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Hi, where are you located? My cat has something wrong with her esophagus, I was told by the vet after I did (X-rays, blood work, urine exam and it was like $1000.00) that I have to go to a specialist and they said they need to put a camera to see what it is and that alone cost $2200.(they said that would be just to look at what is going on and does not include treatment.) I cannot afford it because I live alone. I have two cats and I’m just doing my best, (I just moved as a single young woman by myself with my 2 cats to a new state and just trying my best) if I had the money I would’ve definitely done it right now.
The vet gave me some thing to coat her esophagus(SUCRALFATE) to try to help but I don’t see a difference(she licks her food and coughs & it discourages her from eating but I know she wants to eat) and I don’t know what else to do. I feel so very helpless, I was wondering where you are located, maybe I can get her help,she really needs help right now. Her name is Penelope and I love her.
My email is sheenar2265@gmail.com
Babybear had his 2nd blockage which now the cost is 1,600 I live in Vero beach Florida and these vets are notorious for charging you as much as they can .
Unfortunately it’s gotten me to the point of having to make A difficult decision you see? I adopted baby bear from the pound and I had no idea that male cats were prone. To this urinary blockage.
I only make a little bit of money and if I don’t find Somebody that can treat him for a fair amount of Money. I will have to give him up when I first brought him in. It was 8 o’clock at night and they took a minute and they charge me. I think the first cost was like, almost $300. Just to look at, um, no, no, give me some pills and sent me home. Then at 12 midnight, he just. Started laboring and I had to bring him back. And that was another $600. Which day just put a calendar in relieved to urine? And set me home with some more pain. Medicine and an anti inflammator a month later, it happened again. And I took them to my vet. Thinking that it was going to be a lot more reasonable. Well, that’s not the case at the end of the day. She took a minute, she. You know how to know how to add it to? She, I guess relieved Tim and then church me. I think it was 760 dolland the only medication she gave me was antibiotics which I had to pay for on top of that this has become a real heartbreaking situation. I need help, I need a good vet. I live in Vero Beach, Florida. Help me, I’m baby bear.
Hello,
I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this. Unfortunately, once a kitty has a blockage, we typically see it reoccur in some cases. I would highly suggest that you talk to your vet about a PU surgery (Perineal urethrostomy). It is a surgical method for alleviating a urethral obstruction. We also always recommend switching your cat to a veterinary recommended Urinary diet for the rest of your kitty friends life.
Hope this helps some!
To add to my original response, I would talk to your vet about fluids and pain meds to do at home. Also, if your kitty will eat wet food, We highly suggest it over dry.
have him on science diet dry he will not eat wet food got him back after they unblocked him could not afford 2days for iv they want to charge me 2000$ to 3000 for that I paid 800$ first time it happened and 760$ this time he’s on antibiotics for 15 days and gabapentin at night I live in southeast Florida I cannot find anyone that is not out of control with cost either I fly to you for PU I know you in jerettville MD I called your office yesterday to see if can set up a consultation over the phone please I love him I don’t want take him back to rescue I work at CVS low income but I will spend my savings to get this done .
When I found you on utube I was relieved somebody arm and leg and compassion please call I work mon I’m off today and tomorrow anytime mon before 1pm hopefully he will not block again.
He’s a sweet boy
I have never had a male when I rescued him if I were to know a out this problem .
Please help I don’t want to take him back.
Hello,
Your cat and this issue are not uncommon. I hear about cases like yours all the time.
As we try to figure out a plan for you and your kitty I will need your help in providing as much information as possible on what was done, where and how much it cost.
There is a storyline section where all of this can be added. My hope is to find a way to help everyone in your predicament. And I cannot possibly do every cat and every pu surgery.
So let’s start with the immediate. Your cat needs fluids. And we need to try to figure out how to get your cat off dry food. You can do rhis by gradually adding wet food under or around dry food. And if you are struggling with getting wet food in go to a prescription urinary diet.
Also ask your vet (and you really need a good vet) to show you how to give sq fluids at home. I have my cleints do it daily for days or weeks. The hope is that we flush the bladder with them.
I also lean heavily on pain meds. Ask your vet about gabapentin or buprinex. I use Pred for weeks.
Ask for help on social media to find someone locally who can do a pu surgery affordably. You can try the vet school also.
When I started out I had clients go through the rescue so I was doing the surgery for the rescue and not the client. It allowed me to cut costs and get these cats treated with minimal liability and expense.
My point is that I don’t give up. I hope you don’t either. I will help but we have to figure this out for cats everywhere.
Krista
I have a male tuxedo, his name is babybear. I’ve had him for 3 months, and in the 2 months hes had 2 blockages. I’m beside myself. I adopted him and now I think I might have to take him back to the pound. Because the vets in my area wanna charge me. $6000 for PU surgery. Please help me Christie, I’m willing to fly him to you. I only make $16 an hour. But I know you don’t charge as much as these bets. So please help help me and baby bear. I did call your office, so please get back to me. My name is Lisa
Hello,
I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty.
