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Stina | 2 years ago
My Cat Recent Started Taking A Pill. The First Couple Days Mixing In Food Worked But …

My cat recent started taking a pill. The first couple days mixing in food worked but now she takes a few licks and is done with it. There must be a taste because she is not having it. How else can I give it to her? We have tried wet cat food, tuna, like a purée kitten treat. She won’t touch it. Am I able to just kinda shove it down her throat? Would icing in a small bit of water and putting in a syringe work?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If your cat is going to be on this long term then I recommend you ask your vet to give you tips and a demonstration on how to pull your cat like the pros do.
    Otherwise you can try to crush and syringe it, but it still tastes bad and they are still going to hate it. I also fear that mixing it in food or food and syringing makes them adrift or adverse to their food which can make a sick cat even sicker.

    There is just no getting around learning how to pull your cat. There is a learning curve but eventually they figure out that it isn’t so bad and allow it without prejudice.

    1. Stina Post author

      This is for Mia, you are the vet actually. Any tips and tricks? I don’t want to traumatize her and make it worse but she needs to take it

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kathy welsh | 2 years ago
My Daughter’s 13 Yr Old Male Cat Started Urinating All Over The House, Occasionally Crying Out. …

My daughter’s 13 yr old male cat started urinating all over the house, occasionally crying out. Is this a UTI? I read something about crystals??

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It could be a uti, cystitis or your cat being blocked (ie urinary bladder blockage), which is a medical emergency. Please go to the vet immediately.
    Best of luck. Please keep us posted.

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Emma | 2 years ago
Male Himalayan Cat Eyes Swollen And Red And Ears Itchy

Male Himalayan cat eyes swollen and red and ears itchy
I have A male himilayan who seems to be having an allergic reaction to something but I’m not sure if it’s a reaction or something else. His eye lids are swollen red and puffy and he keeps scratching his ears till they bleed. My vet told me to open the windows and air out the house which I did For 7 hours and it has gone down a bit but he still looks uncomfortable. It has been on and off for the past week of getting puffy and there was a wall diffuser my mother in law kept plugging in and when it was unplugged it got better but then she’d plug it in again. It has now been removed for good and it’s been almost 12 hours and he’s still puffy. Any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Nothing else has changed in the house that I can Think of for another cause of allergies or irritation. I am Trying to get him into a vet tomorrow.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Eyes are one of those things that absolutely have to be seen in person to assess. In some cases I need to stain the eye to look for corneal damage. In others I had to take ocular pressure. And in some we just try an ophthalmology antibiotic and an ecollar. For allergy cases I might send home an eye flush. But they are all based on the in person exam.

    See your vet as soon as you can and do not let your cat run her eyes. That can cause major cornea damage.

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Cristina | 2 years ago
My 2 Year Old Female Dog Was Neutered Last Week And The Incision Site Is Looking Concerning. …

My 2 year old female dog was neutered last week and the incision site is looking concerning. The only veterinary clinic close to us is closed today and I am worried about infection or other issues. The dog is an obssesive licker and I don’t know if the wound is healing ok.

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Jana | 2 years ago
Rottweiler, Female, Spayed, 11 Years Old Just Recently Lost A Toe To Nailbed Squamous Cell Carcinoma (hind …

Rottweiler, female, spayed, 11 years old
Just recently lost a toe to nailbed squamous cell carcinoma (hind foot). And now this has cropped up on her front foot. Not limping yet, but some weight-shifting away from it and licking at it. What are the odds that it’s the same thing again? 🙁

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    So nice to hear from you.
    This is tough for me to answer because I don’t know enough about the way the scc was diagnosed nor how it presented. I also don’t know if there were surgical margins or amputation of the digit? Was an oncologist seen?
    I have not had any patients with scc of the toe. But I have had scc patients have multiple areas affected. This is really best answered by your vet and an oncologist. I hope this helps. And very best of luck
    Krista .

    1. Jana Post author

      It kind of started the same.

      – her licking at her foot for a couple of days and were unable to figure out why
      – then she misstepped and became lame and there was bleeding
      – vet determined it was likely a nailbed infection at the first visit
      – wasn’t healing with topical treatments
      – in the meantime, the toe came off completely
      – the next visit, a different vet, figured it was potential cancer
      – while we were organizing a biopsy, there were many cock-ups so we decided to take a step back and revisit with another vet
      – that one convinced it was infection–long-term antibiotics (that trashed her digestive system)
      – continued for weeks and weeks
      – then, when I no longer believed dysbiosis was all there was to the diarrhea and insisted on imaging, they found a splenic mass
      – I insisted I wanted the spleen out asap and agreed to biopsy at time of surgery
      – surgeon looked at it and convinced it is cancer so I agreed to toe amputation at the time of the splenic surgery–it was confirmed to be SCC. Bone margin was clean, not enough soft tissue to judge.
      – x-rays and all clean–no metastasis
      – that toes is no perfectly healed

      But this is starting the same way. Last time she lost weeks of life and in pain. This time, I definitely don’t want to loose all that time again. Don’t want to put her through surgery for nothing either, or have another pop up in a couple of months again 🙁

    2. Jana Post author

      Seemed to look better this morning; been doing Epsom salt soaks; vet appt tomorrow

    3. Jana Post author

      Just saw a vet, and she says it is a nail injury, and everything looks good to her/that’s the one to be the first to suspect cancer the first time around. So HOPEFULLY, that’s correct, and it will resolve speedily. *sigh of relief.

