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Hi, Please if there’s someone who knows a vet like this near York, PA who won’t charge an arm and a leg to remove a polyp from our cat’s throat! we have to pay $2,000 and wait forever just for an appointment! Please! She almost died a few times because she can’t breathe. Her name is Destiny and she’s a sweet and loving cat. Our vet misdiagnosed this as asthma. Tonight she’s having another hard time breathing. We can’t afford to keep taking her to the Emergency vet they charge a fortune and don’t help. Please let me know ASAP. My email is tshelleman@juno.com. Thanks in advance!
My kitten of (five weeks – six weeks) appears to have a swollen belly. I have been concerned for a while as it does not seem to go away, my kitten also seems to constipate a bit and isolate himself from other kittens. Although he shows some odd behavior, he still is the most energetic kitten of the lot and eats very often, more so than the other kittens, and he loves climbing, jumping, running, and is an all around happy lil guy. His feces does not seem to show any signs of parasitic infection (no eggs, mucus, blood) and I’m concerned it might even be FIP. Just wondering what it could be, thanks for taking the time in reading this!
Good morning-
When is your next vet appointment? I’m assuming you already have them lined up for vaccinations and check ups since they’re so little. I’m sure the vet will give them all a physical and check for parasites etc. at that time. I think I would try to get in ahead of schedule for this little guy though since your concerned. Best of luck????????
I’d get him to the vet. Big bellies are (usually) wormy bellies, but your vet will be able to help you here.
My first concern would be FIP too. There are some new treatment plans for this disease so I would have it diagnosed ASAP for the best chance at a successful treatment.
Hi,
This is our 11 month old kitten! I snapped this photo of her yawning and it appears she has an extra tooth on the left side?
We have had her for almost 6 weeks now, she chews on almost everything so were growing concerned. She is eating, sleeping, and playing all the same.
Please let us know what you think is going on in this little mouth
i’m just wondering if a vet would have to extract or if these usually fall out on their own?
Hi there ???? Seeing as she is almost a year old kitten, I am assuming that you have a vet visit lined up for her in the near future for vaccinations/booster shots. I would make a note of it and mention it to the vet. If it doesn’t seem to be bothering her or effecting her appetite, it is probably ok to wait until your appointment. If there is a change in eating habits or behavior- you may want to call your vet sooner.
I know vets will extract retained baby teeth in dogs. I would imagine they do the same for cats.
Hello,
Is she spayed? We would remove any extra baby teeth while doing th at under general anesthesia. Although I cannot get a really great look at the mouth I don’t see an obvious extra tooth on the photo. But please have your vet look. Leaving extra teeth behind predisposes them to accelerated dental disease. So go when you can. It’s not an emergency. Even if your cat is spayed we recheck them at about 18 months old for their next vaccines and rabies booster. Hope this helps. Be safe.
hi guys!
it was a baby tooth, the vet was able to pull it out without sedation because our good girl just laid down for a belly rub,
he isnt sure if this will stop her from chewing everything in sight, he thinks that must just be how she is.
but i am thankful there was no infection or anything!
thank you all for the advice!!!
Our Houston vet confirmed this dog as already neutered. He as a slight greenish discharge coming from his penis. He was seen by his adopted family’s vet who said he has most likely Cryptorchid, that his testicles have failed to descend into his scrotum. This vet recommended a special procedure for neuter.
How could that be missed by the first vet? What do you think is going on with this little fella who only weighs 11 pounds and is 3 years old?
Hello,
As with all things it is hard to diagnose via a photo. But. Here are my thoughts.
1. In almost all cases of preputial discharge it is normal. I don’t go too crazy about it. It is usually a small amount, thick green-yellow and the patient is acting normally.
2. Although rare, bilateral crytochordism can happen. But typically we have a good history to go by. I start palpating for testes at the first visit and check every subsequent one. I know if they haven’t descended and we go looking for them at age 9-11 months. I will add a blog I have written on it.
3. I would be very careful based on that photo that these are the bulbourethral glands.
Please ask for a second opinion before going under anesthesia to remove these.
Let us know what happens.
