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My 16 year old cat has hard poop it hurts him to pass. I helpped him pass a hard peice last night in the tub with warm water.
I have to release his anal glands every so often. I plan on giving him an enima via puppy feeding tubes with 1/3 pet Ema, 1/3 water soluble medical lube and 1/3 warm water.. with a totally amount of 30cc
Questions are can I use tap water or should I use distilled? Can I use puppy feeding tube.
He gets wet food in the morning and dry at night I am going to give him just wet from now on and I was hoping to find a laxative that is safe to use for everyone humans dogs and cats.
I might start giving him iv fluids under his skin because he’s never drank enough water.
Thank you
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.
Hello,
It sounds like your vet did a thorough job in the work up. But. You still don’t ha e an answer that is hoping your cat feel better. For cases like this I would say to do two things. One, call the vet back and notify them of these concerns. And two seek a second opinion. If you can find a feline specialist go to them.
Keep us posted and good luck.
I agree with Krista here. One of my past cats also had kidney disease, he was not end stage, but every few months he woulds have a really bad week. Bloodwork weren’t that bad either. But he wouldn’t eat or drink, and sometimes even couldn’t walk. He needed daily fluids (the vet showed me how to do that at home) and was fed with a syringe. After 4-7 days he started to get better again.
I would ask your vet to show you how to gove fluids udner the skin and feeding with a syringe, so that you can do this at home and help her for a few days. If she doesn’t get better it’s maybe nessecary to get a second opinion. But sometimes you just can’t find what is wrong :(.
I wish you all the best!
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.
I would say get your vet involved, and/or a veterinary dietician if there’s one near you. There’s a lot more leeway with dogs than with cats, but I’d be very careful about making sure they get the right balance of nutrition without overdosing them on anything.
Oh, avoid legumes. There’s a link between heavy legume inclusion and dilated cardiomyopathy, which is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Lots of folks go with a raw diet. This seems to be somewhat controversial in vet circles (Dr. Magnifico will weigh in on this when she sees it), but it’s another feeding method that requires a lot of research first.
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.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat.
I would recommend a few things;
Go on all of the social media platforms that you can and ask for help. Call every local rescue and shelter and ask for guidance in finding someone who can help you.
I think that your cat needs to be given an exam and than maybe the vet can offer to teach you how to give sq fluids at home? Maybe they can also talk to you about trying some anti vomiting medications? Some of them are even available at the pharmacy.
Reach out to local cat groups and even ask about help from the local animal shelters. Maybe they have a veterinarian who can help?
I also think that in cases like yours it might be beneficial to see if you can help in anyway that might convince the vet staff that you are a devoted pet parent and responsible in paying them back? I know that if someone came to me and said “what can I do to help keep my cat alive and healthy?” I would work with them. Maybe instead of saying that you don’t have anything ask them what you can do to help them if they help you in return?” In some places volunteers at the shelters can get discounted vet care. Or my volunteers at my vet clinic get free vet care.
I also think that your cat likely needs some lab work like a blood work and fecal. Anything that might explain her clinical signs. But I also think it should be done in an affordable manner. You need a compassionate vet for this.
I hope you find them. If you do please let me know.
Don’t give up. There are vets out there who will help.
Good luck.
Dr Magnifico, Hello I have been doing all you suggested, I have been contacting different vets still waiting to hear from some and did hear from one in another state which is a few hours drive, if my milkshake does have pyometra this vet was so very generous giving me an amazing discounted price, the only problem is we don’t know if that is for sure what she has so if I drive all the way there and they do the surgery and she ends up not having that then I’m out more funds and these would be borrowed funds so I’m afraid of taking that chance then having absolutely zero funds and no one else to borrow from with a cat who is still sick and not diagnosed. It’s day 7 now and she is still not eating, not drinking, her vomiting is less now being only once or twice a day. She is getting some water by us squirting some at the side of her mouth and has been able to go pee quite a few times. She still has not gone poo though. I can’t get no prescriptions for subcutaneous fluids or nausea medication until blood work is done which is 300$ that like I said if I use these funds then I will have nothing for her treatment. I have applied for a couple of grants but with these they want your pet to already have a diagnosis so we will probably be denied. Do you have any ideas on what it could possibly be? Or ideas on how to get subcutaneous fluids for at home treatment, I know chewy has those but you need a prescription for that. Thank you again for all of your help and all of your dedication to animals in need of help, I stand by your side and will fight this fight with you.
