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Bina | 5 years ago
Hi, I Really Need Some Help And Advice. Last Week Thursday The 2nd Of July I …

Hi, I really need some help and advice. Last week Thursday the 2nd of July I found out my cat who is 15 years of age has got some type of liver cancer which I found so hard to believe due to him being so active and recently went for annual boosters in April 2020 all healthy during check up.

The blue cross animal hospital in London did a quick ultrasound which they found mixed echogenicity with multiple hard, irregular liver . mixed echogenicity with multiple hypoechoic circular lesions. What does this mean? Can anything be done?

Please can I get some advice on this if I was to go down a surgery route, Will he survive after surgery? Do cats have this due to there age? Any cure he has yellow ears and mouth.

Have been prescribed steroid and I got nutramin from another vet which has milk thistle.

They did refer me to an oncologist which are charging £2000 for a CT scan. Not sure if to proceed due to the ultrasound which confirmed the above. I don’t want to go and spend so much money and still back a square one with the above.

Please advice any experience will help. I am going mad here as I do not know what to do.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If you don’t understand the findings of the ultrasound it is best to have your vet explain them to you along with how they correlate to your cats clinical signs and examination findings. Only your vet can provide all of this information. In some cases they can also do an ultrasound guided aspirate to help with the diagnosis. If you can afford it a CT scan is also helpful. If you cannot afford it trek them and ask for help within your budget. Lastly for a lot of cats with these issues medical management can help.

    I hope this helps. I wish I could offer more advice. If you are still feeling confused and lost in what to do find a feline specialist or get a second opinion. Good luck

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Tomas | 5 years ago
Hello! What A Great Site This Is. I’m Really Hoping Someone Can Help Us Here, …

Hello! What a great site this is. I’m really hoping someone can help us here, as we’re stuck with our dog situation!

We have a 10 year old female Maltese called Yuca. She is the light of our lives but is getting old 🙁
She’s healthy but tends to sleep a lot, and we read that keeping older dogs active is essential to keeping them alive!

We both work, and although she’s totally happy by herself, we decided it might be good to get her a companion for the times we’re not around. We hoped this might keep her entertained and engaged more during the day. As we’re both working from home at the moment, we thought now might be a good time to grow our little pack…

So we got another Maltese female, Coco, who is about 5 months old now. We’ve had her for just over 4 weeks. She’s amazing. A really cute little ball of fluff. But things don’t seem to be improving with regards to their relationship.

Of course, Coco is totally obsessed with Yuca. She will run to her and try to lick and play, but Yuca seems terrified of her. She backs away quickly and hides. Yuca has never been an aggressive dog, never. She doesn’t growl or bark or bite, ever. But she also has never been a dog dog, always avoiding them in public when out for walks.
We thought this was just a matter of them being strangers.
She has never once growled or barked or bitten Coco, she chooses to simply run away from her, even when Coco is trying to bite her playfully.

When Coco is calm, usually in the evenings and midday, Yuca is better. They will sit in the same areas, with Yuca sometimes letting Coco get quite close, but always with a cautious eye on her. The best moments we’ve had have been in bed in the evenings, with both of them sleeping almost touching! But then the day comes around and Yuca goes back to being her timid self again.

We’ve tried a lot of things to get them closer, and to help Yuca get used to her being around. They both have their own beds, food and water, and Yuca has a space she can be alone when she wants it. The problem is, she would choose to stay there the whole time! SHe seems anxious about walking around the house, which is not ok for us. We want her to feel dominant and have no fear of being anywhere at home.

We’ve tried using treats to bring them together, which works well in the moment. Yuca is a greedy lil thing and Coco’s existence doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference when there’s a treat around. She would take the treat from our hand even with Coco being right there next to her. But once the treat has gone, Yuca reverts back to scared mode.

We’re being firm with Coco on the rough play, although she’s tiny and couldn’t hurt a fly if she tried! We’re separating them for periods of time, so Yuca has her space and then trying controlled meet-ups several times a day. Of course, with us both working full time, this has been difficult and we’re very concerned about when we have to go back to the office.

We’ve made sure to give Yuca extra love and attention, always treating her as the alpha and giving her attention and food first. She doesn’t appear jealous at all.

