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Laurie Nichols-Letra | 4 years ago
My Cats Have Been Patients At Your Clinic For Some Time. It’s A Bit If …

My cats have been patients at your clinic for some time. It’s a bit of a drive, which is fine for everyone but Flynn. He usually will poop in his carrier which in turn gets all over him. The poor staff and vet have to deal with his unfortunate messy, smelly “accident”. My question is if there is something we can give him to help this situation. Or if you have any recommendations to calm his obviously nervous digestive system. Thanks!

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thank you for the question and for being so loyal you would drive such a distance and put Flynn through this.
    The great news is that there is a whole lot you can do and try. First I would say start with making the carrier less scary and anxiety filled. This is accomplished by acclimating him to ir as a normal part of his day. Leave it out for at least a week before the visit. Or, try to incorporate it s part of his daily life. Put toys, catnip and food in it. Make it a part of his life and have it always be associated with enjoyable things.
    Two, use feliway pheromones in the home and car and carrier.
    Next when he is in the carrier in the car keep it dark and quiet by insulating with shredded newspaper inside and towels covering it on the outside. The less noise and motion from the car the safer he feels.
    Lastly try anti anxiety medications like Solliquin (available at JVC) with catnip, to Benadryl to gabapentin, or even a longer term medication like fluoxetine. Each work a little different and all have advantages and disadvantages but we can help you find which is best in his case.
    Hope that helps. Keep me posted and thank you again.

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Maggie | 5 years ago
Hi, Kirby,my 11 Year Old Cat, Has Taken A Liking To Spending The Whole Day Laying …

Hi,
Kirby,my 11 year old cat, has taken a liking to spending the whole day laying outside on the covered deck. He complains if I make him come in! He and my other cat Cricket have always been indoor only cats, so I have never been concerned about fleas. But now, I’m starting to be worried that he may contract them, even though he isn’t down on the ground. I’m assuming that fleas, as well as ticks, can fly, and I don’t want either cat to be exposed to them. What protection do you recommend? I don’t want to just buy something OTC without asking. Thanks, Maggie

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  1. Sarah

    I would talk to your vet about preventatives for fleas and ticks. And I would treat both cats since one can bring hem them inside to the other.

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Philip | 5 years ago
My 10 Year Old Male Persian Cat Was Blocked With A Bladder Infection. One Week Ago, The …

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.

5 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    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????????

    1. Philip Post author

      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.

  2. Sarah

    Sorry- I hit submit before I finished- I was going to add that an in depth discussion with your vet is probably best.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    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.

    1. Philip Post author

      Thank you very much Dr. Krista. You have given me hope. I will follow your advice and let you know what happens.

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Gloria | 5 years ago
One Of My Cats From A Feral Group Came Home With A Jaw Degloving Injury (see …

Dear Dr. Magnifico,

I’m sorry to hear of the loss of your mom. I lost my mom a few years ago, and it takes a while to go through that grief. Take care of you!

My question:
One of my cats from a feral group (not living in the house) came home with a jaw degloving injury (see photo). I took him to the vet and the vet mentioned possibly correcting this with surgery but that such surgery doesn’t always hold. However, a few weeks later she said he looked okay to go home as is and not to try the surgery or he’d be worse off if it failed. He drools/slobbers now, which wouldn’t be so bad, but it has a bad smell, so I wonder if that’s normal. The vet didn’t think he needed antibiotics (I had asked if she could give him a long-acting antibiotic injection since it is next to impossible to pill him now without hurting him and/or making it bleed).

He is a precious boy, and I want him to be as comfortable as possible. I’m keeping him in the house now and have found a home for him with the same people who adopted a different feral from us, so hooray for that. Not sure if the injury is bothering him (or just bothering me with the smell). Will the smell go away over time?

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello.
    I would contact a vet who has done this surgery before and have it corrected ASAP. See my blog on seraphina. If you are near me please come to the clinic for an exam ASAP. It’s not a difficult surgery to do. But it needs to be done ASAP for best prognosis. I hope this helps.

