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Natalie | 4 years ago
We Brought Mila, My 7 Year Old Mixed Domestic Savannah Chausie Female Spayed Kitty, Early This Morning …

We brought Mila, my 7 year old mixed domestic savannah chausie female spayed kitty, early this morning for emergency attention because she was moaning and groaning in pain last night and could hardly move. Prior to this morning she had been seen two weeks ago at the same emergency clinic and her primary vet. Both determined she had crystals and a UTI and prescribed medication which we’ve been giving as instructed along with keeping her on the strict urinary care diet from hills c/d.

She tried yesterday and this morning to use the litter box but was unsuccessful in relieving herself so we had to treat it as if she was experiencing a blockage which you know is very dangerous.

The Dr. was able to express Mila’s full bladder and found no blockage there, but said Mila was in a lot of pain while undergoing the procedure. She did not feel any stool so Mila is not considered to be constipated, but a good sized stone or crystal was visible during the ultrasound.

The Dr. strongly believes Mila still has a UTI and wants to get that under control first, so we were given the following medications:

Pradofloxacin (antibiotic)
Prazosin (for urethral spasms)

We were also instructed to increase the dosage of the Gabapentin from 0.3ml every 12 hours to 0.5ml every 8 hours since it didn’t seem to be doing enough in terms of managing Mila’s pain. She was previously on buprenorphine for pain but we were concerned that it was constipating her.

We need to bring Mila in as soon as possible to perform another urinalysis and culture as was recommended by the Emergency clinic. This was recommended to determine whether or not the bacteria from the UTI has spread to Mila’s kidneys.

We chose to decline those diagnostics at the emergency Clinic today as they were going to charge an additional $800 for an already expensive treatment and we felt more comfortable going through our primary vet for Mila (the diagnostics will cost a fraction of what emergency quoted.)

I want to do everything I can for Mila but we are now in the hole nearly $2k at the point between the two emergency visits and the primary vet visit, so wanting to know what is necessary now Vs. what can be phased in.

I hate seeing her in pain and I’m just worried that she isn’t improving.

2 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    Im sure you are getting her into see your vet right away. I would have a very in depth conversation regarding your budget and what you expect as well as your concerns and Mila’s overall comfort level. Years ago one of our cat’s had a urinary blockage and I do remember him being kept for a few nights, catheterized, and surgery to remove the blockage and Rx cat food for the remainder of his years. And it was expensive, and it was a long recovery, but he did well. I hope Mila does too.

    1. Natalie Post author

      Thanks Sarah!

      We’ve been acting with urgency and Mila is finally starting to improve – she was given a stronger antibiotic to tackle the UTI in addition to the pain and urethral spasm medications. It seems to be the right cocktail, allowing Mila to urinate without strain. I never thought I’d be so happy to watch her go! haha.

      After her most recent visit to the vet this past Monday, they confirmed no blockage, no stones, and a smaller less full bladder! Good girl Mila! We are waiting on the urine culture results which will tell us exactly what type of bacteria she’s got in her UTI, but in the meantime we are no longer in the “up all night watching her like a hawk” phase.

      After 3 emergency visits and 2 visits with her regular vet, we seem to be finally getting our playful Mila back.

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Amanda | 4 years ago
My Dog Is Coughing Mostly At Night When We Are In Bed. It Is Kind Of …

My dog is coughing mostly at night when we are in bed. It is kind of a cough where it sounds like she is trying to get something up. During the day she is sneezing alot and seems to have a runny nose. I am not sure if it is a cold or what. Also she still has energy wants to play and drinks water but is being very picky about her food. She strictly wants table food. Anyway the coughing is a little concerning. Is it something I should worry about she is 5 months old.

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning- i think that I would make an appointment to see the vet. It could be a range of things and they will be able to give her a thorough exam to rule out anything serious and probably give you something to help. I’m guessing if she is only 5 months a regular check at the vet is soon on your list of things possibly anyway? Hope your pup is ok????????

  2. Laura

    Coughing should be of concern. I agree, I would get her to the vet. Could be kennel cough, could be something else.

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Jennifer Farrell | 4 years ago
I Have A 12 Year Old Dachshund Mix Who I’ve Had On Grain Free Food For …

I have a 12 year old dachshund mix who I’ve had on grain free food for about 5 years. He has had ear issues over the years but it’s been manageable and infrequent. I have been transitioning him to Purina Pro Plan for bright minds and all the sudden his ears are bright pink and he’s shaking his head constantly. I have read so many terrible things about the grain free diets but now I wonder if I made a mistake and he might actually have sensitivity to grains bc I had him on grain free food for so long. Is that possible? Should I just go back to the grain free food given his old age?

1 Response

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  1. Laura

    As I understand it (and I’m NOT a vet, but I’ve had conversations with a few veterinary nutrition experts about this since my dog has a food sensitivity), dogs are more likely to be allergic to the protein source than the grains. Chicken, beef, and lamb seem to be the most common protein allergens.

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megan | 4 years ago
My Vet Thought My Cat Had A Polyp. He Went In This Morning For Them To …

My vet thought my cat had a polyp. He went in this morning for them to look into his throat under anesthesia. Turns out he doesn’t have a polyp just has an inflamed throat. They said they can just give him some medicine and he’ll be good. He’s had these symptoms for years.. can an inflamed throat last that long? do you have any advice? will the medicine cure it or just treat it?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m glad they looked for you and hopefully started to give you some answers. Yes you can have chronic inflammation. Ask your vet for a short and long term treatment plan and then start there. Good luck.