As time goes on, we really hoped they would become close but we’re not seeing much improvement. There’s some improvement for sure, but it’s very slow progress. We really just want them to be friends. That was the whole point in getting Coco in the first place.

I really hope someone can help us. We love them both and just want them to get along.

Thank you for reading.

Tomas and Fernanda. Yuca and Coco.

6 Responses

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  1. Laura

    It’s possible that Yuca simply doesn’t enjoy puppies. And that’s NORMAL and perfectly okay! Puppies are annoying. Your best bet is to put a LOT of attention on working Coco’s brain more. A tired puppy is a good puppy, and the BEST way is to work their brain. This would be obedience training, beyond basic sit/stay/down. I know group classes aren’t really a “thing” right now, but I’d look into classes through Denise Fenzi’s dog sport academy: https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/

    Maybe work Yuca while you’re at it. It’s a good way to keep her engaged, and working them together can help.

    1. Tomas Post author

      Thank you for the reply Laura! I will take your advice and look into that for sure. It’s a shame we can’t walk Coco yet, as she still hasn’t had her final round of vaccinations. Next week hopefully! I’ve heard that walking them together will help the bonding process?

      1. Laura

        It can help, but the majority of this problem has to do with age disparity. Training is key.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    I agree with laura. I have an eleven year old dog. When his companion passed away I got a 4 month old. He was driving my older dog nuts. So I got a puppy for my puppy. The two puppies play endlessly and occasionally the old guy jumps in for just a little while. It is keeping him young and active but he isn’t being relied upon to be the single source of the puppy playtimes. Everyone is happy and healthy.

    1. Tomas Post author

      Thanks Krista. So your advice would be getting another puppy for the puppy? Ha! In an ideal world maybe, but we can’t afford that right now.

      1. Laura

        From the dog trainer perspective, do not do this unless you’re prepared to deal with possible littermate syndrome.

        (Yes, it’s real, and it can affect any like-aged dogs. It can be as minimal as one dog is shyer than the other, or they could want to kill each other. I’ve seen both. The latter isn’t worth risking it unless you’re VERY experienced with dog management.)

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Ashlee | 5 years ago
16 Month Old Female Husky (40 Pounds) Had A Double Patellar Luxation Surgery On 6/30. Grade 4 In Both Knees, …

16 month old female husky (40 pounds) had a double patellar luxation surgery on 6/30. Grade 4 in both knees, severe muscle wasting and arthritis. The surgery was more complex than anticipated and involved the addition of rod placement. First couple of days fairly uncomplicated except that she would urinate in her kennel while asleep despite attempts at potty breaks.
She has now developed two huge seromas, one on each knee. She’s walking well, eating and drinking well. If anything she’s so close to her normal self. She’s still on gabapentin, trazodone and rimadyl.
The seroma on the left “burst” between sutures on Sunday despite the meds and confinement. It has continued to “burst” and release a LOT of serous fluid EVERY day since (today is day 4 of this).
She’s been back to the vet twice for this.
They said to:
Keep the meds
Stop passive ROM
Confine and keep down as much as possible
Warm compresses 3 times a day

They want to push back suture removal and have assured me that this will eventually stop. And if it continues for the next few days then we may consider other options.

She is walking around, standing up and turning around in her kennel despite the meds and obviously needs short walks to go pee/poop. These things cause the ruptures.

I am beyond frustrated and worried.
Does this care plan seem reasonable?
Does heat actually help? She’s so squirmy when I come near her kennel that it hardly seems worth it.

Any advice? Thank you!

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Susan Poage | 5 years ago
My 6 Year Old Female Pit Was Diagnosed With Chylothorax Yesterday, 7/5. My Vest Was Only Able To …

My 6 year old female pit was diagnosed with Chylothorax yesterday, 7/5. My vest was only able to pull a little of the gel type liquid from her lungs. She referred us to a specialist, but they cannot see her until Aug 4. Do you know if there is another specialist in the Baltimore, Maryland area that could see her? She is currently taking 50mg of Lasix. I don’t want to wait four weeks. She has barely eaten anything over the last two weeks as it is. She’s lost about 7-10 pounds.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Without knowing exactly where you are located I would go to UPenn through the ER service and that way you can be seen immediately. You should not wait until August. In fact I would be incredibly worried that you don’t have that much time to safely wait. My preference is UPenn above all other referral centers as I have found them to be the most efficient and affordable of all the specialty centers. There are other specialty centers like the PetER and Chesapeake Vet Referral in Towson but I have had many clients find them cost prohibitive for care. If you in the through ER at a specialty hospital you can be transferred to the internal medicine department from there same or next day at the latest. Good luck. Go very soon especially if your pet is acting unwell.

