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Diana | 5 years ago
My Vet Strongly Suspects My Cat Has A Nasal Polyp. She Has Be Snoring/snarling Consistently …

My vet strongly suspects my cat has a nasal polyp. She has be snoring/snarling consistently for 2.5 years, but is otherwise fine. When it began, I first had a potential infection treated with two antibiotics, followed by a teeth cleaning, that yielded no issues with the teeth, and ended with a nasal flush. My vet was hoping to be able to see and grab the polyp during the flush, but couldn’t. Because she was otherwise healthy, eating, and playing, I went without treating it. Recently, she was treated for a G.I. flair up that had her not eating. She had begun not eating or moving get bowels for days. Once vomiting was added in, I took her to Metropolitan Emergency Vet. They gave her an ultrasound, saw the inflammation and gas in her abdomen, took a CBC, gave her fluids and nausea medication and sent her home a couple hours later for $800. Her bloodwork was was fine, aside from dehydration. She continued not to eat, so I brought her to my vet a day and a half later. They did an x-ray and saw the lower intestine looked aggravated. They kept her for the weekend and gave her fluids and more nausea medication. She returned to me after two days and began eating again at home. I’m awaiting the additional $600 bill for that. While being discharged, one of the docs urged me to address what she felt strongly was likely a polyp in her nasal cavity, as she believed it may now be large enough that it’s limiting her ability to smell, which may have contributed to the refusal to eat with the G.I. issue coexisting for a few days. She referred me to the specialty docs locally to have the nasal polyp removed. They are quoting me $3,195 plus. They said it would be $195 for a internal med consult, $1,500 for a “necessary” CT, and $1,500 or more for the Rhinoscopy. My vet said Lilah is otherwise a healthy 12 year old cat. I am sick with the cost, as I will need to put it all on a credit card. I have called around to multiple other specialty vets and I’m getting comparable quotes. I have had family members suggest I euthanize my cat over a nasal polyp, which I absolutely will not do. I stumbled across a Utube video of you removing a nasal polyp, so I tracked you down by name, wondering if you could help Lilah? I’m two hours from your practice, which is close enough. I’d really appreciate you getting back to me. As of now, we have a consult scheduled for 3/4, and I’m sick over the cost.

Thank you,
Diana Maginn

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Well! That’s quite a huge long laundry list of issues. Has anyone done a FeLV/ FIV test? What does the blood work look like?
    While no one can rule out a polyp without a scope or ct scan this does sound like a long list of issues and I worry there is an underlying issue causing many of them. I would ask your vet to sedate her and look behind the soft palate to see if there is a visible polyp that might be able to be removed with traction avulsion. Otherwise I think the retro flex endoscopy and ct are the only way to diagnose. Although I would ask some very hard and direct questions about what can actually be done if they’d one it buried dee within the nasal cavity? I hope this helps.

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Aimee | 5 years ago
We Brought A Re-homed Cat Home To Our House One Week Ago. She Is 4 Years Old, …

We brought a re-homed cat home to our house one week ago. She is 4 years old, spayed, up to date on shots and healthy. She came from a multi-cat and dog house to our single-dog house. Her previous owner says she had no problem standing up for herself against other cats and the dog (reports the other cats are much more willing to come out of hiding since she has been removed). We have noticed that she is shy and skittish, but eating and drinking. She spends most of her day hiding under a bed.

Unfortunately she refuses to use her litter box (so far preferring kids closets and under desks). We’ve taken a step back and confined her to a single room. She has a clean litter box. Food, toys and bed are at the opposite side of the room. We’ve also confined the dog to a separate part of the house

None of this is ideal. We have few doors, so keeping them apart also keeps the humans apart. I can put food or litter in another part of the house, but the cat is more likely to encounter the dog if I do that.

Thoughts?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In general I take the ridiculously slow and gradual approach to new cats joining the family. I do the following. I place a big cage with a little box in it and place that in a room by itself. The new cat is kept there with a big blanket covering as much of the big cage as needed until everything is calm and happy. This means the new cat is coming to you and purring. Using the litter box and eating normally. It can take weeks. We let them get used to their own new place before expecting them to adapt to ours. After they are doing well we open rhe big cache and let them acclimate to their own room. Now they can sniff the other animals under the door until that is also calm and peaceful. No hissing at others under the door. If that goes well so short small supervised visits with others housemates. If any thing doesn’t go well go back to bases. Ideally the cage and box stay accessible until the new cat is using the community boxes. If all else fails go back to small and safe. Cats need time and patience and they don’t always adapt well. Also super important to talk to your vet and rule out any issues. Think about different litter and litter boxes. Let you cat decide which they like. Hope that this helps.

