Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
Hello, my cat Koshka has been suffering from chronic upper respiratory symptoms (snorty breathing, sometimes bloody sneezing) for quite some time now and I’m worried that she may have a nasopharyngeal polyp. I’ve watched several videos posted on youtube by Krista Magnifico and our situation sounds very similar to what was described there. This has been persisting for 2 years and she has been to the vet 4 times now and last week I took her to a new vet for a second opinion and she prescribed prednisone and said she could refer me to a specialist to do a rhinoscopy which costs over $2000.
My question is why hasn’t anyone thought to check for a polyp like Dr. Magnifico has been doing in these videos? It seems like a relatively simple and cost effective procedure. I’m getting very discouraged and frustrated at the thought of paying thousands of dollars just for diagnostics alone when I am currently unemployed. I’d be happy to take her in to the Jarrettsville Vet Center but I live in Nashville which is 12hrs away. I would love to hear any kind of advice on this matter as I’m not sure what to do at this point. Thank you for reading this!
My cat ate a piece of habanero cheese! It was small, probably about the size of a pea. Should I do anything? Expect anything? She seems ok as of right now
Hi there- I would keep an eye on her and if she acts like she is in distress give the vet a call. I think since it was a small piece, and in the cheese rather than a straight piece of habanero pepper she is probably fine? If she starts panting call the vet….and check the litter box. It might be messy later.
Hello,
I would be most worried about gi issues, like vomiting and diarrhea. If you don’t see any of this in the next day or two you are probably fine.
My 10 year old male Persian cat was blocked with a bladder infection.
One week ago, the Vet did a catherization to remove the fluids and sent him home.
He further recommended surgery to remove bladder stones. Is there an alternative to bladder surgery ?
Thank you.
Hi there-
We had a car with a blockage years ago. We had to have emergency surgery and put him on a special diet. We ended up with 8 more, stone free years with him????????
Thanks Sarah. This situation is really stressing me out. I put him on the Hill’s C/D diet. Do you know what emergency surgery he had ? I would like to avoid the surgery if possible.
Sorry- I hit submit before I finished- I was going to add that an in depth discussion with your vet is probably best.
Hello,
I don’t know enough to offer specific advice. Here’s what I usually recommend. If the cat is blocked do that they cannot urinate I place a urinary catheter and keep the cat on iv fluids in the hospital until the urine is running clear. Usually this is about 3-4 days. Then I remove the catheter and make sure they are able to urinate a normal amount easily and comfortably. I also start them on a urinary prescription diet. I much prefer watered down wet food vs dry. I take radiographs of the urinary stones and check a urine sample every 2-4 weeks. Many cats urinary issues will resolve over time with diet. For the rare cases of storms that are so big or those that will not dissolve we discuss a cystotomy to remove them. Either way all cats with urinary issues need diet changes and increase exercise and activities to help them from blocking again. I hoe this helps. Let us know what happens.
Thank you very much Dr. Krista. You have given me hope. I will follow your advice and let you know what happens.
Hi, my cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 2 weeks ago and our vet put her on Methimazole 5 mg liquid. Yesterday my cat started trying to urinate frequently (every couple of minutes) and defecated outside of her letterbox several times. I searched up to see if these were the symptoms of the medication and was unable to find anything online. So i just wanted to run it by you guys and double check. Today my cat seems to be doing well, she is not urinating every few minutes, however, I’m still a little worried. Thanks so much!
Hi there- I agree that your cat is trying to tell you something with this litter box behavior. Have you phoned you vet to let them know? I would definitely start there. I know that my vet would want to know any changes in behavior right away and be kept up to date on the patient…. I would call your regular vet before they close and speak with them. I hope things are ok????????
Hello,
Please follow up with your vet about your cat. I don’t think the medication and the litter box issues are related but litter box issues should always be followed up ASAP. Also I have not had much luck with the transdermal medications so please follow up with your vet on the thyroid level checks too.
I just recently got a 7 week old kitten. He was perfectly fine when I first got him but I don’t have a car so I was unable to get cat food but had some tuna in the cabinet. He seems really weak and sleeps all the time. I have since then gotten cat food but what should I do to get his strength back up? Is this something that I should be worried about?
Good morning-
With a kitten so young, there are a multitude of things to take into consideration and worry about. Since you have just gotten her, you will have quite a few vet visits in your near future for health examination and vaccinations. If you haven’t already, you need to get those vet visits set up. When you go, bring a stool sample with you so that they can check for parasites, etc. you can also get meds for flea and tick prevention. Fleas and parasites and distemper are a few top concerns. Hopefully, you can get an appointment today. Best of luck.
