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My 9 year old Potcake (probably shepherd/lab/etc mix) has a long history of lipomas, which grow fairly large. In late October of 2022 I found a lemon sized mass on the back of his right hind leg, which was not bothering him but was firm. Our vet in Ottawa ON is a VCA practice nearby; I was able to get an appointment the next day. The vet and I were both concerned at the location, size and consistency of the mass.
She recommended an xray of the limb and a chest xray to rule out cancer and metastasis as well as blood work. (all normal) She sedated him for the radiorgraphs and aspirated the mass multiple times with a presumptive diagnosis of lipoma. We discussed the fact that it was probably and inter-muscular lipoma, between the two muscles of the hind leg at the back . To remove it she advised a board certified surgeon elsewhere, who she said would want to do an MRI of the limb first to evaluate the extent of the mass in preparation for surgery. When I expressed concern about the cost she offered a surgeon at the VCA who is not board certified but who may be able to attempt a surgery without the MRI.
Since October the mass has grown, especially medially, and is now the size of a grapefruit. He is still not lame or uncomfortable when I feel the mass. I want to prevent problems for him with this leg but I also worry about the invasiveness of the surgery – and the cost, which I can’t afford right now. I am waiting and watching at this time. I worry about having the mass return even after surgery and wonder about removing the majority of it just to give him more comfort when moving – is it ok to wait until it gets bigger? I know that lipomas don’t tend to spread to other parts of the body like malignant cancer – this is why we took the xrays, to look for other signs of cancer in his body. Now i wonder if this was too soon, and should have waited on those tests.
I feel every time I need to see a veterinary, no matter how small a problem, I end up spending over $500. How do others afford to take care of their pets? I feel these costs have greatly gone up over the last many years. I understand this is a service that is hard for people to turn down, since our pets are our family. Just like healthcare, food and education. Necessary things in life seem to have the largest markup. Where is the rip off coming from? I read veterinarians are not rich. I understand. So what is the problem? Is it the ownership of the company by someone that is only in it for money and makes all the calls? Opaque costs? Lack of transparency? Why does a checkup to see if there is an ear infection cost $500 even if there is no issue and is just over concern from the parent? Why am I charged $80 for an “exam” that literally has nothing to do with the actual exam for the specific problem that brought me in the first place. Why isn’t it just called a visit fee which is exactly what it is. Is it the business owner? Is it the practice? Is it a field that is able to be exploited due to our love for our family pets? Constantly pissed the F*ck off that veterinaries that I used to frequent for years suddenly change and now cost a car payment or mortgage for every non emergency simple visit.
Hello,
I understand completely. Are you upset enough to want to try to both understand and do something about it? I am. If you are then please share your stories on the storylines section above. I’m hoping to start to build a network of transparent vets with both credibility and integrity who are affordable
Hi… my dog had that dry flaky piece of onion in his mouth last night.. it was small and he only had it in his mouth for a minute until I noticed and took it out… I’m just super scared he’ll get sick.. any advice?
If it wasn’t ingested you have nothing to worry about. The concern is when it’s ingested – depending on the individual dog’s tolerance and the amount ingested it can cause kidney issues.
Hi. My cat has been straining to pee and either getting none out or very little. Took him to ER today. Gave us meds to go home with. They said they “pre emptivly” put a catheter but weren’t charging us for it. It was a $800 bill. Our cat has perf twice since coming home but now it has been a couple hours. Idk what to do next. They quoted us 3500-5000 for his surgery to get unblocked and I cannot afford.
Hello
Call alll of the local vets and rescues/shelters to see if they can recommend someone. Also I have had some success with medication and cold laser therapy. An X-ray yo look for urinary stones in the bladder is also an option. The cats with urinary stones often need a prescription diet. Weight loss and encouraging water intake, or switching to a high quality canned cat food and adding water can also help
Lastly I would like to know which vet clinic you went to by adding your story and the cost of care to the story line section available here.
