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Melissa | 5 years ago
My 7 Year Old Dog, We Aren’t Sure Of Breed, But We Think A Lab/beagle …

my 7 year old dog, we aren’t sure of breed, but we think a lab/beagle mix of some sort experienced extreme pain and loss of the use of his back legs 2 days ago. I immediately took him to the emergency vet. They told us med management and cage rest. They brought him to the car with the use of a sling for his hind legs stating he still had some movement of his hind limbs intact. 2 hours later I believed he had declined and had no use. I called back to the vet who made me feel guilty for asking for further evaluation stating she would not put a dog through an MRI and surgery that still exhibited neurological function. He cried all night long and every time I moved him to potty was in excruciating pain. he wouldn’t eat and no longer could void. I took him back to the vet the next morning where he received an MRI and underwent surgery for a ruptured disc. at that point he no longer had deep pain sensation. My question is did that delay diminish his chances of recovery? and what are the odds now? I’m just heartbroken for him and do not want him to suffer. I am a nurse practitioner and very willing to provide the care he needs however I don’t want him to be in long term pain or have a poor quality of life.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Please dont beat yourself up over doing the best you could in a very difficult time. I really hope things work out. Stay in touch with your veterinary team and I’m sending hugs to you both. You are doing the best you can. Give your dog some time. It’s always really hard the first few days. Hang in there.

    1. Melissa Post author

      thank you for your encouragement. I’m going to remain hopeful that he can make a full recovery.

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Kiki | 5 years ago
Hi My Cat Was Neutered On July 21st. He Has Eaten Normally & Pooped Normally But …

Hi my cat was neutered on July 21st. He has eaten normally & pooped normally but for a couple days now I haven’t noticed any urine in his box. I wish I had paid closer attention to it in the beginning to see if this has been a problem since the surgery or only the last couple days. I’m worried he might have some sort of obstruction but reading about the vet procedures we can’t afford thousands to have him unblocked. I hate I got him neutered now because apparently they did something to cause this & now my cat will likely die if I don’t find low cost help in my area. I’m around Pensacola, FL. If you know of any places that can help please let me know! Also if it was something they did to cause this shouldn’t they fix it? Curious how neutering could cause obstruction. Thanks!

4 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Please call the vet who did the neuter right now and have your cat seen. If the vet caused the problem they are responsible for helping you find a treatment option. They are also liable for the damages they may have caused. The vet needs to be notified immediately. Please start there. If they refuse to see you based on financial concerns you can inform them that you are notifying the state veterinary medical board for assistance. All of this is within your rights and abilities. If the cat is critical call the rescues and see if he can be treated there. Or even surrendered to them for care.

    1. Kiki Post author

      Thank you so much for the info. That’s good to know they should be responsible because he has never had this problem so obviously something caused by surgery. Thankfully he did urinate a lot today! He hasn’t shown any signs of distress but I’m still going to contact the vet responsible in am. Thanks for responding!

  2. Sarah

    Hello- you need to contact the surgeon that did this surgery right away. Explain the situation and get your cat back in and seen right away.

    1. Kiki Post author

      Thanks for responding. Thankfully He did urinate a lot today! I would still like him to be seen though so will contact the vet in the am.

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A. | 5 years ago
Do FEMALE Cats Need Bladder Flush? FEMALE Cat Only Pees A Tiny Bit. Keeps Running To …

Do FEMALE cats need bladder flush? FEMALE cat only pees a tiny bit. Keeps running to litter box. Trying to use it elsewhere. Doesn’t want to drink anymore. Antibiotics don’t help

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  1. Sarah

    This sounds like a possibly serious medical issue. I think you should speak to your vet ASAP and explain that current treatment (antibiotics that you mentioned) is not helping. I would also think they would do a complete check up and bloodwork. Hope things work out ok.

