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Pisoi is an indoor 18 year old male cat who is also allowed to spend as much time as he wants outside. Last summer he started to get from his left nostril a discharge, first clear mucus which despite an antibiotic injection (good for two weeks) became later a thick puss. The doctor’s supposition was: A) sinus infection; B) a foreign body in the nostril; C) cancer. The Doctor’s opinion is that more precise investigations requires anesthesia but due to the cat’s advanced age the doctor felt that he might not wake up from the anesthesia. It was prescribed Tobramycin Dexamethasone Ophtalmic and the puss became again a pretty clear discharge. He was eating and behaving normal. Everything remained in this state until two months ago when Pisoi began to snore, a sign that his left nostril was beginning to be affected. There was no discharge from his “healthy” nostril. After six days of doxycycline, his snoring became a little softer, then loud again. Another six days doxycycline, another week of soft snoring. Now he received doxycycline for 20 days. Already after four tablets he seams to be better but still 1) he cannot rest well because of heavy breathing and 2) his appetite is gone. Only ¼ tablet mirtazapine will make him to eat (really well).
Dr. Magnifico, I would appreciate it if you could see Pisoi as soon as possible, especially after I read what on this page what happened to Tony’s cat, Destiny.
We live in New Castle Pa, five hours and a half from you
Thank you very much,
Mihai
I think my cat got into the trash and eat some of the casing off a large summer sausage (from redners grocery store) earlier this evening! She is acting very normal, but I am concerned about the strips of casing getting lodged inside her bowels or else! This cat is my world, so I am freaking ou! Any advice, any other cats do this? I dunno what the material was made from.
So, the casing on sausages is usually “natural” – meaning it’s made of intestine. It’s meant to be digested. I would monitor, but I don’t think I’d overly stress. Dr. Magnifico might have another opinion, and if she chimes in I’d listen to her more than I’d listen to me. Just relaying how I’d react in this situation.
I WOULD plan to alter the trash situation, if your cat can dig around in it. Don’t want kitty getting something really dangerous, like cooked chicken bones!
I agree with laura. Monitor your cat closely and call the vet at the first sign of concern. I would also recommend that you call them anyway and just ask them what they think. It might be helpful if something does come up to have spoken with them before hand. That way they can hopefully see you ASAP.
Hi everyone, great website. My 10 year old sweet darling cat, has a cyst next to her eye, I was told by the vet it’s a cyst and to keep an ‘eye’ on it to see if it got bigger. Which it has.. they are saying to have it removed.. I was wondering if there’s anything I can do at home to help the cyst or does she have to have an operation? Many thanks, help really appreciated.
Hello,
In my long tenure as a vet I have found that the best way to eradicate a cyst is to surgically remove it. No matter what you try they always return if you don’t fill excise them. Depending on where they are some can wait a little while, but, if it is near the eye it’s probably better to remove it sooner while it is small, versus waiting for it to get bigger. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Thank you Krista I will take her back to the vet then as it has grown.
Hello. Yes. It looks like a cyst. And it is in a tough spot. I would remove it ASAP. There isn’t much room to work with as it is never mind if it gets larger. Please send a post op photo and please add the surgery and invoice to our storyline section. That way others can benefit from your experience.
Hi, Please if there’s someone who knows a vet like this near York, PA who won’t charge an arm and a leg to remove a polyp from our cat’s throat! we have to pay $2,000 and wait forever just for an appointment! Please! She almost died a few times because she can’t breathe. Her name is Destiny and she’s a sweet and loving cat. Our vet misdiagnosed this as asthma. Tonight she’s having another hard time breathing. We can’t afford to keep taking her to the Emergency vet they charge a fortune and don’t help. Please let me know ASAP. My email is tshelleman@juno.com. Thanks in advance!
Good morning
I am so sorry you are going through this. What does your regular vet say? Are they willing to do the surgery? If so, I would start there- and work out a payment option ahead of time. If they are not able to do the surgery, I would ask my vet for help and begin calling around to other vet practices. Hopefully your vet can work with the one you find and share their diagnosis so that the vet performing surgery will be fully aware of your cat’s situation and can schedule right away. Very best of luck ????????