I don’t know where you are but if I can help I will. I think that for these cats a few things might help.
One learn how to palpate your cats bladder
Monitor the litter box really closely. Keep it very clean
Use a prescription urinary food that your vet recommends. If you cannot afford one use a high quality canned food and add water. Try to remove all dry food
Ask for a steroid to help inflammation and pain
Have you cat stay on iv fluids in the hospital for as long as possible. For my clinic I advocate for theee days.
Ask anyone and everyone locally (rescue and shelters) to see if anyone locally does a PU surgery affordably.
You can find me on social media and DM me
Good luck
Krista.
Hello, I have a few questions regarding a paralyzed kitten.
Background: i work in a shelter in Germany and the kitten was brought to us 2 weeks ago with paralyzed hindlegs & tail. No obvious injuries and no bones are broken. What caused this is unknown. He already had atrophied muscles and slight missing fur where the joints craped on the ground, so we guessed whatever caused it was a while ago.
He doesn’t react if you pinch the hindlegs or tail, and he can’t urinate (he will loose urine whent he bladder is full) on its own and looses it’s faeces unvoluntarely. When at rest the legs will be bent backwards at the knees and a bit rotated, sometimes they spontaneously shiver and he extends/pulls in. I have started to move and massage his legs and place them “correct” position while he sits/eats. There is movement in there – but not conscious. If I touch between the toes they will spread, if I touch the inside ot the thighs he will stretch the legs and if I touch the underside of the foot he will pull them in and curl the toes. But it’s not controlled, more like reflex.
Is it a good sign that the nerves react to soemthing, even if not conscious? I wonder it braces could help him to keep his hindlegs from overbending/bending inwards when he runs/plays, so his joints/tendons don’t take damage from the constant “wrong” placement.
Our vet has not much experience with paralyzed cats, so i thought asking around doesn’t hurt. She is very sceptical that we can help him and is mostly concerned if he can’t urinate on his own. He currently gets medication to help his bladder to better contract – which seems to help somewhat. There is more tension in there and he reacts more when we express his bladder. He has a muscle tonus in his sphincter, too. But also no concious control.
I can add photos tomorrow, currently I only have a video that’s too big.
I’m open for any ideas. Thanks so much!
hello,
I am so sorry to hear about this kitten. I think that there are some answers that I jut cannot give without an in person exam, but, I also think that the recovery is very very unlikely if you have muscle atrophy. I also think that there is no other species on the planet that can adapt and overcome anything better than a kitten.
As long as you can manage the ability to urinate and defecate and keep him safe and happy (he needs toys and attention and to still feel like a fierce predator and playful kitten) then it is perfectly fine to have a pet with a disability.
I would not use a splint or any kind of bandage, they cause more problems than they are worth.
See if you can find this kitten a home and make sure that the the new parents are able to palpate the bladder and colon and make sure they are passing feces easily and emptying the bladder completely (urine retention can lead to urinary tract infections) and make sure they are spayed/neutered before 6 months old.
Also make sure the home is handicapped safe.
I hope this helps.
thank you for caring about the ones other people overlook. You are an amazing human!
krista
Hi! Paralyzed cat mom here????
Your story sounds a lot like mine when Hamilton arrived. He came to us around 5-6 weeks old with no obvious wounds or breaks. We weren’t sure what to do but give him a chance..
He is unable to urinate and defecate on his own so therefore this is something I do every day multiple times.
This friends are hard to care for but easy if you have the patience and willingness to do so.
As my kitty got a little bigger, we looked into a wheel chair for him(he hates it). I learned he was better on his own scooting around. Some days he wears a diaper, but you have to be careful with this as they need cleaned every time they pee.
As far as expressing the bladder, you have to find what you’re most comfortable with and what the cat is comfortable with. My kitty doesn’t really like anyone expressing his bladder but myself because because we have our “routine”.
Hoping this kitty excels in life and gets all the love he deserves! We are here to help and I’m happy to share tips/tricks that I have learned myself along the way!!!
-Autumn
Hello
Help needed!
My cat disappeared for 4 days, and when he came back, he was limping
I took him to nearby pet clinic, they gave him some pain killer and told me to get his X-rays done since they didn’t have that facility
After getting his X-rays done, the doctor determined that he had broken his leg into 3 pieces and says there’s not much he can do about my cat
Gave me medicine and some spray to apply on his leg, and that’s about it
Also says, he doesn’t see surgery giving any results
The services here are not that great, what should I do?
