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Ana Garcia | 5 years ago
Hello. I Have A 15 Year Old Dachshund, Brody, Who Is Currently Suffering From A Cervical IVDD …

Hello. I have a 15 year old Dachshund, Brody, who is currently suffering from a cervical IVDD injury. This is Brody’s third IVDD injury in his short life, however, it is the most severe. We are not sure what happened this time since Brody was injured when we got home from work. Today is day 7 since Brody went down. While Brody is able to right himself from the lateral position, he does spend most of his time on his side. Brody is able to lift his head and look around, he can scoot himself from one position to another, he has a fantastic appetite, he has feeling in his hind quarters and only deep pain in his front two. My poor boy is not able to consistently empty his bladder and has required cathing; as of today, with the help of lactulose, Brody has been able to empty his bowels, incontinent.

Brody is not a candidate for surgery due to his age and other health conditions, so we are managing him conservatively. Brody has been seen by his regular vet where he was started on prednisone, robaxin, & gabapentin; he also takes CBD and I just started him on tumeric paste. Brody has seen a holistic vet where he had acupuncture done with electro stimulation.

My question is, how long do I give him before we decide that enough is enough? Brody is not in extreme pain, but he does have occasional neck/shoulder spasms that make him scream. I just am afraid of putting him through more than what I should just because I am not ready to let him go. Brody has been my guy for 15 years and I cannot imagine life without him, but I don’t want him to suffer. I have watched Dr. Magnifico’s YouTube videos about giving IVDD dogs time, but what is a realistic timeframe?

4 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning. I am so sorry you are going through this. I am a firm believer of “you know” as in, when it is time you will just know it. I think it differs for each individual pet and person. I feel that if your guy is still in general good spirits all things considered, and has an appetite- then it probably isn’t time yet. If he is still trying then there is a chance that things could improve. When the time comes where you feel you have to make a judgement call, he will help you. Best wishes for you all.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I have to say that based on my experience and my personal views I don’t know if there is an answer anymore. I used to say to wait 3 weeks before making a decision and now I am realizing that many pets can live happy lives as pets that aren’t quite perfect. It sounds like a few things might be helpful. Ask about Your dogs ideal body condition score and then work very hard to help your pup become a lean muscular athlete. I see this disease a lot in dachshunds, of course, but oversight dachs are especially troubling and to often reinjure and recur with issues. I also think it is time to learn how to palpate and empty the bladder. Over time this gets easier and it’s far better than repeat catheterization. I also think more physical therapy like propping him up so he’s sternal and keeping him in a crate at all times he is not with you. These are just a few of my thoughts. I have a ton of info on my blog and YouTube channel. I hope this helps. Very best of luck.

    1. Ana Garcia Post author

      Dr. Magnifico,

      I want to thank you so very much for your guidance in your response and through your blog and YouTube channel. Because of you, we continued to work with Brody during this IVDD injury and residual effects of this injury. Thank you for giving us hope.
      We helped my sweet Brody cross the Rainbow Bridge this past weekend due to kidney failure and other health issues…he was ready. I am so grateful to you for taking the time to provide education through your platforms. I will be forever grateful to you for the extra time that you gave me with my precious little man.
      Thank you!!

  3. Jasmine

    Hi Ana,

    How is Brody doing now? I have a 15 year old
    Chihuahua who just recently got diagnosed with ivdd and it’s only day 4 but I feel so bad for him. He’s
    Constantly crying or whimpering when he the meds
    start to wear off. I’m in the same boat as you . I don’t know when enough is enough. I’m constantly crying from seeing him in so much pain and discomfort.