Our regular vet said that she has asthma. I had said that I believe that it’s an obstruction, but the vet at the time insisted that it was asthma and showed me X-rays and was to the point of being rude and arrogant about it. This was when she was about a year old. She had the snoring sound that is talked about in the video and got to the point where she could barely breathe. So we gave her the asthma treatment for a while and she seemed fine, but she still always made a noise when she breathed. Almost a year ago, she had another episode. She stopped eating and started to have trouble breathing again. We took her to the Emergency vet and they said she didn’t respond to any asthma treatments and they thought it was an obstruction. I did some research and figured that it was a polyp. Our vet (different doctor than original diagnosis) referred us to specialists and said they couldn’t do it themselves, but the specialists would charge about $2000 and we would have to wait at least a month, get an appointment and pay for her to be examined, then wait again for the surgery. The vet also tested her for feline leukemia and said she had it and that her white blood cells were very low, so we thought she wouldn’t even live for long. But we gave her fluids and electrolytes extravenously and she survived and started to eat again and gain weight. We were waiting to see how she would do if it was worth the money to have the surgery. She had been fine for about 8 months, but yesterday, she started to have trouble breathing again. I found the video and saw that maybe Krista can do it for under $200 that would be much better for me.
Hello,
The veterinarian in this post works at jarrettsville vet in harford county maryland. You can call the clinic and make an appointment to be seen. Iot you can call lititz vet in lititz pa and ask to be seen there. Both are excellent vet practices who will help and work and are not expensive or unwilling to work based on a budget.
So, is this the “Dr. Krista Magnifico” from the YouTube channel? I called the Lititz vet and they want $165 for an exam and ~$2500 for the surgery. I wouldn’t call that reasonable after watching the above video since it only takes about 10 – 15 minutes to do. I called your clinic and they said to send you an email, but you haven’t responded yet. I’m not going to pay almost $3000 for this surgery, so I need to know if you can and will do it or not. Destiny has had trouble breathing for the last 2 days and might die by the time I get an appointment with Lititz or any other clinic.
Yes, I found out where her clinic is at after I initially posted. I called the Lititz clinic and they want $165 for the consult and ~$2500 for the surgery, which is on par with every other specialist in the area. I saw on the video that “Krista Magnifico” (looks a lot like a poster’s name) did it for $130. Even if it’s $500, that would still be a steal. I would be very hesitant to spend ~$2665 on a pet, but I would be willing to spend under $500.
I have the same problems and questions! Is there a veterinarian school that does this for less? I’d attempt surgery myself before paying $2500+ ???? In all seriousness that is absolute robbery after watching the video and how simple/fast it is. Like you said, even $500 would be reasonable.
William, if I find out anything, I’ll post here. The vet in the YouTube video is in Jarrettsville, MD which is less than an hour from York, PA where I live. I called them, but they can’t give me any information on the availability of this mysterious “Krista Magnifico” so what’s the point in posting videos like that if you can’t even find out if she can do the surgery?!? Meanwhile, my cat is having an episode of hard breathing that she could die from while this miracle vet can’t be reached!! Hello, are you out there Dr. Krista?
Wow, that’s crazy! So this lady on here isn’t her? I’m so confused by the whole video and how she replied to your comment. I wish your furbaby the best! Good luck! I can’t even get quotes around my area, I get phone replies like “We would have to see her first and we are 3 weeks out on appointments” and “We aren’t taking new patients because of Covid-19”. Then I saw this video and it gave me hope! ????
William, I found out that it is her. She has had a family emergency and I feel horrible for pestering on this site, but my cat is having a lot of problems breathing and hasn’t been eating for a few days and I don’t want her to die. BTW, where do you live?
Tony, that’s awesome! I’m from Pittsburgh so it’s a lengthy drive for me but luckily my kitten isn’t in dire need of surgery (at least not yet) But I’m So glad you were able to talk to her and I really hope everything works out for you.
Hello,
I expect to be in the clinic on Monday 5/18. I can call you to arrange an examination. If you would like to do that please call the clinic and ask to leave me a message. As soon as I return to work I will call. Tell them you spoke to me via Pawbly. Krista
Thank you so much! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that you were in the middle of a family emergency. I hope and pray that everything is well. I appreciate you doing this for me.
The appointment is set for 10AM on 5/18. Do you have any ballpark figure on the cost?
How did your appointment go?
