My dog broke her dew claw somehow and it is now cracked. It bled a little, but is not anymore. I plan to wrap it with gauze and vet wrap, then call the vet when they open in the morning, but any other suggestions in the meantime? She doesn’t seem to be in significant discomfort and is walking fine on that leg.

16 year old cat lethargic with labored breathing; has not ate in 24 hours. We took her to the vet this morning and her lungs were clear and her heart sounded good and did not look enlarged. Her bloodwork showed that she did have elevated white blood count and kidney disease but not end stages. Also her electrolytes looked normal. The vet was thinking that a blood clot may have passed but it was not indicated with anything but the labored breathing. She also thought she may have labored breathing possibly due to being in pain from arthritis. She gave her an injection for this that can be given monthly and sent us home with a low dose of gabapentin in hopes that she can rest and recover. She also added fluid under her skin in case she didn’t eat today. So far there is no change in her, if anything she is more lethargic but this could just be the medication. Just hoping someone may be able to give us other ideas of what may be wrong. We are really hoping our old girl pulls through.

Seeking Diagnosis/Treatment for Possible Nasopharyngeal Polyp in Cat

Our 5#, 18 mo old cat has been having breathing difficulty for about 6 months. We’ve been to two “regular” vets and one specialty vet. The “regular” vets have done chest x-rays and bloodwork trying to diagnose. We’ve been on multiple rounds of antibiotics, several steroid shots, and a few breathing treatments. The first vet suspected asthma, but none of the meds worked. The second vet suspected lung infection, but again, none of the meds caused any improvement. The cat is acting fine, eating and eliminating normally. No nasal discharge. Sounds like she’s snoring all the time.

We saw a specialist today. She determined that the cat isn’t able to breathe thru her nose much, if at all. We are waiting on lab results for a fungal infection. The next step she suggested would be for CT scan and rhinoscopy to check for foreign body, polyp, or other physical abnormality. I’m ok with sedated imaging, but their estimated cost for that is $4,000. I called MS State University Vet Clinic, and their estimate was also in that range. We’ve already spent hundreds trying to diagnose and treat this. I’m ok with spending more but not $4,000.

Can anyone suggest a vet in the Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi region that we can try?

Anyone have thoughts, suggestions and/or recipes for homemade dog food that provides complete nutrition for large breed dogs, specifically lab mixes. I am interested in exploring what feeding homemade food would look like from both an ingredient and time commitment perspective. Thank you in advance.

My dog had surgery to fix a ruptured uterus and she’s now spayed. She first stated leaking fluid from her incision site so I got scared and took her back to find out everything was ok. Now she’s got a pretty big seroma on her leg that just busted open and is draining everywhere. What should I do for her besides just keep cleaning it away from her?

Dr Magnifico I left a comment about my milkshake on your YouTube, I made a account here to talk more. Milkshake will be 8 on September 3rd, a while ago she was having diarrhea but after time she started having harder bowel movements where each time I would see her go it was hard enough to make a sound hitting the litter pan. Fast forward to this past week and for 6 days now she hasn’t ate or drank, she has not went poo but she did go pee two times yesterday. She has been vomiting a lot, the first day she would vomit every half hour, now it is still happening multiple times a day but not as much and is yellow do to not eating. I have been giving her water with a syringe to hopefully keep her hydrated. Like I said I’m on a fixed income do to my disability, I brought her to the Vet and didn’t even get a diagnosis after spending $200 getting seen having some nausea meds and fluid under the skin we were sent home to fend for ourselves, luckily I had saved that 200 up that was supposed to be for my other cats upcoming apt. I have tried calling other vets and hospitals and no one is willing to even let me do payments to get further information, the vet we went to said it would be at least $2,000 before she could be sure what exactly was going on and I just can’t afford it, we barely have food as it is. I tried applying for care credit and was denied unfortunately. I’m really worried about my milkshake. The only extra information that I did get from the vet was that she did not have a fever which was a good thing. Thank you for sending me this way, it is greatly appreciated.

I came across your video of how to pickup a dog with IVDD and paralysis, is there one for dogs with the issue in their hind legs vs neck? Unfortunately, surgery is not in our budget and I’m really struggling to make sure he’s comfortable when taking him to use the bathroom/rotate him. So just looking for how to support him and keep him as comfortable as possible.

I just read your blog on UOs in cats. Thank you for your passion on this and all fronts. You mentioned dry, low quality cat food as primary cause. What about dogs? Do you see this frequently with them? I feed a high-quality, all-dry diet to my dogs, and I’m just wondering if you recommend against it.

My little dog Angel (14 yo shin tzu/ Lhasa Apso mix) went to the vet on November 28 due to stumbling , possible blood in stool, and weight loss. The vet said she had no blood in her stool and was diagnosed with intestinal parasites. She was prescribed metronidazole, Regan, and Pepcid. Prior to her starting the medication she was walking but slipping on her hind legs. Also prior to the medication she was eating and drinking water. As the days went by she started dragging her hind legs. I did research and found your videos on the beagel with IVDD. So yesterday December 3rd we took her to a second vet and explained everything that was going on with Angel as well as showing the vet the medications Angel was taking. According to the vet from yesterday the dose was too large for her 7.4 lb frame that she could have developed some neurotoxicity. However the vet said since she was having some difficulty walking prior to the medication then it was more likely IVDD. We were told she was too far along and would require surgery. I ask about oral medications to treat her IVDD and then we were told she was in renal failure. So due to her renal insufficiency and possible upper GI bleed they are unable to give prednisone to help with the inflammation. Angel’s lab work showed an elevated BUN/Creat and she is acidotic. I ask about IV fluids to resolve the renal insufficiency and the vet said we could do IV fluids for 24-48 hours which may only give her a 50/50 chance of renal improvement. The vet then went on to say even if we corrected her renal function she would still have the issue of IVDD and with her dark stools Angel would still not be able to take the prednisone. The final option the vet suggested was euthanasia.

She said we could take Angel home with gabapentin, sucralfate, mirtazapine, and cerenia. Just spend time with her and love on her with an life expectancy of about 2 days.

At this point I’m at a loss because it seemed everything snowballed very quickly.

Today December 4 my adult kids are coming to see her and my husband said we need to take her in for euthanasia on Tuesday December 5th. I feel like I’m giving up on her. The vet said her prognosis is poor and even with surgery she may never have a good quality of life.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

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.