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My almost 6 month old puppy is having diarrhea. We changed his food about 2 weeks from Purina pro plan puppy to the purina pro plan large breed food. He is a lab/mastiff mix. Do you think it’s the food causing the diarrhea? Should I switched him back to the old stuff? Or give him more time? He is acting fine other then the diarrhea. Thanks!
Rectal prolapse…
I’ve taken in a little kitten that kept on visiting us about two weeks ago.. He’s about 15 weeks old. Took him to vet for first visit on July 5. He’s always has a slightly protruding rectum. Vet said probably from straining because of parasites. Gave him Profender – purge dewormer- and Revolution Plus. Could still see tapeworm segments even two/three days ago. Rectum looks good in the morning and then once he has a bowel movement his rectum prolapses – looks like a red Cheerio (for size visualization). He has a vet appointment next Friday. Should he go sooner to the vet? What can I do in the meantime? Saline rinse? Sugar water soak? Vaseline? Or nothing? Thanks!!!
Hello,
As long as it is going back into the rectum I would just keep monitoring. It usually prolapses a little after a bowel movement. If it comes out and stays out, like long and tubular versus donut or cheerio, then hopefully it will resolve with time and appropriate diet and anthelmintic (anti parasite) treatment. I recommend a very good age appropriate diet and recheck fecal exams. If it comes out keep it lubricated and we your vet ASAP.
Thanks for the response! He had a bowel movement a bit ago…and there was another tapeworm? segment on his anus 🙁 And it seems that his prolapse is looking redder, but not sure. My other concern is that I’m supposed to go out of town tomorrow and wonder if he should possibly go to after hours clinic.
Hello! I have a 14.5 year old japaenese splitz who had disc surgery 2 years ago. This year he developed new weakness in his lower extremities and had a 2.5 kg weight loss so he had a full body ct with contrast and ct brain.
Findings included a chronic herniated disc explaining his weakness and an incidental finding of a splenic mass with some splenomegaly and no evidence of metastasis. Ultrasound findings were non significant. The nature of the mass remains unknown. His blood tests were good and he has no anemia. My veterinary doctor recommends a splenectomy. But i am worried of putting him through general anesthesia given that he has a heart murmur (on no medical Tx). I want to maximize his quality of life. I dont know if i should put him through major surgery given that he is asymptomatic but i am also worried abt internal bleeding and the suffering of metastatic disease if i dont operate. What should i do?
Good morning-
The first thing that I would do is sit down with the vet and have a heart to heart about your thoughts and concerns. Hopefully you have a good relationship with them, and you are able to have an open discussion regarding whether or not surgery is the best option. I would mention your concerns (anesthesia, etc.) about quality of life and surgery risks for sure. I would also recommend having a “family” meeting with the household of applicable, regarding the pros and cons, the vets advice, and the recovery process (if you go through with surgery) or any other day to day changes that will be necessary in the near future for your pet. But again, my first step would be with my vet to weigh the options for my pet. Best of luck.
Hello,
I had the same situation a few weeks ago. I am asking that patients mom to contribute to this question too.
My first piece of advice is to ask for an echocardiogram exam. You don’t mention the degree or severity of the heart murmur (usually graded on a scale of 1-6) and it is important to say that a low grade doesn’t always indicate it is safe or irrelevant.
From here you can better assess anesthetic risk.
In general I tell clients to take out the spleen before it becomes a problem. A bleeding spleen can kill a dog quickly. So quickly you may not even have time for successful surgical intervention.
You have done an amazing job with diagnostics and treatment options. Don’t stop here.
Please let us know what happens.