Let me know what happens
Hi,
My 1 year old lab was taken for neutering. We were aware that he would be a crytorchild situation as his 1 testicle was not descended. VET did check for 2nd testicle by his abdomen incision but couldn’t find the other testis for a long time. N now recommending to go for a higher level ultrasound with a surgeon..to confirm if there is another testicle or not in the body. N then do the next procedure accordingly.
1. Is that possible to have just one testicle in Labrador dog?
2. If its hard to find the undecended testicle via ultra sound, can we take plan B – the visible n descended testicle is removed n then blood test is done in 4 -5 months for testosterone hormones in blood if anything changes to be sure if there is another testicle in body?
Youemf valuable inputs are much appreciated
Thanks mahesh
Hello?
I am not a reproductive specialist. But I think your vet can ask their lab services rep about progesterone checks or go get an ultrasound or refer to a surgeon for help. These cases can be frustrating but it is really important to make sure a testicle was not left behind in the abdomen.
Misha, 5 years next month, German shepherd, either pulled it strained her left hindquarter. Today is Monday. Vet can’t see her till Friday. I hate that she’s in pain, is there anything I can do? There is no bony deformity, can walk, steps are a struggle. I just need to be able to help her!
Hello,
You can rest her. Or go to the ER. Or call your vet and ask for pain management assistance until you can be seen.
Thank you! Already asked for pain management, I was told “not without seeing her” it’s a catch 22. She’s walking, can go down steps now, very hard to walk up them, but she’s so stubborn! Making her rest, hoping it helps
Crate rest and support her hind end (if you don’t have an appropriate harness, a rolled towel works in a pinch) when going up and down stairs.
So far today, she seems to be able to move fine on a flat surface – we have NO squirrels, birds, or cats in our garden! It’s UP stairs, which she can do, but very slowly, at least she’s not screaming now.
She was talking these 5 steps in 1 or 2 leaps until now.
She is fine with the right side being touched, but not the left. She is resting, apparently almost pain free on her cushion by the TV, and seeing off seagulls on the state farm commercial.
By now you probably have an idea of her personality. She’s very opinionated, drama queen, who thinks vets and vet techs are snack food.
hi! my dog is a 3m old shepherd mix and she was attacked by another dog, she has multiple fractures in her jaw. I was referred by Dr. Trout to UPenn but they’re quoting 6-10k and I just dont have it, I’m very young so no one will lend to me and rescues that I’d contacted basically said they would euthanize because of the costly procedure, shes only a baby and I really want to save her, is there any financial aid for hardships like this anyone can recommend? Dr Trout said to get in contact with Dr. Magnifico and her practice referred me here to get in contact with
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I spoke to two of the vets who are taking care of your dog to try to get a better idea of what kind of injured there are. This is absolutely imperative to try to formulate the cost of treatment. In some cases a broken bone can be more affordably managed by a splint or cast IF very very!!! strict cage rest is implemented for the 6-8 weeks that it takes for a bone to heal. But your pup has a brown jaw which needs to be stabilized very quickly so your dog can go back to eating normally. We don’t have weeks to see if it heals.
The degree of injury is so severe that a surgeon (an expert and not a regular surgeon like me or other vets) is needed. We have no margin of error to oaky with. UPenn had the best of the best and that’s why you are being sent there. They are not a rescue or non profit. If you don’t have the ability to pay for this (provably over $5,000) then your options are very limited. There are some pet care financial services like a credit card, care credit, go fund me , selling items, or asking friends and family. If those aren’t options I strongly recommend you look into rescues you can surrender her to so she can be treated and find a home. Otherwise there is only suffering with a very badly injured mouth where she may never be able to eat or euthanasia.
In cases like this I know it’s hard but if anyone will take her and take care of her I urge you to let her go to them.