    1. Susan Poage Post author

      I ended up taking her to Pet ER in Towson and they said she has Pyothorax . The thick fluid includes bacteria and maybe cancerous cells.

      They said the only thing they could do was all in or nothing. Is surgery the only option? I did ask them to send the liquid from her chest to the Pathologist. I want to know for a fact that there are cancerous cells. What if it’s only bacteria, would antibiotics resolve the infection? Do they have to do open chest surgery to remove the liquid?

      1. Susan Poage Post author

        I have decided to wait for the pathology report to be certain it is cancer. I’m also looking into autoimmune disease. I’ve been told by several people that their dogs were going through the same as my Ginger. They were told it was cancer, but they fought and advocated for their dogs. They were both found to have autoimmune disease and have been treated with steroids and have been alive and well for over four years.

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Leah | 5 years ago
Hiya, My Dog Has Pancreatitis And I Have Tried Different Food, Medications And Probiotics. Nothing Seems …

Hiya, my dog has pancreatitis and I have tried different food, medications and probiotics. Nothing seems to work for long and hasn’t went for longer the 3 weeks without a bad spell. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to help him as he is only just 3 and I am fed up of him not being able to be a young dog.

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  1. Laura

    Have you tried low fat prescription food for this? I know Hill’s, RC, and Pro Plan all have a gastroenteric diet option.

    1. Leah Post author

      Yeah we have went through all of the vet recommended diets and I am waiting on an order for one that is specifically for pancreatic problems but that was through a lot of research as the vets don’t sell that one, so wasn’t told about it.

  2. Sarah

    Morning-
    I’m sure you have already discussed this with your vet, but maybe keeping a diary would help narrow things down and help you and your vet come up with a plan that lasts a little longer? Best of luck????

    1. Leah Post author

      He is kept consistent with food and only gets vegan treats as they don’t upset him. But with everything else he’s kept the exact same.

  3. carrie Urquhart

    I know you tried diets, but I wanted to add one maybe you hadn’t tried. Royal Canin makes amazing foods for sensitive stomachs. Have you had a full work up at the vet to rule out everything? I’ve seen nervous dogs who have constant pancreatitis. There was a medicine for nervous dogs that didn’t sedate them, cant remember the name of it right off but I could figure it out.

    1. Leah Post author

      Well he is currently on royal canin. But it doesn’t work, he’s still consistently having bad spells. We have had Lots of tests done but hes not nervous or anything. He is a very confident dog.

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Ej | 5 years ago
Hello Ma’am, My Cat Is Injured – Like, He Can’t Turn His Head And …

Hello ma’am, my cat is injured – like, he can’t turn his head and seems to be like swelling on his neck. He can’t walk normally because his head is not straight????. I saw him today. He was missing for 4 days when he was attacked by another cat. Can u help me please? I can’t go to vetenary hospital. Can u help me please any solution that I can do in my home and help my cat to revive? I have paracetamol tablet given for human. Can u help me out please… ????????

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    I’m sorry, but your cat needs to be seen by a vet. Medications cannot be prescribed without a Rx from the vet, and it sounds like your cat has serious injuries. Please get your cat in to be seen as soon as possible.

  2. Ej Post author

    I have uploaded some photos of its neck.
    Can u help please. That I can do in home.
    Pleaae????

    1. Gloria

      You must take the cat to the vet. Figure out the payment stuff later.

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Amber | 5 years ago
Hello! My Cat Chunk Has Been Recently Having Issues With His Front Paws For The Past 2 …

Hello!
my cat chunk has been recently having issues with his front paws for the past 2 months. It’s off and on and when I touch his paws he doesn’t wince or cry. He still uses the scratching pad with no issue, but he’s limping and he can no longer jump up on the bed as easily. I’m afraid he may have arthritis. What is a good supplement or something we can get to help him with his joints so he’s strong again! He’s not an elderly cat, I guess you could call him middle aged. Thank you! He’s about 15 lbs

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  1. Laura

    I think I’d start with a vet check. Medicating without diagnosis can be dangerous, and it’s possible he has an injury you can’t see.

