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Tracey Grumbach | 5 years ago
My 4 Year Old Cat Had A 3 Year Rabies Shot And A Distemper Shot At About 11:30AM …

My 4 year old cat had a 3 year rabies shot and a distemper shot at about 11:30AM this morning. It is now 9:25 PM and she is having tremors in her leg muscles. It is NOT a seizure but I’ve never seen muscle tremors like this before. She is also lethargic and not eating too, which I know is fairly normal…I’m just worried about her muscle tremors. Does she need to be seen immediately or is it ok to wait until morning to call the vet?

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It is very hard for me to answer this safely. The advice always has to be to err on the side of caution so that safety comes first. A veterinarian will listen to heart and lungs, take a temp, and assess neurological function and probably give an injectable steroid. We also check mucous membrane color. All of this is done to assess severity of the condition and be prepared to halt it from progressing. The tremors can be pain or anxiety due to pain or discomfort. But without all of the rest of the physical parameters to use as an assessment I can’t tell you whether or not to be worried. I’m sorry. I know that is not cut and dry. But it’s the honest truth. I think you are a Jvc client. If so please pm me on the Jvc fb page and I will call you for immediate help.
    Krista.

    1. Tracey Grumbach Post author

      Thank you so very much for your quick response and the phone call. Your help is very much appreciated!

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Alyvia | 5 years ago
My Cat Has Herpes & Has Had Worms In The Past. She Has Had 3 Litters Of …

My cat has herpes & has had worms in the past. She has had 3 litters of kittens before. The first litter was 3 stillborns. The second litter was only 2 babies (one of them being boo of course.) The third happened recently about 4 weeks ago & there was 3 of them (we’re not sure if it was the same father as the last two.) The kittens seemed very healthy but with having other outdoor cats we had to often give them flea baths & even then the fleas would still be there & climb up to their faces but obviously we were hesitant getting their faces. Their mother fed them very well (I could even say maybe over fed them) & they got plenty of rest. The only concern I would say I noticed is how one of them only seemed to use three of her legs, but I didn’t think much about it because I assumed she was young & just still learning how to walk. Then all of a sudden a few hours before she passed she kind of just really wanted nothing to do with anything & just keep sleeping. When I saw she was dead later I noticed brown squiggly things on her, I figured it was either flea eggs or some type of worm. It couldn’t have been the same worms her mother used to have because those were white. We obviously took her away from the others, and then their mother seemed to not want much to do with the two ones still alive. She’s done this in the past when she had her stillborns, she was depressed for a while. I figured it could either be that or my mother read online that it could be because she knows they’re sick & she doesn’t want anything to do with it. So me & my family purchased kitten formula, a bottle, & turkey wet food made specifically for kittens. We’ve made an effort to feed them 15 ml of the formula every 4 hours. We also provided them with warm blankets and shelter since they are lacking their mothers body heat. One of them was acting like the kitten that had just passed, just really not up for doing anything. The next morning we saw them & they seemed fine, then we check on them about 15 minutes later & that same kitten was from before was dead. We’re now making an effort to really keep an eye on this one & do everything we can. He was doing so well this morning, & we’ve been holding him to our chest for more intense warmth & continued to feed him 15 ml of formula every 4 hours. Now for the past 4 hours or so he’s starting to look really lazy like the other two. We’re scared he’s not going to make it very long

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning. My advice would be to get to a vet. I would also advise spaying this cat in an effort to prevent this same event from repeating itself as this is the third time you’re going through this. Best of luck.

  2. Laura

    I agree with Sarah. You need a vet for the litter as well as for your queen – spay her, speuter the kittens when they’re ready for their new homes. Stop the cycle of producing sick cats.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your kittens. There are so many things that this could be. It’s really almost impossible for me to even speculate. I think it would be really helpful to provide basic medical care. Like parasite control and treatment and vaccines. And yes of course spaying and neutering to prevent future litters and the high mortality associated with them. I would guess that it is probably a few simple things. Parasites, disease, exposure are the big killers for cats and kittens. I applaud your compassion but I think it’s time to start providing more medical intervention. If it helps it was a story much like yours that compelled me to become a veterinarian. I was determined to never watch another pet die without being able to intervene and do all I could to save them. I wish you all well.

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Bryan | 5 years ago
I Have A 17 Year Old Female Cat Recently Diagnosed With Kidney Disease, Treatment Is With A …

I have a 17 year old female cat recently diagnosed with kidney disease, treatment is with a prescription low-phosphorous diet.

