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Jessica | 2 years ago
Recently Every Time My 7 Year Old Black Lab Retriever Jumps Into The Car He Holds His …

Recently every time my 7 year old black lab retriever jumps into the car he holds his back leg and whines a little or acts funny then lays down and is okay. He’s out running and seems fine any other time just does this when jumping up into the car. Any thoughts? Im going to purchase steps to help him into the car. Maybe just a sprain

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  1. Laura

    I tend to be conservative with things like this – I will put a dog with a sore limb on crate rest for a week to see if it resolves. If it doesn’t, we head to the vet. This means on leash when in the yard for toilet, no jumping in the car, no jumping on furniture. Just crate or on a cushy bed on the floor.

    Things to do: check paw pads, check nails (most people keep dog nails WAY too long, so if you can hear them clicking, it’s time for a nail trim…and then do them twice a week until they’re short, and weekly to maintain). I also move the limb and gently massage to see if there’s any sort of soft tissue soreness.

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Patty | 2 years ago
Is It Safe To Put Chicken Broth/stock On My Dog’s Food? She Is A 13 …

Is it safe to put chicken broth/stock on my dog’s food? She is a 13 year old German Shepherd mix who is a picky eater. She has no problem eating human food but isn’t especially interested in eating her dog food. Just trying to think of ways to get her more interested in her food.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If you told me that you were making the stock and you werent using any salt, or dangerous ingredients (onions, garlic, etc), then I might say ok..

    but the issue for me is in the why your dog isnt interested in a dog food? Ask your vet for recommendations on a diet that is suitable for your dog. This advice should come after you have done a thorough physical exam and blood work to include fecal, thyroid and urine. (maybe additional diagnostics after these?).

    I also use canned and dry food with my dogs to keep the dry kibble more interesting and palatable.

    hope this helps

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Angela | 2 years ago
My Cat Has Broken Her Toenail On Her Back Paw It Doesn’t Seem To Be …

My cat has broken her toenail on her back paw it doesn’t seem to be bleeding too much but it definitely needs attention I can’t really afford a vet at all so please somebody help me with what I should do for her.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I usually don’t worry too much about a broken toenail. I can rot clearly see the photo either. My best advice is to make sure she isn’t licking the area and make sure it stays clean, especially because litter boxes. If it looks like it is infected you will need a vet. I strongly discourage wrapping feet on cats. They will make the area worse by chewing at rhe bandage or it will cause swelling as they never stay on unless they are too tight. So never place a bandage on a cat.
    Please see a vet if you are worried.

  2. Angela Post author

    Omg my heart sank when I saw that I actually got a response from someone like you. Thank you for taking the time to write back .My animals are my life and to think of one of them being hurt and in pain kills my soul. There is no way I could afford a vet at the moment . I do have a good job but being the only one with income at the moment and also the only one that does EVERYTHING around the house ON TOP of working a 60+ hour work week . I do good with making sure everyone has a roof over their head clothes on their back and food on the table. Every penny I make goes for bills, food and gas! I wish I could take her to the vet right this second. Thanks for taking the time to read . I appreciate you more than you could ever imagine!!! Sincerely
    The family of 22 Angela , Kayla . Haydin, Olivia . Then the Dogs are Nola , Navi , Nash, Bosephus ,Lexi .. puppies are Molly,Sophie, Stevie,Rocko, Potato,Layla,Ronake,Tiny. The cats are Joplin, Atlas,GusGus, Garfield and the injured lil black one is Lola baby!!!!!

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Sandra Sellers | 2 years ago
Just Caught My Dog Eating A Churu Cat Treat Wrapper She Dug Out Of The Trash. …

Just caught my dog eating a Churu cat treat wrapper she dug out of the trash. I only found 1/3 of it. I’m guessing it’s plastic and foil and I have no idea if this is going to cause her to be sick.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It depends on a few things.. how much of the wrapper was swallowed. How much was chewed (for example did the wrapper get chewed into small pieces), and how big and healthy is your dog?
    All of these influence the ability for it to be passed.
    I wish I could help you more.

  2. Sandra Sellers Post author

    After I finished panicking I went on a scavenger hunt and found all the pieces that I could and compared to a new wrapper. It looks like only a few small pieces were ingested—maybe 3. The pieces left over were all squished up and I had to smooth them out. If it was that easy to chew through and tear up I’m going to hope it passes ok. She’s a regular patient with Dr Morgan and is a youthful 11 year old border collie/lab mix. Her lab work is decent and only real health issues is arthritis and some lumps and bumps. She’s healthy weight of 42 lbs.

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Andrea | 2 years ago
My Cat Was Constipated This Morning (he Has Other Issues, But This Was The Key Problem …

My cat was constipated this morning (he has other issues, but this was the key problem this morning). The vet said I could give him Miralax, which I did. I knew it was kicking in because my cat started yowling a bit, most likely because he was feeling cramps. It’s a struggle because I don’t want him to feel bad but I know this is part of the problem with giving a laxative. Does anyone have a suggestion about what I can do “in the mean time” to make him feel better while we wait for him to defecate? Heating pad? Warm rice pad? Cold pad? Just rubbing his belly softly? Thanks!

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    For cats with constipation issues I recommend a high quality canned food only diet and lots of exercise. If you are worried about pain please talk to your vet about safe options for cats. There are not a lot of them.

  2. Andrea Post author

    Thank you. Since we’re dealing with several other health issues my cat has been less mobile, which I know was part of the problem.

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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??

1 Response

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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.

1 Response

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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? 🙁

4 Responses

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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.