Hello,
Have you directed these questions to your vet? Have you asked them to help you cate for your cat at home? I teach my clients how to palpate and I also have them give lactulose. Miralax and cat lac along with watered down wet food only. I try to avoid dry food. I also think the fat cats need to get healthier with walks exercise and this helps the gut stay active and make constipation less likely. I always believe constipation is secondary to something else. Like obesity or poor diet or lethargy. Cats should be at a good weight with good muscular body condition. I encourage walking on a harness, playing and using food as a way to encourage activity. Try a feeder ball or scattering small amounts of food across the room so they have to “hunt” for it. Also car grass and cat hip might help. These cats are too often too fat and too sedentary and that compounds the problems.
Hi all hopefully someone can help us. Shemp is 16 years old is a black DSH cat. I’ve had him since he was a kitten. Always with a hearty appetite and chubby started to lose weight. I took him to a Vet, she did blood tests and said his kidneys might not be at 100% and it was normal at his age. Oh, in February, 2020 he suddenly went blind but everything else seemed normal. She never said he might have (CKD) and never advised getting him on Sub Q. IV’s and a Hill Prescription K/D diet, he was still eating and drinking water but started to get very picky. He became dehydrated losing more weight, i took him to a vet and said we need to get him on IV’s which we did, i am administrating the Sub Q fluids myself to try and jumpstart his kidneys again in my van that we live in 50ML 3 times a day and he has improved and is stable. Issue is he’s stopped eating and i feed him the K/D through a syringe and he’s stopped going “poopie” so ive started giving him enemas and it did help get rid of some backup. He’s now bloated and not peeing as much as he should. Should I stop the IV’s as he must have a blockage in maybe both urinary and bowels as he’s not passing anything on his own, just a little pee. The vets here in Clovis, nm dont seem capable of treating this and super overcharge. Ive had Shemp since he was a kitten and i really believe its treatable. Please help, i live in a dodge caravan and can drive anywhere to get help for him. Thanks
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Good evening,
My wife and I are struggling trying to help our cat with megacolon and obstipation. He was diagnosed over 4 years ago but he had been put on a Royal Canin GI diet that worked wonders. It suddenly became unavailable and our cat deteriorated rapidly. He had to be hospitalized for a week to remove the blockage and we’ve gone back and forth with the internist on how to move forward. He’s currently on miralax, Lactulose, Cisapride. We recently introduced an anti-nausea medication and appetite stimulant as he stopped eating a few days ago. The suspicion being that he just becomes backed up again. At this point it’s been multiple hospital stays and several thousands of dollars trying to help our guy.
I watched the video on regular palpation – it’s difficult in our cat, both personally and from the vet, due to his large size. He’s a very long cat and also a chunky boy.
Do you have any guidance on palpation in obese cats? Suggestions we can explore with our vet?
I’m worried we’re looking at the colon surgery to remove part of it – but the vet noted many cats are unable to form or control stool following that and have constant diarrhea.
At this point if we can’t get him stimulated at home and eating a little and defecating a little we’re likely headed back to the animal hospital.
I appreciate any guidance or suggestions.
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Possible anal sac issue? I am currently unable to drive due to a tbi so I’m trying to figure out if this can wait until Monday or not. She is a 4 year old lab mixing started licking the area last night. Other than that, she’s going to the bathroom fine and she has a little area of concern which I’m attaching the picture for. She’s acting normal, eating, drinking, playing.
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I brought my 12-year-old cat into the vet today. He hasn’t been eating or drinking a lot so they decided to hydrate him. Since I brought him home, his breathing has been shallow and he is coughing a lot. I am seriously concerned. I don’t hear much air moving in his chest. I have no idea what may have caused this. What a bummer on the back of hydration caused him to not be able to breathe? The fluid is already disbursed throughout his body, so I thought he would be feeling better by now. I know that this has helped to park him up before. Please help
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1 week ago I went to pick up my new Kitten. Male, neutered. He is now a 13 week old pure bred ragdoll. I got him from a ragdoll breeder. They had him to the vet a few days before pickup with a clean bill of health and second distemper shot, along with all documentation of prior visits and past test results. He sneezed a few times during the pick up process and they told us this was normal during his new transition. He is still sneezing regularly each day with no change now 1 week later. No coughing. He also has some very bad smelling gas daily but not constant or consistently. I feel that his breath is a tad stinky too but my nose is very sensitive to smells and odors so it may just be my sniffer. I kept him on the same food diet as the breeder with no changes. His bathroom habits are normal, tootsie rolls, no diahrea or vomiting. He eats normal. Plays hard like a kitten. Sleeps at intervals between eating and play but changes positions alot during sleep sessions. He is snuggly, purrs happily but during his full on purring seems to snort or stall his motor slightly. No discharge of nose, ears, mouth or eyes other than a spray from a sneeze occasionally and dark brown eye crusties that have been present occasionally since adoption. He seems very happy and not lethargic. No coughing. He has a vet appointment in 2 weeks the soonest they can get him in and they didn’t seem extremely concerned with the symptoms to arrange a sooner date. This is a single pet home. I may just be overly paranoid but any bit of information is always appreciated to a new cat mom.
