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Chuck | 2 years ago
My Dog Is A 4 Year Old Spayed Doberman And She Is Starting To Have Occasional Incontinence …

My dog is a 4 year old spayed Doberman and she is starting to have occasional incontinence which seems to be getting worse. Should she be on medicine or a would a home remedy work? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello
    These cases always start with an exam and usually need a urine to look for potential urinary issues. If the diagnostics are all normal and the case looks like it might be a spay induced incontinence then we talk about hormones to help keep the bladder from leaking. I do not know of any at home remedies

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ANA ANGELIKA | 2 years ago
My Cat Is Currently On The Hospital For Confinement, He Has UTI And Is Not Fond …

My cat is currently on the hospital for confinement, he has UTI and is not fond of water these days. How can I engage him into drinking water and not forcefully feed him water?

PS: I already have water fountain on the way but I’m not sure if he’ll get comfy on drinking there and if there are any other ways to make him drink water

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  1. Shiria

    Hello,
    Does he eat wet or dry food? If he eats wet food you can add a little bit of water to every portion.
    My cat didn’t drink out of her water bowl… possibly because it was too close to her food bowls. But she started drinking out of my water cups/glasses… so I placed some for her in the rooms and she uses them.
    I have a fountain too, but it is only used when I clean her cups.

    Otherwise you can use things like the water that’s left when you cooc chicken and there are also special fluids for cats with UTIs. (I think from Royal Canin?)

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Jenn | 2 years ago
My 9 Yr. Old Megacolon Cat Eli Wasn’t Able To Poop. It Happens Sometimes. He’s …

My 9 yr. old Megacolon cat Eli wasn’t able to poop. It happens sometimes. He’s on Cisapride and Merilax daily, but he still get’s backed up. When he started vomiting after not being able to BM and jumping out of the litter box I took him to the vet. They did an enema on June 20th. He’s still backed up! I can’t afford 1k plus to have a vet manually extract the feces (this is Washington, DC area – everything is very expensive!). He hasn’t started throwing up again, but he’s not eating much and I need to find out if there is something I can do more at home to get him through this emergent time. I can’t just watch my cat suffer. I have Pedi lax, but don’t know if that would help or hinder at this point. I watch videos on palpitating the colon to try and break up the feces. I know there are specific enemas to give cats at home. Is it too late to try this? My vet is frankly bad and too busy to bother, so she said to just go to the emergency. It sure seems like there are other steps that can be taken ,,,at least I hope so becuase I just don’t have that kind of money left with the cost for caring for my hospice Husky, Loki. Help!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    For these cases I talk a lot with owners about trying to identify the underlying cause. Often it is poor diet and sedentary life but there are also diseases and illnesses that can contribute. If able start to learn how to palpate your cats colon and feed watery wet food and use the fiber supplements and laxatives. Exercise is also very important. For these cats we start training in a harness to go outside for walks. I feel that if you don’t increase environmental enrichment and stimulation they won’t start moving.
    But before all of this you have to remove the obstructive feces. This often needs a vets help. Call rescues and shelters and keep asking for affordable help.

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Patricia | 2 years ago
Looking For Information Regarding Polyps. In January Of This Year (2022) My Then 3 1/2 Year Old Cat Developed What Seemed Like Nasal Congestion…

Looking for information regarding polyps. In January of this year (2022) my then 3 1/2 year old cat developed what seemed like nasal congestion. She would snore, wheeze and “slurp” through her mouth. After 2 rounds of antibiotics they discovered she had a polyp under her soft pallet. After removal of the polyp her symptoms subsided a little but never completely. We then tried steroids but these did not help either. Now they are recommending I go to a specialist/internal medicine veterinary hospital to get a rhinoscopy and ct scan to see if there are additional polyps or some other kind of blockage. The initial consult visit would be $250 and the scoping and ct scan would cost $2500 to $3200. Is it common for cats to have more than one polyp and is there other treatments you would try before the very costly next step my vet is suggesting? I’ve already spent $1000 with what we have done so far so I am looking for any suggestions you can offer! I hate seeing her uncomfortable!! I should mention that she is not sneezing or coughing, but shake her head sometimes. She is eating fine and acting mostly fine except when lying down as that is when the difficulty breathing seems to get the worst.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Without knowing your pet I would say the options are to recheck for the polyp (they can recur), try a barrage of medications to see if any help, or wait and see what happens , or see the specialist. There I’m not sure this is helpful but it’s the best I’ve got. Good luck

