Question
Profile Image
Sandy | 4 years ago
Dr.Magnifico: I Hope This Message Finds You And Your Family Well. I Actually Have A …

Dr.Magnifico:
I hope this message finds you and your family well.
I actually have a concern not about one of my pets but one of my daughter’s cat. Frisky (my grandboy cat of 12 years).
2 weeks ago my daughter noticed he had an odor of urine. She had tried a new litter and thought it was due to the muddy consistency. She bathed him with no luck and decided to take him to a vet in her area. Frisky is a very cool easy going gentle cat . Unfortunately, when he went to the vet, my daughter said he turned into the cat from hell. They were unable to treat him but managed to give him his rabies. He was prescribed 100mg gabapentin to be taken that night and then one more an hour before his visit the next day. She described him as acting stoned starting with the first capsule. He was fine at the vets office but sadly has been diagnosed with kidney disease. The following 3 levels are off the chart: IDEXX SDMA 63, CREATININE 8.6, BUN 165. The following levels are slightly elevated: Phosphorus 9.9, Anion Gap 27, Total Protein 9.4, MCH 17.6, Monocytes .646.
Frisky was put on a special renal diet with phosphorus powder added (to bind the phosphorus). He is supposed to go back to the vets on Monday to have his kidneys flushed in hopes of flushing toxins I guess.
My concern is that he has trouble processing the gabapentin due to his kidneys.
You know how much I value your opinion and I truly love Frisky. If one of my cats presented all these issues, would you recommend the same treatment? I am also extremely concerned considering what I have read about the toxicity of gabapentin with kidney disease. I am very surprised by his behavior at the vets but obviously he needs something in order to calm him down. Would you recommend an alternative to gabapentin? I believe they gave her a liquid for Monday’s visit opposed to the pill that was used for the previous visit. Have you seen the use of special food and the flushing of kidneys to help improve some of these numbers and allow him some time with a good quality of life? I hope I have provided as much information that you may need.
As always, I appreciate your insight very much.

Thank you
Sandy Brown

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    I’m sorry to hear about your daughters cat. As crazy as it sounds I have numerous patients like this. Ie perfectly wonderful at home and complete terrors at the clinic. My own cat is one of them.
    I can’t prescribe anything to a cat I haven’t seen. Nor can anyone else. But I do think it’s important this cat be followed up on and if that means gabapentin is used then so be it.
    You can and should ask about at home Sq fluids or even maybe an in clinic iv fluids hospital stay. It’s important to distinguish acute kidney failure from chronic and one of the ways to do this is with an inpatient stay to diurese the kidneys.

    1. Sandy Post author

      As always, I appreciate your input. Frisky is one of two cats that I rescued many years ago that my daughter gave a home. I feel a special bond to them because of that in addition to just loving all animals.
      Thanks again and hope you have a nice day.
      Sandy

Question
Profile Image
Laura | 4 years ago
Found A Very Young Kitten On The Highway, Can’t Afford Vet, Need Help In Early Branch, SC

Found a very young kitten on the highway, can’t afford vet, need help in Early Branch, SC.

Hello, all. I’m posting this for someone on our FB page who has had difficulty signing up here. I’m going to copy and paste what he shared with me.

“I’m trying to save a kitten. My wife found her on the highway. She is very young maybe a month. I do not know anything about cats or kittens. Her nose is plugged eyelids are swollen her breathing is not good she is weezing. I got as many if the flees off of her as I could. I am on fixed income so going to the only vet in my area is out of the question. Can you help me please?

Shes awake this morning still cant get her to take any water or food. Its rough because I’m allergic to cats but doing what I can. I would literally have to take out a personal loan to have her treated by the Vet here as he is the only Vet in our area i can access he sets his prices at astronomical figures. I’m just trying to keep her alive.”

I suggested kitten milk for food in addition to needing to be stimulated to evacuate bowels and bladder. He said she did evacuate during a flea bath. He has kitten milk, she’s just not interested in it. I mentioned running a hot bath and sitting in the bathroom with her to steam her lungs and sinuses.

“I cleaned up her face with warm wash cloth first night I brought her home. I bathed her yesterday but was unable to get all the flees off. I will try the steam to see of it helps thank you for the advice. I tried to sign up for the page suggested but was unable to.”