Best of luck
Wow, what you are going through sounds quite sillier to what I just experienced with my oldest dog, who is almost 12. He is a Lab mix weighing about 54 lbs. A few months back he had is senior checkup, including a full blood panel and all looked good except trace amounts of blood in his urine and he has had a heart murmur his whole life and had never been on heart medication. He ate carpet a few weeks ago and while doing X-rays and ultrasounds to be sure it wasn’t causing a bowel obstruction, we found he had an enlarged heart and two masses on his spleen, with no indication of metastasis. He was acting himself, except for the belly issues from eating the carpet. Once we knew the carpet issue was under control, I got a second opinion about the spleen and had long talks with my vet about the situation. Both veterinarians suggested a splenectomy, and also to consider a cardiology evaluation to be sure his heart was strong enough for surgery. I was so nervous about what to do, he is older, acting fine and his quality of life is great. The thought of putting him through what I felt was major surgery was so frightening, especially since he is older, but I was also getting nervous about internal bleeding and ending up in emergency surgery and that being life threatening. I made the decision to see a cardiologist and they cleared him for surgery, and started him on heart medication; he then had the splenectomy the next day. The recovery was quick and he actually wasn’t much bothered by the surgery, maybe a day or two of lethargy. By the end of the first week I was having to keep him from playing and running, he was back to himself. Now, a few weeks later, I am so thankful I made the decision I did, he is just so happy, playful and back to being his energetic (in the old man style) self and even starting play sessions with his siblings. It was a roller coater ride for the few weeks after getting the diagnosis, getting a second opinion and making the decision to go forward with the surgery, but it was all worth it to have him back and not sit here and worry if he might be bleeding internally. I learned your mind can play those games with you when you know there is a potential unseen problem with your dog. One thing that made the decision a little easier was my vet telling me the surgery wasn’t much more on him then say a spay for a girl, it really wasn’t as major as I thought it would be, and based on the experience I went through, I’d agree it really didn’t take much out of him at all. I wish you all the best in making your decision, and I’d be happy to help answer any other questions you may have.
Trish
this is the answer from my client, Trish, who’s dog had a very similar issue (heart murmur and incidental splenic mass found via ultrasound).
“Wow, what you are going through sounds quite sillier to what I just experienced with my oldest dog, who is almost 12. He is a Lab mix weighing about 54 lbs. A few months back he had is senior checkup, including a full blood panel and all looked good except trace amounts of blood in his urine and he has had a heart murmur his whole life and had never been on heart medication. He ate carpet a few weeks ago and while doing X-rays and ultrasounds to be sure it wasn’t causing a bowel obstruction, we found he had an enlarged heart and two masses on his spleen, with no indication of metastasis. He was acting himself, except for the belly issues from eating the carpet. Once we knew the carpet issue was under control, I got a second opinion about the spleen and had long talks with my vet about the situation. Both veterinarians suggested a splenectomy, and also to consider a cardiology evaluation to be sure his heart was strong enough for surgery. I was so nervous about what to do, he is older, acting fine and his quality of life is great. The thought of putting him through what I felt was major surgery was so frightening, especially since he is older, but I was also getting nervous about internal bleeding and ending up in emergency surgery and that being life threatening. I made the decision to see a cardiologist and they cleared him for surgery, and started him on heart medication; he then had the splenectomy the next day. The recovery was quick and he actually wasn’t much bothered by the surgery, maybe a day or two of lethargy. By the end of the first week I was having to keep him from playing and running, he was back to himself. Now, a few weeks later, I am so thankful I made the decision I did, he is just so happy, playful and back to being his energetic (in the old man style) self and even starting play sessions with his siblings. It was a roller coater ride for the few weeks after getting the diagnosis, getting a second opinion and making the decision to go forward with the surgery, but it was all worth it to have him back and not sit here and worry if he might be bleeding internally. I learned your mind can play those games with you when you know there is a potential unseen problem with your dog. One thing that made the decision a little easier was my vet telling me the surgery wasn’t much more on him then say a spay for a girl, it really wasn’t as major as I thought it would be, and based on the experience I went through, I’d agree it really didn’t take much out of him at all. I wish you all the best in making your decision, and I’d be happy to help answer any other questions you may have.
Trish”
hope this helps.. i am going to ask Trish to add Reggie’s story to our storylines section asap!
I have an 18 month old male cat, Chubbs 🙂 – he was a stray that we took in from the neighborhood as a kitten, vaccinated and neutered and we just adore him. On Monday this week, I noticed he was having urinary issues – lots of in and out of box and no action. Our vet was full so we drove about 30 minutes to another town to take him to an emergency vet. Vet told me that he did not have a urinary blockage, but his urinalysis showed evidence of infection and crystals. A chicken and the egg situation he said. They gave him subQ fluids, antinausea med, anti-inflammatory med and send us home with a supply of pain meds and antibiotics. He was low key the next day, but seems back to normal as of yesterday. However, still lots of urinary urgency and frequency attempts with dribbles here and there, but is producing actual normal appearing size voids 3-5 times a day. No blood, no howling. Bowel movements seem a little looser, assuming from antibiotics but no diarrhea. Is this expected behavior? Can male cats have partial blockages that wax and wane like this? Will this continue on for 1-2 weeks while treating the UTI component? Emergency vet told me to follow-up with our vet in ~2 weeks for repeat urine.