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Chris | 4 years ago
PLEASE HELP ASAP!!! I Have A 10 Year Old Black Lab And Today He Was Kicked In …

PLEASE HELP ASAP!!! I have a 10 year old black lab and today he was kicked in the side close to his back leg by a horse. I cannot get him in the car to go to the vet. Can I give him aspirin or anything for the pain??? He’s letting me pet him where he was kicked. Can a vet prescribe him any meds without him being seen?

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your dog. As much as we all want to help it is not legal to prescribe without seeing a veterinarian. You can call your vet and ask for help. But we cannot do it online without a pet existing vet relationship. Further if your dog is injured he may need more than pain meds. Please call your vet, or look for a local mobile vet to come to your home.

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Samantha | 4 years ago
Hi I Have A Question I Was Wondering If The Distemper/parvovirus Vaccine Sold With Tractor …

Hi i have a question i was wondering if the distemper/parvovirus vaccine sold with tractor supply store is the same vaccine you guys use on dogs? Is it effective? Have you ever seen any problems? Please give me your honest opinion about vaccinating pets at home? Ive never done this before and probally never will but im just curious i have a family member that does this with his dogs and gives goat dewormer to his dogs

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    This is a great question. One that I face a lot. Here’s my honest answer.
    Yes. It is the same vaccine. At least it is suppose to be. The problem is that no one will validate it with any credibility. The manufacturer won’t and the seller won’t. If it is not handled, shipped, store for given properly the chain of reliability is broken and no one takes responsibility.
    Also no one who relies upon it to be valid will take it at face value. Another words if you bring me vaccine records for your pet and you bought and gave them yourself I (as the vet and practice owner) will require them to be done again by a vet as proof of validity. So if your pet needs a surgery at my clinic you will have to do the vaccines over at a vets office. I cannot trust that your pets are safe from spreading disease to the other pets in my care and I won’t take the chance.
    The only time I would say it’s worth the risk is when you have a huge number of pets and/or a budget so right it is the only way possible to protect them.
    That’s my honest answer.
    Thoughts?
    I feel like it’s the same thing as buying your own kids vaccines at the gas station and asking their school to call them legit. No school would take that chance. Tractor supply vaccines are like gas station sushi. Why take the chance?

  2. Laura

    I know someone who lost her puppy to distemper after a series of shady vaccinations using only what was available at Tractor Supply.

    If you love your pets, don’t use vax from Tractor Supply.

    1. Samantha Post author

      Im not and dont plan too i love my dogs and would do anything for them this was just a question ive heard of people doing it and i was curious because yes it sounded shady as heck! This was just a question i love this site and everything dr magnifico has done for our community helping dogs and getting free advice once i came accross her youtube channel and seen this site she created and all the babies she has helped i had to bring my babies there and meet her in person and honestly shes the best veterinarian ive ever met shes honest and gives options when it comes to financial issues i can tell how much she cares about her clients im glad i came across her youtube channel and found out shes in maryland

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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

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  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.

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Samantha | 4 years ago
Hi I Was Wondering What A Good Dog Food Is For Liver Problems My Dog Was …

Hi i was wondering what a good dog food is for liver problems my dog was diagnosed with a high liver enzyme and she cant digest regular dog food due to severe diarrhea so ive been making her food myself everyday i boil chicken, rice, parsley, carrots, cauliflower and mash it up and she loves it and we dont have any problems with diarrhea however it gets exhausting and becomes alot of work im looking for a new food that would be good for her even if its a perscription diet im sure i can get approval i love my dog and want whats best for her shes old shes around 12 years old, but yes we dont know whats caused her liver problems i think its old age i use to have her on casars wet dog food and she kept diarrhea and i tried a few other foods for her as well and had no luck i even tried grain free and that didnt help either its frustrating cause at one point she had diareah for a few weeks and i didnt know why i took her to our local hospital a few minutes away and they ran tests and gave her metronidazole finally when i took her off the food she stopped sorry for this long post i just wanted to give all the information to figure out the best food for my baby so i can orser it for her or if you know a brand i can buy over the counter thats good please let me know

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning- your vet should be able to provide you with a list of foods that will be a good choice.

    1. Samantha Post author

      Our vet didnt provide a list i was told to give chicken and rice

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George | 4 years ago
My 15 Year Old Lemon Hound Pees Four To Five Times More Than Normal And Has Been …

My 15 year old lemon hound pees four to five times more than normal and has been for over a year. Been tested many times for bladder infections, kidney issues, and other normal things. The pee is as clear as water and can have strong ammonia smell at times. She drinks a lot but vets have told us to make sure she has water available at all times. Other that aches and pains from arthritis, she seems not to have any other issues. Any ideas of rare conditions that may be causing to peeing trouble?

Thanks,
Bubba

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    There is a reason for the behavior. You have to exhaust every possibility until you find the cause. This might include repeating bloodwork, urine, taking xrays and doing ultrasounds. It is time to find the answer. If your vet can’t help you with all of these ask to be referred to a specialist.

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Sherry | 4 years ago
He Was Neutered Two Weeks Ago Cuz Prostate Is Enlarged. Is There Something He Can Take …

he was neutered two weeks ago cuz prostate is enlarged. is there something he can take besides the laxative. is there something to help reduce the prostate faster. and something for the inflammation??

1 Response

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  1. Laura

    Hi Sherry – have you asked your vet this question? I think I’d start there.