Thanks for asking, William. Destiny passed away on Saturday morning at 1:06AM, so she never made it to the appointment. She had been having trouble breathing for a few days. She almost died on Friday morning from not being able to breathe. She was starting to go limp and out of desparation, I slid my pinky down her throat to try to clear her airway. I also have an oxygen concentrator for her and I used the hose for a breathing tube and she was able to breathe again. I took off work that day to keep monitoring her. Her breathing would be better almost to the point of being normal (still with the snoring sound), then she would have trouble again after a while. Occasionally, she would not be able to breathe for about 20 seconds and she would be able to clear her airway and breathe again. This continued until Saturday morning when she couldn’t breathe for almost a minute. She had been in our closet all day and she ran under the bed to try to catch her breath. I pulled her out from under the bed and tried the same thing, but she was not able to breathe on her own. She was coughing up mucous. I don’t know if her lungs had filled up from the polyp. It was so horrible to see her struggle for breath. She was the sweetest cat anybody could ever have. She was so full of life and personality and love and it’s so hard not hearing and seeing her around the house now. She was 6 years old and she had the polyp since she was 1. Our vet at the time told us that it was asthma. That vet is gone from the clinic now and fortunately because I would give her a piece of my mind if I saw her. Maybe she had asthma as well, but from a little bit of research, it should’ve been easy to see she had a polyp. If I would have known that earlier, maybe I could’ve taken her to a specialist while her breathing was better. I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you better news. I hope you find someone in your area like Dr. Krista.
I’m sorry about your kitty. My mother passed away last week. I was not at work for the last few weeks so I could be with her. My deepest sympathies for your loss. For everyone’s knowledge I need to clarify a few things. One any vet at jvc could have seen this patient. Even with an exam these patients often need advanced diagnostics and we are not an ER faculty therefore scheduling and providing immediate emergency care can be difficult. We t dry to help everyone and every case. And we always try to be affordable. The emergency cases are not always feasible for this. Sending hugs to all. Krista. .
Thanks for the response, Krista. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. That has to be very tough with all you do. I’ve been busy so I haven’t had a chance to reply, but I wanted to thank you for at least trying to help out. We buried Destiny a few days after she died, but it’s still so hard to believe that she’s gone. She was only about 6 years old, but she had been through so much. We thought she was a goner on several occasions, but she always pulled through and cam back strong. She was such a sweet. loving cat and I still sometimes think I hear her. She made that breathing sound and you could even hear her if she was outside close to a window sometimes. The last time we took her to the Emergency Clinic on S. Queen St. in York, they gave us the information for specialists in Lancaster and Towson (maybe your clinic could get added to their list). Both of those were cost-prohibitive and we wanted to make sure she was going to live long enough for the month plus that it took to get an appointment and also save the money. This was in August and she hadn’t eaten for over a week. Our vet had also said her white blood cell count was almost non-existent from feline leukemia. We fed her subcutaneously and also gave her solid food with a syringe. She eventually started eating again and gained weight back. We were so happy that she was healthy. She was back to her regular lovable playful self. Whenever she wanted something, she would always come up to one of us and meow. Then we would pet her and say “show me”, then she’d walk to the food dishes or her play area or to the cat door. She could go in and out or eat herself, but sometimes she just wanted some love beforehand. She had been through so much in her short life, but she was an inspiration.
My kitten of (five weeks – six weeks) appears to have a swollen belly. I have been concerned for a while as it does not seem to go away, my kitten also seems to constipate a bit and isolate himself from other kittens. Although he shows some odd behavior, he still is the most energetic kitten of the lot and eats very often, more so than the other kittens, and he loves climbing, jumping, running, and is an all around happy lil guy. His feces does not seem to show any signs of parasitic infection (no eggs, mucus, blood) and I’m concerned it might even be FIP. Just wondering what it could be, thanks for taking the time in reading this!
Good morning-
When is your next vet appointment? I’m assuming you already have them lined up for vaccinations and check ups since they’re so little. I’m sure the vet will give them all a physical and check for parasites etc. at that time. I think I would try to get in ahead of schedule for this little guy though since your concerned. Best of luck????????
I’d get him to the vet. Big bellies are (usually) wormy bellies, but your vet will be able to help you here.
My first concern would be FIP too. There are some new treatment plans for this disease so I would have it diagnosed ASAP for the best chance at a successful treatment.
My 4 year old cat peed out of her litter box and it was pink tinged. The vets nearby are all closed due to this COVID19 and won’t see us. Is there anything I can do to help her at home?
Hello,
I would worry that the pink color indicates it is blood. The key to knowing if it is or not is by starting with an exam and a urinalysis. This can help identify the cause and direct a treatment plan. The issue I am most concerned about would be a possible urinary blockage which is an emergency. Vet offices are open for emergencies and this classifies as such. Please call your vet and go ASAP. Also if your cat is acting lethargic, making reappeared visits to the box or having trouble producing urine go immediately. A urinary blockage can be fatal.