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My dog is a 7 year old beagle cross that loves to wander in our lush paddocks. Yesterday morning he came back from his morning border patrol rather sheepishly and i noticed a red swollen patch on one side of his muzzle. It was obviously sore the way he didnt want me to touch it and he quivered his lip. I decided to monitor it closely to see if it warranted emergency vet care and it seemed to remain the same throughout the day. It didnt swell up anymore and he seemed to be ok with it. So I decided to not rush him to the vet. However at dinner time I noticed him trying to lick his lip repetitively and then i was shocked to see a weird round bump had appeared. It was clearly uncomfortable for him but there was no vet open at this time of night so I decided to watch him over night as he sleeps in bed with me. He is eating and drinking fine. He has been licking it most of the night but the lump seems to be the same size. It is now 4 am and I am wondering if I should take him to the vet today? What do you think could have caused this? I thought perhaps he just got bitten by an ant or stung by a bee or something.
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My puppy got spayed 6 days ago. She developed a lump 3 days ago. We brought her to vet and they said it was seroma and reaction to the stitches so put her on antibiotics. Yesterday the lump got bigger then today a little smaller but seems to be getting bigger again. She is acting normal and eating normally. Is it possible this is a hernia?
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What can I do for my cat’s teeth? My cat has yellowed teeth and bad breath. His gumline is also red around some teeth. He’s eating and acting normally, but I’m very concerned about his teeth. It’s difficult to get a veterinary appointment where I live due to the pandemic so I’m only able to take him to the vet a month from now. Until I can take him to the vet, what can I do for a month to help his teeth?
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My dog Mila (Daschund) is pregnant and should be 59 days pregnant (possibly more but very unsure). Her stomachs been hard since last night and she stopped eating yesterday afternoon but recently just ate again but only a little. She’s been a little strange today and yesterday but besides that she seems normal. She did lose her mucus plug Monday morning and a little more of it Tuesday. Could she be close to labor or possibly already starting first stage?
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Need a recommendation for dry dog food for my dog who scratches a lot. Vet said his skin is ok, no fleas, etc. Forgot to ask vet for recommendation on food. Currently eating Iams adult dry food. He is almost 2 yrs old.
Hello,
It sounds a like it might be kidney disease, hypertension and maybe even hyperthyroidism. It also sounds like you might be better served by a cat specialist. If they are available. I am afraid that your cat might have such an advanced case of these that it might be difficult to turn around. The prolonged accumulation of these can cause severe muscle wasting and make everything else hard to manage.
Thank you for your reply. I dont know of any cat specialist. I do realize he’s very ill and im trying to make him as comfortable as possible despite us living in a vehicle. My question is should i continue to give him his IV’s and feed him through the syringe to make sure he’s getting his fluids and nourishment and enemas i am still worried about his bloated belly/bladder.
I dont want to rupture something. In addition, when i said I realize he is very ill it was meant if i dont do something quickly to help him. Costs, money and someone willing to help him are the biggest factors here. Thanks
Hi, Shemp just passed away after having a violent seizure and couldn’t breath because of a blockage, he died in my van in my arms. I called 3 vets earlier in the day and they all turned me away. I told them he was bloated and had a blockage and needed x-rays and blood work and that it was an emergency and i was denied service. Shemp was 16 years 1 month and 3 weeks old when he passed and was the best friend/companion and family member I had. I will forever miss my Buddy. He died at 1am on May 22nd, 2021. Now i have to try and find a place to have him cremated. ????????