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Stephanie | 12 months ago
I Have A 10 Year Old Female Cat. I Found Her Outside Two Years Ago. The Past …

I have a 10 year old female cat. I found her outside two years ago. The past few days she has been running and jumping. Today I fed her and now I noticed her colon is inlarged. She has poo trying to come out but cant. How can I help her? What home remedies can I do? Feed wet food? Or give her a laxative?? She won’t let me rub her tummy or back.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If she isn’t staining to defecate then I would just give her some time. Also you can add water to some canned food over the next few days to try to soften the feces. I think that keeping her on a high quality food also helps. Encourage her to play and move around as this helps keep the gi tract moving.

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Frederick | 12 months ago
Our Cat Was Recently Paralyzed Following A Stupid Preventable Accident At Home Where He Got Spooked, …

Our cat was recently paralyzed following a stupid preventable accident at home where he got spooked, jumped off a couch and landed wrong. Now he’s largely immobile. He can get around in short spurts using his front legs, but his hind legs and tail are limp. This has all occurred within the span of a week. Last Monday, 11/20, he was fine. He developed a slight limp on Tuesday, was clearly worse on Wednesday, and fully paralyzed by Thursday, which was Thanksgiving. Friday was when I returned to the initial vet we saw Wednesday for a follow up who recommended putting him down due to the time and potential cost for care, and we got the second opinion elsewhere within an hour that same day.

So the first vet immediately suggesting putting him down, and the second opinion vet offered more hope and said he might be able to bounce back and recover, but it would take a while. Anywhere from 4-12 weeks before showing any improvement. I’m going to do all I can within our means to save him if it’s possible. But I have concerns surrounding his bathroom needs, and potential pain I may be unaware of. Both offices ruled out “FATE” and neither feel it’s heart disease, heart failure, or a clot. Both feel it’s a slipped disc in his spine.

As a result of all this, he can’t use his litter box himself, and I need to learn how to “express” his urine and other end myself while searching for how we’ll be proceeding with his future care.

He’s been having urine incontinence the last few days, regularly leaking a bit when laying down (he’s always laying down now, but you get the point). I need to know if this is only possible or a thing when his bladder is uncomfortably full, or if it can happen regardless of the contents of his bladder, because I’ve found contrasting opinions. Some sources say it’s only leaking because it’s about to rupture and emergency care is needed, and other sources claim it can leak regardless of how much urine is in his bladder at any given time. It can leak when there’s a little or a lot. I don’t know what to put any stock in. I do know that shortly after expressing urine yesterday, we got a lot out….enough to make us think he must be empty or nearly empty, but shortly after he was still leaking a bit, which makes me think this is just something that we will have to deal with in general even if his bladder isn’t full.

The last thing I want is for it to rupture, and I’m finding removing / expressing his urine to be incredibly difficult. I’ve watched a dozen videos demonstrating it on youtube and read guides with photos featuring hand placement, and it’s just not coming easy or naturally at all. He’s a big boi….a little over 18lbs, so he’s a chonk. That’s making finding his bladder especially difficult.

I was able to successfully get a lot out yesterday, and he hasn’t had any water since. But he has had one of those treats that’s kind of like paste in a push up tube, and a small bowl of wet food. I know cats also develop urine from the liquid from their food.

I’m going to be “expressing” him at least once a day. I’ve been told it should be done up to three times a day, but I’m just not there yet, and he’s so uncomfortable I don’t want to put him through that more than necessary. When he drinks water it’s not all that much, maybe half an inch from a small bowl.

Lastly, I’m curious to know if he’s in more pain than I know or realize. We all know cats are great at hiding and masking pain, but at the same time they still do vocalize when they’re uncomfortable, or in distress. I can pick him up without him yowling or making noise, but he tends to complain the most when picking him up just to move him back onto a towel I’ve been keeping under him due to the incontinence.

I’ve read that when cats are in a fair amount of pain, they lose their appetite and stop drinking. Our guy is still doing both, and seems to enjoy both. He doesn’t randomly vocalize or cry or yowl. He’ll protest a bit when I shift him from spot to spot when changing towels, but that’s all.

Any help / thoughts / guidance / advice would be very much appreciate. And if anyone here can recommend a neurology clinic or hospital or other facility that treats cats without RAPING US FINANCIALLY that would be wonderful, because my God has this been frustrating. These people want upwards of 4k for an MRI. It’s positively unreal.

Thank you.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your kitty. I really feel like this is best managed by trying to find someone locally who can help you monitor the size of your cats bladder and show you how to safely empty it. Also I think it is helpful to provide a place where he can rest to see if the injury improves. Have you asked your vet if they know of someone who has experience with this? Or reach out on social media or through a local rescue.
    I hope he is feeling better soon Good luck.

