Our cat was recently paralyzed following a stupid preventable accident at home where he got spooked, jumped off a couch and landed wrong. Now he’s largely immobile. He can get around in short spurts using his front legs, but his hind legs and tail are limp. This has all occurred within the span of a week. Last Monday, 11/20, he was fine. He developed a slight limp on Tuesday, was clearly worse on Wednesday, and fully paralyzed by Thursday, which was Thanksgiving. Friday was when I returned to the initial vet we saw Wednesday for a follow up who recommended putting him down due to the time and potential cost for care, and we got the second opinion elsewhere within an hour that same day.

So the first vet immediately suggesting putting him down, and the second opinion vet offered more hope and said he might be able to bounce back and recover, but it would take a while. Anywhere from 4-12 weeks before showing any improvement. I’m going to do all I can within our means to save him if it’s possible. But I have concerns surrounding his bathroom needs, and potential pain I may be unaware of. Both offices ruled out “FATE” and neither feel it’s heart disease, heart failure, or a clot. Both feel it’s a slipped disc in his spine.

As a result of all this, he can’t use his litter box himself, and I need to learn how to “express” his urine and other end myself while searching for how we’ll be proceeding with his future care.

He’s been having urine incontinence the last few days, regularly leaking a bit when laying down (he’s always laying down now, but you get the point). I need to know if this is only possible or a thing when his bladder is uncomfortably full, or if it can happen regardless of the contents of his bladder, because I’ve found contrasting opinions. Some sources say it’s only leaking because it’s about to rupture and emergency care is needed, and other sources claim it can leak regardless of how much urine is in his bladder at any given time. It can leak when there’s a little or a lot. I don’t know what to put any stock in. I do know that shortly after expressing urine yesterday, we got a lot out….enough to make us think he must be empty or nearly empty, but shortly after he was still leaking a bit, which makes me think this is just something that we will have to deal with in general even if his bladder isn’t full.

The last thing I want is for it to rupture, and I’m finding removing / expressing his urine to be incredibly difficult. I’ve watched a dozen videos demonstrating it on youtube and read guides with photos featuring hand placement, and it’s just not coming easy or naturally at all. He’s a big boi….a little over 18lbs, so he’s a chonk. That’s making finding his bladder especially difficult.

I was able to successfully get a lot out yesterday, and he hasn’t had any water since. But he has had one of those treats that’s kind of like paste in a push up tube, and a small bowl of wet food. I know cats also develop urine from the liquid from their food.

I’m going to be “expressing” him at least once a day. I’ve been told it should be done up to three times a day, but I’m just not there yet, and he’s so uncomfortable I don’t want to put him through that more than necessary. When he drinks water it’s not all that much, maybe half an inch from a small bowl.

Lastly, I’m curious to know if he’s in more pain than I know or realize. We all know cats are great at hiding and masking pain, but at the same time they still do vocalize when they’re uncomfortable, or in distress. I can pick him up without him yowling or making noise, but he tends to complain the most when picking him up just to move him back onto a towel I’ve been keeping under him due to the incontinence.

I’ve read that when cats are in a fair amount of pain, they lose their appetite and stop drinking. Our guy is still doing both, and seems to enjoy both. He doesn’t randomly vocalize or cry or yowl. He’ll protest a bit when I shift him from spot to spot when changing towels, but that’s all.

Any help / thoughts / guidance / advice would be very much appreciate. And if anyone here can recommend a neurology clinic or hospital or other facility that treats cats without RAPING US FINANCIALLY that would be wonderful, because my God has this been frustrating. These people want upwards of 4k for an MRI. It’s positively unreal.

Thank you.

My rescue dog Copper he is amazing, protective and overall a huge part of my familys life. He looks like he has dachshund in hin the length reminds me. Recently we started seeing a limp in his back left leg. He has not been hurt at all. I thought maybe a sprain from playing he does get wild with the neighbors bigger pup. So we gradually notice it getting worse over the week hes limping and the muscle has all gone. I have been walking him maybe gain some back he wont even put pressure on his back leg. Its been a couple weeks and we come home and there is blood comong from his genital when the part comes out. It seems as if he has no control o er it anymore. My heart is hurting and i dont want to put him down he is only 2 years old but he seems missreable. He does not speak it (cry) but the look in his eyes tells me everything i need to know. I do not have the money now to go to vet and pay 1,000 tell i get a new job. Please anyone if you have been through anything similar or any home remedies to ease him.

