Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
Hello,
My name is Cyre and imaged is my Dog Sara’s spay… to me it looks infected, but this is the first time I’ve ever taken my dog to be fixed,. And I’m unsure. I don’t see any bleeding or discharge. But it looks a bit swollen and pinkish, mind you it’s only 3 days old, she barely came home from surgery Wednesday evening. Anyway Sara’s 9months old and very energetic although we’ve haven’t had her run or anything. Take her on a mild walk morning and night for potty breaks and stuff, but I’m afraid even the the walking might be too much for her wound. If anyone has insight on how to care for it or keep it clean it’d be greatly appreciated
My 6 year old lab mix had TPLO surgery to repair a torn CCL on September 10. Prior to surgery, his liver enzymes were elevated but after 2 ultrasounds and bloodwork, they were unable to identify why. Because of this he cannot take anti inflammatory drugs to help with pain and took longer to be cleared after surgery. He was finally cleared on 12/11/19 and was doing really well. About a week and a half ago, he started limping again. We can’t pinpoint anything he did that would cause a limp. We haven’t let him fully run and don’t let him off his leash hardly at all. I do have another follow up appointment with the surgeon scheduled but wanted to see if anyone else experienced something like this. Thanks!
Hello,
Lots of things can cause a limp post op. The best advice I can give is to keep him calm and leash walk only and see the surgeon ASAP. If he is acting quiet, depressed, lethargic or not eating call your regular vet and have him seen immediately.
Thank you! He is sleepy, but not lethargic. I think that is because of the gabapentin. He has always been a picky eater but I believe he is eating and drinking normally. We have been keeping him on a leash and shortened walks. His appointment with the surgeon is Wednesday.
My Son’s cat Tom, is a rescue we have had approximately 12 years, putting his age about 13 to 13 1/2. Best cat I have ever had in my house! He thinks he is a member of the pack of 3 Jack Russells that run around here, and will not hesitate to stop one in it’s tracks to bathe them! For approximately the last 6 months he has developed a snoring noise, even when he is wide awake, and his local Vet says he has naso-pharyngeal polyps. Over the last month or so, he has had increasing difficulty swallowing his food. He has been on an Iams dry food for years and never had issues until no. We have switched to pulverizing the dry in a food processor and mixing it into some can foods he likes but he still eats very little at a time and always acts like he is starving. Having seen your videos of removing polyps from a cats throat area has led me to reaching out to you for help/advice. I certainly don’t want this cat to starve to death, and his discomfort is clear. Every local Vet I have contacted here in the Norfolk,Va. area has come back with estimates over $2000.00!!! I love this cat, but at 13 years old, I can’t do that and send my son to is first year of college. I am completely open to suggestions, and if need be, open to a 5 hour ride to see you.
hello,
I have to say that polyps (in my opinion) are less likely as cats age.
Next, I do believe there are still vets out there willing and able to sedate/anesthetize a cat and look for a polyp. Please call all the vets you can and reach out to every shelter and rescue for advice on who they use. If, and when you find someone please (please!!!) add their names via the storylines section above so it can help someone down the road. If we dont start sharing info we will continue to lose options and affordable care.
If all else fails I am happy to see your cat. call the clinic at 410-692-6171 and ask the receptionists to take your name and number. I cannot give advice over the phone, but I can arrange an appointment time for your cat to be seen so we can look for a polyp.
There is someone closer to you, I am sure, its just finding them. I am appalled at how ridiculous vet med has become. No one will even look for these anymore? Why? Honestly I dont know?
Please keep me posted and best of luck.
krista
After literally contacting over 40 Veterinary hospitals in our area, and in Northeast North Carolina and into central Virginia, still the lowest estimate is $2110.00 I have gone so far as contacting Virginia Tech School of Veterinary Medicine and N.C. State, and both require us to live within 35 miles of the school. I guess they are overwhelmed with people seeking help.
His snorting, snoring, sounds are so bad he has cut back eating to maybe a bite or so per day. If I can make an appointment at your clinic, what type of bloodwork tests would I ask my local veterinarian to do and send the results to you ahead of time?
He is a wonderful cat with a great personality and sadly to treat him here will end up being a death sentence, which is clearly not a treatment.