She is suffering with stiff joints, I am considering supplements such as glucosamine to help. But are such supplements suitable for her diet? I believe glucosamine itself is kidney-safe, but wonder about other additives such as salt or potassium which she needs to avoid.

Any advice on safe glucosamine supplements for a cat with kidney problems?

Many thanks

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning,
    I would just make a quick phone call to your vet to get their take on it. They will know best for the patient since they are familiar with the situation. Best of luck!

    1. Bryan Post author

      Thanks, I tried that first, but got short shrift from the receptionist who would not give any advice unless I booked an appointment (and paid for it)!

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m so sorry that you couldn’t get more help without an exam charge. It is really one of the reasons I created this site. I hope that your vet was able to help. I always try to provide lots of help and guidance and a way to be accessible. For most of these cats there is concurrent disease and aging processes. Joint pain and difficulty are one of them. I talk about providing an environment to help these elderly patients and make it easier for them to live in their world. Think about making her world small and easy to access. Try a low shallow bed a food bowl, water and a low sided litter box. Make it like the handicapped room that makes every part of her day easier. Keep her in a warm place. Encourage water intake and make it easy for her to get to all the things she needs. I also think it is helpful to ask your vet about what might be lying ahead. Like at home fluid therapy or phosphate binders. There is lots we can do to help our aging pets. Please keep in touch and let me know what tips and tricks you learn that help your kitty.
    I hope this helps.

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Kaitlin | 5 years ago
My One Year Old Cat Threw Up Twice On August 23rd, But She Was Not Acting …

My one year old cat threw up twice on August 23rd, but she was not acting lethargic and was still eating and drinking normally so I thought she maybe threw up because of a hair ball. She threw up again today twice, with one being a very small amount. She is not acting lethargic and is active and playing. She is also drinking normally but she has not eaten as much as normal. Both times she threw up when I was not at home. She did start eating when I got home today though. I also free feed her but haven’t had issues with her vomiting due to eating to fast or vomiting in the entire time I have had her (one year). I’m not sure what the cause of her vomiting could be.

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  1. Sarah

    Hi there-
    I hate to sound gross, but was her food fully digested? Was the event close to when she was finished eating? If that is the case, she may have just eaten to fast. Also- have you switched foods? Sometimes that can upset a stomach. If she is acting normally and going to the bathroom and being her normal self, I would just keep an eye on her and make sure she stays that way. Any sudden change, I would call the vet. If you have an appointment soon, I would mention it to them.

    1. Kaitlin Post author

      Hi! Thank you so much for your comment! Her food was fully digested I believe. And both times it happened in the hallway outside my room. I live in a shared apartment and keep her food in my room, so it didn’t happen by her food bowl. I’m guessing it was not close to when she was finished eating since her food looked fully digested. I can’t say for certain because both times it happened when I was at school or at work. I did switch her food but the first time that she vomited she was on her old food (which was kitten food) and after that I switched her to an adult cat food since she turned one that month. I’m not sure if stress could cause her to vomit, but I was home with her a lot this summer and now that I am back at school, she’s home by herself a lot. When I come home she meows a lot and rubs up against me, wanting to be pet for a while. I think she may have some separation anxiety, but I am not sure if that could possibly cause her to be sick or if I’m just overthinking it.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Based on age alone I think that if I were your vet I would talk to you about intestinal parasites (best diagnosed with a fecal exam sent to the lab) and a discussion of food and environment. I think these are really good places to start. And best for your cats well being. Hope this helps. Please let us know what happens.

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Sarah | 5 years ago
Eww Gross! This Morning, I Saw One Of The Dogs Nosing In The Dirt And Figured …

Eww gross! This morning, I saw one of the dogs nosing in the dirt and figured that he smelled cat poop- I said “no” and he left it but ran straight back when I turned to continue walking everyone. So I ran back to make sure he didn’t eat it (why is cat poop a delicacy to dogs?????) and I saw him with a leopard slug in his mouth. Ugh! I don’t know what is worse? He did not eat it- he dropped it. I’m guessing that he probably has eaten them before. Are they dangerous or just protein?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    All of the items you mention are the highlight of your dogs walk. Gross as it might be. They are at their best, living their best life, with the wind in their faces the dirt on their feet and a delectable tidbit just at the tip of their tongue. If you didn’t see drooling right after then it’s probably very safe.
    My dogs new favorites are the mostly dried out dead worms on the driveway. Yummy!