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Tracy | 1 year ago
Hello! I Just Got Back From The Vet With Maizy, By Baby Ginger Kitten Who Is …

Hello! I just got back from the vet with Maizy, by baby ginger kitten who is three months old. I got her as a stray from a feral colony of cats. The vet is concerned about her left ear. He can’t see down her left ear canal. He said it’s jammed packed with black sludge. He gave her medicine for an ear infection, but he isn’t convinced it’s that. He thinks it may be a polyp that grows off her eardrum and will eventually grow all they way up her canal. He said if she was a year or older he would be sure it was that but he has never seen one in a three month old kitten. If that were the case, the options would be euthanasia or complex surgery that goes into her jaw to get to the ear canal to remove it. It would require a specialist vet who would not be around my home town. He said it would cost roughly $4,000-$5,000 (he had a patient go that route a few years ago). I need more information about this. He didn’t give me a name and I was too shocked to ask. Can you help clarify this for me? I was super shocked and didn’t ask many questions.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!

    Thank you for rescuing!

    Kittens bring both the joy of watching a life come to life and the conundrum of not really knowing for sure what is simply a problem due to neglect and what might be a longer term issue that needs medical resolution.

    In my experience almost all of these guys resolve their issues on their own with just simple basic tlc and time. So I wouldn’t worry about this until time and patience decides otherwise.

    I would diligently treat the ear for dirt, mites abs possible infection and follow up with the vet as indicated.

    Cross each bridge as you get to them and not before. Kittens will amaze you every time.

    Good luck.

    Keep us posted.

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Mik | 1 year ago
My Cat Developed A Hematoma So We Took Her To The Vet And They Charged Us $400 …

My cat developed a hematoma so we took her to the vet and they charged us $400 to drain it without anesthesia. After about 2 weeks it filled back up again so we took her to a different vet and they want us to spend $1,000 to have it surgically drained but with no guarantee that it won’t come back. Will it heal on its own or is it worth it to spend the $1,000 with the chance that it might come back?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    I’m so sorry for the delay. I cannot imagine any kind of surgical correction of this condition that warrants a $1000 fee.

    Please let me know what happened. I would be really curious about how this fee is justified. Email me at Krista@pawbly.com

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Linzi | 1 year ago
We Have Been Given A Tiny Newborn Kitten (and It’s Littermate) To Let Nurse Off …

We have been given a tiny newborn kitten (and it’s littermate) to let nurse off of our existing mama cat that has other kittens about 3 weeks old. Problem is they are pretty sick. One nursing and seems to be doing better. The other has bloody discharge and maggots (worms) coming out of its bottom. My niece has them but I’m going to take the sickest one and see if there’s anything I can do for it. Not looking good. Has anyone experienced something like this? I feel like at this point it will be me just comforting the kitten until he passes. 🙁

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  1. Laura

    What did the vet say? I would consider this critical, and I would have gotten both babies to the vet immediately.

  2. Linzi Post author

    We didn’t get the kittens until late yesterday. No vets open here and the ones that take emergencies only take those from established patients. Otherwise I would have told the original people to take them to a vet. They both passed away since I wrote this. It appeared they were riddle with worms past the point of saving them. Gut wrenching to watch. 🙁

  3. Krista Magnifico

    For cases like this I tube feed. You have to get nutrition into these kittens. I also make sure there are no fleas. Keep warm and some kittens just don’t have the ability to survive no matter how hard we try. Thank you for helping them.

  4. Shiria

    When there were already blood and maggots at the bottom of one of them it’s possible they already damaged a lot inside… depending on temperature thay can hatch in a few hours and start crawling in every body opening they can find…
    Thanks for doing your best!

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Robin | 1 year ago
How Much Should I Expect To Pay To Have A Nasopharyngeal Polyp Removed From My Cat. …

How much should I expect to pay to have a nasopharyngeal polyp removed from my cat. So far we were told $1000 just for the CT to confirm the diagnosis. I’d hate to have to let her go for something that appears very treatable but the cost is just not feasible for us.

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Roxy | 1 year ago
Suspected IVDD: My 14 Yr Old Jack Russell Has Been Experiencing Some Severe What Looks To Be …

Suspected IVDD: my 14 yr old Jack Russell has been experiencing some severe what looks to be muscle spasms. Took her into the vet and was told she may have joint pain or a neurological nerve pain. They sent me home with pain meds gabapentin, anti inflammatory carprofen and vitamin antinol to see if she got better. It was four days and she didn’t really seem to get better.

Then she seemed like she was developing some sort of serve cough. Took her back to the vet and they said she has some bacterial respiratory infection (also took X-rays) but I suspected kennel cough which they could not tell me 100% for sure, so was sent home with antibiotics. She is up on her vaccines and the only place she has been is at the vet because we don’t have any other dogs around us at home and haven’t been taking her for any walks due to her pain.

It’s been 5 days now and the cough is getting better. However, she is having muscle flares up everyday, multiple times a day. She is panting a lot and seems to be in a lot of pain. The meds don’t seem to be helping a whole lot.

She can still walk but is wobbly. Her legs tremble. I can see her legs are very stiff. Her back looks a little raised. She is still going to the bathroom on her own, but is wobbly.