As a personal note I will offer this. Before I went to vet school o found a puppy walking on the street in Balt Maryland. I had her for two days while I tried ti find her family. On day three she became very sick. So sick she needed to go to the er. I was 21. She came up positive for Parvo. The er bill was $200. The estimate to care for her was $3,000. Which I didn’t have. It killed me to have her put down. KILLED. so much so that I decided then and there I would never be in that position again. I went to vet school 8 years later. If anyone has offered to care for her I would have been so grateful. But no one did. Or would in those days. Sick puppies were everywhere.
I wish you the best.
If no one will take her call my clinic jarrettsville Veterinary Center. I will see if I can get a rescue to take her.
Krista.
I gave my 15 lb dachshund a whole tablet of 250mg of metronidazole by accident instead of a half tablet. Can this be harmful to him?
Hello,
For all accidental ingestions I recommend calling pet poison. But this is a dose I would suspect is not too far out of the dosage range to cause much worry. Call the vet who prescribed it or the pet poison company
My question is about urinary crystals and cat blockage. I specifically want to know about jaundice after surgery, but also to know if we should have done anything differently, we lost our little sweetheart a few days ago to urinary crystals.
Details: 4 weeks ago our little fellow, a 2-year-old neutered male, got worms. We brought him to the vet and, with medicine, successfully treated them. They stressed him, and he didn’t want to eat much, but the vet said this was normal. He seemed to get better, but a week ago started acting stressed again, not eating much, drinking very little, but still eating and drinking. Seeing his pee was not possible due to having 2 other cats (and not knowing what urinary crystals are, much less know what to look for)
We called the vet Friday morning, they told us he would probably need another dose of worm medicine, and scheduled an appointment for the following Monday. Keep in mind we had never heard of urinary crystals before, we thought he had worms again.
On Saturday evening, it became clear it was more than worms. He was lethargic, not going potty at all, and just wanting to lay down and close his eyes. We called the vet clinic which was closed, several other numbers for local cat places (adoption, care, etc) and could not get him seen but got the same phone diagnosis at every step, “probably a stomach tumor”.
It was 5pm Sunday before we got lucky, found an animal hospital 2 hours drive away, got a hold of an actual vet through their emergency number, and she agreed to open the hospital late on a Sunday and see him immediately for $1000. We got there at 7pm and by 7:15 he was in surgery to unblock him. She immediately knew what was wrong. His temp was already low, he was very weak and barely moving but alive.
The next morning, we found out he survived the surgery and was recovering with a catheter and IV fluids. The plan was to keep him in the hospital for 3 days and to let him come home if his pee was clear and his blood work for liver function was acceptable.
We got a phone call early on the second day telling us he was occasionally moving in his cage but wasn’t eating or drinking. She said he seemed depressed, and we could visit at 4pm to see if it perked up his spirits. It was the earliest time they could let us visit so we took it.
On our drive to see him, the hospital called us and said he wasn’t doing well. They asked if we wanted the blood work done immediately instead of on day 3 and told us he had become extremely jaundiced. During our visit he could only manage a couple of steps, so we held him, he was clearly exhausted and under the effect of pain medicine.
The hospital had taken the blood after the call and said his sugars were 3 times normal and other things “5 times normal”, and he was a deep greenish yellow in color around his ears. They brought him warm food but he was not interested. They explained organ failure and said his lungs would fail eventually, but he was breathing well.
In seeing us did perk him up a little, he focused on us, but he quickly faded again, preferring to lay down with his tongue out after 20 minutes. We didn’t want him to suffer and linger with no hope of recovering, and he was heartbreakingly euthanized at that point.
Again, I didn’t know anything about crystals before he went into surgery, and I have questions in case his brother, or any cat, is in that situation.
My questions are….
– Was the jaundice a terrible sign or could it have been from the IV fluid, exhaustion, surgery and lack of eating? IE was it normal after surgery, or recoverable?
– Given what I’ve described, should we have waited another day? Could it have been just needing more time to recover? Or is the jaundice and blood work at that point enough to know he’s fought all he can?