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Kelly | 5 years ago
It Has Been About 3 Weeks Since My Stray Cat Snow Had Her Stomatitis Flare Up Again, …

It has been about 3 weeks since my stray cat Snow had her stomatitis flare up again, she will eat periodically if I cut up deli meat very small or mash Max cat venison canned food for her, the randomness of her eating isn’t likely enough to sustain her but as I mentioned before she won’t let me trap her for a vet visit. Is there something over the counter I can add to the food that I manage to get in her to reduce inflammation and is there a normal time frame that inflammation will subside on it’s own?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I haven’t had much luck with anything long term over the counter. In most cases the only way to get long term relief is with a full mouth extraction of all of the teeth. This should be done by a veterinarian who is proficient and comfortable with this. And unfortunately that can be expensive. I have tried steroids, antibiotics, cold laser therapy and even 1-TDC (available on line). Please ask your vet if any of these might help. I wish you the best. This disease is such a terrible one.

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terry smith | 5 years ago
My 16-1/2 Year Old Calico Has Been On Prednolisone Since August. Even Though She Was Still …

My 16-1/2 year old calico has been on prednolisone since August. Even though she was still eating normally she went from about 9 pounds to 7.2 pounds in a year. Tests showed everything was good with the exception of inflamed intestines. Being on the prednolisone has helped her gain weight again, she now weighs about 8.4 pounds. Within the past month on occasion she has started howling very loudly for no apparent reason. She doesn’t seem to be in any pain, sometimes it actually seems as though she’s confused. Any ideas on what could be causing her howls? What can I do to help her? Dr Graff has been her vet since she was a tiny kitten, I would bring Pumpkin in if necessary but hate the idea of stressing her out in doing so. Thanks for any suggestions.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I think it would be best to bring her in. In cases like these I get worried about kidney and liver issues and these are best diagnosed with bloodwork and/or an ultrasound. Certainly dementia can happen to any and all mammals but we rule out medical issues first. Dr graf is at the clinic on mon-weds through Saturday. I hope this helps. Best of luck.

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Kate Reisinger | 5 years ago
My 15 Month Old Pitbull Golden Retriever Is Currently On Purina Pro Plan & Always Has Been. …

My 15 month old pitbull golden retriever is currently on Purina Pro Plan & always has been. Recently I have heard many people & Facebook groups compare Pro Plan to “feeding them McDonald’s”. I do everything in my power to make sure my little guy eats the best & stays in the best shape but this scares me.. is this really something that he should not be eating? This food brand was recommended by his vet but recently I’ve heard more bad than good. I would never forgive myself if this food led to future health issues. Is there another brand that we could switch to? Is Purina actually that bad? Should a homemade raw diet be an option? I could use some help

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  1. Sarah

    I would trust your vet. Your vet is the person with the degree and the one who actually went to school that possesses a good education on this subject, not a Facebook group. If you’re concerned and want more information, start at your vet’s office. I can tell you that we have always used Purina with all of our dogs and they have always been quite healthy. In fact one of our German shepherds is almost 15 and that is rare for this breed. Again, I would talk to your vet since they are the one who would know best. Good luck!!????????

  2. Laura

    Pro Plan isn’t Beneful (which actually is trash), and is the most common food fed to show and sport dogs. If your dog does well on it, don’t change it.

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Bones | 5 years ago
We Have A Puppie Shar Pie That Has An Enlarged Heart, He Is About 2 Weeks Old.. …

We have a Puppie Shar Pie that has an enlarged heart, He is about 2 weeks old.. He is having a hard time eating and isn’t nursing very well, we are trying to supplement with puppy formula but it’s not seeming to work. He isn’t growing very much and has a real hard time with eating and resting he has to sleep with his head up or he doesn’t rest well.. He has a sister that’s almost double his size since they where born.. he was a lil larger than her to start. but we are just asking if anyone has dealt with this successfully.. we are trying just about everything we can think of.. we just don’t want to lose him.. and we can’t afford the vet bill to have them do what they can we took him in to start is why we know he has an enlarged heart. Anyways any help here would be appreciated..

