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My Dog cannot walk .Her left leg has not been working properly.It’s too week.I search everywhere the symptoms I might feel like its IVDD.She was trying to wake up but she can’t.Her weight is too heavy like 35-40kg. german shepherd. please help
Intermitent Limp
Hello, one of my dog has a limp on her hind right leg that only occurs minutes after she gets up after lying down for a long period of time.
When she gets up her leg won’t touch the ground while standing up or walking.
In just a few minutes, she’ll touch the ground again, run, and jump with no sign of pain, but every time she gets up it’s the same thing, several times a day.
I’ve squeezed her leg all the way, and moved it around and she shows no pain or injuries,
Hello,
Any degree of limping that lasts for more than a few days should be seen by a veterinarian. The only exceptions to this is a dislocated hip which should be seen immediately to try to put it “back in the socket”. Infection is the other thing I worry about. There is usually wound and most often pets are quiet and not eating well.
The most common knee injury we see that causes limping is a cruciate rupture. You will need a vets help to diagnose this.
I have a very special and painful case I need help with, I have tried several different veterinarians with no diagnosis or prognosis so far. It may be a long shot, but I was hoping you could help me shine a light on this.
In April I found an extremely skinny stray cat and took him in. I first thought he was malnourished from lack of food for being in the streets, but 4 months in his case keeps unfolding.
He is likely older than 15 years old, but he’s a happy cat with a lot of energy and mobility. He weighs 3kg but he’s a big cat, you can feel every single bone in his spine, although you can’t see them that easily because he has long hair. He’s completely affectionate, loves to be pet, and asks very politely for attention and food all the time.
All we know about his past is he is neutered, he had some teeth surgically removed and he tested negative for FIV and FeLV.
He had a huge appetite when I first took him in, he would eat 100g of food in one meal and ask for more right after. He would sometimes ‘cough’, it sounded like he was choking on some kind of fluid, it doesn’t happen in sequences, but it happens almost every day until today.
He always drank LOTS of water and produced a lot of urine as well. His feces at the beginning were really solid with some mucus.
After a month, he continued to eat plenty and hadn’t gained any weight, that’s when he started to throw up. It started happening a few days a week, usually after spending several hours without eating he would throw up a clear frothy fluid with no content, and then it progressed to twice every day regardless of when he had eaten.
We suspected it could be diabetes or hyperthyroidism, but the labwork didn’t confirm either, it showed regular kidney function with small liver function alterations.
We then introduced prednisolone (2,5mg/day) and changed his diet from a mix of natural home-cooked protein, hypercaloric wet food, protein supplements, and dry food to exclusively Royal Canin Hypoallergenic while waiting for Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Hydrolyzed Protein to arrive in Brazil, keeping Omega 3 (fish oil) 500mg/a day in his diet.
Vomits went away for a while. He kept drinking lots of water and peeing a lot, but his feces got softer (not liquid).
He had periods where he lost his appetite, which we treated with mirtazapine, he reacted after 6 days.
We performed an ultrasound and discovered that basically all his internal organs were compromised. He has severe alterations everywhere. Still, the best specialists I could find couldn’t tell me what was causing it and offer a course of treatment that didn’t involve opening him up to collect tissues for a biopsy.
I personally think it is absurd that a doctor could look at this frail elderly cat who obviously can’t resist anesthesia without serious risks and say that surgery is the only way to go, all to find out for sure if we’re dealing with a lymphoma or an infection. I’m looking for someone to advise me on the most effective course of action. Of course, I aim to reverse his condition, but I understand that given his age and how advanced it is, it might not be an option.
He is currently at 3kg, eating exclusively Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Hydrolyzed Protein with fish oil, and taking prednisolone every day for a month now. His appetite is healthy, he still drinks a lot, pees a lot, and poops regularly but softer. He eats an average of 5 small meals.
Vomits are back down to a few times a week, usually early in the morning before his first meal, and always a clear liquid. He goes and eats right after throwing up so I get the impression he is not nauseous.