I would call your vet and see if you can schedule an appointment before the two weeks just to get your own vet up to speed and see if there are any changes in diagnosis. Err on the side of caution. I can tell you from experience- getting these things taken care of sooner rather than later and staying ahead of the game, is a LOT less expensive in the long run. Best of luck.
I have a 12 year old cat who vomits almost every day since I adopted her 5 months ago. She has been to the vet several times and a sonogram revealed she has chronic pancreatitis. They didn’t see any other issues. She was eating canned Fancy Feast with water, but now I have her on NomNomNow because I thought fresh food would help her. But she is still vomiting. It’s usually food at first but then she moves spots and vomits bile or saliva/foam. Once or twice the saliva looked bloody (took her to the vet right after). The vet had her on vitamin E, pepcid, and a round of antibiotics. Nothing helped. She has never been very playful but she is behaving relatively normally, eats, grooms, poops, etc. I don’t know what else to do! Thanks for any advice!
Hi-
I’m so sorry you’re having such a time trying to help this cat. Has your vet ruled out everything else as far as a diagnosis? Perhaps there is something else that is worsening her initial issue? Have you tried feeding more meals throughout the day, but smaller portions? (A little at a time)
Hello,
I would suggest you talk about a few things with your vet like a sensitive stomach diet like i/d or even try a stomach protectant like sulcralfate or even maripotent or metoclopramide. I often try medications with a diet change. Ideally a wet food diet fed in small amounts with increased frequency. Or ask about an ultrasound or even upper gi endoscopy. My point is that there are lots of options to discuss and try. I would first start with a fecal exam for intestinal parasites. Hope this helps. Let us know what happens.
Just noticed fleas on both of my cats.. what is the safest treatment to use?
Hello.
There are lots of safe options these days. It is always best to talk to your vet about their preference and ideas as they know your car best. On mine I use either revolution or bravecto. But if you are looking for a good safe effective and affordable over the counter I like frontline too. It’s now available as a generic. Be really careful though lots of otc meds are very toxic to cats. They will be labeled as such. And make sure you treat all the pets in the household.
I ended up picking up Advantage because it was the only option at the store that didnt seem to have terrible reviews online. My vet is currently closed but i plan on calling them tomorrow to see if they would like to see them. I hadnt noticed them itching or licking excessively until now (about 3 hours after application), is that normal?
My 8 year old Belgian Malinois had surgery to remove her salivary gland on June 11, 2019. It was quite an extensive surgery because her salivary gland had ruptured and there were a lot of stones present. I was giving her a bath yesterday feeling in the area where the surgery was and I can feel what I believe is her lymph node or something firm on the side of where the surgery was. Below are pictures of what I am seeing. Could this be lymphoma starting (I lost a dog to that in December) or is it from the surgery. I am so worried! No ER’s where I am at so waiting till tomorrow to take her back in but for now I would like to know ideas on this.
Could someone please take a look at these pictures. Cancer is always on my mind as I lost a dog to lymphoma in December 2018. I am hoping this is just from the surgery.
Hello,
We can’t diagnose anything via a photo. If your dog is acting normally I think it is safe to wait until you can see your vet tomorrow. And I should add that cancer usually causes bilateral enlargement of the lymph nodes so it this is on one side only and if it’s the same side as the surgery it’s more likely related to that. Let us know what happens. Good luck! Would love to hear more about the salivary gland surgery. Especially for our storylines section would you please add it to that page.
Good morning. I’m hoping you get into the vet today to hopefully help ease your mind a bit. It is possible it is fluid or a seroma, related to the surgery.
Hello,
At that age I would be most worried about intestinal parasites. Has your vet done a fecal exam for parasites? This is done by sending a fresh fecal sample to lab to be examined under the microscope for parasites eggs. Please ask your vet.
Dr.Magnifco he sees Dr.Graf. I will call and see what I need to do.