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Jonathan | 5 years ago
Hey! Just Found Your Page From YouTube, Was Wondering If It’d Be Possible To Chat …

Hey! Just found your page from YouTube, was wondering if it’d be possible to chat about my cat? Almost certain he has a nasopharyngeal polyp but I am having trouble convincing any vets in the Dallas area to sedate him and take a look without him first getting scans and tests that cost thousands of dollars. Is there anything I should be asking them for differently? He’s been fighting a URI for about 5 months now and we have done six rounds of antibiotics with steroids and antihistamines to help and nothing has stopped his symptoms from returning and we have only now made the connection as to why that is. He has the distinct snore noise while breathing and every other listed symptom associated, I just can’t afford the tests the vets are saying they require, it’s very heart breaking. Any help or wisdom is appreciated, we just don’t have the money to do much else and he is degrading quickly since his last round of antibiotics ended this week. I wish I didn’t sound so sure, we just are panicking that we have wasted so much time and money and may have missed our chance to best this this while we could and now may be unable to. Just heart breaking all around.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    My advise in these cases is to call and keep calling until you find someone who you trust and can afford. It’s honestly why I see so many of these. Call the shelters. Call the local rescues and call the foundations that support pet care and ask for a person they know and recommend. They are out there but sadly they need to be searched for. If you find someone please let me know so I can pass it along. Like I said the local rescues know who is fair and affordable. Start there. Keep me posted. Very best of luck.

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Alexandra | 5 years ago
Question About Cat With Intermittent Puffy/swollen “behind” Area

Hi! I have a question about my cat who will be 4 at the end of this month. Sometimes when he stretches, I notice that his rear end (particularly his anus) looks like it is protruding. I thought he had a hemorrhoid but then he stood up and walked like normal and it went “away”. I have another cat and I never noticed this on him. It’s not red, it just looks puffy sometimes. He is eating, drinking and playing like normal. I just want to make sure he is okay and he is not in pain or anything or if this warrants a vet visit. I tend to worry about my boys a lot because I love them so much but I don’t want to be “missing” something. Thank you so much!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    The colon is the very last part of the gi tract. It is held inside the abdomen by two sphincter muscles. When you stretch these circular muscles can relax and the colon can protrude a little outside of the anus. This would be my best guess at what is going on. But to be sure you can take a video of it to your bet and have them do a rectal exam to make sure it isn’t anything else. Some cats can get a rectal prolapse and this should be ruled out before dismissing this as “normal”. I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.

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Maria Martin | 5 years ago
On Monday My Cat Slid Off Our Grill, And His Back Paw Got Caught In Between …

On Monday my cat slid off our grill, and his back paw got caught in between the handle and grill cover. He was hanging by the leg, the back paw bent over, unable to get free. (He’s 15 pounds). Went to local vet. X-rays taken. Told nothing broken. I called the next day, since he wouldn’t walk on it. Was told they didn’t get good X-ray of foot, so I brought him back in. Was told 1 bone broken, no need to cast. Was sent the X-ray. Appears to have 2, maybe 3 breaks. Not sure if this can heal without casting. Don’t feel comfortable just giving him pain meds for 2 weeks, and then find out it didn’t heal correctly. Already spent $350. Does he need a second opinion, or casting?

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  1. Sarah

    Hi-
    I’m sorry no one got back to you sooner! I would get a second opinion. It sounds like you are wary of what the first vet office told you…. I would bring the xrays with me, but they will probably want to take more, so be prepared for that expense. I hope everything works out!

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Madison | 5 years ago
My Dog Had A Grape In His Mouth And I Managed To Take It Out I …

My dog had a grape in his mouth and I managed to take it out I don’t know if he ate more but what else can I do he is playing right eating right will he be okay

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I do t know what size your dog is or if there are any underlying medical issues but one grape isn’t enough to hurt the average dog. My dogs steal them from the wild grapevines and I have never had an issue. We don’t want to feed them but an accidental ingestion of a few isn’t enough to cause damage. Raisins are a bigger concern. I hope this helps. Talk to your vet when you can about this. They know your dog best.

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Charlotte | 5 years ago
I Have 3 Kitty Babies, My 18 Month Old Boy However Has Been Having UTI Issues. Over The …

I have 3 kitty babies, my 18 month old boy however has been having UTI issues. Over the past number of weeks he has been to clinics/ emergency room 5 times.