Thank you for rescuing
Krista
Hello,
I called Jarrettsville Veterinary Center this evening and they told me I should reach out on Pawbly with my question. Around the beginning of the year, I noticed my cat’s eye started to look a little different. I was seeing some discharge and it looked like it could be slightly infected. I wasn’t really worried about it and thought some type of drop would clear it right up. It did not get better and actually got a lot worse. It’s been months of appointments, different treatments and multiple drops to try and fix it. Where we are now is that she’s been going to an ophthalmologist for the past month who has diagnosed it as a corneal ulcer with entropion on her lower eye lid. The ophthalmologist is recommending surgery to correct the entropion and to do a debridement on the ulcer at the same time. I immediately started researching because the price I was quoted for the surgery is something that would be incredibly outside of what my husband and I can afford. I came across Jarrettsville and saw the prices are posted online which was incredibly helpful. I completely understand those are estimates and there are other factors that would contribute to the final bill, but Jarrettsville would be way more on par with what we can afford. I was so unbelievably excited when I found this place!
Also, I would be coming from Philadelphia (about 1.5 hours away) but would have no problem driving all that way if this surgery can be done by you. My question is though, since she’s been seeing an ophthalmologist already here and I’ve been told what needs to be done, if I were to send all of those medical records and also get pre-operation bloodwork done at our primary vet here, and sent that all to you, would that be sufficient in place of a pre-operation consult visit? Since we are so far away? If not, that is TOTALLY okay and I’d be willing to make the drive as many times as necessary for my cat. I just thought I’d ask.
I really appreciate any help you can provide. We are in a bit of a desperate situation. I don’t want my cat to suffer but we really just cannot afford the price we were quoted. I hope to hear from you soon and thank you so much in advance!
Becky
Hello,
We are a small animal general practice. We are not a specialist and we do not have the degree of training or equipment that a specialist would have. What we do here is the same as many other vets do therefore I would ask both your primary vet and the specialist for assistance in providing the care your car needs at a price you can afford. We are happy to see anyone and always offer an honest transparent service. The only way we could tell you if we might be able to help your cat is with an examination. We are not able to authorize or recommend any kind of treatment without an exam first. Surgery is discussed from there and would have to be arranged at a later time (in almost all cases). I’m sorry I cannot be of more help now.
Take care and best of luck
Krista.
Hi Dr. Magnifico,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I completely understand. I thought I saw entropion surgery on your website, is that correct? I understand I would have to bring her in for an examination first and am willing to do that. Is that the next step you think I should take?
Thank you so much!
Becky
Hi Dr. Magnifico. We took Boogie to VRA in Gaithersburg, MD, a couple weeks ago, hoping to have the Radioactive Iodine Therapy done for his hyperthyroidism, but Dr. Conway said she did not think he was a good candidate for it and was very concerned with his constipation.
She did bloodwork, an ultrasound, chest x-rays and more. We took him there on 4/16 and again on 4/27. I asked her to send all results to you and I hope you have received them by now.
Dr. Conway said he has a tumor or mass on his kidney but no abnormalities found from the chest x-ray.
She quoted me $5,000-$6,000 (gulp) to do the surgery, but I can not remember if she said that was to remove the tumor from the kidney, or remove the entire kidney.
She also mentioned something about his blood being thicker? I really can not remember exactly what she said about that, but it didn’t sound good. It may have something to do with his red blood cell level being high due to the tumor on his kidney.
She said to cut back his methimazole to 1/2 pill every 12 hours. *Dr. Conway told me that his hyperthyroidism is very mild.
She also said raise his dose of cisapride 5 mg/ml from 1 ml every 12 hours to 1 ml every 8 hours (three times a day), and she said to raise his dose of lactulose to 3 ml every 8 hours.
I started all of the above on 4/17.
He has since sprained his leg and is limping. He’s been hiding under the bed more, but not completely. He will still come up on the bed to visit me once or twice a day, but just not as often as he used to, and is still coming up on the bed to sleep with me. I’m not sure if he’s not feeling well because of Dr. Conways findings, because of his sprained leg, or both, the reason he is under the bed more.