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Liesje | 2 years ago
I Have A 16 Year Old Jack Russell Named Lucy. She Has Had Diarrhea For A Week …

I have a 16 year old Jack Russell named Lucy. She has had diarrhea for a week and a half. She went to the vet and her blood work was good and no problems in the poop. she is still alert, drinking normally, peeing normally and seems herself. Just she poops once a day now and it’s diarrhea. The vet put her on a medication that made things worse so in agreement with the vet we took her off. She has been on a rice and boiled chicken diet during this time. Yesterday I gave her 1 ml of pepto Bismal. Its seems to be helping but her poop is still very soft. Should I consider giving her anything else. This seems to be going on a bit too long. Oh and she has Pica too which is probably why we are going through all this. So is there anything else we need to do or consider?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    There are many many things that can cause diarrhea. In some cases we opt for medical therapies to see if there is a response to treatment, or blood profiles, fecal exams , and digestion profiles. Other cases can be stress or disease. Of the first trip to the vet didn’t realize it it’s probably time to go back. It can be a long exhausting proxies to figure it out.
    For my patients I take a detailed history, talk about diet /!; start some diagnostics like a fecal and bloodwork. Then talk about history and home environment. I also talk about probiotics and supplements. There is a lot to talk about with your vet. Find someone you trust and can work with. It is a process. And it takes time and dedication.

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Melissa | 2 years ago
Hello Everyone! My Cat Had A Urinary Block And I Was Able To Get Them To …

Hello everyone!

My cat had a urinary block and I was able to get him to a clinic that was affordable. It was a piece of mucus that was blocking him, not his kidneys. I now have a catheter in him + guided not to take him back out to the clinic as it was a very Trumatic experience for my cat. They messed up putting the catheter in and he sat in that for hours. He is eating drinking sleeping so I decided not to take him back out there today per the request. My question is, how do you safely remove a catheter from a male cat?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    There are multiple kinds of catheters. Please ask your vet for help in how to remove it. Good luck. If possible please share your story on our storyline page. So many people red help finding affordable options for this. I hope it helps others. Good luck

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Beth | 2 years ago
Help Dr. Magnifico Of Jarrettsville Vet Our Beautiful 13 Year Old Husky/beagle Mix Sadie Was Struggling …

Help Dr. Magnifico of Jarrettsville Vet Our beautiful 13 year old Husky/beagle mix Sadie was struggling with getting up and climbing stairs because we thought her arthritis was getting worse. We took her in to the vet to get some pain medicine and they discovered that she has a large tumor on her spleen. We were told that the surgery is quite expensive. We are unable to afford much due to our current financial situation. The doctor suggested that we should euthanize her if we were not going to try to do the surgery. we have scheduled an appointment for tomorrow. 6/3 with lap of love.
My husband was looking for solutions because she is walking around and it is so hard for us to imagine putting her down. We saw the article by Dr. Magnifico. We tried to call Jarrettsville vet and they told us our only option was to put a question on here. Beth.a.acton@gmail.com

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your dog. I am happy to see your pet at my vet clinic in Maryland. It is the only way I can offer pertinent advice that is specific to each patient.
    Without a biopsy it is impossible to know whether this is benign or not. Also in some cases the mass may be an incidental finding (no clinical relevance). We should always treat the patient and not make presumptive decisions, especially euthanasia.
    I feel it to be morally and ethically dishonest to ever recommend euthanasia without a definitive diagnosis AND a suffering patient.

    I hope this helps. I apologize for the delay.

