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Kristen Masters | 6 years ago
My Two Year Old Jackabee Has Started Expressing His Anal Glands All Over My Furniture…

My two year old jackabee has started expressing his anal glands all over my furniture! This has become a new thing over the past year for him (maybe once every three months) but this week he has done it four times and my husband even emptied them for him once this week! There have been no changes to his diet. He eats a spoon full of pumpkin every day.
Please give me some advice!!!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I have loads and loads of patients with this problem. I wrote a whole blog on it. In general many pets have this issue. I think a few things are important to discuss. One of you are emptying them make sure it is with a recital approach. Lots of people are not willing to insert a finger into the rectum and therefore they aren’t emptied completely or fully. Second I don’t think diet or pumpkin does much good. Third if it is a constant chronic problem ask your vet about anal sacculectomy. Or surgical removal of the anal sacs. This should be done by an experienced surgeon. Lastly try not to get upset. Your pup can’t hwlp it. I hope this helps.

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Jillian Fouts | 6 years ago
I Have A Senior Cat Who Goes Into Labored Open Mouth Breathing When He Is…

I have a senior cat who goes into labored open mouth breathing when he is in a hard purr and also has wheezing and snoring but otherwise acts normal – eats, drinks, and is active for his age. The snoring is even when he’s not in a deep slumber and it can be an airy rattle if that makes sense and he has a little squeak when he swallows. I saw your video on the cat with a polyp and thought maybe this could be what he has except that he’s almost 17 so the vet suggested it probably isn’t since that’s more of a young cat thing but did suggest a scope and CT which will cost me 2500-3500 and he will have to be put under. In reading about breathing, heart disease can also cause breathing problems and since he has heart disease I would hate to spend all the money and put him through that to be told the scope didn’t show anything. I’ve also been reading about asthma, but my regular vet nor the specialist even mentioned that it could be that and from what I’ve read, it’s hard to diagnose. He’s a flame point Siamese and he has early ckd and some heart disease (stage 3/4 systolic murmur and hypertension), so I’m nervous about putting him under. Aside from these “old man” things, the specialist and my regular vet say his labs are spectacular. The specialist said when she is presented with a cat that has these conditions, they bloodwork and labs never look this good. So I certainly don’t want to put him down if he looks good but I also feel like he can’t be comfortable with these breathing episodes. One thing to note, when they did bloodwork a couple of weeks ago, his eosinophils were elevated which I have read can be linked to upper respiratory and asthma. Im putting the link to videos of the wheezing and purring to see if you’ve ever seen such a thing in a cat. I sure wish I had you closer by. Thank you so much!
Jill

Wheezing https://youtu.be/gaf7WCRzu80

Purr/breathing https://youtu.be/kqnd4YORenY

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    hello,

    i reviewed your videos, i think that it is appears as if the wheezing is in the oropharynx area. It also appears to be primarily it the inspiratory phase of the purring/breathing.
    There are internal medicine specialists who focus on this kind of clinical sign. I am not sure if there are any in your area though? I think the best place to start is at a feline specialists office. They tend to be more affordable and accessible. See if they can help start to rule out things before you jump into a scope.
    In my practice for cases like these a typical work up looks like this;
    1. exam,,, use your brain,, its your best diagnostic tool.
    2. radigraphs,, to look at the lungs.. lots of older cats have chronic lower resp disease,,, and unfortunately, we are also looking for signs of cancer.
    3. blood work,, a full cbc, chem, urine and t4.
    4. oral exam under anesthesia,, i look at the whole oral cavity, remove a polyp if i find one, flush the nares if the patient has had chronic nasal discharge, and then I also take skull rads, esp of the nose/nasal passages.
    if all of this fails to produce any helpful info endoscopy is the next step.. or CT, but endoscopy allows helpful info and you can do something (biopsy, etc) if you find something.
    I hope this helps..
    PS i agree about your theory and feelings about the corp practices..
    good luck,
    please keep me posted,, i would love to hear about how things turn out.
    PSS i do think that your kitty is a little old for a polyp.

