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Hi Dr. Magnifico. You are our vet to our indoor cats. Last week, we brought in a feral cat that was roaming our neighborhood. Turns out, he is pretty friendly, allows petting and belly rubs. On Monday June 19th, I took him to Animal Rescue, Inc., to be neutered, a rabies shot, and flea control. They also checked for a microchip (none), and I paid to have blood work done to have him tested for feline leukemia. Unfortunately, he tested positive for FIV. I would like to find him a home. I have two questions. Do you know anyone willing to give a home to a big orange friendly male tabby cat, or is there anything you can do to help? Maybe doing a courtesy post on your facebook page? I asked Animal Rescue and was told to put him back outside since he is now neutered. I was shocked they said that, as he could infect other ferals. We are currently keeping him in our basement and I just noticed a tapeworm coming out of his anus. My second question is, can you prescribe a tapeworm medication, without me having to bring him in, since he is FIV feral, and just went thru so much at Animal Rescue? My husband can pick it up after work. If not, can you recommend an over the counter medication to treat tapeworms? I am hoping whatever it is, that it will be something easy to give, maybe something I can put in his food that is tasteless. Thank you. Terri
My dog has not had a bowel movement in 4 days . Is there a home remedy I can try ?
I would let my vet know and see what they recommend. I know that one time one of our dogs was on a medication that bound him up and it was recommended that we feed him pumpkin. I don’t know if this particular situation warrants that or not, but your vet would probably be able to discuss this with you. Good luck!
I would be very afraid that the lack of output is related to a lack of input. That’s what I most commonly see. A dog who is not eating well or at all. The only thing I can safely recommend is to see your vet for an exam so they can assess whether this is an obstruction, constipation, anorexia, etc. until you know why your dog isn’t defecating I would not try anything at home. Please see your vet as quickly as possible. Either tonight or by morning. Good luck
I agree to Krista. Bring your dog to a vet. While there are home remedies you should look for the cause first.
Examples:
– If your dog ha snot eaten (enough), there can be no output – what are the reasons why he doesn’t eat?
– The dog has eaten enough, the cause could be slow bowel movements or even a blockage. Forcing something through that blockage could kill your dog.
My 11 years old cat died yesterday after 12 hours in pain. She has been lethargic for about 1 month now, but I really thought that was a result of her aging. She was occasionally puking, mostly unprocessed food. Yesterday she started puking but just liquids, greenish and with some foam. She was really in pain and she started breathing with her mouth open and tongue out. We took her to the vet which told us that was probably a kidney failure and run some blood test on her. Then he sent us home with the cat telling us to come back the other day, he didn’t realize it was an emergency. We took her back home but the situation got worse. She puked more, the pain got worse she didn’t have any energy at all. So we rushed to the clinic again at 1 am. The vet did some x rays on her, and told us she had something near her stomach but he couldn’t tell what it was. It could have been anything from a tumor to a hairball. He thought it was best for her to stay overnight. She was in very bad conditions, he just injected some pain killers to her. She died three hours later. I feel so bad for letting her there. I just can’t believe she is gone like this. Another vet that saw the blood test and the x rays thinks it neither kidney failure nor tumor or hairball. I’m devastated. What could it possibly be that killed my cat?
Bleeding Histiocytoma
Last August, I took my dog to the vet because she had a bump that kept coming and going. The vet cut into it and found it nothing to worry about. Now, the bump has persistently been there for about 3 months. It is hairless, hard, about the size of a quarter and hasn’t seemed to bother her. Yesterday, I noticed a small scab. Today, the scab covers the whole bump and she has been trying to itch it. Is this normal? How can I help her?
If the mass is persistent I would discuss having it surgically removed and submitted for biopsy. That’s the best way to resolve them in many cases.
Our German shepherd has suddenly developed what feels like a tiny scab on the tip of each of his ears. You can’t see it, but when I was loving on him earlier this morning I felt it. Upon further inspection I realized that it is like a little scab on each tip. It doesn’t seem to bother him. Both dogs have been outside a ton since the weather has finally been nice the past few days. I’m wondering if it could be allergies acting up?
