8 year old Shih-tzu Maltese diagnosed with a bulging disc 🙁

Hi, thank you for making all of the videos on youtube. I have found them very helpful with my little guy Benson…it’s nice to see a vet that goes the extra mile for their patients. Our vet clinic is also caring and affordable as well, which is hard to find these days.

Benson is a miracle dog. He has already survived a grade 2 mast cell inguinal tumor so Cornell and our local vet love him and call him their miracle dog (this was 2.5 years ago)

Now for his most recent issue which is why I’m writing; For a week, he was dragging his front left paw. We took him to our vet (on Monday, March 19th) and she diagnosed him with arthritis….things got worse throughout the week to the point where he would knuckle his front left paw. Our vet had only told us to limit his activity and no jumping so we didn’t restrict him to a crate. By Sunday morning (March 25th) (and he was on 5mg of prednisone since Monday) his back left paw was now knuckling and he was getting worse to the point where he could barely stand up.
We took him back to the vet and they did x-rays and found a bulging disc right around his shoulder blades. He has been on 10mg of prednisone, Methocarbamol, gabapentin and in a crate 24/7 ever since Sunday the 25th. Luckily, he is really only affected on his left side of his body.

We are seeing a little bit of improvement at times and at other times, he is still just as bad as he was on Sunday.

He has never lost the ability to pee or defecate (thankfully) annnnd Benny loves to eat (or drink) so that will never be an issue haha…

However what worries me is the fact that he is ALWAYS as stiff as a board in the morning when we get up or when he gets stressed/excited. It’s as if he re-injures himself because he can’t walk and can barely stand. It takes him at least an hour to recover, stop panting and then relax again until it seems like he is not in pain anymore….

Is there anything we can do to prevent the “morning/excited episodes” or is it all just part of the process? I thought the muscle relaxer would help but it isn’t. I have even gone so far as to put signs on our front door asking visitors to not knock or ring the doorbell.

Last question-do you have an opinion about a dog chiropractor?

Any advice you could give, we would appreciate! We love our little guy-he has such a personality and adds so much fun to our lives.

Thanks so much,
Megan and Missy

How worried do we need to be about roundworm eggs

Are heart worm preventatives necessary for cats living in the Northeast?
If so, does a cat needed to be tested for heart worm before you begin a preventative like Revolution?

I have 5 cats and 2 dogs. All of our pets area rescues. We just took in our second rescue dog. She is 7 mths old and is terrorizing the cats. I need some advice on how to have a happier home with all the pets. The cats are indoor/outdoor but spend most of their time outside. 3 of the cats tolerate the new dog the other 2 won’t come near her. I did the proper introductions, I’ve given the cats a “safe space” but nothing seems to help the last 2 cats. The biggest problem is that the new dog likes to chase the cats. She is a small dog, smaller than the cats. She doesn’t nip at them or try to bite them, she’s just curious and wants to play with them. All of my cats love my other dog who is 11 years old. They were raised with him, sleep with him and play with him. I’m sure the chasing and the spontaneity of the new dog freaks out the cats because they are nor used to that. I am at my wits end trying to figure this out. Countless hours of research has not helped at all. I am not giving up not am I giving any of my pets away, as has been suggested. I know this can work out, I just need help. Or just possible reassurance that my cats won’t be permanently scarred and things will work out as time passes. My anxiety level is at an all time high and everyone tells me just leave them alone and let them work it out. I don’t think I can do that. HELP!!

My 13 yr. old cocker has sebaceous gland tumors. We have opted not to operate. One tumor has a very foul odor. Any way to lessen that? Do we just keep her on antibiotics?

My new cat (have had for 3 weeks) and resident cat refuse to tolerate each other. I brought Louie home with the knowledge that they might never like each other but they would at least learn to tolerate. The first week seemed to go pretty well because when we let Louie roam and get a feel for the house Mia avoided him… but now… things seem to be getting aggressive. It doesnt matter where Louie goes or what hes doing (even just sleeping) Mia wants to attack him. Granted, as soon as he sees her he starts growling… but he only started doing that after she batted at him the first time. The episodes seem to be getting more and more aggressive. I would keep him in my room but its clear he wants to roam. And i find it unfair to lock her in a room after 6 years of letting her roam around the whole house. Before we got mia 6 years ago we had an older male cat, they got along well but he passed about 2 years ago. And according to the shelter Louie was surrendered with a sister but she was adopted without him. I need help on this one

Hi. I noticed an angry red lump on my 3-year-old Beagle’s foot, near her claw today. Pretty sure I didn’t see it yesterday. It doesn’t seem to hurt her at all. It’s not soft, but also not rock hard either. It’s not bleeding. She’s not licking it, so I don’t think it itches. She doesn’t have fleas or ticks. Her diet was recently changed from kibble to raw; not sure if it has anything to do with it, but I’ll mention it just in case. She seems to ber her normal self, NO vomitting / diarrhea / weakness. Brought her to the vet, and she was given 3 shots: dexamethasone, viccillin, and amoxicillin, and we were told to watch for the bump for the next few days. I’ve been surfing the web, and I think the bump could be histiocytoma orrrrr (God forbid) a mast cell tumor / mastocytoma. We live in Indonesia, and in the city we’re in, vets don’t really have labs where they perform tests and such. I’m losing my mind thinking about what my dog could possibly have. Please help if you’ve experienced a similar case. Pic attached.

Traveling multipurpose non aggressive protective multipurpose service dog trainer that’s willing to travel to Kodiak Alaska and help me out with my dog training program for the two years thanks

i have an amstaf,last night he get into a fight with other mixbreed giant mastiff,and now his stools are dark red,but no signs of diarrhea , he’s not eating at all.
what i have to do…..?

I am a university student that lives with family. I do live in a flat in their yard, but they have a fairly big yard so size isn’t a problem. I am however away from the house from 06:15 the morning till sometimes past 18:00. I am an animal lover and been very lonely since leaving my house to study, because I grew up with a lot of dogs. Is there any pet, preferably dog big or small, that can adapt to these conditions and that does not mind a good amount of loving as I am very attached to my pets.