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Sierra | 2 years ago
My 4 Yr Old Cat Seems Constipated. I Just Lost My Job A Couple Of Weeks Ago …

My 4 yr old cat seems constipated. I just lost my job a couple of weeks ago and cannot afford to take him to the vet. I noticed on Wednesday he only pooped once and it was kind of hard. He didn’t poop Thursday. Friday I bought mineral oil, glycerin enema, and mixed with warm water…administered about 4ml and he had a bowel movement. Continued with wet food mixed with pumpkin purée, water, Miralax, and catlax. Also manually gave him water with a little bit of pedialyte orally. Saturday he had no bowel movement. Sunday I gave him another enema same as above and he had a bowel movement. Continued with all mentioned above. It’s now Monday and he still hasn’t had another bowel movement. Just gave him another enema (same as above) and he hasn’t made a bowel movement in about an hour…the other two enemas he produced a bowel movement within just a few minutes. I’ve order the official Feline Enemas, but they won’t arrive until Tuesday or Wednesday this week. I honestly don’t know what else to do and I’m desperate! I cannot afford a vet visit right now, but my kids and I love this guy so much and feel terrible for him. He was really not seeming well Thursday thru Sunday morning, but then Sunday night thru Monday morning he was doing so much better. Now here we are same Monday afternoon and he’s not good again. Please help!

UPDATE: he had another bowel movement after the last enema, it was much softer than the others and seemed like it had mucus around it (sorry so graphic). However, he’s still not wanting to move around and his belly still feels firm.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Constipation in cats is usually secondary to another issue. That’s the hard part: trying to figure out the underlying issue(a). I usually advocate for a change in diet, adding fiber or a laxative and getting these cats up and moving. But these do not usually cure the underlying condition alone. Often a full bloodwork, X-ray and ultra sound are needed to help uncover the cause.
    It is also helpful to learn how to palpate your cat so you can tell if the feces is gettin backed up. In some cases I teach people how to give sq fluids at home to help add water and soften the feces to make it easier to pass.

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Sandra | 2 years ago
My Year And A Half Old Great Dane Had Large Lump On Belly, Took Her To …

My year and a half old Great Dane had large lump on belly, took her to emergency vet where she put a needle in it and drained lump. Sent home with heavy duty antibiotics and pain meds. Now dog has diarrhea and trouble with her bowel mvmts. and has started puncture hole bleeding. Don’t really want to take her back to vet. Beginning to not trust any doctors as I read on your blog site that you don’t agree with draining and lumps should eventually absorb on its own. She doesn’t seem in distress or pain. What can I do to take care of her at home with giving her meds that will help her heal?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry but this needs to be addressed by a vet who can examine your dog. There are too many unanswered medical issues here to guess at. I don’t know what the lumps are or how they might be related to the gi issues. Or if the medications alone caused them. At minimum a thorough exam needs be done. And then an aspirate or biopsy of the masses. This may require more than one visit so it is important to find a general practitioner vet to help with the process. An er is not appropriate for this as they are often to expensive and do not have the ability to make follow up appointments to help with the long term treatment plan. For a local vet you like and trust. They can help you and your dog.

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Amy | 2 years ago
We Have A Very Sassy Beautiful 12 Year Old Orange Female Tabby Named Nala. She Has Been …

We have a very sassy beautiful 12 year old orange female tabby named Nala. She has been perfectly healthy until about a year ago when she started to sneeze a lot (that rapid-fire sneezing that cats do) and she started to make a snoring sound when she breathes. We initially thought it was just allergies but it didn’t get any better after several months. We took her to the vet and he diagnosed her with herpes and prescribed Chlorpheniramine 4mg crushed in her food. I’ve been giving her this for at least 6 months now and she has not improved. The sneezing has decreased, but the “snoring” has not improved at all. Searching online, we found a video of Dr. Magnifico performing surgery on a cat that had a nasal polyp and we are wondering if this may be what she has. The symptoms all seem to be the same as what she has been dealing with. So we’ve been searching for a vet in our area that performs this type of exam and surgery, and we have found this to be very expensive ($2000-$5000). She is otherwise a very healthy girl, she eats, drinks, uses litterbox and plays and snuggles all like normal. She has lost weight, but now seems to be putting it back on slowly. Dr. Magnifico’s office is only about an hour away and we would absolutely drive down to be able to have her exam Nala and if it is a reasonable price, have her remove the polyp if this was the diagnosis.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello
    I’m sorry for the delay. If you would like a consult I would be happy to meet you and discuss options. Please call the clinic and ask for an appointment. It is the best place to start.