyone locally I will do my best to help but I am not an internal medicine specialist and I don’t have a CT scanner. If the polyp can’t be found you may have no other options other than advanced diagnostics (CT or endoscopy).
Best of luck
Dr Magnifico
Hi! I have 3 cats that visit your facility and we absolutely love your clinic. Our 3 cats are our entire world and we have recently installed screening underneath our deck area so they can safely sit outside with us on the patio without getting out. Think of essentially a giant catio, lol. They are indoor kitties but enjoy sitting by the screen door so we know they would like the fresh air. Anyway, I feed songbirds all year round and I started to get a little spooked with the bird flu and my cats having the potential to actually be “outdoors” even if it’s in a patio area there is a very busy bird feeder in the same yard about a school bus lengths away and wasn’t sure if it’s recommended to take it down or if the risk of my cats getting it is very unlikely? I just wanted an expert opinion. Thanks!! (I’m in Harford county Md if that helps)
Hello,
Thank you for the very kind words. I understand your concerns but I think it is very unlikely that your cats are at risk.
While transmission of disease is possible between species it is very rare.
I hope your cats enjoy their new patio space.
Take care
Dr Magnifico
I’m a loving pet owner with a 12 yr old Morkie (who is dying from prostate cancer$ and a Yorkie puppy (who we got before the cancer diagnosis). Interested in how to know signs of imminent death or the need to euthanize. Also, tips on keeping the Yorkie’s “puppy-ism” from causing the Morkie to be overwhelmed with fear, discontent, concern, feeling outcast.
Hey there.
I’m so sorry to hear about this. It’s not easy, watching our pets go slowly.
After Dr. Magnifico posted about this awhile back, I had a list of Things my cat liked to do. As the list shrank, I knew we were closer and closer to letting him go. My list included eating, drinking, cuddling, playing, etc. I would make a similar list for your dog, and monitor based on that.
For the puppy, I would honestly keep them separate when pup is acting like a puppy. This could be as simple as tethering him to someone when he can be supervised (something I recommend anyway for the first 6 months to help with housebreaking and general naughty behavior) and crating when he can’t.
Thank you, Laura!
Heya! I have desperate questions regarding UO for my 10 month old kitty! My kitty was in the hospital for three days in IV fluids and catheter treatment. His levels improved and they released him yet his urine was still bloody, according to his doctor. After catheter removal, how long does it take for my kitty to return to a normal restroom routine? And will my kitty have some symptoms of his sickness continue? (slight shivering, crying out, licking his bits). He is going to his restroom frequently but is producing decently amount of urine; quarter sized to palm of my hand amount. He is also eating and drinking water. How long until his inflammation clears up around his area? And when should I see him back at the vet? I’m trying to be patient but I can’t stand to see him in pain 🙁
Hello,
I cannot answer this question other than saying if he isn’t doing well you should recheck with your vet. I do thee following for my UO kitties. Pain meds; zorbium and gabapentin. Antibiotic: usually convenia and I teach families how to give sq fluids at home. I also teach them how to palate the bladder and put them on a canned urinary prescription diet.
Of the bloody urine persists take an Xray to look for a stone or an ultrasound to look for abnormalities in the bladder.
Good luck.
Heya Kristia! Thank you for your reply! He actually is on some pain medication and antibiotics! He takes both every 12 hours. And it does seem like he is peeing more than I initially explained. But I am curious if you have any tutorials up on how to do a Sq fluids at home? Again thank you for being helpful.