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  1. Sarah

    I think with such a precarious situation, you should consider making a plan with your vet- be upfront with your budget and explain that you both want to help this puppy, but it has to be an affordable plan. I am quite sure that they will help you in that regard. If not, I personally would find another vet. I do not know the chances of survival, but I’m guessing they are unfortunately low, since there really is no cure.???? I know in older dogs, meds and diet play a huge roll. Being that this puppy is so young, I really would speak with the vet and see if there is something more that can be done. Best of luck????

  2. Krista Magnifico

    I think that these cases are almost impossible to manage without a big price tag attached. This is most likely a congenital defect and without surgery or radical intervention the prognosis is often very poor. I’m sorry about this. I would reach out the every person and university you can find to see if anyone will take this case on. I would also recommend that you offer to give him up for the chance of saving his life. Maybe someone will invest the time and resources needed to give him a fighting chance. I’m sorry again.

  3. Bones Post author

    Update. I’m sorry, I have bad news. He passed away last night.. ;( My wife is very sad, she was very close to him. We tried very hard to do what we could. Thanks, everyone for the comments. Where we live in Central Oregon, there isn’t a lot of options. We called most of the vets here in our area, no one was willing to do anything without a huge price tag to it. But thank you again, it is very much appreciated.

    1. Sarah

      ????I’m so sorry. Know that you have him the most comfortable hit of time you could while he was here.

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Julie | 5 years ago
My 8 Year Old Dachshund, Ruben, Was Diagnosed With IVDD One Week Ago By An Emergency Vet …

My 8 year old Dachshund, Ruben, was diagnosed with IVDD one week ago by an emergency vet after we weren’t able to speak or get an appointment with our regular vet. This was his second flare up but this time he lost movement and feeling in both his back legs. The vet told us he had no deep pain sensation. Surgery was not a financial option for us so we opted to bring him home and try conservation treatment. Living with a paralyzed dog does not overwhelm me but I do need him to get back his personality and not be in pain anymore.
We are so disappointed with our current vet and how everything played out the day Ruben had his flare up and became paralyzed. We have made calls to a new vet clinic and are waiting to get into their earliest appointment with an educated vet.
From the emergency vet, Ruben was sent home with 4 medications, Tramadol, Metacam, Robaxin, and Gabapentin. It has been one week and he appears to be in much less pain and his body is relaxed, the quivering has stopped and he doesn’t often cry. We stopped giving him the Metacam two days ago because he had all of the side effects that the drug prescribed and we didn’t feel that he needed it for pain management.
In the last two days his appetite has gone downhill, eating very small amounta but then turning away. Even his favourite foods like cheese he wants nothing to do with. He is still drinking water but only when I use a syringe into his mouth.
He has also become extremely lethargic and seems depressed/sad to the point where he won’t move or lift his head without our assistance. All he does is lay there and sleep. We move him around in different positions and he doesn’t cry in pain when we move him, he just doesn’t seem to care. We can flip him over from one side to another and he won’t even life his head. Nothing we do warrants any type of excitement from him. I am terrified he’s losing all his strength and have no idea if this is a normal part of the healing process or if there is something else wrong with him. He does not have bladder control but is peeing often uncontrolled. He also has semi consistent bowel movements, at least one small one per day. No diarrhea but there was some tarry black stool.
My vet appointment is Wednesday, 4 days away still, trying to get in sooner with them but I just don’t know if I should be taking him back to emergency. Please help.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    As with all of these cases they need fairly intensive monitoring and care for the first few weeks. They need the help and guidance of both a dedicated and devoted family and a vet care professional who can closely supervise and assist. In most cases in person every few days until things get settled. I would talk to your vet about which meds are best long term. In my opinion And in the extremely debilitating cases like this I use a steroid bs an NSAID. But this is something you have to discuss with your vet. You also have to understand what each drug does and how it affects your dog. I have to juggle meds for risk versus benefit and not eating might be due to one of the medications. It is also a discussion to have if you are considering a steroid as it can cause gi issues like the NSAID can. Also some of your medications cause sedation which might affect eating. I know how hard these cases are to manage and I wish you luck. Make sure you Keep your dog lean and muscular as this also precipitates back issues. Let us know. Best of luck again

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Kelly | 5 years ago
I Seen The You Tube Video On A Stray Cat With Stomatitis And How The Care …