Trip 1: manual bladder release, sent home with prazosin and gabapentin
Trip2 & 3: blocked, unable to pass catheter at clinic, went directly to emergency room, able to pass a catheter, 2 mucus plugs, full stream, sent home with buprenorphine, clavamox, prednisone and continue prazosin.
Trip 4: pain urinating, only dribbles, first day of no more buprenorphine, went to clinic, full stream, sent home with 10 days of buprenorphine.
Trip 5: hurricane Dorian passed, major stress, stopped urinating, lots of pain. Blocked, extracted urine via needle. Sent home with amitriptyline, acepromazine, prazosin, vernia (her vomited at clinic), and dasuquin.

Yesterday I was paying in change for his bladder to be emptied via a needle. He passed a mucus plug at around 11pm with a few dribbles of urine but has not urinated since. He’s been eating and drinking and is on amitriptyline and acetaminophen. He very much needs surgery right away but I don’t start work again until tomorrow morning (I’ve been on disability for almost 6 months).

I lost our home and currently live on the boat. All of my savings, retirement and even my HSA are completely depleted.

I have spent hours every day contacting and re-contacting national and local places/ entities that could or might help him. I would even let him go to someone or a place that would help him if that gave him his best chance at life. He has a really great chance, but I don’t have the money right now.

Please, I don’t even have enough to euthanize him after yesterday, he needs help. Please help him. In any way you can think of. I just want goin to live.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/scooter-baby

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Wow that’s a dreadfully dismal story. Where are you? Are you the person in Connecticut? If you can get him to me I will treat him and help him find a home if you are willing to surrender him. I say this because I have no idea what it will take to treat him and I couldn’t even begin to estimate the cost of his care. Maybe we can work something out? I’ll try if you will.
    If you cannot get him to me in northern maryland then call everybody and every rescue to see if something can be done for him. Offer them just what you did here. Start a social media campaign. Call and keep calling. He needs to be seen ASAP. I also think he needs an iv and urinary catheter. To start. Sending well wishes and hugs.

    1. Charlotte Post author

      I am the person from Connecticut. I can’t find help for him anywhere around here into new York York up to Boston.

      Update: he piddled last night 3 times around 7-8pm but now this morning tried to urinate and couldn’t, very loud painful meowing.

      I have a friend who is willing to bring him to you to be treated but I can’t leave my first day of work yet until 4pm (government work) to meet him at the NY border.

      If rehoming him is the only option I would do it if it saves his life, I would really love to keep him if possible and I would be happy to make payments, I haven’t been able to find any place willing to take payments has been my biggest hurdle. Anything as long as it means the wellbeing of my baby kitty!

      How can we make this work? Time to bring him in? Money? Do you have my phone number?

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Sarah | 5 years ago
Eww Gross! This Morning, I Saw One Of The Dogs Nosing In The Dirt And Figured …

Eww gross! This morning, I saw one of the dogs nosing in the dirt and figured that he smelled cat poop- I said “no” and he left it but ran straight back when I turned to continue walking everyone. So I ran back to make sure he didn’t eat it (why is cat poop a delicacy to dogs?????) and I saw him with a leopard slug in his mouth. Ugh! I don’t know what is worse? He did not eat it- he dropped it. I’m guessing that he probably has eaten them before. Are they dangerous or just protein?

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    All of the items you mention are the highlight of your dogs walk. Gross as it might be. They are at their best, living their best life, with the wind in their faces the dirt on their feet and a delectable tidbit just at the tip of their tongue. If you didn’t see drooling right after then it’s probably very safe.
    My dogs new favorites are the mostly dried out dead worms on the driveway. Yummy!