He doesn’t seem to be in pain overall.
He’s not gaining any weight regardless of all my efforts.
That is why I’m giving this a shot and trying to get your attention. I hope you have more resources and knowledge that could help me figure out appropriate next steps to give this little guy the best fighting chances I can.
On this link you’ll find a translation of his bloodwork and ultrasound. I had chat GPT translate it for me so forgive me if there are errors.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yqcen-TYzyvfBYU-J4t1tCHola1E2otDGDa1H7V032Y
I appreciate any support you can lend me, his name is Valentim which means brave and strong, and I want him to win this fight.
Hello,
It sounds like you have done a pretty thorough work up. The places I think that you should look into are;
Repeat the blood work. It sounds like hyperthyroidism. I always check a free T4 on top of the thyroid T4. I also check a urine. If you haven’t sent a fecal to the lab too.
After that the ultrasound and X-rays are where I look.
You are still at the place where the diagnosis is eluding you. That’s where you need to focus.
PS. Just for the record I don’t love starting pred until you have a diagnosis. It can obscure your diagnostics.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
My cat is 1 years old Lillyanna is laying around and she is not eating what do I do?
Hello,
If you think that your cat is not acting normally please see a veterinarian. At least have an examination done. Maybe it can be as simple as trying an antibiotic. But please see a vet.
My cat is 1 years old Lillyanna is laying around and she is not eating
Anna is turning her nose up at both wet and dry food. When she does eat (with aid from appetite stimulant prescribed by vet) her stools are normal. She drinks/pees normally and is playful. She’s taken to sleeping under my bed rather than up with me but maybe it’s cooler there? It has been very hot here this summer. Less eager to go exploring on harness/leash in fenced in yard/garden but may have issue that I tell her not to eat the grass (have organic grass inside for her but she wants the outside stuff that has Creeping Jenny in it -toxic to cats. Grass eating only started a few months ago and she eats it & throws up a small amount of clear fluid with the grass in it). Got 2 vet opinions regarding Anna’s refusal to eat (I have tried everything from raw to cooked and every prepared wet & dry food off shelf to no avail). Anna will eat some Temptations Mixups BBQ flavor. Weight fluctuates between 6.7 and 7.7lbs. A “normal” Siberian female her age is 10-15lbs. (Anna does have very mild gingavitis & plaque but vet said this wouldn’t be reason for not eating.)
Both vets recommended an ultrasound of her abdomen but as a retiree the $500-$700 is a big chunk of change. Mostly, as a Cat Mom of many years my gut tells me something else may be the culprit for Anna not eating. She has been “flicking” her tongue over her nose more often (she has no upper respiratory issues says both vets). And, to me, the right side of her mouth seems to be looking different than the right side lately. It reminds me of my Nana who had Bells Palsy and one side side of her mouth “drooped”. I will see if I can post an upclose picture below of her right side (photo left) mouth.
Was intrigued with your video of polyps in cats and would love to know if maybe a change in Anna olfactory senses might be tied to her disinterest in eating? She doesn’t snore, btw.
Thank you!
Here is a picture of Anna from February before the eating issues began. Her mouth on her right side (left in photo) looks different to me, ie not drooping like it is now.
Hello,
My recommendation is to have a blood work panel done. It should include a full chemistry a cbc, fecal, urine and thyroid. At my clinic this is about $200. An abdominal ultrasound is about $350. I think that these are imperative to figure out what’s going on. And hopefully be able to start a treatment plan for. I doubt it’s a polyp. Use your resources elsewhere. I also think it’s perfectly acceptable to see if you can find these cheaper elsewhere if you are unable to afford them with your vet.