I seen the you tube video on a stray cat with stomatitis and how the care giver was taking her into his home to care for her. I have a cat that had been diagnosed with stomatitis in Sept 2019. I managed to trap her while she was in one of the outdoor shelters and took her to a vet after she stopped eating and acted like she was afraid of her food. Up until about 4 days I have helped her manage the issue by getting her to eat pate foods that I add some water to and make more like a soup or lickable treat. Now she won’t eat that, and she won’t even come near me. If I go out to visit her she runs like she is afraid of me even though she typically allows me to pet her. The next problem is she isn’t using any of the shelters so I have no way to tra her. I know she won’t go into a trp on her own and I can’t lure her with food. So my question is will this subside over a period of days so she can eat again or will she just starve to death and not allow me to help her?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    if she is not eating because her mouth is too painful to prehend and swallow food then I am very afraid that she will not be able to eat. I dont know how to offer advice for treating her without having her examined and her condition(s) understood so that she can be helped. Thank you for caring about her. This is such a terrible disease and so painful for these cats.

    1. Kelly Post author

      Does the swelling and pain subside on it’s own over time if it isn’t treated?
      It’s so sad because she won’t let me help her, but I think she really wants to. ????
      When I helped her the first time she was so grateful I think she new I saved her. When she got back home she mauled me for attention even slept on my bed which she has never done, she normally would come in house for a little while to get a nice nap in a cat bed near door and then cry to go out.

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Aisha | 5 years ago
My 4 1/2-year-old Cat Minnie All Of A Sudden Last Saturday Was Lethargic To The Point She …

My 4 1/2-year-old cat Minnie all of a sudden last Saturday was lethargic to the point she slept the entire day, then Sunday a lot of the same where she not interacting, not her normal playful, loving self. It started to look like her eyes where crossed, and she would curl up in a ball. I took her to the vet last Monday – she was there all day and they suspect head cavity polyps, meningitis, or CNS however when the Dr. put her under, she was not able to find anything. Not sure if she checked behind the soft pallet, but will ask in the am. I was referred to a neurologist at that time; they have her a 14 day antibiotic and a steroid injection. She seemed to be doing good, and somewhat back to herself, so I canceled the request for an appt as they did not even have any openings, but the next day Tuesday she was feeling horrible again, sneezing, head tilting, off-balance walk, walking in a circle favoring her left side. Her eyes are watery and run almost like she is crying, and she has this reverse snort/cough. She does still have a good appetite, is eating, peeing and pooping, but is extremely lethargic and I can tell she is still miserable and at time seems like she will not make it. Took her back on Friday, did another exam and they say she still needs some type of imaging to see what is wrong. I am thinking can’t they look to see if there are polyps endoscopically and then just remove them at the same time? Or does she have to go through a complete neurological exam although it may not be necessary? I can’t afford 2-3 k for all the diagnostics then surgery but will do my best to pay if it is necessary. I am terribly worried for her as she is just doing horrible and I hate to see her in so much pain and want to get this resolved for her as quickly as possible.

4 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    I would write everything down… symptoms, changes in them, appetite, sleep patterns, change in behavior, even things that you’ve previously discussed with the vet…. I would also be upfront and ask exactly what you’ve asked here. Be honest about your budget and your concerns. Ask about all of your suspicions. Hope things work out for you both????????

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    this sounds like more of a brain/CNS problem than a polyp. I would make sure that a full blood work panel is done, a fecal, and urine too. I would also inquire about FeLV/FIV status. If you cannot afford the specialists I would ask about which medical therapies might help.. In the symptoms you describe I would make sure this isn’t an ear issue and start looking for possible causes to the clinical signs she is showing. I would also seek the opinion of a feline only specialist. In my practice I have fund them to be as good, or even better than the boarded internal medicine and neurology specialists. I hope this helps, keep us posted. And good luck!

    1. Aisha Post author

      Thanks, Dr. Magnifico…..I had to rush her to the ER due to labored breathing and unresponsiveness and they too were not sure and were really all over the place, but thanks to your video on how to keep pet care affordable, I was able to leave there paying 241.88 instead of 4500 – 5000 to start. I am trying to spend what I have like you said more on the treatment if it comes to that. I was able to get another local vet to at least do some X-rays and go in endoscopically for a start for which my vet would not do. At least from there, I can hopefully get more information on which direction to go. They did give her additional Antibiotics and more meds for the symptoms and she has been better all day. Thank you, Dr. Magnifico, for the advice……and that you are. May God Bless you!

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Kari | 5 years ago
Female Cat With Urinary Blockage

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

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    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

  2. Kari Post author

    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?