Since I posted this, he’s placed her close to a humidifier and put a heating pad under her pile of blankets in her box.

What am I missing? I have even less experience than our poster, here.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Laura Post author

    An update: he’s calling two local rescues for help. I’m leaving this up, however, so folks can share input should someone come for the same situation.

Question
Profile Image
carrie Urquhart | 4 years ago
Any Ideas On How To Fix Behavioral Cat Peeing Outside The Box? My Cats About 6 Or …

Any ideas on how to fix behavioral cat peeing outside the box? My cats about 6 or so and she randomly pees on things that are in the floor. Rugs, blankets, baskets etc.

3 Responses

Comments

  1. Laura

    Make sure she doesn’t have a UTI, make sure she has a space safe from your dog. Make sure she has at least two litterboxes, one on each floor of the house. Use cat attract litter. And make sure those boxes are spotless.

    Often, inappropriate urination is due to a UTI and can continue afterward as they associate pain with the litterbox. If the above tricks do nothing to curb this, and you’re 100% certain she’s clear of a UTI, you may want to consider changing the box type as well as litter type. Dr. M has mentioned in the past that plain old dirt (like from the garden – pesticide and fertilizer free, of course) can attract cats.

    1. carrie Urquhart Post author

      Thank you for the tips. Ive not heard of cat attract litter. Ill look into that. I dont see any signs if a uti, and she’s been doing it once every few months or so since I got her a few years ago. Just one pee outside the box then nothing else. I should rule out uti though I know. I’ll work on that next. Still dealing with my dogs issues from being spayed. Plain dirt is also interesting. Ive never heard that before. Such good ideas. Thanks.

      1. Laura

        I hope these help. 🙂 Sometimes it really can be behavioral, but it’s best to rule everything out first. You can also try Feliway – that helped my old lady cat when we got our current dog. It’s not cheap but it really can help.

Question
Profile Image
Sky | 4 years ago
Hello. My 16 Year Old Female Burmese “crashed” Feb 29, And March 2nd Was Diagnosed With Feline Lower …

Hello. My 16 year old female burmese “crashed” Feb 29, and March 2nd was diagnosed with Feline Lower Urinary Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease.
Her Kidney values are now stable and her only elevated numbers are Creatanine at 2.6 and Bun at 46
but her bladder keeps flaring up

When diagnosed she was shooting projectile urine. Her bladder wall was thickened. Covenia did nothing but Amoxycillin resolved the infection.
2 months later she had a couple of accidents and it appeared that she had another infection. Once again Amoxycillin worked! She had a culture done and it showed no bacteria..

She has been taking supplements Kidney Gold, and Moxxor Fish Oil since April, and started CBD oil around June
Late July I started her on D-Mannose and COrn Silk Extract as suggested in the FLUTD facebook group
last month she started peeing blood clots, Vet instructed me to give her Sub Q 100ml to flush her and start amoxycilin immediately.. 7 day course and she was fine, but 2 days after the course finished was a repeat episode.
This time the vet suggested a higher dose at 1ml morning and night for 10 days.. Well it seemed to work amazing but last night was exactly FIVE DAYS after stopping the amoxycillin and she had another episode

We are doing a third round of antibiotics, this time amoxy mixed with something stronger..
He asked me to stop the corn silk and D-Mannose completely since they were the newest added to the regeme and he is wondering if they could have changed her bladder PH for the negative.

How can I minimize the recurrence?

Oh I have read all about stress being the cause and my new born baby was 4 months old at the end of Feb when Tashee had her first crash.

My vet and I talked about future possibilites in regard to Amitriptaline, Gaberpenton, Adequan injections

Cat’s diet = she refuses any wet food besides kitten fancy feast.. she will not eat anything else and will starve herself.
She is offered 2 fancy feast cans per day
she does steal dry kibble so my vet told me to get the Royal Canin Kidney kibble so that when she eats kibble its good for her

Sub q is 150ml twice a week as to minimize the pressure or force on urethra.