Hello my dear Pawbly friend!
There are numerous conditions that can cause the tip of the pinna to crust. Parasites like scabies, poor circulation that might indicate a heart problem, immune mediated disease (I always worry about this in this breed), allergies, infection and even organ impairment like liver disease. (There are others too)..
Because you are a client I would start with making sure he is on monthly Nexgard or every 3 month Bravecto for the scabies. Look closely for evidence of allergies elsewhere on him and have an exam with blood work as the next step.
Hope this helps!
Please keep me posted
Krista
Hello,
My 18 and 1/2 year old lab mix just suddenly lost about 50-70% use of his hind legs few days ago. The vet recommended MRI which was financially not feasible nor did I think giving him anesthesia given his age was a good idea. He sent us home with prednisone and to call back with updates. I took him to a vet acupuncturist but she said that probably won’t be very helpful. I’m going back tomorrow to see if I can convince her to do acupuncture. Boston has otherwise been a super happy and healthy dog (sans nerve sheath tumor surgery 7 months ago from which he has made 100% recovery).
It’s been 5 days and since I wasn’t told about crate rest, I allowed him to wonder/wobble short distances around the house to go potty and to/from bedroom and living room and he has fallen few times when his back legs gave out. Given his age, I just don’t think surgery is an option. If he doesn’t get better in a couple of weeks, is euthanasia pretty much the only option? How much time should I give him? I just hate seeing him in pain but my husband is on deployment and I really want him to hang on until he comes back as it was my husband who rescued our dog 16 years ago. He is currently on prednisone and tramadol. Please advise. I just cannot make any drastic decisions on my own right now but I also want to do the right thing by our loyal and loving baby. Thank you.
Did the vet provide some preliminary diagnosis? Do they think it’s a disc injury or something else? For example, Jasmine had neck problems resulting in pain and mobility issues,while JD had similar symptoms from what was likely a brain/spine infection or cancer. I know of a number of cases where acupuncture help with spinal or disc problems a great deal. Might be effective to address pain regardless of what is happening. Which makes me wonder why your vet is hesitant to try.
The preliminary diagnosis was disc issue, moderately advanced. But without mri I guess they couldn’t say for sure. I don’t know why the holistic vet didn’t want to give him acupuncture but I’m going back tomorrow and going to demand one. We did do cold laser but not sure if that’s doing anything. Given his advanced age I just want to know what the “right” thing to do is by a dog who has been so loyal through so many of our lives’ difficult moments. The regular vet (and I agree) that surgery is not really an option for a lab his age. But not sure if I want to give up on him yet especially before my husband’s return. Thank you.
Yes. Jana. There are many questions I have about this case? That’s why I listed everything I could think of to look at.
Krista, wouldn’t acute onset make DM much less likely? Surely there would be some gradual signs? Jasmine was 9 when her neck issues started; one day she was fine and the next day she wasn’t. Though same thing happened with JD. He was perfectly fine, then started having problems with hind legs in the morning and by evening was pretty much unable to use any legs successfully.
The upside of DM is that it is non-painful, isn’t it? So unless further issues crop up, either secondary or it ascends, the dog should be able to hold up until the master returns?
http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.ca/2011/08/what-acupuncture-did-for-intervertebral.html
Hello Linda,
I think a few things should be discussed;
First, I agree with Jana that it is really helpful to have a preliminary diagnosis to start the treatment options from. I hope that the vet did some basic diagnostics like full blood work (CBC, full Chem panel, thyroid (T4), urinalysis AND radiographs of the chest (3 view) and spine if they suspect IVDD. I also think a rectal exam is in order. I worry about the following.. many of which can be quickly and easily ruled out with the exam and diagnostics.. I am also very worried about DM, degenerative myelopathy as it is common in older labs and presents as ascending paralysis of the back legs. I also worry if it is one of the neuromuscular or muscular diseases that the prednisone might exacerbate or worsen or accelerate the peripheral (back leg) muscle loss. Also if a practitioner tells you that they are concerned a treatment option wont help my inclination is to believe them and ask for guidance to something that might.