    1. Gloria Post author

      Thank you, doctor. We think it was 17 days since the injury occurred.

  2. Sarah

    Good morning-
    I just want to add that antibiotics seem like they would have been necessary seeing as it was an open injury.

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Heather | 5 years ago
I Have A 9yo. Siamese That Has Been Diagnosed With Possible Nasal Polyps. His …

I have a 9yo. Siamese that has been diagnosed with possible nasal polyps. His more overt symptoms include an obvious blockage, snoring/snorting sounds while breathing, some drainage, head shaking. He has seen 3 different vets, all giving estimates for upwards of 2.5k+ for an investigative rhinoscopy/surgery.
I recently watched Dr. Magnifico’s video on Stripes and his Nasopharyngeal Polyp removal and was surprised to see that sedation and a visual exam/removal could be done within such a short time with great results. This was never offered as an option with any other vet visits.
Are there any vets within this network that anyone would recommend that would charge a more reasonable pricing for a similar procedure in the greater NYC area?

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Call my friends at Long Island Spay and Neuter. I bet he would be willing to try to examine your kitty and help. I ask one small favor in return. Please PLEASE! Let me know what happens and please also add your cats experience and price for care into our storyline section. It will help others. And pay it forward. Let me know what happens.

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Stacey Harris | 5 years ago
I Went To Get An Annual Exam At My Vet. The Blood Work, Sedation For Blood …

I went to get an annual exam at my vet. The blood work, sedation for blood draw and exam was 250.00. Does that sound exorbitant? I have two senior cats, no health problems/history. Both are 10 yrs. and very healthy. But 500.00 for an annual exam for the two of them seems high. Just curious; wont be able to get both annual exams at this rate. ,,????

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    We added a storylines section to Pawbly. If you upload ir list each charge I can give you an idea of what we charge and what the national average is. It’s hard for me to assess this without breaking down the charges.

    1. Stacey Harris Post author

      Thank you Krista. Ive included a photocooy of the receipt. Wow, spent a long nite watching my baby not have function in her back legs. It took over 6 hours for her to be able to walk again. Disturbing to say the least. After 18 hours she’s slowly coming back to neurological normal.. Seems like a powerful sedation just for a blood draw.

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Juli | 5 years ago
I Think My Cat Got Into The Trash And Eat Some Of The Casing Off A …

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.

2 Responses

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  1. Laura

    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!

  2. Krista Magnifico

    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.

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Mackenzie | 5 years ago
Hi, Madonna Vet Suggested I Post On Here To Get Some Advice. I Have 3 Cats, One …

Hi,
Madonna vet suggested I post on here to get some advice. I have 3 cats, one is around 7 1/2 and the other two are around 4 1/2. Last week I noticed one of them had pooped out side of the litter box and there were drops around it that had bright red bloody mucous around it. I tried looking it up and found that this can happen sometimes and not to be too concerned as long as the stool was formed. So I kept an eye out when cleaning and scooping the litter box to see if it happened again and who it was. I hadn’t noticed any more blood until today, I found some in my bathroom (picture attached). One of them is over weight and likes to eat random things sometimes, but none of then are acting any different than usual. Without trying to sound super weird i tried to inspect all 3 of them, but i can’t tell who it was so i can take them to the vet (it would be impossible to get all 3 at the same time especially with this whole pandemic going on). I guess I’m just hoping for some advice on what to do and whether or not to be super concerned. All of the vets I’ve called to talk to are booked, and I’m not really sure how to go about it.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It sounds like the first thing is finding out who is having the issue. The ways we usually do this are as follows:
    1. We separate them in the home and monitor closely. Not always the easiest.
    2. If we are sure it is a urinary issue we talk about adding something to the food to change the color of the cats urine.
    3. We drop them each off at the veterinary clinic to watch them there.
    After we know who and where the problem is we start working on a treatment plan. In some cases it can be blood from the colon from intestinal parasites (as an example), or, blood from a urinary issue, like cystitis or infection or stones are all possibilities.

    I hope this helps.

    Let me know if you have questions. And just so you know we are all happy to help you even during covid.
    Thanks for the questions. . .