I’ve put some paw grips on her feet since we have tile floors and some more rugs around the house. I’ve also tried to give her messages which she sometimes allowed me but she’s a Jack Russell and they have their own kind of personality.

What should I do? Any advice? I hate seeing her in so much pain.

4 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    I think it sounds like you are worried and unsure about your pets condition. In cases like this I recommend two things:
    1: ask your vet to help clarify and solidify your pets condition. Just explain that you are worried and want to make sure you are doing everything you can.
    2. Ask friends and family for help in finding a vet they trust and call them for a second opinion.

    I would also ask about more pain management help, like robaxin or even something stronger, and make sure you are following the very strict cage rest guidelines. These guys just stay in a cage to rest for 6-8 weeks. They only go out for bathroom breaks.

    Also you can follow dodgers list in facebook. They are helpful.

    Good luck.

  2. Roxy Post author

    I’ve switched vets three different times in the last couple of years. Every time I go to the vet there is just really no real solution given other than meds and then come out with a minimum $300-500 or more bill. Tests look normal and basically just have to deal with the problem on my own. To me there are not many vets that are really trying to help or maybe they can’t help. (Have not done an MRI yet, it’s so expensive).

    My dog also has a very stubborn personality. She wants to do what she wants to do. She doesn’t do well with crating. She can be aggressive at times and want to bite. Regardless of her pain, she wants to walk around and “be nosey.” She has to know what’s going on and what we are doing. She has to be around us at all times. I feel like I have to be stationary in order for her to relax. She only eats on her time and if she likes the food (changed food so many times due to refusing to eat). It gets hard with giving her meds when she’s so picky.

    She is currently on Methocarbamol muscle relaxer and seems to help only for a couple of hours if that.

    I’ve been trying to switch her from carprofen to prednisolone but vet said there should be a 3 day wash out period. I feel like I just can’t wait 3 days with her in so much pain without having an anti inflammatory.

    I am lost and cry for her everyday.

    1. Roxy Post author

      My dog actually had a seizure tonight, so we took her to the emergency room. After some tests, it looks like she has low calcium which may have caused the seizure and the leg tremors and muscle spasms. The ER vet doesn’t think her symptoms are associated with IVDD. We are keeping her overnight at the ER while they are administering calcium. She is to be transferred to internal medicine tomorrow to find out the cause or more information. Any thoughts/advice?

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امین | 1 year ago
About Seventeen Days Ago,our Cat Was Bitten By Another Cat,she Wasn’t Treating As …

About seventeen days ago,our cat was bitten by another cat,she wasn’t treating as the same so we brought her to visit doctor the next day,
She had fever and had stopped eating,
They started antibiotics,we had vaccinated her about two months ago,so they decided that vaccination is not necessary,
After seven days she started to get worse,
And now we found an abscess in her waist,so they drained it and start another antibiotics and started cleaning the abscess with iodide and h2o2 3 percent,
She seemed to be better after two days,but stopped and again started getting worse so she doesn’t eat and hides from us ,we saw that while cleaning and washing the abscess area under the skin, is getting bigger,an right now after 10 days she is getting worse and worse,can you please give us some directions,please help her,she is in a very dangerous situation and our vet don’t know what to do،

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It sounds like a more aggressive approach might be warranted. I would ask the vet to consider doing blood work, culture the wound to look for the best antibiotic and hospitalization with iv fluids.

    That would be my plan if this were my patient.

    Best of luck.
    Krista

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Iwan | 1 year ago
Our 16mo Malteepoo Has Small Patch Of Dried Blood On Tip Of His Ear Ever Since …

Our 16mo Malteepoo has small patch of dried blood on tip of his ear ever since he was small!
I tried to get rid (peel) of it but Every time it returns bigger!

4 Responses

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  1. Laura

    That sounds like something else, not just “dried blood” – what does your vet say?

    1. Iwan Post author

      Thanks for comment.
      Nevertheless i came here to ask for suggestions before i have to go out and spend money.
      Which I think I’ll have to now.

      1. Laura

        I assumed you’ve been taking him to the vet regularly, as puppies need vaccinations and the like.

        Sounds like you might need more than just this looked at.

        1. Iwan Post author

          Took him about three months ago, it was overgrown with fur and i forgot to mentioned it!

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Sharon Gainer | 1 year ago
Good Morning Dr Magnifico Marley’s (Gainer) Diarrhea Started Up Again Yesterday. Otherwise He Remains Himself …

Good morning Dr Magnifico
Marley’s (Gainer) diarrhea started up again yesterday. Otherwise he remains himself and is eating well. I have Metronidazole on hand from the rescue. Would it be OK to give him some? If so, how much? How often? Thank you!
Sharon Gainer

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!

    I will have one of the clinic technicians call you to discuss. We do not post drug dosages online for concern other people will dose without a vets notification.

    I am off today. Back on Tuesday. Have a great holiday weekend

    Krista.