About 2 months ago my 11-Year-Old English chocolate Lab started developing a cough. It started off mild at first with a couple coughing fits here and there. I got her to the vet as soon as I could get an appointment. She was ruled out for kennel cough because she’s up to date on shots, she never is boarded and she never goes to dog parks. They started a round of antibiotics, and cough suppressants. It didn’t seem to work so we went back. They did a lot of tests which of course was a lot of money. She’s diabetic so congestive heart failure was a concern but through testing and an X-ray they said they don’t believe it has to do with her heart & there didn’t seem to be fluid around her lungs either.. She was then put on steroids because they thought it might be inflammation. It didn’t seem to help any & her cough has only gotten progressively worse. We went back again and now they put her on a different round of antibiotics & another script that I have to fill at a human pharmacy for Codeine I believe. She has coughing fits almost every 20 to 30 minutes and sometimes with rubbing of her neck it helps calm them down. Her coughing spasms generally produce a lot of phlegmy spit up. I’ve spent more money than I have to try to get her help but we haven’t been able to get any answers. I was told it could possibly be Laryngeal Paralysis but the only way to truly confirm was to take her to a specialist and spend a lot more money to put my 11-year-old senior diabetic dog under sedation for an invasive procedure to diagnose. I’m not even sure what the fix for that would be if there is one and I’m sure it’s thousands more $$$ for a girl who may not make it through all that. It’s heartbreaking watching her struggle., I don’t really know what to think or do, just at a devastating loss watching my poor girl suffer. Within the last week, my once always hungry Labrador who never turned down any type of food down has stopped eating her normal food and treats that she used to love. She now only accepts wet food and soft meaty treats. I’m not really sure where to go. I don’t think the ER is the best answer here and again I’ve spent way more money than I even have to try to find an answer. Just trying to find any guidance/advice/assistance/suggestions and/or answers that I possibly can. Thank you in advance.
Hello,
I’m sorry that you are having so much difficulty finding the cause to this.
There is no way around the fact that some patients come to us with more difficult conditions than others. When we struggle for the answer the best way to get to the bottom of the problem is to get a second opinion and a new set of eyes. I don’t think there is anyway around seeing a new vet and probably spending more money to rerun some of the tests.
The other option is to see if your vet can send the X-rays to a radiologist for review and ask for a vet consult via the lab work provider they use. For cases like this I can lean on a specialist to help me with the difficult cases I see. I use ANTECH and Idexx for my lab services and they both offer online consults for vets. They also both offer radiologists to review my X-rays The phone consult is free and the radiologist review is often about $150. It might help.
Otherwise you are stuck with just trying additional medication to see if they help.
X-rays also have limitations and a CT scab might be needed to see the area of the throat or chest causing the issue. I’m sorry I wish I could help more.
I’m have a 7month old female tortie who broke her left humerus last night. The ER vet at falls road animal hospital who was the only ER able to take her, and delayed a surgery to do so, said it was a spiral fracture and they were worried it could puncture through the skin. I was quoted $1400 for everything needed before surgery. They say they can do surgery Thursday which they estimated to be 4-5k but has always been higher in my experience with them so I am anticipating 6k. I do not have those funds. I made a gofundme, waggle, and posted to fb groups. I’ve reached out to other vets like JVC, timonium, padonia, spaynow for second opinions. Hoping to hear back. Especially from Dr Magnifico at JVC as she has come the mostly highly recommended on every post I’ve made.
Any help would be beneficial.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I understand how expensive and difficult it is to manage an injury like this. This is a difficult bone and fracture to treat. In all cases of broken bones it is ideal to see an orthopedic surgeon and be at a facility that specializes in this. There are board certified veterinary surgeons in our area. You can google them for a facility near you. If you are staying at this hospital please inquire who is doing the surgery and what their credentials are.
This fracture is beyond the scope of what our hospital can do. For cases like this we would offer a referral to a specialist or cage rest and pain management. This is a young cat and it will likely heal with strict cage rest. In my opinion this should always be offered before discussion of an amputation. Your cat must stay in a small cage with a low bed, low sided litter box and rest for 4-8 weeks. Even if you have the leg surgically repaired these cats need strict cage rest for 4-8 weeks. Re-Xray every 2 weeks.
In 20 years of practicing veterinary medicine almost all of these cases were managed with crate test alone due to clients not being able to afford the $6-10,000 estimate for surgery. They have ALL done well with cage rest. I also recommend that she is spayed after healing. Best of luck.
Hello,
This is usually painful bc the broken nai is irritating the sensitive quick underneath it. So removing the nail often alleviates the discomfort. But removing the nail is also painful which is why I use an analgesic or numbing agent. I use lidocaine gel. I also use a sterile blade or nail trimmers. I also use a medical antibiotic cleaner and oral antibiotic as I have seen a dog get tetanus after this.