Cat is 100% indoors, burmese female steralized

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Wowza. That’s quite a story. I think I would recommend the following options to discuss.
    1. Seek a feline exclusive practitioner. If available they are really helpful for the tough cases.
    2. Consider an ultrasound.
    3. Add cosequin daily
    4. Consider an iv fluid hospitalization to really flush out the bladder
    5. Xray of the body. May or may not need to do if doing ultrasound
    6. Add a fountain, feliway and lots of litter options. Even a very low litter box like a baking sheet.
    7. Environmental enrichment. Toys. Catnip. Window seat with bird feeder view. Etc.

    Let me know what happens.

Question
Profile Image
Kiran | 4 years ago
Hello I Am From I India I Stay In A Village Where No Veterinary Near Me …

Hello I am from I India I stay in a village where no veterinary near me if I need vet I need to travel with the cat so please help.My cat has a lump on his right side of his jaw as I saw the YouTube video of yours on that cat .So can u advice some home remedies to take care of it.Can you help me please?
Please answer fast I lost too many cats and he is last one I need to save him.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Sarah

    Hello-
    Without knowing the cause of the lump on your cat’s jaw, there really is minimal advice to share. This lump could be many things- an infected or abscessed wound, a tooth that has become infected, a growth benign or cancerous, a cyst…. it could be many things. In order to know how to treat it, a vet needs to first diagnose it. I am sorry that more advice can not be offered at this time.

Question
Profile Image
carrie Urquhart | 4 years ago
My 7 Month Old Retriver Puppy Has Real Behavior Issues I Cant Seem To Break. I Cant …

My 7 month old retriver puppy has real behavior issues I cant seem to break. I cant afford a dog trainer since everyone I’ve contacted wants atleast $500 for 5 hours of basic training. The problems: she pulls on the leash…hard. she is constantly chewing on stuff. Anything in the floor. As soon as i turn my back shes into something… the trash, litter box, cat food, chasing the cats… she knows it wrong because when she sees me she looks down in shame. I have a prong collar for walking her, a shock collar for teaching her no. She’s smart and knows how to come, sit, lay, catch, drop it… However now she refuses to drop something she really wants. I cant give her chew bones or long lasting treats because she’s started growling and snaps at my kids when they come near her with it. I have a crate, that I put her in when she being bad. She refuses to calm down at all when there is something interesting like new people or another dog. I spend my entire day scolding her for doing bad things… so much to where I really dont want to be around her anymore. My kids hate her, and my husband is trying so hard to like her. Im at a complete loss as to how to train her to calm down and stop doing things she knows she isn’t supposed to do. I have a severe back injury and it is really hard for me to contain her when she’s acting a fool. Ive also tried having turkey in a treat pouch and only giving it to her when she’s being good. Which she will do till I run out then she’s right back at it. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

3 Responses

Comments

  1. Sarah

    Hi there???? First off, thanks for caring so much about this dog. Secondly, a private trainer or personal session with a trainer is quite expensive- BUT- a group session is much more affordable. I would call around to local petsmart or other pet stores/people to try to find one. You can get somewhere between 8 and 10 sessions for around $200. You will get a wealth of knowledge there, so long as the trainer is good. Third, as tricky and difficult as it can be at times, try to remain calm. I know easier said than done in the heat of the moment, but your dog will feed off of that anxiety or stress. I know you said pulling on the leash is an issue- a trainer can definitely help with that. And once that is improving, walks will be much more beneficial. A tired dog is a well behaved dog. ???? I find that a prong collar does not help with pulling, to be honest. We have GSDs and we’re advised years ago when we first started rescuing them to use a chain collar, high on the neck where it should be just behind the ears if pulled. This has the desired effect with minimal tug and is easier for the person to maneuver. Another trick with walking…. every time the dog pulls, change direction. This makes for very silly looking (and time consuming) walks in the beginning, but does help get them to follow your lead. You have a very energetic dog, so getting your walks down is a must. Plus, walking helps establish order in your pack and lets them know you are above them. You also may need to “dog proof” your house with some baby gates for the time being until your dog learns where it can and cannot go (i.e. to eat the litter box). Continue reinforcing good behaviors with a reward- it’s great that you do that!! Correct misbehavior with a firm no and then change he situation. Guarding of bones and toys can escalate to worse very quickly. My advice on that would be to limit the amount of time (ideally when no children are going to try to take it) and then trade a treat for the bone/toy. We have a rule toys=outside, bones=inside but only on beds.(dog beds) If you have the space, a chuck it and a ball can really help tire your pup out. Also- nothing is free. Dog wants dinner? Sit and paw first.or something like that. .. down, belly, whatever payment you feel is right. Dog wants to play? Again, sit or down…. dog wants a treat? Same. Dog wants affection? Calm first then love. Again- look into a group session as they are more cost effective. Please be patient not just with your dog, but yourself as well. It is not easy, but nothing worth it ever is. Very best of luck to you! Hopefully some other Pawbly friends will have more advice. I hope you find some of this helpful. If there is anything else we can help with, please reach out again.????????