I forgot to mention she did have a exam at the vet this past Friday, that’s when they wanted all the additional testing that I couldn’t afford, well I had to choose between life saving fluids and her nausea medicine or the blood work I knew if she didn’t have the fluids she was going to die soon
Hello Dr. Magnifico, I hope you are doing good. I just wanted to give a update on my milkshake, I kept giving her water with a syringe by mouth on the side of the mouth so she wouldn’t choke or aspirate. It had been 7 days since she had eaten anything, everyday I would try many different liquid type foods, some I would warm..she was not interested but I kept trying and trying until finally one day around three in the morning I warmed a temptation’s liquid treat by holding it in my hand for a while before opening I then put some of it in a syringe and got a small amount of it in the front of her mouth so she could get a taste and to my absolute surprise after 7 days she finally started licking it, I didn’t give her to much at that time because it had been so long but since then I’ve gradually increased the amount and now she is eating that and will even eat some of her wet food at dinner time with her siblings. She ended up going poo finally and it was a very hard one so I think she may have been constipated. To think the vet hospital wanted almost one thousand dollars to diagnose what they said was pyometra and it was not even that, not gonna lie they did scare me into almost giving a kidney to get my cat vet care. I am glad I did bring her to the vet hospital because I really think if she didn’t have those subcutaneous fluids at that time she probably wouldn’t have made it. I was scared and worried I was going to lose my milkshake and then I came across your YouTube advocating for animals and vet care, Dr.Magnifico if it weren’t for you and your advice from miles & miles away I don’t know what I would have done so I just wanted to take a few moments to not only let you know that milkshake is so much better now but to thank you so so much for your help, information and the encouragement to not give up in finding proper vet care that wouldn’t cost thousands. It is because of you that I now know not all veterinarians are expensive, they are few and far between but they are still out there. I am still searching for a vet like that in my state of Vermont but I have at least knocked some of the list and will continue to fight for my cats and the veterinarian care that they deserve. Thank you thank you thank youuuuu 😀 from myself, milkshake & our little fur tribe.
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.
Hello
I’m sorry to hear about your dog. I have a lot of information on my blog and YouTube channel. Go there. See if that helps. If you have a specific question come back and ask. I’ll do my best to help.
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.
Hello,
Thank you for reading and visiting us on Pawbly.com. Yes I think that diet is a very important part of a pets care. I don’t know anything about your pet so I will tell you what I feed mine: I use science diet adult dry and canned. I have for three decades. I also give them a lot of exercise and they come with me everywhere. They have happy, full, engaged lives. I also never buy a pet. I take the weak, broken desperate cases that no one else wants. So karma pays it forward in everything I do.
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
Hello
I’m so sorry to hear about your dog. For Ivdd suspected cases I tell people to cage rest, give pain meds , and give them 3 weeks before giving up. Just my advise from being in practice. Most get better. They need time.
Thank you so much for your response. I wish I would have seen this prior to everyone including the vet telling me she needs to be euthanized. My heart and my gut was telling me not to give up but everyone else told me this is the most humane option. Yesterday afternoon we buried her on my Mom’s farm and today has been so very difficult. I feel like I failed her in so many ways.
Again thank you for your response.
Hello,
I really have to recommend that you see a veterinarian for help with this. I would want to check things like hyperthyroidism or anything that might cause muscle loss or weakness. I would also be concerned about joints and joint pain causing him to to be reluctant to use the litter box. Maybe a pain medication like gabapentin or solensia might help. Also adding something like Purina hydra care or canned food with water added can help. My point is there are lots of things to talk about that might help the underlying cause for this.
Thank you I’ll call a vet tomorrow, he seems better today, I started giving him water in his pate food Purina, he has no problem with his litter box, he had a hard peice of poop he could pass it was breaching so I sat him in warm water and that worked, I can fell his colon it seems like normal amount in there but it’s a little hard.