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Maria Chiaia | 6 years ago
My Beagle Was Diagnosed With IVDD In His Neck. He Is Unable To Pee On…

My beagle was diagnosed with IVDD in his neck. He is unable to pee on his own and will not let us express his bladder. The vet has been catheterizing him but told us we need to think about putting him down. Is there anything I can do to help him pee? I feel like he is holding it because he has never had an accident before and even crawls out of his bed to do number 2. I’ve read online about VetriDisc. Is this a legitimate option for him?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    This is one that I feel needs a diagnosis for the reason he can’t, or isn’t urinating, It would be helpful to know a whole lot more about your dog and the details of his condition. In general I find that most of these guys aren’t urinating because they are painful,, too painful to posture to urinate, and too painful for their owners to manually express.. If you are within the first week of this condition ask about more pain meds., like gabapentin, methocarbamol or even a fentanyl patch. Then ask about a drug to reduce the issues that might be ib or around the bladder like phenoxybenzamine.. my point is that there are options left to try. If your vet doesnt have any options seek the help of a veterinary neurologist.

  2. Maria Chiaia Post author

    The first part got deleted but basically the vet said he had a slipped disc in his neck last Friday and put him on Vetprofen. He was getting worse so we took him to a neurologist.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    Ok. What did the neurologist say? If you need help keep calling the people you have already paid to help your pup. That’s what they are there for. To keep helping you and your dog. These cases are often very intense on the caregivers and the first few week are hard emotionally and physically. Please read my blogs on this subject. I talk about it a lot. Also my YouTube channel has lots of advice. I hope this helps.

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Pawbly | 6 years ago
My One And A Half Year Old Cat Seems To Have A Sore At The…

My one and a half year old cat seems to have a sore at the corner of her mouth. It might just be a small scab, she is eating normally/drinking water and going in the liter box like normal. I’m not sure if we should take her to the vet if it could be something really bad or if it’s nothing. Please let me know, thank you

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    It looks like it might just be a wound? Or scratch, something minor.. I have seen it happen to my cat when they are playing with each other. I would monitor it and call your vet if it worsens or persists longer than a day or two. Also, things like this are a great opportunity to reach out to your vet to make sure everything else is current (vaccines, preventatives, even a quick check to make sure the microchip is where we left it), and tell them you are a little concerned about it. They can help if you need them.
    best of luck.,
    Happy Easter to you both
    krista

Emergency Visit
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Krista Magnifico | 6 years ago
Chronic Abscess In The Neck Of A Cat. What Are Your Options If It Doesn’t…
Treatment Cost (USD): $321.00
Bert is an indoor-outdoor cat. He came home one day with a swelling on his right shoulder about 1 week after his family noted he was limping. The initial exam (about 1 week before the drain was placed), revealed a slight fever, swollen and painful area of the right shoulder. The swelling was explored and a large amount of purulent material was found (puss). Bert was given an injectable antibiotic (Convenia) that lasts about 2 weeks. He was sent home to be monitored.
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Shelley DeVeau | 6 years ago
I Had Our Doberman To The Vet A Week Ago Thursday. We Are Not Sure…

I had our Doberman to the vet a week ago Thursday. We are not sure what is going on with her. She shakes, cries out, and paces all the time. The vet said maybe it is a pinched nerve and we could try pain meds first. I noticed today she is now dragging her two front paws and is still pacing. I don’t know if we should go to the ER?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If your dog is eating and drinking and eliminating normally then it can probably wait until tomorrow. I would worry about wobblers. There is lots of info online about it. Please call the vet tomorrow to be seen ASAP. If your dog is panting or unable to rest then the Er is best. Please let us know what happens.

  2. Laura

    I agree with Dr. M – wobblers or a disc issue would be my immediate concerns.

  3. Shelley DeVeau Post author

    So I called the vet this morning and they told me to take her to the ER. We just got the info that she has a ruptured disc. Now I need to figure out what is the best decision to make. Are MRI’s cheaper different places? The cost of that would be $2000 and the surgery would be 7 to 8000.

  4. Krista Magnifico

    Hello.
    That’s about the cost of it. Where are you? I have lots and lots of info on my blog and YouTube channel on this disease. I with you the very best.