This is an emergency. I would get her to the vet. It could be a UTI, blockage, kidneys…… pink tinged means blood and she needs a vet. Sooner you can get her in, the better. I hope everything is ok. Best of luck????
Hello,
I called Jarrettsville Veterinary Center this evening and they told me I should reach out on Pawbly with my question. Around the beginning of the year, I noticed my cat’s eye started to look a little different. I was seeing some discharge and it looked like it could be slightly infected. I wasn’t really worried about it and thought some type of drop would clear it right up. It did not get better and actually got a lot worse. It’s been months of appointments, different treatments and multiple drops to try and fix it. Where we are now is that she’s been going to an ophthalmologist for the past month who has diagnosed it as a corneal ulcer with entropion on her lower eye lid. The ophthalmologist is recommending surgery to correct the entropion and to do a debridement on the ulcer at the same time. I immediately started researching because the price I was quoted for the surgery is something that would be incredibly outside of what my husband and I can afford. I came across Jarrettsville and saw the prices are posted online which was incredibly helpful. I completely understand those are estimates and there are other factors that would contribute to the final bill, but Jarrettsville would be way more on par with what we can afford. I was so unbelievably excited when I found this place!
Also, I would be coming from Philadelphia (about 1.5 hours away) but would have no problem driving all that way if this surgery can be done by you. My question is though, since she’s been seeing an ophthalmologist already here and I’ve been told what needs to be done, if I were to send all of those medical records and also get pre-operation bloodwork done at our primary vet here, and sent that all to you, would that be sufficient in place of a pre-operation consult visit? Since we are so far away? If not, that is TOTALLY okay and I’d be willing to make the drive as many times as necessary for my cat. I just thought I’d ask.
I really appreciate any help you can provide. We are in a bit of a desperate situation. I don’t want my cat to suffer but we really just cannot afford the price we were quoted. I hope to hear from you soon and thank you so much in advance!
Becky
Hello,
We are a small animal general practice. We are not a specialist and we do not have the degree of training or equipment that a specialist would have. What we do here is the same as many other vets do therefore I would ask both your primary vet and the specialist for assistance in providing the care your car needs at a price you can afford. We are happy to see anyone and always offer an honest transparent service. The only way we could tell you if we might be able to help your cat is with an examination. We are not able to authorize or recommend any kind of treatment without an exam first. Surgery is discussed from there and would have to be arranged at a later time (in almost all cases). I’m sorry I cannot be of more help now.
Take care and best of luck
Krista.
Hi Dr. Magnifico,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I completely understand. I thought I saw entropion surgery on your website, is that correct? I understand I would have to bring her in for an examination first and am willing to do that. Is that the next step you think I should take?
Thank you so much!
Becky
Dr. Magnifico,
Hi, I was in to see you in February with my 18 yr old cat Sophie. The morning throw- ups and lack of appetite got better for awhile. The appetite stimulator ointment really helped. But, we’re on a downward swing now. Sophie eats VERY little, yet still manages to throw it up. Yesterday, (Saturday) she ate hardly anything. Today she will not eat at all and has slept all day. So, I’m concerned about what to do. Best case scenario, she would die in her sleep. If she’s not eating, I would think this would happen. But, I don’t want her suffering. If I have her put to sleep at the vet’s, what’s the procedure since i can’t go in? I can’t imagine just handing her off to a stranger. I’m really struggling with this, so would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
Hello,
I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. If you feel its time to say goodbye we have a special protocol for this. One person can be with her in another building as you say goodbye. I know how hard it is to say goodbye and we are trying very hard to do this safely and compassionately. You don’t have to leave her alone and she will be with you. Everyone wears masks and only two staff members are present, the vet and a technician. . If you would like to discuss this, or anything else about your cat please call the clinic and we will happily explain it. We are also happy to set up an examination and maybe we can help assess her to see if there is anything we can do to help her feel better. I’m sorry but I am away for a few days with a family emergency. I wish you all the best. I hope this helps.
I am calling the office this morning. I’m so relieved to know the procedures will allow me to be there. She’s really bad this morning. I was praying she would go on her own, but that didn’t happen overnight. Thank you for responding. You should be able to spend this needed time with your family. All the best to you and your Mom at this very difficult time.
