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Hi Dr. Mag, I noticed one of our dogs shaking and scratching at their ear tonight. I looked in the ear and it is red and has dark brown ear wax on the outer ear and smells a little musty and sour. The other ear is normal, no smell and no redness. I removed the wax with cotton but do not have ear cleaner. Would I be able to purchase some cleaner from the vet? Or could you recommend one for purchase? This is for Zoey. Thank you!
I have a 14 year old female shitzu that has recently been licking her butt a ton. When I try to get close to her rear, she will either turn away from me or run and hide. When i was giving her a bath the other day, when I was trying wash her rear, she yelled. I was able to get a quick look when I was drying her off before she ran from me and there looks to be a white sore on the side of her anus. Would an antibiotic ointment or an antifungal ointment help?
Hello,
Your dog needs to be seen by a vet. I can’t tell you if the bump is even relevant to the clinical signs she is showing. She needs to be examined and a rectal exam done too. It might be allergies. Parasites. Anal sacs. Or even am impacted anal sac. These require oral antibiotics, pain meds and maybe even a drain. Please see a vet ASAP.
Hello,
I am wondering if any of the vets or anyone who has encountered this could give me an idea what might be going on with my 10 yr old Corgi. He was coughing and spitting up water sometime after drinking water but he started coughing worse a couple days ago and sometimes phlem (white,yellow or water) comes up. He isn’t in contact with other dogs but our family had the flu and pnemonia a couple weeks ago.
Hello,
I’m sorry but this is so vague to offer much assistance. It is best that you see your vet. I think a thorough physical examination to include ausculting the heart and lungs and a very good overall whole body exam is in order. It might also be helpful to take a chest X-ray for things like pneumonia and megaesophagus and maybe even blood work to include low thyroid. My point is that there are numerous possible causes and until you start ruling some in or out it is a guess at best. I hope this helps.
Hi there-
To be safe, I would call the vet and have it checked out.
Run, do not walk, to the nearest vet who can do an echocardiogram and 24 hour holter.
I have a 13 year old (best estimate because he was a rescue) Chi that needs a dental, but he has CHF. He takes 2.5 mg of Enalapril daily, and 12.5 mg of Lasix daily. Would it be safe for him to have a dental?
Hello,
If you are worried your pet is acting strange you should err on the side of caution and seek immediate veterinary assistance. I hope everything is ok.
I would get to the vet.
Good day- We are the proud owners of a one-year-old English Pointer named Bruno and a proud patient of Dr. Magnifico’s. Recently, Bruno has been shaking his head more often and scratching his ears. He has also been sleeping much more the past few days. When not sleeping, he is still pretty playful and eating/drinking. How do you know if he has an ear infection or not? His ears have been professional cleaned, but same actions with his head. Also, no smells coming from his ears. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Hello,
Ear infections are best diagnosed with an otoscope visualization and a swab and microscopic slide evaluation of the ears. In some cases there is simply dirt and debris and only an ear cleaning is needed. In others it is infection and therefore an otic antibiotic or antifungal is needed and in some cases it is just a red itchy ear due to an allergy. In any and all cases of head shaking it is imperative to identify what is going on and alleviate it ASAP or you can get an aural hematoma. Which adds two things to treat for and a painful pup too. Please call me and we can take a peek to see what’s up. As you are my client I will add the following at home tips.
1. Look at the ear flap. Is it red? If so this indicated inflammation and discomfort. Try diphenhydramine mg size equals weight of dog. Ie 50# dog = 50 mg diphenhydramine orally every 8 hours. If two doses don’t knock it out see me!
2. Is there any dirt or debris that looks like dark chunky wax inside the ear canal? If so you need to clean the ears. I have a video on this on my YouTube channel?
3. Do you see any yellow liquid in the ear? Does it smell terrible? If so you need a vet ASAP!
4. If it hurts to touch the ear see me ASAP.
Whatever the cause is once you have one ear issue you should expect more. So ask your vet about at home care and ear cleaners to help avoid this from happening again. Also lots of red rated head shaking dogs have allergies. Ask about this before you get an aural hematoma. (YouTube on that too!)