This should be considered an emergency, in my book. Babies crash VERY quickly. Please get him to the vet.
Hi! We are patient at a vet a closer to Parkville but I follow your facebook page and enjoy all of your tips, videos, etc. Our diabetic cat, Zepp, has been acting strange the past 24 hours. Extreme weakness in his back legs. We have an IV from a previous event when he had kidney stones. We have been giving him fluids and he has been eating/drinking water when we place him near it, but he is very wobbly and sometimes his back legs give out completely. We have an appointment with our vet first thing Tuesday morning but was curious as to if you had any tips or insights until then. At first, I honestly thought it was the kidney stones again, but he did not have the extreme, back leg weakness with the kidneys stones. Therefore, leading me to think, it may be more his sugar levels. We do have an at home testing kit but since we just gave him the IV, we want to wait a little bit before we poke and prod. I also left a message via Facebook, so no need to respond to both 🙂
Hello,
Based on the history you provide I strongly suggest you go to a vet immediately. The blood sugar needs to be checked and a full assessment done. I think Tuesday is too far away for me to feel comfortable with any advice in the interim. If it helps my clinic is open at 1 for walk ins. Must arrive by 2 to get the work up started. And I need to add that we are not an Er so we cannot hospitalize. Also ask about buying and learning how to use an in home blood glucose monitor. Or even a freestyle Libre.
Ok, thank you so much. We will see you shortly.
Hello,
It was very nice meeting you all today I’m so glad you brought him in. With all diabetics if there is anything abnormal it is imperative to get a blood sugar level. It is my hope that all diabetics will be given help In being able to check the blood sugar at home. For today Zepp was very low. So we are stopping the insulin for a few days and rechecking them after the holidays. We also sent out a full blood work panel
Please email me if you need anything. Thank you for the question and coming to visit us today.
Krista
I have a female cat, around 4 years old. I had noticed she was gaining weight, or so I thought, as her belly was starting to get really round. She is not fixed but there is no chance of pregnancy. I have now noticed that she seams to have a discharge and quite a bit of it. I have read that it could possibly be an infection. Vets are quoting me around $3,500. Due to covid 19 my hours at work have been cut so I can not afford all of that up front. I doubt I will be able to get approved for care credit and if so I will not be able to get approved for that much. So I’m wondering what other options I might have? I dont want to loose my baby girl and it may be coming down to rehoming her to get the care she requires right now. What can I do to at least try to keep her comfortable during this?
Hello,
I would call everyone you can and ask for help. I do not charge an exorbitant fee for this and I am not alone. Call rescues, shelters and everyone you can you ask for help that you can afford. In the interim call your vet and ask to be seen. If you can or afford surgery perhaps you can afford fluids and antibiotics . and hopefully this will be enough help to get her through this and then spay her ASAP. Surgery is best But antibiotics are better than nothing. Call your vet and ask for help you can afford. Please let us know what happens and please share it in the story section of Pawbly so others can benefit from your experience.
I have been making calls all day. Only thing I keep getting pointed towards is care credit. So I am going to continue to try to do what I can. Ievenbrokedown and created a go fund me. Hoping combined efforts will help. Thank you!
Hello. At least get fluids and antibiotics started. At my clinic this would be $45 exam, $25 fluid kit (1 liter fluid bag will give you 10 sq treatments) and antibiotics which you can get for $10-20 at Walmart. Go to the vet ask for a fluid kit and written antibiotic prescription for the most affordable antibiotic you can get. I think that for about $100 you can at least give your cat a fighting chance. Find a low cost spay and neuter clinic after the infection clears. That’s my honest low cost advice. Please let me know what happens
I have a friend who has a family member that owns a vet clinic. She is going to work with me to try and help until I can gather the funds needed for the big stuff. I have created a go fund me to help gather the funds needed. Thank you.
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
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.
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.
Hello,
As with all of these cases I do t know why more vets don’t do a sedated exam and look for a polyp. I know lots who do, but most don’t. Please call around and try to find someone who is willing to look. Also based o the history of your cats symptoms it is unlikely this is a polyp. Most polyps I have seen are in young cats and the degree if inspiratory effort and noise worsens significantly over time. I would say about 6-12 months. I feel this is more likely to be either rhinitis (usually secondary to another disease or condition) or neoplasia (oronasal or facial tumor. Then best advise I can give is to call around and ask for a referral who will work with you and your cat to help get better answers that you can afford. Let me know if you find someone so I can share it with others. .