      Also did a wellness check, and everything else looks good too. My little girly looks like she’ll be well and able to finally have the fun she deserves once this thing heals.

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Laurie | 2 years ago
I Am Agonizing Over The Hardest Decision We Have As Pet Parents…euthanasia. Our 12 1/2 Year Standard …

I am agonizing over the hardest decision we have as pet parents…euthanasia. Our 12 1/2 year standard schnauzer has been having various behaviors and symptoms the past 6 -8 weeks. Excessive panting, fatigue, decreased appetite. We brought him in and he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He finished all his meds and we brought him back in for follow up X-ray and labs. He really wasn’t much better. X-ray confirmed pneumonia had cleared but lab work, which had been normal 2 weeks prior, now showed probable pancreatitis. He has declined rapidly the past 3 days. We are trying to get him to take meds, Pepcid, Cerenia, Carafate but we literally have to force them down his throat. He will not eat and I have tried everything , rice, scrambled eggs, bread, even doughnuts He is isolating, going upstairs instead of being with us. He still has labored breathing, his legs give out, he is restless. He has a strange odor. I have had dogs my whole life and all this points to end of life. I know this in my heart. When do you know when is the right time? I really was hoping he would pass naturally. Thank you for listening

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  1. Laura

    First off: I’m so very sorry. I know how much this hurts. I know how much it sucks. My biggest regret was not letting my cat go earlier. I couldn’t be with him when he crashed, and it absolutely destroyed me.

    It’s always, ALWAYS better to let them go too early than to make them suffer for our need to keep them with us. We owe them that for all the love they’ve given us.

    Self isolation is a big sign. So is the refusal to eat, the general restlessness. It sounds like he’s miserable. I would give him the best day you can, and let him go gently.

  2. Kaya

    I’m so sorry to hear this , I myself was and still am angry about putting down my kitty who was very young due to a UTI going south and after much attempts to solve the issue , I am angry for this being the 2nd time , and I’m angry that no one seems to prevent this food from being sold that slowly kills male cats and that no matter what efforts I took to upgrade the food, give him supplements, take him to the vet or whatever , nothing helped ! It only managed to give him another 8-9 months to live .::: but … for me that’s not good enough…. Why can’t we stop this from happening before it happens to male cats !? I don’t get this fail system government and greedy people that only look to get paid rather then save a life. So, with that being said, I am so sorry you lost your pal woof woof ???? I know how u feel , and that it’s better to let them go in peace then suffer this dreadful painful bs life .

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Kayla Jo | 2 years ago
Hey Everyone. My Sweet Baby Girl Ellie May Is 11 Going On 12 And Has IVDD With Back …

Hey everyone. My sweet baby girl Ellie May is 11 going on 12 and has IVDD with back leg paralysis. The funny thing is that overtime she has been able to sometimes memory walk which resembles a raccoon on our carpet and can even kick her back feet when you carry her. She’s unable to urinate on her own so I do that for her and have for years. She has a wheelchair, her own playpen and even her own stroller because she is my diva child.

Last weekend little miss decided to jump from her stroller because she was too impatient to see what I was cooking in the kitchen. She didn’t help or anything and has even done this before and it doesn’t phase her but about gives me a stroke. Last Sunday morning I was getting her out of bed and she yelped and when I gently sat her on the floor to get her morning drink before tinkle time she flopped out on her left side. Since then she has weakness In the front and she knuckles the foot but can still put pressure but is hard to get around and will cry in pain and breathes heavier. She’s a dachshund so we all know their attitude and behaviors.

I called my veterinarian and it has been a back and forth battle the ENTIRE week and I haven’t actually spoken to the vet just desk people who apparently don’t like to pass messages or do anything really. I totally understand how busy a farm vet practice is but some communication would be nice. Thankfully I had some gabapentin left from her sister Miley’s dental and have been doing that twice a day but the dose is in half as she weighs less than Miley. When they did call me back they said yes what I was doing was fine as I’m also doing crate rest. I’ve done this dance before with my girl so we know what to do. From the start she wasn’t a candidate for surgery they said since she had already lost function In her legs. But with my love and care she bounced back within 2 weeks and then slipped again a few weeks later and has been without full use since.