Just wanted you to know how wonderful your staff was this morning. When I called, they explained the procedures and told me to come down when I was ready. While on my way, Sophie crawled off her blanket, into my lap, cried once and died while I was holding her. When i got to the office, they just verified she was gone. I was so relieved that she went on her own. Prayers answered.
Maggie, my heart is with you. My old man cat is doing well right now but I fear the downward swing during this quarantine period.
I’m so sorry.
Thank you.
My 2-year-old cat suddenly has been hiding and crouching in the corner underneath a bed in one of our spare bedrooms. She is crouching but isn’t “aggressive” until we tried to coax her out and gently push her bottom. By aggressive, I mean that she would just give us warning signs that she might bat/smack one of us if we kept it up. This is extremely abnormal behavior for her, unless there are several people/strangers over. I am worried if something may have scared her or if she is possibly not feeling well? I can’t get her into the vet tonight so I am very concerned. If you have any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions please let me know!! Thank you!
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I’m also sorry to say that I cannot offer much advice without an exam and some better observations. I always have to say that abnormal behaviors need to be treated as a possible emergency. I worry about pain, urinary issues and infection. I’m sorry I cannot help more.
Good morning-
Have you checked her litter box behavior? Has it been normal the last few days? And has her eating habit changed? Are you usually gone during the day and as of late because of the current situation, been home? Or vice versa- have you been gone more if you are essential? These changes may be effecting things too. I definitely would start with a checkup at the vet just to get a better idea of what might be going on. Hope things are ok????????
Dr Krista – I am a YouTube watcher with a 22yo cat that may have nasal or ear polyps. We have spent 8 weeks trying every antibiotic, nasal steroid drop, antibac nasal drop and still fighting the snorking sound and her inability to breathe. Did nasal swab wk of 4/20 – found 2 bacteria, getting compounded anti bacs at this point since both bacs are super resistant apparently – Citrobacter freundii and pseudeomonas species. Antibacs will arrive to me in California by Thur 4/30 . She has a grade 3 heart murmur and hyper thyroid (on 5mg Methimazole daily). Just as your YouTube vid about Stripes with polyps (2/23/2018), I think I may be in the same situation – I have a vet telling me to go to a specialist for $$$ because everything we are throwing at this isn’t working. How in the world do I find someone like you who is willing to help me for a reasonable cost? I am calling all over for vets and everyone is ‘specialist focused’. Do you have tips on what to ask, experience, and honestly, I need someone with your confidence to do this. Or I need you 🙂 I have been in cat rescue over 30 yrs and ‘get; the lingo but have never had such difficulty finding a vet who could assist. Thank you in advance!
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I think that based on age alone it is less likely that it is a polyp and more likely that it is cancer. I say this based solely on experience. I think that I would call all the rescues and shelters around and ask for a trusted vet who would be willing to do a sedated exam to look for a polyp. After that it gets expensive to do the rhiniscopy and ct scan and honestly there is little to gain if it is cancer as it is not treatable. I would try the antibiotics, inquire about a steroid (difficult based on the thyroid and heart murmur but might be worth a trial) and even ask about intranasal cerenia drops. Also look for a feline medicine specialist and be honest about your budget.
I hope this helps.
Thank you Dr Magnifico. I have now been/talked to 11 vets since this message to you 2 weeks ago, been to specialists, had nothing but the run around. This process has been agonizing, thousands of dollars, vets more interested in ensuring I know risk and that their liability is removed than caring for my kitty. I have labs, xrays, eco results, UA’s, spent thousands of $$ – and no one will do what you do – do a quick sedation and see if there are any polyps. Maybe she does have cancer but we DONT KNOW THAT FOR SURE. Is there anyway to pay you to review her records and advise me? I am up at nights, crying to figure this out and meanwhile losing valuable precious time and money where I could be helping my baby have a few more quality months/years. Thank you for considering.
Hello,
At this age a growth due to cancer is more likely. I do feel that taking a look with a quick acting anesthetic is in everyone’s best interest but you have to be prepared for the possibility of the oral cavity inspection not yielding anything. The best options for these cases are ct scan. They require anesthesia and are expensive. Most people decline for these reasons. If you want someone to look try to find someone closer to you. Lots of vets are comfortable looking and I find it hard to believe you would have to drive this far to have someone look. Also we are not an ER clinic so most procedures come with a pre op exam, bloodwork and then a later appointment to do the procedure. Call the local shelters, rescues and pet foundations to see if anyone local is willing to help. Also speak to your vet about a sweater exam for a polyp. If you cannot fine any help please email back. Best of luck.