** cat who is veracious around feeding time help**

Hello! I have 3 cats that are patients there. I have had 2 cats, Blink and Havoc for about 5 years now. They are biological brothers. They have always shared everything and we never really had any problems with food or their weight.

About 2 months ago, we adopted a blind cat, Gemma who is about a year old. Her foster said that she would free feed her at her house and that she never really had any aggression with food. I’m not sure what happened because once we adopted her and brought her back here, she has became very veracious with her food. Our solution now is to feed her the dry food in a separate room (we feed her according to the package instructions) because if we do not, she will race through eating her food so she can start trying to eat the boys food as well.

With wet food, I monitor them and am constantly shooing her away so the boys can finish their food as she always inhales her food super quickly.

When we separate her, she will cry until we open the door and then she comes running full speed to the food bowl.

I’ve never really seen anything like it! She is so sweet and other than that there really is no issues I’m just looking for advice if there is anything I can do to make feeding time not so chaotic.

I want her to feel secure that she will always be fed but I can’t leave food out because I don’t want my other cats to eat hers.

I guess my question is, is this a behavior that can be changed or do we just work with it the way we are now? She seems to have a lot of anxiety around food and I’m sure being blind doesn’t help so I wasn’t sure what else we can do.

Thank you!

Hey everyone. My sweet baby girl Ellie May is 11 going on 12 and has IVDD with back leg paralysis. The funny thing is that overtime she has been able to sometimes memory walk which resembles a raccoon on our carpet and can even kick her back feet when you carry her. She’s unable to urinate on her own so I do that for her and have for years. She has a wheelchair, her own playpen and even her own stroller because she is my diva child.

Last weekend little miss decided to jump from her stroller because she was too impatient to see what I was cooking in the kitchen. She didn’t help or anything and has even done this before and it doesn’t phase her but about gives me a stroke. Last Sunday morning I was getting her out of bed and she yelped and when I gently sat her on the floor to get her morning drink before tinkle time she flopped out on her left side. Since then she has weakness In the front and she knuckles the foot but can still put pressure but is hard to get around and will cry in pain and breathes heavier. She’s a dachshund so we all know their attitude and behaviors.

I called my veterinarian and it has been a back and forth battle the ENTIRE week and I haven’t actually spoken to the vet just desk people who apparently don’t like to pass messages or do anything really. I totally understand how busy a farm vet practice is but some communication would be nice. Thankfully I had some gabapentin left from her sister Miley’s dental and have been doing that twice a day but the dose is in half as she weighs less than Miley. When they did call me back they said yes what I was doing was fine as I’m also doing crate rest. I’ve done this dance before with my girl so we know what to do. From the start she wasn’t a candidate for surgery they said since she had already lost function In her legs. But with my love and care she bounced back within 2 weeks and then slipped again a few weeks later and has been without full use since.

I expressed my concern she could have slipped a front, they don’t seem all too worried,really????? Now my hubby and I have a game plan that as long as Ellie has the will to fight and live then so do we but the second she is truly suffering we will not allow her to deal with that. I’ve had so many folks wonder why we have a special girl and didn’t just put her down, I respond with would you shoot your own child if he broke his leg and couldn’t play sports again? You don’t give up on your dogs. If anything she has more attitude being my handy girl. We call her the sheriff of tiny town. I called my vet yet again yesterday to try and get in for a steroid injection and some nsaids and they just don’t seem to pass the message. So tomorrow I’m calling as their hours are 8a-12pm and if they can’t get me in then praying that at least doc can call the meds in for her. As a mama of an IVDD baby I’m familiar with the drill. Thank you for letting me vent.