We just want to know more. We’re still in shock and miss him terribly, but we felt alone in making decisions, the hospital clearly didn’t want to influence our decision either way. We’re just not sure now that 24 hrs recovery was enough to make a decision, or how serious jaundice is when he didn’t have it pre-surgery/IV.
Any advice appreciated, we found this site via a YouTube video on urinary crystals. Thanks.
P.S. We aren’t second guessing or wanting to hear we did the right thing, it’s too late to help him, but we want to know more in case it helps another cat.
Also, the hospital took a deposit from us when we agreed to the $1000 fee, and said they would accept payments since there was no way to forsee this type of thing. They did seem caring and knowledgeable, but clinical, and would offer no advice on euthanizing or not. We felt alone with that specific decision…. and in hindsight aren’t even sure it needed to be made yet… or did it?
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat.
It sounds like there are multiple issues here and I don’t know how they are related. I don’t expect the crystals caused the jaundice. Most of the time I see the crystals because of poor diet or stress. Stress can be many many things. I suspect this was either a cat with underlying conditions like FeLV fiv or fip. Also I suspect the jaundice was either hepatic lipidosis or parasites.
You sound like you really love your cat but never had a vet who was invested in your cats care. It is my biggest gripe in vet Med now. We don’t care for people who care about their pets. We need to do more in providing both care and advice.
I am also very concerned about the vet who took the deposit and didn’t do pre op blood work. Or talk about the possibility of all of rhe things that can happen if there are underlying conditions or post op complications.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Dr magnifico
Thanks for your time, I’ll try to keep it shorter.
Yes, we loved him and his brother dearly from the day we found them in our barn, a couple of weeks old at best. His feral mom didn’t return, we watched with remote cameras. After bottle feeding him and weaning him to soft food, we got him dewormed, neutered etc. He seemed happy and normal in every way, clean bill of health.
– The jaundice first appeared 24 hours after surgery to unblock him, and he’s never had it before.
– The vet said the surgery was too urgent to wait for tests, and after surgery said testing was pointless until he was ready to leave. She ended up wanting it on day two when he got jaundice, so it did feel a bit irregular.
That’s why I want to know more about what the jaundice meant. We really thought the jaundice and other signals + a bad test result was what the vet needed to know he was not going to recover.
Was that normal with meds? Post surgery? After not having eaten much in a few days?… Or was it the terrible sign we thought it was? It’s so emotional to experience.
We weren’t being told what we SHOULD do, but were asked to make a decision anyway. It’s so hard to do what’s best for him at that moment, especially with how things happened.
We had to leave either way, the hospital was closing. Leaving him there alone for the night, in that condition, felt wrong. Bringing him home for the night felt like it might just make him suffer more. The IV couldn’t come with us she said, it’s illegal, but she would leave the catheter in if that’s what we choose.
It was a “decide now” moment… and then he rolled to his side with his tongue hanging out, exhausted. It’s truly heartbreaking.
We live in a rural community and the only licensed vet is over an hour away. The only local cat care is from a local donation based feral adoption service, run by a woman and a Facebook group of like-minded people, but without a full time vet.
This happens strictly on donations to have a vet visit regularly. Resources are always stretched. Spending lots on one cat means little is available for others. I get that, but we were willing to pay.
What we did is what people usually do at that point, she said, but we don’t care about that, we wanted him to live. Did we do the right thing? It’s too late to help him, but an answer may help another cat in the future.
As you said, premature end of life for avoidable reasons is such a needless loss.
I did call the hospital to ask about the jaundice afterward, what it meant, and was told it was his organs failing and cells breaking down. Again, not technically wrong, but of no help to a non-vet to decide if it’s time.
I can answer any specific questions you might have.
Thanks again.
About hepatic lipidosis, he was a fit 2.5-year-old cat that passed away at 12.8 lbs and had been exactly 13 lbs a month earlier when he was given worm medication.
He was solid, lean and strong in appearance, like most young cats. He was a long-haired male cat often called a Tuxedo, if breed matters.