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Tom | 5 years ago
Does My Dog Need A 4DX Test Before Taking A Heartworm Preventive? My Dog Is 71/2 Yrs …

Does my dog need a 4DX test before taking a heartworm preventive? My dog is 71/2 yrs old and has been taking Sentinel monthly since he was a pup, and his Lyme vaccination is up to date. I realize the 4DX test is worthwhile and will get it done at the next annual exam. But the vet is refusing to renew the sentinel prescription without a 4DX test, and that doesn’t make sense to me.

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  1. Laura

    The 4DX test is the heartworm test, and every vet I’ve used has required it prior to filling heartworm prescription.

    1. Tom Post author

      Yep, I’m aware that’s what the test is for. I pose the question because the vet has been supplying Sentinel for my dog for the past seven years without a 4dx test, so it’s a belated change in protocol. Plus, if Sentinel works as intended, why test for heartworm? I’ve never missed a monthly dose.

      1. Laura

        That’s interesting, and best addressed with the vet. It’s possible they simply changed protocol, or maybe they’ve mixed up your normal schedule.

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kiwi | 5 years ago
I Just Recently Changed My 14 Month Old Cat’s Dry Food But She Hasn’t Been …

I just recently changed my 14 month old cat’s dry food but she hasn’t been eating as she used to. Then yesterday i saw there was smear in her bottom and it was brownish orangy i was not sure if there’s blood. Her poops are formed and brown though as usual. This morning poop is the same. But this afternoon she was on my lap and checked her bottom and a small dot of water came out. I wonder if she has diarrhea. She’s been having brownish discharge for about two weeks now too. Also, she’s been shedding since two months ago not sure if thats normal when cat age. What could be wrong? She doesn’t look sick.

8 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning???? Is your cat spayed? It could possibly be related to the change in food, but if she isn’t spayed it could be something more than diet. Either way- I think I would collect a stool sample and get an appointment with the vet to be safe. I would let the vet know the dietary changes recently. If your cat is not spayed, please consider it. Have a great day????????

    1. kiwi Post author

      Yes she is spayed. I was wondering if this is normal in transitioning to a different food brand (couldnt find the one shes used to so i bought a different brand-i feed her grain free). As a younger cat she wasn’t as picky. Also she’s indoors only no other cats.

      1. Sarah

        It could be the diet change…. I would maybe call the vet if she is still having issues and get her in and bring a sample. Hope she’s ok!!

        1. kiwi Post author

          Thank you Sarah! Could be the new food. She seems ok just not eating much.

  2. Laura

    If the diet change wasn’t gradual, I would assume she’s having a hard time with it. Cats aren’t as flexible as dogs when it comes to food and changes really need to be gradual.

    1. kiwi Post author

      She was not picky before that’s why i didn’t expect this. I did mix the food though it’s just that i have less of the old food because I couldn’t find it anywhere in store and online so it took time to buy food and was forced to buy a different one :-/

      1. Laura

        It’s also possible this particular food doesn’t agree with her. Have you tried other formulations of the original brand?

        1. kiwi Post author

          I did long ago but this is the first time she is picky

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Justine | 5 years ago
Is It Normal That The Vet Wants To Amputate The Leg Due To 2 Small Fractures

Is it normal that the vets want me to amputate my kittens hind left leg due to a small fracture in the hip and a fracture above the knee. I had to take him late at night so it was to an emergency pet clinic and they were so very discouraging about me finding someone to repair his leg. I also never saw the X-ray of the one above the hip and when I asked for the X-rays they did not give them to me told me I had to wait for the vet to release them to me and they sent me the report without the X-rays in the report.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Please go to your normal vet, or make an appointment with a vet that your friends and family recommend and if you still aren’t comfortable wirh the answer ask for a referral to a surgeon. Depending on age and the fracture I usually tell every client wirh a young growing otherwise healthy pet to try strict cage rest (they are kept in the cage 24/7 for 4 weeks to see if the fracture will heal. Also make sure they get their routine pet care and are spayed as soon as they are healed. I never amputate without giving them a chance to heal as long as it is safe to do so.