We are ordering a secondary pop up playpen for her for when we are upstairs and when we are downstairs . Also ordering a raised bowl set so she isn’t angling her head down, I’ve rolled up blankets into the open areas in her playhouse so she is more secure and comfortable. Are there any other IVDD parents out there? Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated

My dog (beagle, 4yr) has been diagnosed with potential IVDD. Vet provided meds for 2 weeks to see if there is improvement.

She is still able to walk, eat and urinate/poop normally. However, when she gets spasms in her neck, you can see she is in pain and she cries.

Is there anything else I can do to release her pain? Massage? Ice pack? Heat pack?

Also, the Vet did not say that I needed to crate her. She is pretty much always laying down, getting up when she wants to go out to pee or to eat. Should I still crate her? She is not used to it so I’m afraid she will try to fight out.

This started three days ago. I noticed that my cat is not eating. When he does eat, he cries, then he throws up and it looks yellowish in tint. Earlier I put food down for my other cat and I guess because of the smell of it he started to cry then throw up again. This time it wasn’t as yellow. Could you please help me? My cat is six years old. I do have a two year old cat living in my house as well but my two year old cat is not vomiting at all. Also, my cat that is vomiting has not gone to the restroom either. When he goes inside his litter box, he tries to throw up as well. The only thing that comes out of his mouth is foam in there.

Our 13 yo Cairn Terrier went to his usual grooming appt today. The groomer called me and said after his bath, he was crying constantly and seemed panicked. He was pacing and crying.
She thinks it may have been a seizure or something like it. When I picked him up from her, he was very happy to see me. We went home, he ate and is now acting like his normal self. The ER vet had a 10 hour wait! And no other vet can see him.

Hi! I have two beloved cats who I rescued about 4 years ago at the age of 2. They are now 6 (biological brothers) one of them has always been on the more apprehensive side. This problem tends to go in phases but this time it’s lasting longer than usual. During the night time anywhere between 12-4 AM he is just a ball of energy and wants to play and will cry and run back and forth. Before we go to bed at night, I try to play with each of them for about a half hour. Is there anything else I can do? I feel bad that he has all this energy and just looking for love and attention in the middle of the night! I’m worried about when we go on vacation or something or that sorts because we won’t be able to comfort him when he is having these “moments”

Help!

-anxious cat mom

My 4yo Labrador Retriever Hank recently (two weeks prior) underwent a Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) to repair the torn cruciate ligament in his back left knee. He gradually increased activity in the affected leg, but now seems as if his progress has halted. He’s very hesitant to put anymore weight on that leg. He won’t walk up a small step to get into my bedroom (this was the case before the surgery too). He moves around somewhat freely in the yard, but reverts to standing on three legs or doing a three-legged hop to move around at times. He has taken a bad step two to three times that resulted in a loud cry out. He must be coaxed to move around at all and appears to have developed a plum-sized seroma at surgery site of the infected knee. Could this be leading to the halt in activity/progress? He allows me to massage the muscles above and below the affected knee. We have also been doing some range of motion exercises on both legs.

Seroma?: He allows me to touch it and it is soft to the touch. It feels like a water balloon filled with a slightly more viscous fluid. It is directly above the incision site and the fluid appears to rest directly on top of the knee joint. Per vet recommendation, I discontinued the use of Rimadyl to try to reduce the size of the seroma.

Other symptoms: Licking at the base of tail to the point of seeing some blood in his fur. Excessive licking of the blanket he sleeps on.

Hello, I work at a shelter. One of the puppies got parvo and she was given fluids subcutaneously. She was on antibiotics and has gotten through the parvo, but has gotten a horrible skin infection. (Most likely due to the needle injections given for fluids) Her skin started popping open and draining puss, and what started out as small draining spots, became larger and larger, until large sections of fur/skin sloughed off. The vet put her on Clavamox and has told us to clean with peroxide, then antibacterial soap, then apply a yellow greasy cream. I guess I question the daily peroxide as it makes her cry and it becomes so raw. I am attaching photos and they are disturbing, but the puppy is eating and drinking and I know it will be a long recovery, but I have to try. If a vet sees my post, please tell me what you think the wound care treatment should be. I think too much peroxide is harmful, but don’t know. The vet we use has given questionable care to some other dogs we have taken to her, so I need a second opinion.