I wouldn’t describe him as anorexic, though he had stopped eating as much 3 weeks prior, and stopped eating at all 3 days prior. He didn’t have kidney stones, but it was enlarged at the time of his blockage surgery.
He also had crystals in his bladder. She showed me a picture of it opened up with pink colored crystals, which seemed to have worried her more than anything else.
He did pee afterward, and the color was good, but it got dark a day later when jaundice set in.
I’m not sure what else might give you a clearer image, but I can find out, I feel like he still had hope. Also, she wanted to know what specific food brand we had been giving him because he was the 4th complete blockage that week, which is a lot in her practice.
Sorry for the triple response, more information. He was given warm wet food after surgery and didn’t touch it. He hadn’t eaten for 3 days prior, and hadn’t been eating much since he started showing what we thought was worm related behavior, or about 2 weeks before that.
Would it be normal to see jaundice appear in an already exhausted cat AFTER surgery, if likely hepatic lipidosis was not treated immediately by feeding him nutrients through a tube? It all seems to have progressed so quickly.
He was never given a feeding tube, and in hindsight, I don’t see how he could have been expected to take a bite and swallow, he was too weak.
The jaundice though, it was entirely absent pre-surgery and extreme 12 hours later. I can’t help but feel it was not a sign of the end but a sign of hurry up and do…. ??
Closure – When he was diagnosed with worms, the vet missed that he also had urinary crystals forming, likely from being stressed. The change in behavior was attributed to the worms, and we didn’t know until it was too late.
A lot of things went wrong, obviously.
We’ll never know if a young male cat could have survived through the jaundice, after an unblocking surgery, with bloodwork showing levels 5x too high and not an ounce of energy left in him.
The grieving has been difficult through the sense of guilt for not having been able to figure things out in time. I don’t believe in ghosts, but regular activities trigger memories of when he’d join in or watch… which is like a ghost, but the memories bring smiles too.
He touched our lives in such a meaningful way that he’ll never be far from our thoughts, still bringing those smiles.
My 3yo cat has all symptoms of inflammatory nasal polyp, in combination with the fact that antibiotics and allergy meds have not resolved the situation. She sneezes out (sometimes bloody) green clots about once a week that can be up to 1/4 the size of her whole head. I have had trouble finding a vet who can do the surgery even if they can diagnose it. My vet didn’t even seem to know how to diagnose it when I brought up the possibility. Even emergency vets that I have called refer me to clinics that are not certain that they would be able to perform the operation or who have scary reviews. I literally just adopted her and she came with this undiagnosed issue. Can someone recommend a vet near Richmond, VA who would charge an appropriate price and provide good care?
Hello,
If you are looking for a vet to look for a nasal pharyngeal polyp in your area I suggest that you post a plea on Facebook and nextdoor.Com. Also call all of the local shelters and rescues. I guarantee someone local will look. If not call my clinic and ask to leave a message for me. You will have to reference this reply. We will find you someone. If you do please let me know. We will start a directory
Hello,
Almost all of the lipomas hat I see are easily removed as they tend to form in a capsule that makes it easy to remove. Usually they can be shelled out without much if any bleeding and other than resolving the issue of left over dead space ( a drain might be needed) they heal quickly and easily. I have seen a few invasive lipomas that seem to form from within the muscle and are embedded within in the adjacent muscle. They do not shell out but often can be “debulked”.
If cost is an issue see if you can find an independent veterinarian who is comfortable and proficient in surgery. I don’t think that many of these cases need or can afford an mri or boarded surgeon. At least in my cases I offer to try to remove and I usually know within a few minutes of surgery if this is going to be a routine lipoma surgery or something else. Talk about options cost and scenarios. Be available by phone while the surgery is taking place and know that it’s ok to both wait and monitor and look for affordable options. Lastly I would recommend you find an independent vet practice and avoid corporate practices as they tend to be more expensive and refer cases to specialists most people struggle to afford.
I hope this helps.
Good luck
thank you for all of the advice, it helps a lot in decision making