Here is the last email I received from Dr. Conways office on 4/29, after his ultrasound on 4/27:
1) His calcium results was fine and within normal limits. Dr. Conway suspects the prior calcium elevated was due to lab error.
2) His thyroid level is good on the lower dose of Methimazole – please continue as directed with this medication.
3) His blood cell count shows his red blood cell level is HIGHER – this is due to the tumor of his kidney. If you are not interested in pursuing surgery for Boogie, Dr. Conway’s recommendation would be an oncology consult to discuss any palliative care options.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Julia Conny, RVT
Internal Medicine Lead Technician
Veterinary Referral Associates
301-926-3300
Dr. Mag, We have been clients of yours for several years, as four of our cats are all seen by you and your wonderful staff. We are begging you on hands and knees to please help our Boogie boy. He is only 12 years old and we are not ready for him to go. Can you please do the removal of the tumor or kidney? We realize it is a very risky surgery, but we would feel better knowing we did something, than not. We know you are a big advocate of doing everything you can to help bring pets back to health, instead of just giving up.
I’m in tears as I write this. Can you please look at all his records you have at your office asap, and also what Dr. Conways office sent you. Please, can you help our baby?
Terri and Steve
Hello,
I know how much you want to help your kitty. I will do my best to call you tomorrow to go over some options. Please understand that this is not a routine surgery and it comes with a significant amount of risk and many adverse possible side effects. It is something to discuss further. I am also on personal leave as my mom is very ill and in hospice so it is very hard for me to schedule surgeries at this time. I will do my best to call as soon as I am able. Hoping you are all safe and well.
Hi Dr. Magnifico,
I am so sorry to hear about your mom ????
I’ve not been on facebook much the past few weeks, so did not know.
Your mom should be your only thought at this time, so I will call Dr. Ahrens tomorrow to speak to her about options, since she has also seen Boogie.
Please know I will say a prayer for your mom, and you.
Thinking of you both!
Terri Xo
Thank you.
I have a semi domestic cat with maggots at its tail on uper body. It’s not completely a house cat and can be very aggressive when in pain. Lives mostly in parks in front of my house. I want it help but vets are all closed due the covid 19 lockdown. And the infestation of maggot is really bad. There are 3 wounds on its tail.
I need some tips to sedate it at home so that I can treat it. Any tips?
Hello,
I’m so sorry to hear about your cat.
All vet clinics in the us are open to emergencies. This is an emergency. Please call and explain what is going on and have your cat seen.
Can I apply Ivermectin on the wound to kill the maggots? Or turpentine oil is better?
Our vet remains open as well as those in the surrounding area. I would call around to find a vet as h this is an emergency.
This needs to be seen by a vet. If you are unable or unwilling there are videos on YouTube on flushing them out. I cannot offer advice on how to safely sedate. A vet needs to be contacted for that. It’s too dangerous to attempt at home. Also there are products available that have been used in rescue for many years to help. I have known rescuers to use capstar. In the USA it is available over the counter.
I have seen many videos on youtube and have been doing some research since yesterday when I found out about it. Unfortunately catstar is not available at shops. Most suggestions on net I found are of ivermectin or turpentine oil. I am just confused between the 2? I have bought both and will start the treatment soon as he comes back.
My vet thinks my cat has a nasopharyngeal polyp but he needs to go under anesthesia so he they can know for sure and get it out, but he was also listening to my cats heart and said he has a grade one mitral heart murmur and that he needs to have xrays and ultrasounds and such done to make sure his heart is ok before going into surgery because they said his heart could fail while under anesthesia and he could die. My dad said they we should just go ahead with the surgery without spending $550 extra dollars because he doesn’t think he has anything serious wrong his heart considering it was only a grade one heart murmur and my cat was already very nervous about the car ride and being at the vet and that could have caused his heart rate to be off a little. Would it be necessary to look into his heart further or just go ahead with the surgery considering it would only be a 20-60 minute surgery? Would a cat with any type of heart conditions die during surgery? What should I do next?