I expressed my concern she could have slipped a front, they don’t seem all too worried,really????? Now my hubby and I have a game plan that as long as Ellie has the will to fight and live then so do we but the second she is truly suffering we will not allow her to deal with that. I’ve had so many folks wonder why we have a special girl and didn’t just put her down, I respond with would you shoot your own child if he broke his leg and couldn’t play sports again? You don’t give up on your dogs. If anything she has more attitude being my handy girl. We call her the sheriff of tiny town. I called my vet yet again yesterday to try and get in for a steroid injection and some nsaids and they just don’t seem to pass the message. So tomorrow I’m calling as their hours are 8a-12pm and if they can’t get me in then praying that at least doc can call the meds in for her. As a mama of an IVDD baby I’m familiar with the drill. Thank you for letting me vent.

We are ordering a secondary pop up playpen for her for when we are upstairs and when we are downstairs . Also ordering a raised bowl set so she isn’t angling her head down, I’ve rolled up blankets into the open areas in her playhouse so she is more secure and comfortable. Are there any other IVDD parents out there? Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    Congratulations on doing so well with managing your pups disease. It really is a total investment in love.
    I know a lot of people like Dodgers list Facebook page. If you aren’t a part of that community go there.
    If you have specific questions I will do my best to help. I have a really exhaustive library of information on my YouTube channel and blog. Maybe they can help? Search Ivdd on the YouTube channel or blog at kmdvm.blogspot.Com.

    Good luck.

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Hala | 2 years ago
Hello I Live In Atlanta, GA. I Believe My Cat Nava Has A Nasopharyngeal Polyp. She …

Hello I live in Atlanta, GA. I believe my cat Nava has a Nasopharyngeal Polyp. She has been consistently sick over the last 3-4 weeks and I took her to the Vet, he suspected middle ear but he said try Famcilovir and antibiotics to treat what could be FHV. She has been on the medication for about a month now and her symptoms are just not getting treated and I’ve been to the vet 3 times and all 3 times they have suggested the same thing. I’m a masters student and I’m fairly broke right now and I’ve already spent a thousand dollars. I have a feeling in my gut that she has this as she stopped eating and has had difficulty breathing. Do you have a vet in Atlanta I can take her to do xray or scan and remove this for a cheap or affordable price? Thank you so much :'(

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Lika | 2 years ago
My Female Sealpoint Siamese Cat, Lika, Has Been Constipated. She Is 16 Years Old And Has Historically …

My female sealpoint siamese cat, Lika, has been constipated. She is 16 years old and has historically eated Science Diet dry cat food. She turns her nose up at canned foid; I have tried many. I have tried putting mineral oil on her treats and she would sometimes eat them but now will not, at all. She is still eating and she drinks a lot of water. She is active, bright, and seems to usually be in no distress. Her abdomen does not feel hard or distended. She vomits on occasion after which she sometimes poops. For the past two weeks she has been straining as if to poop but nothing comes out. I gave her an enema 4 days ago and it was successful. She had not pooped since, so I gave her another enema today, with success but with not as much poop obtained as there should have been after 4 days. Her stool is very hard. I would like to know if I can give her liquid docusate sodium , which I can buy in the grocery store and if so, how much can I give to my 5 lb. cat. How do I administer it? I would not want her to aspirate any medicine I’d give her. I am trying to avoid large vet bills because of my financial situation and bevause Lika is an old cat and I prefer to avoid any major costly intervention(s).

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  1. Autumn

    Hello.
    A few suggestions to help with her bowel movements… try introducing different type of wet food. Often kitties aren’t fond of certain smells/flavors. You can also try adding water into her dry food to moisten it. If able, try adding small amounts of wet food into the dry food. Softening up the food can help form stool easier and make things less stressful.
    Please reach out to your vet if this continues to be an issue as she may have more going on than we can tell.

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Marie | 2 years ago
My Dog (beagle, 4yr) Has Been Diagnosed With Potential IVDD. Vet Provided Meds For 2 Weeks To See …

My dog (beagle, 4yr) has been diagnosed with potential IVDD. Vet provided meds for 2 weeks to see if there is improvement.

She is still able to walk, eat and urinate/poop normally. However, when she gets spasms in her neck, you can see she is in pain and she cries.

Is there anything else I can do to release her pain? Massage? Ice pack? Heat pack?

Also, the Vet did not say that I needed to crate her. She is pretty much always laying down, getting up when she wants to go out to pee or to eat. Should I still crate her? She is not used to it so I’m afraid she will try to fight out.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    I’m Sorry for the delay. I have a huge amount of information including the medications I use in these cases at my blog kmdvm.blogspot.Com and my YouTube chane. Go to each and search Ivdd.

    Your pet should be crate rested at all times and there are medications to help pain.

    Best of luck.