  5. Shelley DeVeau Post author

    Dr Magnifico this is Shelley Reese (Doberman)and Twister’s (Frenchie) owner. You took care of Reese’s leg back in Sept when she had that growth on it. They said you were not in today and said they would leave you a message because I asked if you did those surgeries?

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Sandra Sellers | 6 years ago
My 8 Year Old Dog Started Limping This Evening. She Ran Outside To Chase A…

My 8 year old dog started limping this evening. She ran outside to chase a squirrel and was limping when she came back in. I can rub, hold, look all over and she shows no sign of distress. She isn’t helping or whining. Acting normal except she seems confused as to what’s wrong and she’s eyeing up the sofa and thinking about jumping up before she does. Not sure if I should just give it a day to two…maybe she pulled or tweaked something or make an appt with vet right away. Currently she’s being nosey about what’s going on in the back yard and acting fine.

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Krista Magnifico | 6 years ago
Ear Hematoma In An Older Dog With Allergies. An Aural Hematoma Occurs With Head Shaking…
Treatment Cost (USD): $165.00
Lilly is an older lab with a history of allergies. When her ears flared up (redness and itching), she began to shake her head. This caused the blood vessels in her ear flap to rupture and caused the ear pinna (flap) to swell up. This also made her ears even more uncomfortable and worsened the swelling.
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  1. Patricia Rattray

    I cured a large hematoma on my cats ear with the homeopathic remedy Arnica mont 30. I believe I just gave it once a day, maybe twice. It took about a week to ten days to completely resolved but there was improvement right away which was steady until it resolved. The ear flap returned to normal. In this podcast homeopath Joette Calabrese mentions that in classical homeopathy, Arnica Montana is always used for hematomas. Cost $8.00.

    https://joettecalabrese.com/podcast1/podcast-73-my-time-with-the-banerjis/

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Krista Magnifico | 6 years ago
Radio-iodine Treatment For Hyperthyroidism In A Bombay Cat. Meet Bica.
Treatment Cost (USD): $1700.00
Bica was brought to me because her parents were concerned about her weight loss and muscle wasting. She was about 12 when first diagnosed. Most hyperthyroid cats are active (or over active), have a voracious appetite and even though they seem to be eating an adequate amount they continue to lose weight and muscle. Many cats are presented very thin and some even become so ravenous they start to become aggressive about food, or even around people. Bica's parents noticed her subtle signs very early on. She is a very loved and very lucky kitty.
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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!!!

1 Response

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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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Pawbly | 6 years ago
My 2 Kittens Were Spayed Last Week And Both Have Developed A Seroma. One Of…

My 2 kittens were spayed last week and both have developed a seroma. One of which is leaking a bit. We have 2 other cats and never experienced this with the others. The vet said they are caused by being overactive, is this accurate? They were both relatively calm and quiet for most of the week after their spay and these just developed within the past 2 days. After we had them rechecked at the vet Monday, they told us to separate them and basically quarantine them to separate bedrooms. We tried this yesterday but keeping them isolated has just caused them to be overactive when they finally get to come back out. We don’t want to make them go crazy from the isolation. Do you have any recommendations? Thank you in advance!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I can’t really offer an opinion for the surgery or after care. And I’m not sure that blame or identification of underlying cause is helpful at this point. I do however think it is relevant and appropriate for you to inquire who did the surgery and what their experience level is. You can get a copy of the doctors notes and ask the vet if perhaps surgical technique was a part of the seroma. I see these as learning opportunities not sources of blame. Then ask for help in getting your kittens through this. Collectively and productively. If you are struggling with any part of your kittens care or post op care they should be happy and willing to help. As long as the incisions are intact (skin and linea I tell clients to do their best at keeping them quiet. I also offer things like a large dog carrier for times you can’t supervise and options like catnip to keep them busy without too much crazy activity. If you feel that you need more help ask for a referral or get a second opinion. In my experience kittens heal really quickly and this isn’t much of an issue for longer than a week. (But I don’t know how big the seromas are so please use your vets guidance to help you.
    Good luck.