Hi, my female torti Dusty has bumps on her tongue… The vet had me give her doxycycline liquid and prednisone for 2 months… the bumps didn’t change, but while I was there, she also told me to stop giving her wet food. About a week or so ago I stopped her wet food (which is Sheba Perfect portions) and just gave her the puro a one sensitive stomach hard food she has been eating for 2 years (I was doing 50/50)… I noticed she is having issues peeing… no pain, but she takes me to see she is only peeing about a teaspoon or so and she does it very often… she isn’t showing any signs of pain or lethargy, and eating fine. I tried to feel around but not sure if I found a bladder or not, nothing feels hard and she only complains as much as usual so I don’t think anything hurts.
I’ve watched videos on expressing a bladder and catheterizing a male, but I can’t seem to find any info on females (still looking)… my mom’s dog had 3 bladder stones for over a month just peeing a few drops every time and then all of a sudden they just popped out so I’m trying to weigh the cost-benefit with the local vet. Today is Sunday and I wasn’t about to go emergency if she wasn’t in pain, but I’m still afraid they’ll want $500+ to do anything since just a physical with no blood tests or shots is over $100 and I’m sure they’ll want xrays, etc. I’m in Florida and I know vets here charge 2x-3x more than other places.
Any info will help
Female
Indoor
Shorthair
About 10 yrs young
No signs of sick/injured/pain
Hello,
When it comes to cats displaying issues with urination we always worry most about urinary blockage, which can be life threatening. This is less common in female cats. A blocked cat will typically frequent the litter box (obsessively and continuously), and produce no, or very little urine. A cat with bladder inflammation will do the same but NOT typically have a full, hard, distended urinary bladder, which is why an exam by a vet is imperative. We cant tell the difference without an exam and usually a urinalysis.
I have to admit that I never recommend dry over wet for cats. I just find that dry has no benefits.. Not teeth, certainly not weight, and for urinary issues wet it better as you can add water and start to diurese the urine.
If your cat is calm and comfortable you can probably wait until morning to be seen.
If all else failed you could ask the ER vet to just assess for blockage and then ask to be seen by your vet (assuming they can and will have time to see you) tomorrow. If her heart, temp, color, respiratory rate and bladder are all normal I bet they would have trouble saying that she isnt stable enough to wait a few hours.
I always think it is important for pet parents to be proactive, but also provide an honest admission of budget and ask for assistance to make care affordable and accessible. We all owe our pet parents and patients that. Please let me know what happens. Good luck
Thank you. Yes, the only thing is her lack of pee. Today I put her back on the wet food and added water and her pee doubled this last time. Also, since everything I read seemed to say blood in urine, and she wants me to watch her pee, I took a paper towel and put it under her and her pee came out colorless… not red, or even yellow , but the paper towel looks like I put water on it…I will not it is a stronger smell than I would expect, smells like pee, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed her pee have a smell before (maybe because I never had her pee on a paper towel before, I dunno)
Tomorrow I plan to take her in, they were good about seeing her same day when I took her in for a checkup (2nd trip to a vet in her life…1st was her spray trip when she was about a year old) hopefully they won’t rake me over the coals.
Also I found a video that says to add ACV and water to the food and I happened to have some here so I added it…and she still ate half of it it (I was surprised because she can be picky)…
While I’ve got your attention, since one reason they say in the videos is stress, my husband thinks this may have been caused by my recently changing them to a litter kwitter as I have started toilet training them.. Can holding it in cause a problem? And what are your thoughts on toilet training cats?