    1. carrie Urquhart Post author

      Thank you so much for the info. I had another dog in some group classes years ago, and I’ve implemented that into my training, but I will search outside of my town for some groups thats arebt so expensive. The trainers asking for $500 are group classes here and its $200 extra for private lessons on specific issues. ???? unfortunately the group i went to before is no longer there. I do ask her to sit for leash on and off, before getting a treat and before she goes out. I dont give her enough exercise I know, since I’m hurt I can’t walk her alot, especially when she’s yanking me. Ill buy a chain collar and try with that. Thank you so much for the tips. I will definitely give it a go. Currently I am working on keeping her out of her kennel except when she’s beung bad, or when she’s too wild, and maybe still sleep in it. Not sure yet.

  2. Laura

    If she’s pulling while on a prong, it’s likely not positioned correctly. It might also have a larger link size than she should have. Go with a smaller link and position it right behind the jaw. Make sure to have a backup slip lead on, just in case. Work on this in the yard before going on a walk.

    I suspect she has far too much freedom and too few rules. You’ve gotta go back to square 1 with obedience. Utilize trades (not food) instead of just taking things from her. Crate her if she’s chewing something. Consider umbilical training to prevent bad behavior, and praise the heck out of good behavior. Since group classes are not a thing in most places right now, look into Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. It’s an online-only school, and they might have something that will work for you.

    Beyond that, try looking here for trainers: https://www.canineprofessionals.com/find-a-professional

Question
Profile Image
Sandy | 4 years ago
Princess, One Of My Cats Was Seen Sunday For Having Her Days And Nights Mixed Up …

Princess, one of my cats was seen Sunday for having her days and nights mixed up and a lump on her belly. Up through last Thursday she would do anything she could to get me up from knocking things over to stepping on the alarm clock and my CPAP machine.

She was seen Sunday and overall visit looked good.

However, starting Friday night she has only meowed one time. Unknown to me at the time of the visit was that she had thrown up a strip of soft plastic that covers the sticky side if envelopes. My husband saw it and cleaned it up. He said it was folded similar to an accordion. This probably happened during the last night that she was talking all night and into the morning.

She is eating okay but is sleeping most of the day or night. She also is either sneezing or coughing at times. I don’t know which one but she stretches her neck out and makes this repetitive noise.

Is it possible that the plastic may have scratched her throat and that is why she will not meow? I have an appointment for today that I made before bringing her to the clinic on Sunday. I am debating as to whether I should bring her back to be checked.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Gloria

    If she were my kitty, I would bring her in just to make sure all is well now.

Question
Profile Image
Drita | 4 years ago
My Neighbor’s Outdoor Cat That She Claims As Hers Because It Hangs Out At Her …

My neighbor’s outdoor cat that she claims as hers because it hangs out at her home and she feeds is wildly neglected. the poor cats left side canine teeth have fused together with plaque and she can’t open her mouth to eat properly or drink water as her tongue sticks out on the right side of her mouth. She seems dehydrated and flea infested-I gave her half dose of Bravecto since she feels like she’s 4-5 pounds and is about 6-8 years old. The neighbor doesn’t seem to see this and believes that cat is fine since she’s trying to eat…… She has an indoor cat that she takes care of really well. Any recommendations? if I take the cat to the vet for dental treatment, what would the cost be for something like this and would a cat in this condition even make it through anesthesia?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If you are able to talk to your neighbor see if they are willing to let you help care for him. If you feel they are not willing to let you help call your local animal welfare officers, local rescues and shelters and ask for assistance for this cat. Cruelty and neglect of domestic animals is something that might motivate them to let you help for the best interest of this cat. Thank you for caring and reaching our.