    Xox

    Lucky happy dogs. Be well all

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Kennedy | 5 years ago
My Cat Has Been Scratching Her Neck And Behind Her Ears Lately (which Is Normal), But …

My cat has been scratching her neck and behind her ears lately (which is normal), but when i watched her do it, today, clumps of her hair came out. I looked at her fur and noticed a couple kinda bold spots. Her skin isn’t red or anything, you can just see her skin more. I am wondering if this is just a shedding thing or if something else is wrong. I live in Illinois so weather is pretty average, and my cat is an indoor cat. She has been throwing up a lot lately, but i think thats just because she eats so fast. She also is allergic to some food. The vet said she is allergic to the protein in some types of meat, she will get red spots on her face and ears but after trying a couple types of food i think the rash is mostly gone. I really hope this is a normal thing but i am not sure. The bold spots keep getting worse with every scratch. What should i do?

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning???? I’m sorry about your cat. My first guess is that there is some sort of skin irritation or allergy. Although it does not look red in the photos, the fact that she is so itchy/uncomfortable is what makes me think along those lines. I know you said the weather is average…but sometimes if it goes from humid to dry or vice verse, it might lead to a skin reaction.

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Tony | 5 years ago
Hello And Thank You Everyone For Reading This Post. I Am Writing This Here In The …

Hello and thank you everyone for reading this post. I am writing this here in the hopes that I find some guidance. The vets I have taken my cat too I feel are only out to make money off of me and to make my cat insulin dependent. I could be wrong but based on what I have tried I have seen better results. My male cat of about 15-18 years of age has been diagnosed with diabetes since April of 2019. His original Blood glucose was 377 at the time of the original Veterinary office visit.

I was told to give him Vetsulin insulin at 1 unit, however the vet only sold me insulin with no syringes. After waiting a week for them to get me syringes, which were on back order, I gave up and took him to an emergency vet. The emergency vet put him on md and wd wet and dry food. Instructions were to give him Prozinc 3 units every 12 hours and feed the wet food at the time of injection and to leave the dry food out 24/7. After one week of still not injecting insulin on my own accord in hopes that the new diet would put the diabetes into remission, he went from weighing 15.93lbs to 17lbs.

From April to July he stayed at the same weight but showed no signs of improvement except for his “levels” on a blood test that were all in better ranges. His BG HAS BEEN 600 since he has been under the care of this vet who then wanted to curve him and remarked that he should increase the insulin.

I decided to take matters into my own hands, joined forums and educated myself on feline diabetes as best as I could. I started home testing and started him on Young Again Mature dry food ZERO Carb Tiki cat wet food. He is now weighing in at 14.73lbs. I also lowered his insulin to 2.75 and at mid curve his BG is 377. At the end of his cycle it is 477. My question now is how do I get him into the normal range of 80-120 Blood glucose safely without seeing adverse symptoms from too much Prozinc?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    I would first like to start with my sincere gratitude that you are being so dedicated and diligent in taking care of your kitty. For too many cat owners diabetes is just something they refuse to address and hence the statistics on this disease wrt cats is abysmal.
    Next I have to strongly (urgently) recommend that you stay under the care of a veterinarian for this one. If you are unhappy with your current vet seek out another. I would recommend finding a feline exclusive practitioner. Then ask about diet, exercise and treatment plan. I cannot (not should anyone!) other than your vet recommend or influence your treatment plan. This disease is too complicated and too complex to do online.
    I have lots of videos and blogs with all of my preference treatment options. So please visit them.
    Also I recommend wet food only and learning how to check the blood glucose at home. Also I think that harness training to go on walks for exercise is immensely helpful.
    I really have to say that I have no preference on insulin. Get one you can consistently afford and start there. But don’t switch around. Makes regulating too confusing. Next talk to your vet a lot at first. Until you can better adjust to a new food, exercise and monitoring plan.
    I hope this helps. Please keep me posted. Good luck!

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Sandra Sellers | 5 years ago
I Could Use Some Advice To Keep My Dog From Eating Cat Poop. We Have 1 Dog …