Lucy is a rescue, she is female Chihuahua Mix. We notices she has not been bearing weight on the back leg. More like she was limping, bearing weight more days than other. I was thinking old age, sore muscle. We watch her closely, it seem to be getting better. Then last night on her walked something spooked her and she darted for the house. Since then she does not even extend that leg, she hobbles and wobbles on the three. I am waiting for the vet to call back for an appointment. What should I expect has for as cost for x-rays, I only ask because I assume this will be needed and when I ask an approximate cost, I was told that information is not available to give. What is the best case scenario for Lucy given her age, What is the wort I can expect? I check her leg for mobility and she is moving in all directions and does not appear to bother her. ( the leg in question) Thank you for your time and consideration in this.
Good morning- so sorry Lucy is in pain. It think that when you get into the vet, you should discuss cost up front. They should most definitely be able to give you an approximate cost of at least the exam and an X-ray. If not, ask them why. At my vet, the pricing is listed upfront- it is $100 for 1 image, $150 for 2 – 3 images… Just be honest and let them know you need to know how much to set aside to be able to pay them. Depending on her exam, and how long ago her last check up was, they may also want to do blood work. Hopefully after an X-ray and exam, you will have a better idea of what you are dealing with. Very best of luck. Please keep us posted on Lucy.
Small lump on dogs ear.
My dog is around 10 years old at this point, he is a King Charles spaniel x Patterdale and has never had any major health problems. He is an extremely active and energetic dog but has a small hard red lump on his ear.
I probably noticed it a few weeks ago, as far as I can tell it hasn’t changed in size. He quite often gets thorns stuck in his skin as he likes to dive into absolutely anything to retrieve his ball, so maybe it could be an infected thorn wound? Even so, I will most likely be taking him to the vet but would like some other opinions first.
(It doesn’t seem to be giving him any discomfort)
Hello,
I don’t think that you need to rush to the vets office but I do think it should be seen by them. It is utterly impossible to diagnose any limp or bump via a photo. And honestly even in person I usually have to say that the only way we know for sure what it is is with biopsy. It is small so your vet might also ok the watch and wait scenario. But if I do this with my clients I always preface it with the following:
I measure the mass with a ruler. And I tell the client to measure it at least weekly so monitor growth. I also give a “return for recheck” instruction if it grows by 20% or more. And I further go on to say “remove if it gets ____ big”. So it doesn’t grow too big to allow surgical excision.
I hope this helps. Let us know what happens. Also ask your vet if they think it might be a histiocytoma. I’ve seen lots of them. Good luck.
Hi, thanks for the advice!
As I haven’t noticed much (if any) growth, I’ll give it about a week or so to see if it does grow or shrink. And if it stays the same or increases in size I will take him to the vet. Like you said, it’s very difficult to tell what it it just by a photo or without a biopsy, but I did do some googling and it does look similar in appearance to a Histiocytoma. Even so, he will most likely go to the vet.
Thanks for the advice!
I have a small pug that has enlarged testicles that is dragging on the ground and seems to be a little reddish from scraping the ground. Is it possible to have his testicles removed and how much can I expect to pay. He’s 13 years old.
I have a 13 year old pug who has a very large testicles that he seems to be dragging on the ground scraping it and seems awful painful. I was told that we can have his testicles removed but is it safe and how much can we expect to pay?
I have a Pug about 13 years old whose testicles are so enlarged that it’s dragging on the ground scraping some area of it. I was told that I can have his testicles removed but will it be safe and any idea what it would cost to have it done.
Neutering is a safe procedure and cost can vary. I usually ask for an exam,$45, pre op bloodwork $50 and updated vaccines. Surgery is about 150-300. But there are lots of low price spay and neuter clinics around me too. Some are about $20
Hello,
Is there anyway you could have her seen? The reason I ask is that we always want to differentiate between inflammation (red ears can be a sign) and infection as they take different treatments. I am at the clinic tomorrow. For now you can give Benadryl (50 mg) by mouth to see if it helps the redness. If you prefer to not leave your home we can start with an ear cleaner you can pick up here and see if this helps. If there is pain or a foul odor coming from the ears you really should have her seen ASAP. Be safe. Krista.
Hi. Thank you. I can bring her for an exam tomorrow. I will call the clinic in the morning to see what time is best. Thanks again!
Hope you are all well. Please stay safe!