    Xox

    Lucky happy dogs. Be well all

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Sandra Sellers | 5 years ago
I Could Use Some Advice To Keep My Dog From Eating Cat Poop. We Have 1 Dog …

I could use some advice to keep my dog from eating cat poop. We have 1 dog and 2 cats. On our first floor there is a mudroom with a pet gate with a cat door. The cats have their litter boxes on one side of the mudroom and food on the other side. This arrangement has worked for 8 years. My daughter’s young cat has had digestive issues for her entire life and would poop on the floor outside the box once a week. We tried all different kinds of boxes and litter and probiotics and food but no changes. She also hates the feel of litter. We tried all kinds and newspaper and towels and pee pads…you name it.
For a month she decided to poop on my daughter’s bed twice a week…which of course was a cleaning nightmare. Sometimes she pooped on the bed while my daughter was sleeping in it.
Finally we found a limited ingredient food that worked along side of a probiotic and her poops are now more manageable for her, less painful I’m guessing and pretty regular. We added a litterbox upstairs to my daughter’s bedroom but she would never use it. We moved it to the large hallway outside my daughter’s room where it was darker and more private and she still didn’t use it. Purchased cat attraction litter and after 1 week she finally used the upstairs box to poop. I held my excitement but it’s been 3 weeks now and no more pooping on the bed. Her poops are also a lot less messy and stinky. Now my problem is if she goes at night the dog jumps right up and eats it. I caught her doing this twice but she was too fast to stop. Other times you can smell that she must have pooped but it’s gone. She’s only going upstairs so I don’t want to take the box away. She’s so picky with boxes and how she sits in the box and how it smells a covered litter box won’t work. There isn’t way to put a gate up in that hallway as it’s a super old house and shaped weird. I’m afraid any change to the box will stop all the good progress. My dog probably gets to the litter box before us about half the time–so it’s not every time. My dog is healthy, eats well, is up to date on everything and is well taken care of. Thanks for your patience with the long explanation.

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  1. Laura

    Clevercat litterboxes are a LIFESAVER. Not even my long-nosed Doberman can get into them. That said, now that the cat’s using the box reliably, can you move it to a room with a gate? You can also get free-standing gates for oddly shaped entries…we use one in our puppy pre-K class to block an egress point, and it works very well.

  2. Laura

    OH and as far as your dog’s nutrition is concerned…for some reason, most dogs REALLY LIKE cat poop. I’m not sure why, Dr. Magnifico might have an idea, but this seems to be a thing even with dogs which wouldn’t normally do this. I agree it’s gross, and I hope you can find a solution which works for your situation.

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Charlotte | 5 years ago
My One Year Old Lab Mix Has Worms. She Did Not Even Poop And Their Was …

My one year old lab mix has worms. She did not even poop and their was two worms stuck to her but and I don’t have money for a vet please help

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    There may be OTC options of dewormer, but I can not make a recommendation on those. I would be extremely careful in going that route. Dosage will probably vary greatly. If I were you, I would call my vet and find out how much an office visit and a shot of dewormer would cost upfront. The longer you wait, the worse (and subsequently the more expensive) things will get. Your dog is 1, so probably due for an annual exam anyway. I’m sure your vet will be able to do the yearly exam and deworming altogether. They may be willing to let you pay in multiple installments.

    1. Charlotte Post author

      Yes thank you I ended up just taking her yesterday to the vet and she got her shots and stuff and I’m working with them on paying thank you

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Charlotte | 5 years ago
Hello Pawbly Friends Today I Have A Few Questions Today About My Female Dwarf Hamster I …

Hello Pawbly friends today I have a few questions today about my female dwarf hamster I just realized 2 days ago when I put her on the floor to run around she falls over her back legs yes she can still walk but falls over with ever couple of steps and I have put a video below of her walking and I did some research and found that it could be possible 2 things and I think it might be cage parallelism so I have been doing what online said and giving her plenty of exercise also she has always had a wheel and tubes in her cage but has stop useing them and no longer runs in her ball so I put her on the floor to run for her exercise when I touch it she does not seem like it hurts and she is eating and drinking fine but is their anything else I can do to help her since I don’t have money for a vet please help and also I found a small bump near her private area which I also put a picture of below

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