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Cath | 5 years ago
I Have A Question About Our 13 Yo Dog Who Likely Has A Bulging Disc. He Is …

I have a question about our 13 yo dog who likely has a bulging disc. He is a mutt (probably part Border Collie, part Shepherd). Soon after a small slip on our stairs, he had lameness in his one back leg; this went away after one day, he limped for a few days after, and he quickly recovered from those things.  Though he was walking fine fairly quickly, he showed stiffness, showed hesitation going up stairs unless we gave him a treat (we have only stairs to the outside), and his tail was down and only wagged from the tip of it. We had him quickly on an anti-inflammatory (Novox) and a pain med (started on Gabapentin but had to discontinue). He was fine on a walk; we went on short walks and he always craved for much more than we allowed. We prevented jumping, aerobic exercise, stopped him from using stairs by having a ramp to the outside, etc. We continued the Novox. His symptoms continued, then got better, and then seemed to regress when he started showing signs of pain (panting even when lying down and even when it was cool outside and some anxiety); the pain thing was probably because of taking him off Gabapentin. We took him to the Neurology Dept at a local, large vet hospital and a physical exam indicated that he “likely” has a bulging disc. When they inspected his back, he showed signs of pain and anxiety and his back legs bent and his rear went down. We don’t think we want to do surgery due to his age. He has not had an MRI as the regular vet and my husband and I thought that the treatment would be the same if we did not do surgery — treatment being restricting movement, continuing anti-inflammatory and pain meds, and looking into possible physical rehab. A switch to the pain med Amantidine helps a lot and the panting and anxiety are gone. He now continues to crave longer walks and, at the rare times we forget to block off the couch, he will try to jump up on it. We have been continuing to restricting movement but we just don’t know what to do about activity restrictions and have not had a lot of advice from neurology. He has always craved movement and exercise and when we take him around the block his stiffness seems to go away a bit and he seems energized and maybe even more comfortable. He has always craved a lot of exercise and movement. His spirits are lowered a lot if we keep in him in a small space — it almost seems like he wants to move around. He is eating and drinking, can do #2 (though he struggles some if doing it a long time). If allowed to do some movement, he is mostly happy and getting around with walking. Questions are: Should we restrict his movement altogether despite all this? Should he we do no walks at all? Is it bad if he is free to walk around the first floor or should he stay only in a very small area? I feel we are so confused as to what to do and how to know how to prevent regression. We’d love the input of any veterinarians or other owners with the same experience!

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I think that I have to defer these questions to your vet. My inkling is to say strict cage rest except for short walks outside on flat grassy ground. My concern is that he will keep exacerbating the injury if you don’t. I have lots of information on my blog and YouTube channel under IVDD please go there for advice and case based examples. Best of luck

    1. Cath Post author

      Thank you so much for your reply! Do some dogs who have been restricted with movement get to the point that they “recover” or is this always a progressive situation? We don’t know if, after the 4 weeks of restricting him, if he will can to return to walks or anything if he is showing that he improved enough. Do you have thoughts on this? Also, is there anything we can do for him at home (like light massage or heat on the back)? Thank you so very much! You are so very helpful! 🙂 -Catherine

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Yana | 5 years ago
Hi Dr. Krista, My Name Is Yana And I Have Beagle Mix Charlie Who Injured His …

Hi Dr. Krista,

My name is Yana and I have beagle mix Charlie who injured his neck on 07/08/20 last week. We took him 10 flights of stairs for exercise and 30 min later he started crying in the dog park then yelping in the car and screaming at night. We took him to the ER and he was diagnosed with neck disc injury and prescribed Methocarbamol, Gabapentin, Tramadol and Caprofen. He seemed to be fine, not paralyzed but screaming 1-2 times a day usually on potty brakes. Then he started having episodes when he became more stiff and lifted his front paws…usually in the morning after sleep. We took him to a neurologist on 07/13/20 but he said he is 1 from 6 and not that bad. He stopped Caprofen and prescribed Prednisone, Fentanyl Patch and Acepromazine with other medications from the ER. So we were spacing out medications because we were afraid to give too much. He did not seem to be improving and we started all meds. He seems better after he screams like pressure relieved and he can lift his head and move more free.

Long story short, we placed him in a boarding hospital due to us living in a studio in highrise on the 10th floor, working from home and being 7 month pregnant. We are planning to visit another neurologist on monday and hopefully get x rays or mri.

Questions:

In your video with Hank he was paralysed and recovered in 17 days. So far I don’t see much positive progress in our dog and he is not paralized. How much chance do we have or what we should do moving forward?

October 2019 he had a similar episod and I took him to the vet, no x-rays were performed. Two reasons indicated neck or teeth. More towards teeth inflammation which I was focusing on by brushing and adding supplements. Medications prescribed Cephalexin and Carprofen. He got better in 3 days but his screams were not that severe. Should we try Cephalexin?