Question
Profile Image
Sandy | 4 years ago
Dr. Magnifico I Made An Appointment For Princess To See You On September 8th. She Is …

Dr. Magnifico

I made an appointment for Princess to see you on September 8th. She is overdue her shots and I sent a question that you responded to about her having her days and nights mixed up. Last night though while giving her extra attention and rubbing I found a lump on her belly. What is strange is that she slept all night and got up only to get up to eat and go in the litter box. I called the clinic to see if there were any openings but they are booked.
They were going to see if anyone had time just to check her belly. Such a quick change from 24 hours and I was concerned because she was sleeping all night. However within the last 5 minutes she is up playing so i think i will wait to see you tomorrow. The lump is on her belly more to one side and towards the back (dependingon how she is laying). I already lost 2 cats this year and I have one now with lymph node cancer mesentary. If she continues with her usual behavior of up and wanting attention tonight, is it safe to wait until the 8th or is it best for her to be seen sooner. I know to take her to the ER if she goes back to sleeping constantly….although that is her norm for daytime.

As always I appreciate and value your opinion.

Thanks
Sandy

My message was sent earlier today at which time Princess woke up and was playing with something. She went back to sleep and got up several hours ago to eat but then returned to the new bed I had gotten her. I brought out something that she likes to play with but she only played with it for about a minute and returned to her bed. I definitely will see you tomorrow with her and if she starts to exhibit anything more serious I will take her to the ER….unless you get this and think I should take her now. It is now 7:34 pm. This is around the time that she would start to get a little active.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I have walk in appointments available from 1-3 sundays. I hope things are ok. If you want to come in on Sunday just arrive between 1245 and 2. It is first come first served. Take care. Krista.

Question
Profile Image
Sandy | 4 years ago
Scooter, My Cat For Over 21 Years Slept By My Chest Every Night. He Became Sick Earlier …

Scooter, my cat for over 21 years slept by my chest every night. He became sick earlier this year and had to be euthanized. Within days of losing him one of my other cats has decided to do everything in her power to keep me up at night. She will knock things over, turn off my cpap machine, etc. until I finally give in and get up and go downstairs with her. I usually will do stuff on the computer or straighten up. She usually just sits by me and after about 2 hours I can go back up to bed followed by her for about 5 or 6 hours. She is healthy, playful, friendly. Lately she has gotten worse and wants to be up more often. Tried locking her out of our room but she has clawed the carpet and the door. I cannot lock her in another room because she will do the same thing. I have been so exhausted that on a few occasions I have put her in the carrier for a few hours so I can get some sleep. She goes in willingly and makes bo noise while she is in there. I have tried to keep her up several hours before going to bed but nothing works.

Any suggestions. Oh she is about 10 years old. One odd thing is that if one of my other cats is sleeping with me which is rare, she will not bother me.

Thank you

3 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry for the loss of your kitty. The veterinarian in me wants to say that you should start at the vets office. Assuming your cat is healthy isn’t enough of an assurance that they are. A thorough exam, full bloodwork and a urine with thyroid are all indicated in my opinion. Start there. If all of that is normal ask about trying a medication or pheromone like feliway. If all else fails consider (and consider anyway) getting a companion for your kitty to play with at whatever time of day or night they want to. If you cannot it will not get another cat you can either create train overnight or put her in a place she can’t bother you. But make sure you make up for the time apart by spending lots of time together during the day. No one wants to feel like they lost their two best friends.

    1. Sandy Post author

      Thanks so much for the quick response. I will be calling to set up an appointment with you. For some reason last night continuing into this morning was the worse.

      1. Sandy Post author

        Dr. Magnifico
        I made an appointment for Princess to see you on September 8th. Thursday night into Friday morning she was the most “awake” that she has ever been. Last night though and into this morning she has been sleeping a lot. I was petting her to give her extra attention and I felt a lump on her belly. It is located more to one side and depending on her position close to her back leg. I spoke to someone at the clinic to see if anyone would have time just to feel it since there are no openings today. I don’t know if it is a fatty tumor, hernia, etc. but I am more concerned because she went from super awake to complete opposite in 24 hours. She is eating and using the litter box. If i cannot get someone to see her today I will bring her in tomorrow unless you think I should go to ER if no one can check her out today.

        As always I appreciate and value your advice.

        Thanks
        Sandy