I could use some advice to keep my dog from eating cat poop. We have 1 dog and 2 cats. On our first floor there is a mudroom with a pet gate with a cat door. The cats have their litter boxes on one side of the mudroom and food on the other side. This arrangement has worked for 8 years. My daughter’s young cat has had digestive issues for her entire life and would poop on the floor outside the box once a week. We tried all different kinds of boxes and litter and probiotics and food but no changes. She also hates the feel of litter. We tried all kinds and newspaper and towels and pee pads…you name it.
For a month she decided to poop on my daughter’s bed twice a week…which of course was a cleaning nightmare. Sometimes she pooped on the bed while my daughter was sleeping in it.
Finally we found a limited ingredient food that worked along side of a probiotic and her poops are now more manageable for her, less painful I’m guessing and pretty regular. We added a litterbox upstairs to my daughter’s bedroom but she would never use it. We moved it to the large hallway outside my daughter’s room where it was darker and more private and she still didn’t use it. Purchased cat attraction litter and after 1 week she finally used the upstairs box to poop. I held my excitement but it’s been 3 weeks now and no more pooping on the bed. Her poops are also a lot less messy and stinky. Now my problem is if she goes at night the dog jumps right up and eats it. I caught her doing this twice but she was too fast to stop. Other times you can smell that she must have pooped but it’s gone. She’s only going upstairs so I don’t want to take the box away. She’s so picky with boxes and how she sits in the box and how it smells a covered litter box won’t work. There isn’t way to put a gate up in that hallway as it’s a super old house and shaped weird. I’m afraid any change to the box will stop all the good progress. My dog probably gets to the litter box before us about half the time–so it’s not every time. My dog is healthy, eats well, is up to date on everything and is well taken care of. Thanks for your patience with the long explanation.

2 Responses

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  1. Laura

    Clevercat litterboxes are a LIFESAVER. Not even my long-nosed Doberman can get into them. That said, now that the cat’s using the box reliably, can you move it to a room with a gate? You can also get free-standing gates for oddly shaped entries…we use one in our puppy pre-K class to block an egress point, and it works very well.

  2. Laura

    OH and as far as your dog’s nutrition is concerned…for some reason, most dogs REALLY LIKE cat poop. I’m not sure why, Dr. Magnifico might have an idea, but this seems to be a thing even with dogs which wouldn’t normally do this. I agree it’s gross, and I hope you can find a solution which works for your situation.

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Alisha | 5 years ago
Someone Please Help Me I Have A 5yo Male Cat That Is My Entire World He …

Someone please help me I have a 5yo male cat that is my entire world he is blocked and in tremendous pain. I am a single mom of two living on a fixed income. I love my boy so much and I will be devastated to lose him. I do not have the money to take him to the vet. Someone please help me I rescued this baby he has been nuetered. He is my entire world.

2 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    I’m sorry, but this is something you will have to see your vet about. Have a candid conversation about affordability, and explain that your budget only allows for “x” amount. Ask if you can pay in installments monthly or weekly. Best of luck.

  2. Sandra Sellers

    A cat won’t show pain unless things are really bad. You are going to have to figure out a way to have him seen at a vet. Call around and get prices and ask about payment arrangements. If you have good credit a lot of vets take Care Credit and you can pay interest free. If not come up with x amount of dollars you can give them now and how much you can give each month and see if they will work with you. It may not be as expensive as you think.

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Karen | 5 years ago
I Have A 7 Year Old Female Cat Who Seems To Have Contracted A Bad Cold. Her …

I have a 7 year old female cat who seems to have contracted a bad cold. Her nose is completely stuffed up to the point where she has to breathe through her mouth . Because of that she is eating and drinking very litte and I am very worried about her. I have had her since she was born and she means the world to me. I know she should be seen by a vet but I can’t afford that until I get paid in two weeks . Does anyone have any recommendations for any OTC meds I can purchase locally to help open my baby’s nose so she can breathe better and start eating and drinking again. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thsnk you.

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I think it is best to been seen by a get before presuming this is infection. I also think that waiting for help or trying OTCs that are probably not going to work and may possibly even be unsafe is too dangerous for me to advocate. I understand about needing to waiting to be paid but perhaps there are low cost options locally. Call every rescue, vet and shelter to look for assistance. You can certainly keep her face and nose clean by removing any caked on mucous around the nose or eyes but if it is infection or even a polyp waiting can be dangerous pr even fatal. Cal, ask for help. Reach out in all social media platforms and try to get an exam with a vet ASAP. I also think that a felv /fiv year is warranted and an antibiotic. Some vets also prescribe a humidifier or even children’s decongestant drops. But please ask about these or any medication before you give it. And don’t wait. Most cats who can’t smell don’t eat well and this can be very impactful to cats too. (Look yo hepatic lipidosis and you will see what I mean).
    Good luck.

  2. Sarah

    Hello
    I agree that your cat needs to be seen by a vet right away. The longer you wait, the worse and more costly it will be, unfortunately. Explain to your vet that you don’t get paid until two weeks, and see if they can hold your bill until then. Best of luck.