Hello,
These cases often arise in my practice. Hears how I address them. I present my findings of the physical exam to my client and discuss recommendations and suggestions to provide the best care possible. Ideally all cats with heart murmurs should have echocardiograms Especially before anesthesia. But based on a cost of about $600 most people decline to do it. It doesn’t change the need for removing the polyp so we typically do the procedure with as many precautions as possible but not knowing everything we would like to because we don’t have the heart scan to know what’s going on in that department. We veterinarians want all of our patients to be as safe and receive the best care possible. But in a lot of cases this isn’t feasible so we do the best we can knowing that we don’t have all the information we would like. Talk to your vet and find the place everyone is comfortable. If you have a bet that isn’t willing to work with you based on budget or diagnostics ask for a referral or seek a second opinion.
IVDD – Beagle
My 9 year old beagle is displaying symptoms of IVDD. Currently he is still able to walk. He holds up a paw when he stands but does have pain in the neck area. He has been displaying these symptoms for a month. This is the third times he has had issues with this leg which we always assumed was so sort of sprain and was helped by rest. The nuroligst wanted to do an emergency MRI and possible surgery if the MRI confirmed IVDD. However, his symptoms don’t seem nearly as bad as other have expressed. Is surgery really the way to go if I can afford it to help him heal the quickest? I want him to heal as quickly as possible, but I am nervous that the surgery seems risky. Any advice?
Hello,,
I can only answer this as an “in general” answer. I dont know your pup and therefore I cannot provide much help in providing the kind of answered tailored to your pup like your vet, or your neurologist can. We do believe, in general, that pets who with an acutely ruptured disc will have a better prognosis than those who do not. This does not remove the risk of surgery or general anesthesia, but, it doesnt allow the disc to stay impeding the spinal cord and acting like a crushing tourniquet. I have seen some pets do amazing after surgery, and others also do amazing when they couldnt afford surgery.
In general, dogs who are acutely paralyzed do best wiht immediate surgery. Dogs with slow, mild disease do fine with cage rest and time.
I have to say, honestly, if he were my pup or my patient that I would be hesitant to do surgery on dog that has such mild clinical signs. This absolutely means that you use a harness, dont allow anytime off the leash, no running, jumping, or excessive play. On a leash or in a cage.
This is my personal opinion. I hope that your vet and your neurologist can give you theirs.
keep us posted.
krista
Thank you so much for the quick response! I have decided to cage rest and lifestyle change to restrict all jumping and stairs to see how he reacts to that treatment. I am looking to have him check out by another neurologist to get a second opinion on his progress. Again really appreciate your response!
Hi there. My dog Ruby had sudden onset Mast Cell Tumors present about 3 weeks ago. She’s an energetic 4 year old pit/great dane mix (I know because I spent a billion dollars on a DNA kit). I noticed about 7 subcutaneous lumps on her left side while she was outside playing. They felt like little oblong marbles under her skin. Our vet is an hour away. We had moved a few months back and kept our vet because we love him so much. We still see him for routine care. There is a vet very close to our home and I have read good reviews and have had email conversation previously when I was deciding whether or not to switch vets. I was concerned Ruby would have cancer, I just felt it, and didn’t want her to have to make several long trips to our vet if she were to require surgery, etc. So I decided to take her to the new close to home vet. As it is Covid-19 season, I did not get to go inside the vet’s office with her. They aspirated one of the lumps and were concerned. She was scheduled for surgery in the following week. I talked to my other vet about this, and he was not pleased to hear they aspirated her, because he was worried that the histamines from the tumor would cause it to spread. I was alarmed and researched Dr. Google for 2 days. It seemed to me after my research that the aspiration was standard course of care. Ruby had her surgery and had 2 large masses removed. They could not take all of them because there would have been too many incision sites. Directions for care included keeping her inactive for 10-14 days, not an easy dear with an anxious 65 lb lap dog. On day 7 of recovery, I noticed a fluid buildup around the incision site. Back to Dr. Google, I decided she had a seroma. I called the vet the next morning and we took her over and my suspicion was confirmed. They told us to call if it got worse. We still haven’t received the pathology back on the two masses that were removed. This morning I decided I needed to do more research, as two new masses have cropped up (the tumors, not seroma). Ruby is in good spirits and just wants to play and run with our other dogs. She’s mad at me, I’m sure of it, for making her lay around all day. Is it normal to have a seroma after surgery? Why do these tumors pop up all of a sudden?