Any help, suggestion on advice will be highly appreciated! If we can bring him to your facility for boarding and recovery at least till he doesn’t have those screams we would like to do that! Please let us know how much it costs since it adds up quickly and I know that surgery is very expensive.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your dog. I’m also sorry but I don’t have a clear picture of what’s going on now or what you are worried about.
    I cannot order advice on which medications to use as I don’t know him or his condition.
    I have lots of videos on YouTube and lots of advice on my blog. Maybe they can help?

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Karen Hesch | 5 years ago
HELP I Put Sentry Flea Medicine On My Cat’s Last Night I Woke Up This …

HELP I put sentry flea medicine on my cat’s last night I woke up this morning and my my smaller cat not a kitten she’s just small is like drooling really bad and panting I called Jarrettsville vet but they can’t get me in because I’m not a patient and I don’t have the money for the pet ER it’s too expensive even to walk in I’m desperate can I give her Benadryl what can I do to try to help her any answers will be greatly appreciate it thank you very much…

10 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    If you cannot afford the vet ER, please call your regular vet right away and explain to them what you think has happened. Is this an OTC preventative? Or one suggested by your vet?

    1. Karen Hesch Post author

      We just moved back to md n haven’t been to one… n with being out of work n haven’t gotten unemployment yet im ABSOLUTELY broke… pet er is like a 100 to walk they the door ???????????????? it was an otc needs smh…

  2. Krista Magnifico

    You can call the product manufacturer and ask for help. Or call pet poison but I am worried that you need an ER for hospitalization. You can call all of the rescues and animal rescue in new Freedom pa. Also call best friends in harford county. Start calling all of your friends and family for help

  3. Krista Magnifico

    I would also bathe her throughly. Repeated washings with a small amount of dish detergent. Oh have to get the product off.

      1. Krista Magnifico

        Wash the product off immediately. Call the product manufacturers phone line for advice and call the rescues to see if they have a vet in staff to help. If your cat declines you can reply and I can see if one of the rescues can help. It is $50 for an exam at the clinic. But we have no openings today.

      2. Krista Magnifico

        Hello. I just spoke to dr Ahrens at jarrettsville vet. If you can go there now she will help you. You May have to drop off for the day so they can take care of your kitty. We can talk about your bill later. I am expecting that you will help with some part of it and that we can help you in the futur with better flea and tick options. Please go now. Tell them I okd it and dr Ahrens is seeing your cat. Call the clinic when you arrive. 419-692-6171

        1. Karen Hesch Post author

          Yes i will be able to pay something today my mom said she could help a little… n will definitely pay off the rest asap… thank you sooooo very much… ????????????

        2. Karen Hesch Post author

          Hey again… so i finally talked with someone at sentry.. they said the foaming n drooling is from licking it n it having a bitter taste… n that’s its common for them to act like that.. too save you all more stress i think in going to take her home n bath her n watch her carefully… thank you sooooo very much for your willingness to help… i will be seeing you soon. you guys are amazing n i thank you from the bottom of my heart… tytyty…

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Bina | 5 years ago
Hi, I Really Need Some Help And Advice. Last Week Thursday The 2nd Of July I …

Hi, I really need some help and advice. Last week Thursday the 2nd of July I found out my cat who is 15 years of age has got some type of liver cancer which I found so hard to believe due to him being so active and recently went for annual boosters in April 2020 all healthy during check up.

The blue cross animal hospital in London did a quick ultrasound which they found mixed echogenicity with multiple hard, irregular liver . mixed echogenicity with multiple hypoechoic circular lesions. What does this mean? Can anything be done?

Please can I get some advice on this if I was to go down a surgery route, Will he survive after surgery? Do cats have this due to there age? Any cure he has yellow ears and mouth.

Have been prescribed steroid and I got nutramin from another vet which has milk thistle.

They did refer me to an oncologist which are charging £2000 for a CT scan. Not sure if to proceed due to the ultrasound which confirmed the above. I don’t want to go and spend so much money and still back a square one with the above.