Hi I just recently became a mommy to a blue nosed pit bull. The person we got her from lied to us about her age. I came to find out she is only 4 weeks old. She was already weaned off of her mom’s milk for the most part when he got her. The “breeder” was feeding her an entire can of wet pedigree dog did with kibble mixed in. I knew right away that was horribly wrong. I went to pet smart and bought the ready made formula to start her back on. I went home and immediately tried to get her to drink it. She refused to drink any formula. She was starting to act lethargic and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the car ride home or her lack of eating so I added a small spoonful of wet puppy food and mixed it in with the formula. She immediately began to devour it. When I brought her home that same day her poop was normal and formed. The next night she began to have dark diarrhea. It was squirting out of her poor little butt. She’s been doing that for 2 days now. I called JV yesterday(Saturday) and spoke to a receptionist. She recommend continuing the formula and adding puppy kibble in and letting it soften for her to eat. I went out yesterday and bought Purina pro plan puppy food. She began that around 4 pm yesterday. She wasn’t drinking water up until yesterday but she is now. So de starting the kibble and formula mix her diarrhea is not so runny anymore but in 2 bathroom breaks back to back I did notice some blood spotting in her poop. It’s not a lot, it’s literally a few spots mixed in. Is that something I need to be concerned with? Do I need to bring her in to the walk in clinic today or should I wait longer to see if her poop begins to become normal again? She is sleeping a lot but I was told that she will do that for her age? When she isn’t sleeping she will run around and play, wag her little tail, she has 2 stuffed animals that she will playfully bite and drag around.
My question after giving you this info is should I bring her in to the vet? I know she can’t have any shots yet but I’m worried she is sick and don’t want her to die on me. ????
Hello,
I hope the receptionist told you to consider the ER. I cannot tell you if she is stable, or healthy enough to wait to come in at 1. I do always have to caution people with illness , any kind of change in behavior or fecal output and the tiny babies like you have are even more fragile. I think that if you are worried you are safest going to the ER.. I also know that in some cases I have to refer the patients I see on Sunday to the ER as we cannot provide the in patient care that we need to provide them,
Please keep me posted. I really hope that everything is ok. I would also hope that you call the appropriate authorities to report the breeder. Most people are not as kind and able as you are to care for a neonate.
krista
We recently got a 5 month old Great Dane. She was in several homes before we got her. She wants nothing to do with us and after 4 days of working with her she refuses to go outside and growls when I come near her, but she continues to lay down. She will not take treats from me either. I want to try to make this work but don’t know how to gain her trust. I’ve tried setting and talking to her.. ignoring her… positive reinforcement.. petting her when she comes up to me but all she wants to do tonight is lay there and growl at me. I would love some help and don’t think I can wait to get a trainer to come.
Hello,
Thank you for giving this girl a chance. I guess I’m a little confused abo to how you manage the bathroom and what, if anything, she has had that has worked. I would start by calling everyone and anyone you can think of. Including the breeder. And start asking for resources to help. I also think this is a long and slow road in some cases so you really have to be prepared for that. And understand that each failure sets her back immensely. So I hope that you can find help. She is afraid. The only way to treat that is with time and patience and absolute dedication. There aren’t any tricks of fast cures here. Use everything you can to gain trust. Treats. Food. Anything. Some dogs will respond to other dogs. Some respond to men or women or no talking and just reassuring rewards. But it all takes time. I don’t know how you started out but I’m worried that it left you little negotiating room. We always start with an assessment. A leash walk. Understanding them. And train from there. It sounds like you need help. So please start calling. But please be vet upfront about only using positive reinforcement. It sounds like all of her previous experience might have been brute force and domination training which is part of the reason she already has trust issues. Also call a Great Dane rescue and see if they can help. I hope the others answer too.
Thanks, I tried a rescue, they weren’t much help. All they said was to get a trainer and they didn’t know any in the area. She was letting my husband carry her outside and once out she would walk with him, if I try to join them she doesn’t want anything to do with me. He’s away for work tonight and she won’t do anything for me despite taking my time and talking to her, trying to give her treats and feeding her. She went to bite when I was going to put the leash on. I try to let her have her space except for going out that’s the only thing I “force “ her to do. And when I take her out we go at her pace and as soon as she’s ready I let her go back in. (She let me take her out this morning)
Good morning-
Thank you so much for helping her. This is going to take a lot of time and patience. I would talk to my vet and find a reputable dog behaviorist that will come to your home. It will be time and money well spent. They will be able to see everything both you guys and your dog are doing and be able to assess the entire situation. This will make it possible for them to give you specific guidelines on how to help you and your dog. Until you can get a behaviorist out there- again I cannot stress that enough- I would start with walks. Walks help enforce a good bond and trust. This dog obviously has trust issues, and until she trusts you, you’re at a bit of a stand still with any other behavior changes. If your husband is the one she seems to trust more, he might have to take the reigns on this to start out and slowly you will have to incorporate yourself. On the flip side, if he is away, you’ve no choice but to try to find a way to bond with this girl on your own- which is quite possible. It will just take time to figure out what will help her let you in. Just know that time is key. Having said all of this, please know that it is a long road but definitely possible. Our household is living proof of that and what was once our most difficult rescue has turned into the best dog we have ever had????