Good morning
I am so sorry you are going through this. What does your regular vet say? Are they willing to do the surgery? If so, I would start there- and work out a payment option ahead of time. If they are not able to do the surgery, I would ask my vet for help and begin calling around to other vet practices. Hopefully your vet can work with the one you find and share their diagnosis so that the vet performing surgery will be fully aware of your cat’s situation and can schedule right away. Very best of luck ????????
Our regular vet said that she has asthma. I had said that I believe that it’s an obstruction, but the vet at the time insisted that it was asthma and showed me X-rays and was to the point of being rude and arrogant about it. This was when she was about a year old. She had the snoring sound that is talked about in the video and got to the point where she could barely breathe. So we gave her the asthma treatment for a while and she seemed fine, but she still always made a noise when she breathed. Almost a year ago, she had another episode. She stopped eating and started to have trouble breathing again. We took her to the Emergency vet and they said she didn’t respond to any asthma treatments and they thought it was an obstruction. I did some research and figured that it was a polyp. Our vet (different doctor than original diagnosis) referred us to specialists and said they couldn’t do it themselves, but the specialists would charge about $2000 and we would have to wait at least a month, get an appointment and pay for her to be examined, then wait again for the surgery. The vet also tested her for feline leukemia and said she had it and that her white blood cells were very low, so we thought she wouldn’t even live for long. But we gave her fluids and electrolytes extravenously and she survived and started to eat again and gain weight. We were waiting to see how she would do if it was worth the money to have the surgery. She had been fine for about 8 months, but yesterday, she started to have trouble breathing again. I found the video and saw that maybe Krista can do it for under $200 that would be much better for me.
Hello,
The veterinarian in this post works at jarrettsville vet in harford county maryland. You can call the clinic and make an appointment to be seen. Iot you can call lititz vet in lititz pa and ask to be seen there. Both are excellent vet practices who will help and work and are not expensive or unwilling to work based on a budget.
So, is this the “Dr. Krista Magnifico” from the YouTube channel? I called the Lititz vet and they want $165 for an exam and ~$2500 for the surgery. I wouldn’t call that reasonable after watching the above video since it only takes about 10 – 15 minutes to do. I called your clinic and they said to send you an email, but you haven’t responded yet. I’m not going to pay almost $3000 for this surgery, so I need to know if you can and will do it or not. Destiny has had trouble breathing for the last 2 days and might die by the time I get an appointment with Lititz or any other clinic.
Yes, I found out where her clinic is at after I initially posted. I called the Lititz clinic and they want $165 for the consult and ~$2500 for the surgery, which is on par with every other specialist in the area. I saw on the video that “Krista Magnifico” (looks a lot like a poster’s name) did it for $130. Even if it’s $500, that would still be a steal. I would be very hesitant to spend ~$2665 on a pet, but I would be willing to spend under $500.
I have the same problems and questions! Is there a veterinarian school that does this for less? I’d attempt surgery myself before paying $2500+ ???? In all seriousness that is absolute robbery after watching the video and how simple/fast it is. Like you said, even $500 would be reasonable.
William, if I find out anything, I’ll post here. The vet in the YouTube video is in Jarrettsville, MD which is less than an hour from York, PA where I live. I called them, but they can’t give me any information on the availability of this mysterious “Krista Magnifico” so what’s the point in posting videos like that if you can’t even find out if she can do the surgery?!? Meanwhile, my cat is having an episode of hard breathing that she could die from while this miracle vet can’t be reached!! Hello, are you out there Dr. Krista?
Wow, that’s crazy! So this lady on here isn’t her? I’m so confused by the whole video and how she replied to your comment. I wish your furbaby the best! Good luck! I can’t even get quotes around my area, I get phone replies like “We would have to see her first and we are 3 weeks out on appointments” and “We aren’t taking new patients because of Covid-19”. Then I saw this video and it gave me hope! ????