Please advice any experience will help. I am going mad here as I do not know what to do.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If you don’t understand the findings of the ultrasound it is best to have your vet explain them to you along with how they correlate to your cats clinical signs and examination findings. Only your vet can provide all of this information. In some cases they can also do an ultrasound guided aspirate to help with the diagnosis. If you can afford it a CT scan is also helpful. If you cannot afford it trek them and ask for help within your budget. Lastly for a lot of cats with these issues medical management can help.

    I hope this helps. I wish I could offer more advice. If you are still feeling confused and lost in what to do find a feline specialist or get a second opinion. Good luck

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Tomas | 5 years ago
Hello! What A Great Site This Is. I’m Really Hoping Someone Can Help Us Here, …

Hello! What a great site this is. I’m really hoping someone can help us here, as we’re stuck with our dog situation!

We have a 10 year old female Maltese called Yuca. She is the light of our lives but is getting old 🙁
She’s healthy but tends to sleep a lot, and we read that keeping older dogs active is essential to keeping them alive!

We both work, and although she’s totally happy by herself, we decided it might be good to get her a companion for the times we’re not around. We hoped this might keep her entertained and engaged more during the day. As we’re both working from home at the moment, we thought now might be a good time to grow our little pack…

So we got another Maltese female, Coco, who is about 5 months old now. We’ve had her for just over 4 weeks. She’s amazing. A really cute little ball of fluff. But things don’t seem to be improving with regards to their relationship.

Of course, Coco is totally obsessed with Yuca. She will run to her and try to lick and play, but Yuca seems terrified of her. She backs away quickly and hides. Yuca has never been an aggressive dog, never. She doesn’t growl or bark or bite, ever. But she also has never been a dog dog, always avoiding them in public when out for walks.
We thought this was just a matter of them being strangers.
She has never once growled or barked or bitten Coco, she chooses to simply run away from her, even when Coco is trying to bite her playfully.

When Coco is calm, usually in the evenings and midday, Yuca is better. They will sit in the same areas, with Yuca sometimes letting Coco get quite close, but always with a cautious eye on her. The best moments we’ve had have been in bed in the evenings, with both of them sleeping almost touching! But then the day comes around and Yuca goes back to being her timid self again.

We’ve tried a lot of things to get them closer, and to help Yuca get used to her being around. They both have their own beds, food and water, and Yuca has a space she can be alone when she wants it. The problem is, she would choose to stay there the whole time! SHe seems anxious about walking around the house, which is not ok for us. We want her to feel dominant and have no fear of being anywhere at home.

We’ve tried using treats to bring them together, which works well in the moment. Yuca is a greedy lil thing and Coco’s existence doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference when there’s a treat around. She would take the treat from our hand even with Coco being right there next to her. But once the treat has gone, Yuca reverts back to scared mode.

We’re being firm with Coco on the rough play, although she’s tiny and couldn’t hurt a fly if she tried! We’re separating them for periods of time, so Yuca has her space and then trying controlled meet-ups several times a day. Of course, with us both working full time, this has been difficult and we’re very concerned about when we have to go back to the office.

We’ve made sure to give Yuca extra love and attention, always treating her as the alpha and giving her attention and food first. She doesn’t appear jealous at all.

As time goes on, we really hoped they would become close but we’re not seeing much improvement. There’s some improvement for sure, but it’s very slow progress. We really just want them to be friends. That was the whole point in getting Coco in the first place.

I really hope someone can help us. We love them both and just want them to get along.

Thank you for reading.

Tomas and Fernanda. Yuca and Coco.

6 Responses

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  1. Laura

    It’s possible that Yuca simply doesn’t enjoy puppies. And that’s NORMAL and perfectly okay! Puppies are annoying. Your best bet is to put a LOT of attention on working Coco’s brain more. A tired puppy is a good puppy, and the BEST way is to work their brain. This would be obedience training, beyond basic sit/stay/down. I know group classes aren’t really a “thing” right now, but I’d look into classes through Denise Fenzi’s dog sport academy: https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/

    Maybe work Yuca while you’re at it. It’s a good way to keep her engaged, and working them together can help.

    1. Tomas Post author

      Thank you for the reply Laura! I will take your advice and look into that for sure. It’s a shame we can’t walk Coco yet, as she still hasn’t had her final round of vaccinations. Next week hopefully! I’ve heard that walking them together will help the bonding process?