my 8 year old beagle has a re-occurrence of IVDD. He has had surgery in his lumbar, thoracic and cervical areas – all within 2 years. His most recent 2 surgeries were thoracic in June 2019 and cervical in August 2019. He is now displaying symptoms of another disc problem. Help. Surgery is not an option anymore. He moving his back legs but seems to be getting worse. We have confined him but …. I don’t want him to have a life of paralysis. Is there light at the end of the tunnel here if we stick with conservative treatment. He does not appear to be in pain. We have been in contact with our regular vet but he can only do so much. Our neurologist always says the same thing to get an MRI and the MRI is another $2,000. I hate to bring money into this as a factor but I really think this will continue to happen. He lost over 12 pounds, got his harness, restricted his activity. We thought we did the right things. Has anyone had similar experiences. What about a doggie wheelchair. Any thoughts.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I always tell my clients to never lose hope. Trying to make a decision as to whether or not to proceed is a personal one. I can’t answer it for you and no one else should either. I have known some dogs to do very well with weakness or paralysis. But it takes a dedicated family and lots of TLC. I tell people to give it two to three weeks IF they can manage pain and the care it entails. I hope this helps and I wish you the best.
Thank you for your message. Have you ever heard of dogs with recurring IVDD. We are both committed to doing what we have to do. We are both home full time. We have decided this is not about us but about Kody. Is there something in addition to IVDD like a progressive form of this disease that some dogs have that would cause multiple episodes so close to each other. My husband thinks he is pre-maturely aging.
Hi, on November 23 our dog Darla was diagnosed with IVDD and was put on cage rest and given meds. As of today I feel like she’s gotten worse. She used to walk some when we took her outside to use the bathroom. Now she refuses to walk unless she really needs to go. And it’s only a few steps. Whereas before she would walk way more. Her front legs now are weak and her paws don’t flip over like they did. She does react with all legs when I pinch between the toes. The front legs are more delayed but she does pull them in. She doesn’t seem to be in pain anymore as she used to yelp out and whine when we picked her up. We’ve been to two vets (the second to get another opinion) and both agreed to the original findings. We have started cold laser therapy and she’s had one session so far. I’ve also started doing physical therapy on her after watching your YouTube videos etc. is there anything else I should do? She used to wag her tail and now just seems so sad. Is it possible for her to loose so much muscle mass that she’s so weak? When the weighed her she had lost 3 lbs but the vet said it was because she hasn’t been active. I can feel her bones protruding out. (she was small to begin with and was very active) she does eat and drink normal. The second vet did say I could give more pain and muscle relaxer.( every 8 hours as opposed to 12) Maybe the muscle relaxer i need to cut back on? I’m just at a loss and so sad she isn’t getting back to normal by now.
Hello,
I think there is always a question of mental health and physical health. So. Make sure she is getting enough physical therapy and emotional therapy. A bored and lonely and painful dog is a withdrawn and depressed dog. Also discuss other options for mobility. Like swimming or a cart. And get outside. A lot! Dogs needs to be getting their nose in the air and feeling involved in the world. They also need to be consistently monitored for medical complications and changes. I hope this helps. Let me know.
Thank you so much for your reply!! We for sure try to get her out as much as possible. I’m using a harness to help her and she walks with her back legs. We walk a lot in the back. We even went for a walk and made her a nice bed in a stroller and took her for a stroll. I just find it odd laser treatments are not working ( she’s had two now) and I see no improvement. I’m pretty sure she’s lost more weight despite eating normally. I will have them weigh her the next time I take her in. Also she was able to walk before…just slowly and it was her back legs that were affected. She walked fine before with her front. I don’t understand why she would all of a sudden not want to use her front legs. She’s been on crate rest etc for a month and a half now. So now way of her injuring herself again. When researching it seemed like once dogs had pain managed they were back to normal even though they couldn’t physically do things yet since they need to heal. But they are wagging their tails and seem back to themselves…personality wise. Also- now on both front legs she has redness over where some of her bones are. One bone looks larger then the other leg. Not sure if it’s red because she’s been licking those areas but I haven’t seen her lick since she doesn’t move much laying down. I think our next step is to do an X-ray to rule out other things like tumors or bone cancer because in my gut I feel there’s something going on. I will keep you updated!