William, I found out that it is her. She has had a family emergency and I feel horrible for pestering on this site, but my cat is having a lot of problems breathing and hasn’t been eating for a few days and I don’t want her to die. BTW, where do you live?
Tony, that’s awesome! I’m from Pittsburgh so it’s a lengthy drive for me but luckily my kitten isn’t in dire need of surgery (at least not yet) But I’m So glad you were able to talk to her and I really hope everything works out for you.
Hello,
I expect to be in the clinic on Monday 5/18. I can call you to arrange an examination. If you would like to do that please call the clinic and ask to leave me a message. As soon as I return to work I will call. Tell them you spoke to me via Pawbly. Krista
Thank you so much! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that you were in the middle of a family emergency. I hope and pray that everything is well. I appreciate you doing this for me.
The appointment is set for 10AM on 5/18. Do you have any ballpark figure on the cost?
How did your appointment go?
Thanks for asking, William. Destiny passed away on Saturday morning at 1:06AM, so she never made it to the appointment. She had been having trouble breathing for a few days. She almost died on Friday morning from not being able to breathe. She was starting to go limp and out of desparation, I slid my pinky down her throat to try to clear her airway. I also have an oxygen concentrator for her and I used the hose for a breathing tube and she was able to breathe again. I took off work that day to keep monitoring her. Her breathing would be better almost to the point of being normal (still with the snoring sound), then she would have trouble again after a while. Occasionally, she would not be able to breathe for about 20 seconds and she would be able to clear her airway and breathe again. This continued until Saturday morning when she couldn’t breathe for almost a minute. She had been in our closet all day and she ran under the bed to try to catch her breath. I pulled her out from under the bed and tried the same thing, but she was not able to breathe on her own. She was coughing up mucous. I don’t know if her lungs had filled up from the polyp. It was so horrible to see her struggle for breath. She was the sweetest cat anybody could ever have. She was so full of life and personality and love and it’s so hard not hearing and seeing her around the house now. She was 6 years old and she had the polyp since she was 1. Our vet at the time told us that it was asthma. That vet is gone from the clinic now and fortunately because I would give her a piece of my mind if I saw her. Maybe she had asthma as well, but from a little bit of research, it should’ve been easy to see she had a polyp. If I would have known that earlier, maybe I could’ve taken her to a specialist while her breathing was better. I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you better news. I hope you find someone in your area like Dr. Krista.
I’m sorry about your kitty. My mother passed away last week. I was not at work for the last few weeks so I could be with her. My deepest sympathies for your loss. For everyone’s knowledge I need to clarify a few things. One any vet at jvc could have seen this patient. Even with an exam these patients often need advanced diagnostics and we are not an ER faculty therefore scheduling and providing immediate emergency care can be difficult. We t dry to help everyone and every case. And we always try to be affordable. The emergency cases are not always feasible for this. Sending hugs to all. Krista. .
Thanks for the response, Krista. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. That has to be very tough with all you do. I’ve been busy so I haven’t had a chance to reply, but I wanted to thank you for at least trying to help out. We buried Destiny a few days after she died, but it’s still so hard to believe that she’s gone. She was only about 6 years old, but she had been through so much. We thought she was a goner on several occasions, but she always pulled through and cam back strong. She was such a sweet. loving cat and I still sometimes think I hear her. She made that breathing sound and you could even hear her if she was outside close to a window sometimes. The last time we took her to the Emergency Clinic on S. Queen St. in York, they gave us the information for specialists in Lancaster and Towson (maybe your clinic could get added to their list). Both of those were cost-prohibitive and we wanted to make sure she was going to live long enough for the month plus that it took to get an appointment and also save the money. This was in August and she hadn’t eaten for over a week. Our vet had also said her white blood cell count was almost non-existent from feline leukemia. We fed her subcutaneously and also gave her solid food with a syringe. She eventually started eating again and gained weight back. We were so happy that she was healthy. She was back to her regular lovable playful self. Whenever she wanted something, she would always come up to one of us and meow. Then we would pet her and say “show me”, then she’d walk to the food dishes or her play area or to the cat door. She could go in and out or eat herself, but sometimes she just wanted some love beforehand. She had been through so much in her short life, but she was an inspiration.