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Sarah | 6 years ago
Hi Pawbly Friends…. One Of Our GSD, Butch, Is In His Twilight Years, Approaching 14. It…

Hi pawbly friends….
One of our GSD, Butch, is in his twilight years, approaching 14. It has been very eventful here with the addition of two new GSD rescues since July, and there have been some scuffles, but everyone is managing great now. All the “teething troubles” seem to have been worked out. When we lost Butch’s best bud, he stopped eating and lost about half of his body weight. The rescues kind of helped put some pep back in his step and he is doing great. He’s still underweight, but not like before. My question is, I’m worried about preventatives. With so much of him gone, I’m afraid to give him his dose of parastar, but I also fear Lyme disease, especially given his age. Being that it isn’t winter, I hate to admit, I haven’t been giving him his dose. Now that spring is around the corner, I am more concerned about ticks because of the warmer weather. Thoughts on preventatives? Should I give a lower dose? Regular dose? Every other month? I’m just worried because he is compromised enough and underweight, but Lyme is also very serious and would be awful for him as well. Any advice is very appreciated. Thanks!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Preventatives are always tailored to the patient, their environment and risk of exposure. They are also dosed based on ideal body weight or current body weight in cases of current physical body status. In some cases I also use a drug that I am more comfortable with or have used for a longer time and have more experience with. I also always recommend that clients keep notes on when they were given and note any adverse reactions and then further tailor from there. I understand your concerns. For the last year of my pup Jekyll’s life I was very sparing on these. I only used them sporadically. But I did check a lot of fecal samples. I hope this helps. Xox to you all.

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Jennifer Taylor | 6 years ago
Roxy Needed A Second Opinion For Frequent Urination & Increased Thirst
Treatment Cost (USD): $1218.00
Frequent urination since October 2018 and increased thirst, history of frequent urinary tract infections, blood in urine and spay induced incontinence. In January of 2018 she began vomiting stomach contents within 5 minutes of eating a meal and also began having periods of confusion.
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Vedrana Vilusic | 6 years ago
Please People, We Need Help. My Friend’s Dog Suddently Started Licking And Swallowing Continuously. …

Please people, we need help. My friend’s dog suddently started licking and swallowing continuously. Here is the video

https://youtu.be/ooQxji1jsAU

What could this be?
He bathed the dog 2 days ago and she was eating the same food as before (some kibble). She was mainly in the house, except 2 walks daily for 15mins since its winter and freezing outside :/

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  1. Sarah

    A sudden change in behavior that is concerning should be seen by your vet. I would call and get the dog in as soon as you can.

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Pawbly | 6 years ago
My Guinea Pig Probably Has Something Stuck In Her Throat Like A Leaf Or Something…

My guinea pig probably has something stuck in her throat like a leaf or something. She tries to get it out by rubbing her face or making weird faces. What should I do? She seems calm after an hour but isn’t eating since it got stuck. Will she be able to get rid of it herself!?I tried to look but couldn’t see anything. It straight after she ate a waxy leaf I think. I’m extremely worried. No vet available at the moment

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I don’t typically see a foreign body stuck here, although it is possible. I worry more about infection and neoplasia. It is imperative to try to look inside her mouth very gently or find her a vet ASAP. Also try to rub her neck and throat to see if that resolves some of her discomfort. I hope she is feeling better soon

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Pawbly | 6 years ago
Hello, I Have A 12 Week Old Kitten Who Was Spayed 11 Days Ago. I Noticed…

Hello,
I have a 12 week old kitten who was spayed 11 days ago. I noticed after the 4th day that she had some swelling under her incision. I took her to the ER vet who did an US and said the internal stitches were still intact and there was no hernia. She aspirated some sanguious fluild and looked at it under the microscope and said she was infection free. The kitten had been confined to the bathroom since the spaying but I found out on the third day she was jumping in and out of the bathtub. Hard to keep a 12 week old kitten still and quiet! So after the vet visit we confined even more so- in a free standing shower for 5 days. I then noticed it was firmer- maybe 10% smaller- but definitely firmer looking- more defined. So back to the Er vet who did a second US and said all looked good- no hernia. She then said to let her out of the shower and resume normal activity- the serima should resolve. I was like what! That’s the opposite of what the other vet said. The kitten has been eating and acting normal all through this recovery period. I check the serima daily and it’s the same size. Do I let her tossel with her sibling? How long will it take for the body to reabsorb it? And why did it get firmer after she drained it? I’m so conflicted what to do. Some sites says it takes weeks- I might be impatient. The incision has almost completely healed and looks good. I’m so confused as to how I should be treating this!
Thanks so much!!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    These are all questions for the vet who did the surgery. In general kittens heal very very fast. I would guess she is fine at this point but you should ask your vet for their opinion. I hope you have a regular vet. The ER is for emergencies. Your vet is for the day to Day questions.

  2. Sarah

    Good morning.? I would start to make regular appointments at the vet you will be using… fo check ups, inoculations, etc. that way you will be able to establish a good relationship and they will get to know your kitten well making future visits easier and more relaxed. As far as your kitten’s spay- I agree, the vet that did the surgery is the best person to speak with. Best of luck and congrats on your kitten!