      1. Laura

        It can help, but the majority of this problem has to do with age disparity. Training is key.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    I agree with laura. I have an eleven year old dog. When his companion passed away I got a 4 month old. He was driving my older dog nuts. So I got a puppy for my puppy. The two puppies play endlessly and occasionally the old guy jumps in for just a little while. It is keeping him young and active but he isn’t being relied upon to be the single source of the puppy playtimes. Everyone is happy and healthy.

    1. Tomas Post author

      Thanks Krista. So your advice would be getting another puppy for the puppy? Ha! In an ideal world maybe, but we can’t afford that right now.

      1. Laura

        From the dog trainer perspective, do not do this unless you’re prepared to deal with possible littermate syndrome.

        (Yes, it’s real, and it can affect any like-aged dogs. It can be as minimal as one dog is shyer than the other, or they could want to kill each other. I’ve seen both. The latter isn’t worth risking it unless you’re VERY experienced with dog management.)

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Susan Poage | 5 years ago
My 6 Year Old Female Pit Was Diagnosed With Chylothorax Yesterday, 7/5. My Vest Was Only Able To …

My 6 year old female pit was diagnosed with Chylothorax yesterday, 7/5. My vest was only able to pull a little of the gel type liquid from her lungs. She referred us to a specialist, but they cannot see her until Aug 4. Do you know if there is another specialist in the Baltimore, Maryland area that could see her? She is currently taking 50mg of Lasix. I don’t want to wait four weeks. She has barely eaten anything over the last two weeks as it is. She’s lost about 7-10 pounds.

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Without knowing exactly where you are located I would go to UPenn through the ER service and that way you can be seen immediately. You should not wait until August. In fact I would be incredibly worried that you don’t have that much time to safely wait. My preference is UPenn above all other referral centers as I have found them to be the most efficient and affordable of all the specialty centers. There are other specialty centers like the PetER and Chesapeake Vet Referral in Towson but I have had many clients find them cost prohibitive for care. If you in the through ER at a specialty hospital you can be transferred to the internal medicine department from there same or next day at the latest. Good luck. Go very soon especially if your pet is acting unwell.

    1. Susan Poage Post author

      I ended up taking her to Pet ER in Towson and they said she has Pyothorax . The thick fluid includes bacteria and maybe cancerous cells.

      They said the only thing they could do was all in or nothing. Is surgery the only option? I did ask them to send the liquid from her chest to the Pathologist. I want to know for a fact that there are cancerous cells. What if it’s only bacteria, would antibiotics resolve the infection? Do they have to do open chest surgery to remove the liquid?

      1. Susan Poage Post author

        I have decided to wait for the pathology report to be certain it is cancer. I’m also looking into autoimmune disease. I’ve been told by several people that their dogs were going through the same as my Ginger. They were told it was cancer, but they fought and advocated for their dogs. They were both found to have autoimmune disease and have been treated with steroids and have been alive and well for over four years.

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deehoeck1 | 5 years ago
I Have A American Staffordshire Terrier. She Has Had Anxiety Since We Got Her At A …

I have a American Staffordshire Terrier. She has had anxiety since we got her at a very young age of 6 weeks from a kill shelter in WV. She is now 7. I think all the vets at Jarrettsville Vet have seen Lucy at one time or another. We just moved 2 weeks ago. From the beginning of May when we started packing up the old house and continuing after we moved, she is having anxiety about going outside to use the potty. She has a covered crate, which she loves, that she stays in while I’m at work. But she has terrible anxiety about going outside, even if Lilly comes with us. I might get her to pee then she runs back into the house and poops. I don’t get it. I’ve never had an issue with her messing in the house before this. Does a calming medication help in this type of situation? I don’t want to drug her but we somehow have to work thru this so she feels comfortable about going outside and doing her business. She is on a leash so i’m always with her. I just don’t know what else to do. Any suggestions? Thank you for any help you can provide!

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Sarah

    Hi there- so sorry this is going on. I think you might have to go “back to basics” just for a bit… meaning that rewarding for going outside like when first potty training. Being on a leash will help her from bolting back inside. You may have to wait outside until she goes, but rewarding right after will help cement the deal. As she was house trained before, it may not take long at all to get her back on track. Hope this is helpful!????????

  2. Laura

    I wouldn’t be afraid of medication. Sometimes it’s necessary to bring the dog back down from an anxious state to work with them to get through an issue.