My 18 month old Tonkinese cat is blocked. Not fully but mostly. I can express drops at a time. He’s dehydrated and his levels are a little off. He’s had bloodwork and urinealysis done. We need to get him unblocked and we don’t have thousands of dollars ????????????
Hello,
I know how incredibly expensive this can be. I also know that there are options to help relieve the condition and urgency that might not be as expensive. I don’t know where you are or what availability there is, but, please call everyone and ask for help. In some cases these cats can be placed on medications like anti inflammatories, anti spasmodics and pain medications with a cystocentesis to remove the urine in the bladder. There are treatment options outside of the ideal and most expensive but you have to ask and keep asking for help you can afford. Please let me know if you find anyone to help so we can pass it forward. I want to save all of these cats. I need help from cases like yours to start this. I would also call of the rescues and shelters and foundations around you for advice. See if they can help financially or with advice as to where to go for affordable options. I hope this helps.
Thank you SO much for this info. I will!!! We are in Nashville. So sorry I forgot to mention that. I tweeted you too ????????
My dog is13 1/2 years old. He is a dachshund/German Shepard mix. More dachshund. He has 5 fatty tumors that have all been biopsied and are not cancerous. They do seem to continue to grow in size. Not substantially but still grow. He had to go In for emergency surgery 2 years ago from cutting his artery in one of his paws during a walk. He has been a little different since then. More afraid of things. Urinates in the house every so often. I don’t know if it is from the surgery or just his age. But my question is whether or not I should have his Tumors removed with his age and how he responded to his last surgery. He is in very good health except for one health issue one time. A year ago he fell down and couldn’t walk. Took him to the vet. They kept him over night. They said it was old dogs disease. It went away 2 days later and hasn’t returned. Other than that he is very healthy. Gets his vaccines, heart worm, tick and flea meds. So do I remove them at his age or leave them alone. I keep debating this in my head and can’t make the call. I want what is best for him. I just don’t want to chance issues with going under anesthesia.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Hi there ???? I think I would chat with the vet at his next checkup and see what their thoughts are. There is always a risk with surgery, but if the pros outweigh the cons, then the answer is obvious. At this stage though, if your vet feels they aren’t a threat and you feel that the dog’s quality of life isn’t effected, then those would be strong factors in determining what the next step would be. You and your vet know your guy best, so that would be where I would start my discussion. Best of luck!!!
Hello,
I agree with Sarah. This needs to be a decision that you make with the help and guidance of the surgeon. You can get as many opinions as you need but they need tone from someone who can examine your dog. Find a vet (or two or more, or even a boarded surgeon) and ask for advice. Very best of luck.
I have consulted my vet and she told me it was my decision. The tumors are not in the way of his normal every day activity, Yet. I’m just afraid left unchecked they might become too large to handle. I just don’t know what the recommendations are for an almost 14 year old dog in regards to surgery. I know with every surgery there is a risk and I would assume his risk is greater than others due to his age. My gut tells me to remove them but will they just grow back? My heart tells me to leave them alone due to the fear of losing him under anesthesia. I’m absolutely torn.
Just thinking more about your situation…. wondering if you could just have it with your vet to have more frequent visits to check the tumors and make sure they aren’t growing or changing? That might help give you some peace of mind should you opt out of surgery.
Good morning- if it is not warm to the touch, and she is not showing signs of distress (lack of appetite, lethargy, etc.) I would say it is just part of the healing process. You should be going in for a follow up exam shortly anyway I would assume. Your vet can check the incision and her healing process then. If you are concerned, or it is warm to the touch and she is showing other signs of trouble, I would call the vet who did the surgery and ask to have her seen immediately.
I agree with Sarah! I think it looks ok, but I never diagnose by a photo as you need to use all of your sense and fingers to assess a patient, Please call your vet and ask them to check it for you. Its always better to be safe than sorry. As long as she is acting normal I think you have a day or two to be seen. I hope this helps. Thank you for having her spayed.