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Jennifer Taylor | 6 years ago
I Rescued A Young Golden Retriever In May. She Had Spent The Start Of…

I rescued a young Golden Retriever in May. She had spent the start of her life abandoned in a small cage, she was emaciated, covered in fleas and ticks and of course living in her own waste. She is a wonderful dog, everything is new and she has very much been a blank slate. She is well exercised, is very social with our other dogs and has successfully completed a basic obedience class and will be moving on to 2nd level training and beyond. Thankfully she does not hold her rough start in life against humans in the least. Her only downfall is that she eats stool from our other dogs in the yard. We keep the yard clean, however we have 5 dogs. Even cleaning the yard daily is likely to leave a pile. She will even wait for our smaller dog to go to eliminate so she can eat it as fresh as possible. I imagine that she probably ate her own feces when she was starving, I am quite sure that this is a learned behavior. Over the course of 5 years my family has fostered 80+ dogs. I know that this is a very hard habit to break, however “poop kisses” are rather disgusting so I would love some input on what has worked for others! Thank you in advance.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello My Dear Friend,
    My rescued beaglette does the same. She also has the same back story and yucky penchant for poop. Here’s what I do.. clean up waste asap (yes, honestly I am not the best at this as I recommend others to be). I also use a clicker or beeper to break her of it while she is doing it. Some non-vocal (she doesnt really want to listen to me anyway in the fever of the fervor to eat anything) cue to say “HEY! YES! I mean you need to stop that!” It takes a while but all of my other dogs have grown out of it.. It takes time and patience like everything else in life. Be with her at all times outside. Use a leash if you can to correct her at exactly the moment she goes for it, or use a whistle to get her attention,,, try to only use it for the absolute dire corrections so it doesnt get as monotonous as our voices have.

    Let me know what works for you guys.

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Pawbly | 6 years ago
Sushi Is My 12-year Old Cat With An Inoperable Cancerous Tumor. Last Weekend She Stopped…

Sushi is my 12-year old cat with an inoperable cancerous tumor. Last weekend she stopped eating and was vomiting bile. At the vet’s, her bloodwork showed high kidney and creatinine levels. After three days on an IV, her kidney levels returned to normal, but the creatinine remained high, confirming her cancer diagnosis. While the vet said she had been eating well in the office, since she came home three days ago, she has not eaten at all. We’ve tried everything: k/d wet and hard food, chicken and rice, her regular food, baby food, tuna, and Fresh Pet, but she hasn’t eaten anything, although she is drinking water. Sushi is very lethargic and stays in her hiding place most of the time. We go back to the vet in the morning, but I hate to put her through another stay at the vet’s if the results may be the same. Can anyone give me advice as to what I should do? I cannot stand the fact that she may be suffering.

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning. I’m so sorry about your cat. I am sure you must be struggling with “what should I do? Can I do more? Can I do anything?” I think a truthful conversation with your vet this morning is important. We had to put one of our dogs down this past June because of cancer. He was a trooper and we made him comfortable as long as we could, but finally in June, he just told us it was time. He stopped eating, even when I tried to hand feed, he wouldn’t come off his bed unless he absolutely had to… I guess what I’m sharing is that our pets communicate with us. You know your pet best. Your vet knows the situation. I think a visit and a conversation about Sushi today will help you figure out the next step.

  2. Yetta Adams

    The vet gave us an anti-nausea/appetite stimulator and pain pills. I just pray that these medicines will make Sushi feel like eating agan. Thank you so much for your response.

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Cathy Testerman | 6 years ago
I Have A 6 Week Old Kitten That Developed Severe Diarrhea 5 Days Ago. I…

I have a 6 week old kitten that developed severe diarrhea 5 days ago. I took her to the vets 3 days ago. Stool culture positive for coccidia. She has been on treatment for 3 days with no improvement. Her rectal area is raw. She is eating and drinking but obviously does not feel well. I have been bathing her and putting Desitin on her rectal area per my vets recommendation. Shouldn’t she be getting better by now?

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  1. Sarah

    I would call the vet in the morning and let them know your concerns. Ask if there is anything else that you could be doing and you might want to ask if there is some supplement that you could give to her food-wise too. Good luck

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Yes. If I would expext rhat if the cias wit the diarrhea was singularly the parasites that she would be better. In cases like these I usually recommend “playing” with the formula. Powder versus liquid replacer and trying to add more water vs less formula. I would also talk to the vet about checking another fecal sample for parasites and even switching to a kitten food. Even a different kind of food can help. If it’s not parasites it’s the diet. That’s my usual treatment plan for theee guys. Good luck. Please let us know what happens

  3. Cathy Testerman Post author

    Took kitten back to vets yesterday. Was given Flagyl. Seems to be working plus Royal Canin GI food. Rectal swelling appears a little better.