Good luck
Thank you, Doc. My vet did a “pre-op” panel and everything was normal except:
Total protein: 5.9 (6.3-8.8 normal)
Globulin: 2.6 (3.0-5.9 normal)
Alp: 11 (12-59 normal)
The ALB/GLOB ratio was slightly high at 1.3 (normal 0.5-1.2)
The neutrophils were slightly low but the vet said it was probably due to the stress from the visit. (The vet gave me deworming for both kitties, too)
Because Anna doesn’t have diarrhea and a mildly decreased appetite (and holding her weight level) the vet said we could hold off on the US. But the past few days (without the appetite stim) Anna is again not eating well (treats, some yogurt, a few licks of wetfood & a few dry kibbles) I called and they are going to put me in touch with a “traveling” ultrasound doc who charges $300-$350 and uses different hospitals to do the US. Still awaiting a call back.
Is this now an “emergency”? I am so worried about Anna…
Thank you for your input. Muchly appreciated!
Lynn
So my cat was diagnosed with upper respiratory about 4 months ago. Well he has been sneezing ,sounds nasally and , boogers just in the nasal area and the culture came back with pseudomonas well he is still lethargic and now won’t eat or drink now. He has been on orbax, nose drops, intrafungal medicine. Also he has a constant fever of 104°F. I am taking him to the vet tomorrow but wonder if it could be polyps? Pancreatitis?
Hello,
I think that if your cat isn’t responding as expected that it’s time to go back to the vet. I also think that you should talk about al of the other possible causes to his current clinical signs. A polyp is on the list of possible causes.
Good luck.
What other possibilities could you think why he is not eating and drinking?
I am concerned about my elderly dog who has started sleeping all the time. She only gets up to eat and go to the bathroom. Sometimes I think she is dead because she sleeps so long and so soundly. When she gets up she seems ok. Just wondering if this is somethings I should be worried about. I would say she sleeps like 22 hours a day.
Hello,
You are the person who knows your dog the best. If you see a change in him then please reach out to your vet. I think an examination and some blood work are indicated.
Hope things go well.
Dr Magnifico
Hi Dr. Magnifico,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your help with our baby Percy last week. He perked right up after the Subq fluids and is doing well. I wanted to ask you how many times is best to feed him since he is a kitten? Don’t want to overfeed him or underfeed him. Also, since I rescued him from the rescue I volunteer with ( AARF) they will be doing his neutering on 7/30. He will be 3.5 months then. He was born on April 11th 2024. I’m still nervous because he’s so young and little and just want to do the right thing and for it to be safe for him. How young do you neuter boy kittens if I came to you? My kitten that I rescued in 2005 from Defender’s of Animal Rights was already spayed when I got her and she was just a little thing. I know with male kittens you have to wait longer. Thanks so much for your advice.
Hello!
I am so happy to hear that Percy is doing well.
I think that feeding three times a day is fine. I will admit that with my kittens I leave out dry kitten food and offer a half a 3 oz can every 12 hours.
I also think that neutering at 3.5 months is fine. I have done it many times. If able I prefer to neuter at about 6 months old.. But I understand why the rescues prefer early., You will have to discuss with them,
Thank you for all you do to help these animals who need us.
take care
krista
My 1 year old dog (1/2 lab, 1/4 German shepherd, 1/4 boxer) has a large, perfectly round red bump on her face. I have researched and see potential answers but we are currently out of town and cannot take her to the vet yet. She is very important to me so of course I am concerned, but I would like opinions on whether I should be panicking as much as I am according to the photos I provide. Some articles say cancer, others say histiocytoma.
Hello,
The only way we can accurately diagnose any kind of mass is with submitting a piece of the tissue for biopsy or histopathology. If the mass is small and not bothering your dog you probably have a little time to monitor it and don’t have to rush to the vet. If it isn’t going away or if it is getting larger I would see a vet. In a dog this age I often talk about whether it might be a histiocytoma. These are usually benign and go away over a few weeks.
Hello,
This is one of those conditions that need a vet immediately. They can prescribe medications to help. I sorry. I wish I could do more. You need a vet to help identify what this is, or might be, and provide medication.