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Oscar | 5 years ago
My Kitten Of (five Weeks – Six Weeks) Appears To Have A Swollen Belly. I Have …

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!

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    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????????

  2. Laura

    I’d get him to the vet. Big bellies are (usually) wormy bellies, but your vet will be able to help you here.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    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.

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Terri S | 5 years ago
Hi Dr. Magnifico. We Took Boogie To VRA In Gaithersburg, MD, A Couple Weeks Ago, Hoping …

Hi Dr. Magnifico. We took Boogie to VRA in Gaithersburg, MD, a couple weeks ago, hoping to have the Radioactive Iodine Therapy done for his hyperthyroidism, but Dr. Conway said she did not think he was a good candidate for it and was very concerned with his constipation.

She did bloodwork, an ultrasound, chest x-rays and more. We took him there on 4/16 and again on 4/27. I asked her to send all results to you and I hope you have received them by now.
Dr. Conway said he has a tumor or mass on his kidney but no abnormalities found from the chest x-ray.
She quoted me $5,000-$6,000 (gulp) to do the surgery, but I can not remember if she said that was to remove the tumor from the kidney, or remove the entire kidney.
She also mentioned something about his blood being thicker? I really can not remember exactly what she said about that, but it didn’t sound good. It may have something to do with his red blood cell level being high due to the tumor on his kidney.

She said to cut back his methimazole to 1/2 pill every 12 hours. *Dr. Conway told me that his hyperthyroidism is very mild.
She also said raise his dose of cisapride 5 mg/ml from 1 ml every 12 hours to 1 ml every 8 hours (three times a day), and she said to raise his dose of lactulose to 3 ml every 8 hours.
I started all of the above on 4/17.

He has since sprained his leg and is limping. He’s been hiding under the bed more, but not completely. He will still come up on the bed to visit me once or twice a day, but just not as often as he used to, and is still coming up on the bed to sleep with me. I’m not sure if he’s not feeling well because of Dr. Conways findings, because of his sprained leg, or both, the reason he is under the bed more.

Here is the last email I received from Dr. Conways office on 4/29, after his ultrasound on 4/27:

1) His calcium results was fine and within normal limits. Dr. Conway suspects the prior calcium elevated was due to lab error.
2) His thyroid level is good on the lower dose of Methimazole – please continue as directed with this medication.
3) His blood cell count shows his red blood cell level is HIGHER – this is due to the tumor of his kidney. If you are not interested in pursuing surgery for Boogie, Dr. Conway’s recommendation would be an oncology consult to discuss any palliative care options.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Julia Conny, RVT
Internal Medicine Lead Technician
Veterinary Referral Associates
301-926-3300

Dr. Mag, We have been clients of yours for several years, as four of our cats are all seen by you and your wonderful staff. We are begging you on hands and knees to please help our Boogie boy. He is only 12 years old and we are not ready for him to go. Can you please do the removal of the tumor or kidney? We realize it is a very risky surgery, but we would feel better knowing we did something, than not. We know you are a big advocate of doing everything you can to help bring pets back to health, instead of just giving up.
I’m in tears as I write this. Can you please look at all his records you have at your office asap, and also what Dr. Conways office sent you. Please, can you help our baby?

Terri and Steve

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I know how much you want to help your kitty. I will do my best to call you tomorrow to go over some options. Please understand that this is not a routine surgery and it comes with a significant amount of risk and many adverse possible side effects. It is something to discuss further. I am also on personal leave as my mom is very ill and in hospice so it is very hard for me to schedule surgeries at this time. I will do my best to call as soon as I am able. Hoping you are all safe and well.

    1. Terri S Post author

      Hi Dr. Magnifico,

      I am so sorry to hear about your mom ????
      I’ve not been on facebook much the past few weeks, so did not know.
      Your mom should be your only thought at this time, so I will call Dr. Ahrens tomorrow to speak to her about options, since she has also seen Boogie.
      Please know I will say a prayer for your mom, and you.
      Thinking of you both!
      Terri Xo