I have seen some videos where cats heal after giving them 5-6 weeks of cage rest
He’s basically the same as he was before, plays, eats food, sleeps, but with a broken leg of-course
will giving him cage rest work out for him as well? I have attacehed the x-rays photo below
Please help me out, I don’t know what to do…
Hello,
If you cannot afford to see a surgeon for assistance on how to fix the fracture then I believe that the next best option is to try cage rest for 8 weeks (and yes it is a long 8 weeks) is the best way to helm them.
They must stay in the cage and rest. I know it can be hard to do but it has worked miracles in many of my patients.
Good luck.
Keep us posted.
Thanks alot for your reply!
one more question
is it fine if he’s confined in 1 room? instead of a cage
my room is not that big, just a normal sized room
he basically sleeps on my bed, jumps down to eat food, walks a bit, shouts at me to open door so he can go outside, which I have not done yet, and then goes back to sleep
will 1 room work or is cage absoulute necessary?
The idea is to stop them from jumping.
On/off your bed is not going to help healing. Cage is best, here.
I just learned from Dr Magnifico that little white dogs love their bladder stones.
I have a little white dog. She does not have bladder stones as far as I can tell and I’d like to keep it that way. She’s a maltese, about five or six years old, a puppy mill rescue I adopted about seven months ago. I also have a 13-year-old dorkie and a vet I’ve been seeing for almost 25 years.
I’m lazy and don’t count on myself to brush my dogs’ teeth so I’ve always fed my dogs Hills Science Diet t/d (large size kibble). They also get rawhide chews sold by my vet. The maltese’s stool is very dry compared to the dorkie’s.
Is there anything I should be doing to reduce the risk of bladder stones? Half wet food half kibble, maybe? Flavour their water?
Thank you!
Alison
Hello!
The best ways that I know to avoid bladder stones is a good diet. Leaving fresh clean water available at all times and checking a urine every 6-12 months. Also on some little dogs I can palpitate rhe bladder for clues about its contents. If you want to be super pro active an X-ray or ultrasound is the best diagnostic tool for looking inside the bladder.
Good luck! Thanks for the question
Thank you! I will follow up with regular palpation and urine testing.
Could my dogs’ diet be better in the context of bladder stones?
My dog just had puppies today. She seems like she is warm because she is panting. She has had water and food and the puppies are nursing. I don’t want the puppies to get cold but how can I make it more comfortable for her? I have a heat pad on low with several layers of a towel on top of it. Maybe I should remove that?
This is a question you should ask your repro vet, because they’ve been monitoring her through the pregnancy…
Right?
Hi,
I’m watching a cat for a neighbor for about a month in my apartment. The cat throws up food every 6 days or so. It smells horrible, like raw sewage. I’ve had cats of my own before and I don’t recall any of them vomiting and having it smell as bad as this cat’s vomit. She actually eats relatively slowly, so she’s not inhaling her food in 3 seconds. She’s not that big of a cat, I was told to give her 1 can of Fancy Feast per day ( broken up into 3 feedings per day for that 1 can). She eats it all on the spot, no leftovers. I also give her small handful of dry food when I’m at work for 8 hours so she doesn’t get too hungry during that time. And maybe a few more grains of dry food if she begs me. Dry food isn’t her favorite, but she’ll eat it there’s nothing else. Can anyone offer advice about why her vomit smells like raw sewage? It’s so bad it makes me wretch. She’s basically a happy cat, doesn’t seem otherwise sick or displaying any odd behaviors. Thanks so much for any help.
Hello,
There are a few things that this might be.. diet,, maybe try a different food, one that is made for cats with sensitive stomachs, intestinal parasites ( this is determined by sending a fecal sample to your vets office for analysis), or a disease of the gi tract… maybe even bad teeth? My point is that this is a case where a veterinarian should be consulted to help rule in or out, some of these.
Good luck.
My cat was constipated this morning (he has other issues, but this was the key problem this morning). The vet said I could give him Miralax, which I did. I knew it was kicking in because my cat started yowling a bit, most likely because he was feeling cramps. It’s a struggle because I don’t want him to feel bad but I know this is part of the problem with giving a laxative. Does anyone have a suggestion about what I can do “in the mean time” to make him feel better while we wait for him to defecate? Heating pad? Warm rice pad? Cold pad? Just rubbing his belly softly? Thanks!
For cats with constipation issues I recommend a high quality canned food only diet and lots of exercise. If you are worried about pain please talk to your vet about safe options for cats. There are not a lot of them.
Thank you. Since we’re dealing with several other health issues my cat has been less mobile, which I know was part of the problem.
Hello,
I do not have an endoscope. These are typically only found at a specialty office.
Has your vet taken an X-ray? At my clinic we sue them and forward them to a radiologist. They are often able to give a diagnosis.
We are in northern Maryland. Jarrettsville Veterinary Center