Try to get the vet to give you something for pain, especially if it appears there is any signs of joint disease on the radiographs. Labs are also very commonly struggling with old bad hips.
Lastly, IVDD is unlikely in older dogs simply because the spine tends to bridge with spondylosis which makes disc disease less likely. A radiograph of the spine may help with identifying these.
Please let me know.
My advice is to speak to your vet about all of this and then get a second opinion.
Good luck
Krista
My dog has sore, smelly ears, they are very dirty inside (black) and itchy and they really bug him.
We took him to a vet and after spending over $600 they are still the same. The vet wasn’t even really sure what she could do for him and didn’t know what it was.
She put him on medications and told us to clean his ears regularly and gave us stuff for that. But the medications made him start acting weird and we were concerned about that. So I was looking for any ideas on how to help my boy, I’d say his ears are as bad as they’ve ever been and that is still with regular cleaning, any thing I can try to do for him, I am willing. Unfortunately we can’t really afford too much more of a vet bill so if theres anything I can do for him at home or without a vet would be better.. I was trying to do some research online but came across this site.. any ideas would be greatly appreciated??
Hello,
I’m so sorry to hear that your dog is struggling and the vet hasn’t been able to provide relief. Here is the dilemma. Until you understand why they are so bad it is very diffilcult to resolve them. In some dogs it is anatomy, breed, allergies, disease, and/or infection, etc. at my clinic if I can’t resolve the issue within 2-3 trips I refer to a dermatologist. They are your best bet at identifying and treating the underlying cause so that the bad ears don’t return. I wish I could offer a silver bullet and magic answer. I wish you the best.
my dog ( 1 1/2 year old small mix terrier) is a sweet guy when it comes to humans and dogs he is familiar with. sadly, he has picked up aggressive behaviors from my brothers large dogs. He will growl at people he is not familiar with on the street and when they enter the home. he will growl at outside noises and also at other unfamiliar dogs. he doesn’t bite people he just growls and when they try to pet him he runs away and gets shy. minutes will pass and he will warm up to people. he does fine at the dog park, when a dog approaches he smells the dog and runs away( which makes sense, he is a small dog) i’m more concerned when we go on walks. i’m looking for advice and tips i can do to help me and my dog work on his excessive growling. i would love to be able to go on a walk with him and be able to pass people without him growling and he can just keep walking.
Hi there-
It sounds like your dog has developed some fears. A while ago I stumbled across this website: http://www.thebalancedcanine.com/
You may find it helpful. Best of luck!
Dog stuck in mud?
Is it possible for a dog to get stuck in the mud and if so, what kind of mud would be most likely to get them stuck and how would they attempt to free themselves?
I suppose it is possible for anything to get stuck in the mud, given the right circumstances. I would make every attempt to help them get out. I’m hoping that by now, the dog is out, safe and dry. If that is the case, I would still keep a close eye on him and if I saw anything unusual I would call my vet to be safe, and see what she says. I hope your dog is ok.
My dog hasn’t ate all day. She is lethargic, whimpering, tremors. All she wants to do is lay down. What can possibly be wrong with her?
Hello,
It sounds like your dog is not feeling well. She needs to see a veterinarian to tell you what may be wrong. Please go as quickly as possible. It may be any of the following pain, infection, disease, toxin, etc etc. I hope she is ok.
Hello,
When our animal shelter takes in feral cats that turn out to be FIV positive we still let them back to their usual place, if they are truly feral and otherwise healthy. Nothing would be worse for them than to be contained for the rest of their live, always stressed out and afraid.
However if they turn out to be friendly, like yours and like to be touched etc. we try to find a new home – however still with the option to go outside, if they turn out to be not lucky inside.
Before doing so of course they will be treated against fleas, worms, get their cat flu shots, get neutered etc.
Of course they risk to contract FIV to other cats, but for neutered cats it’s lower, as they don’t get into fights that much and don’t mate.
It’s worse for leukemia. Of the last colony we trapped, most were tested positive for leukemia and they looked like it. They had a (very) bad health status and were put down, as they were completely feral.
I can’t recommend a medication for worms however, as the products will most likely be different from where you live and I’m no vet anyway.