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michelle | 5 years ago
Hello, I Have A Kitty Cheesey Poof Who Is On Methimazole For Hyperthyroidism. My Question Is …

Hello, I have a kitty Cheesey poof who is on methimazole for hyperthyroidism. My question is has anyone used herbs or homeopathy for this condition instead? And what has worked succesfully? Thanks

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  1. Laura

    I would find a holistic vet to help you with this – they would need to be familiar with your cat, specifically, to proceed. Anything we could recommend would put your cat at risk.

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michelle | 5 years ago
I’m Taking Care Of A Siamese Who’s Over 10, An Indoor/outdoor Cat. I Did …

I’m taking care of a Siamese who’s over 10, an indoor/outdoor cat. I did a cbc & chem bloodwork. His BUN is only slightly elevated. His issue is throwing up daily, weight loss, & diarrhea. His vomit is undigested food & liquid. He eats very little wet food & his owner just feeds all of them the worst dry food. I give him sq fluids as needed & started cerenia. Yet this is not treating the underlying cause. Does anyone have any advice on this? I have vet bills for my cows & my cats. Yet i still want to help all the animals I can. I obviously have very little money to help though. Thanks

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thank you for helping. I honestly feel like the best course of action right now is to get a diagnosis. Even a presumptive one. For this I think you should do the following. Find a cat vet or a very reputable vet that you trust for an exam. And then I would talk about checking the thyroid a fecal and probably also a urinalysis. For most of the cases lien this I just feel that I need a full set of basic diagnostics before I can begin to offer treatment plans. Otherwise I am eating precious time guessing and very likely guessing wrong. Things like intestinal parasites and hyperthyroid disease can be affordably treated. But cannot, and definitely should not be treated without confirmation. After that I talk about xrays and an ultrasound. I’m sorry. I can’t tell you what to do without knowing what it might be. And that list is very long. Start with the basics. An exam and a fecal. Talk about thyroid and go from there. Good luck. Let us know. Thank you for helping.

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Amanda | 5 years ago
My Two Cats Got Into A Tussle, And One Of Them Has A Scratch Right Down …

My two cats got into a tussle, and one of them has a scratch right down the center of his nose. He doesn’t seem to be bothered, but I don’t want it to get infected. What should I do?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In almost all cases I assume that a fight causes an infection. Please watch the area very closely. Any sign of swelling, pain or purulent discharge (like puss) are all signs of infection. If you see any of these, or inappetence or changes in s attitude or Behavior please call your vet. Hope this helps. Be well and stay safe.

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Soph | 5 years ago
My Dogs Legs Have Been Really Sore After Exercising. This Started Happening Randomly A Few Months …

My dogs legs have been really sore after exercising. This started happening randomly a few months ago. She is a 4 year old American pit bull terrier. Her legs are sore for a day or two (sometimes longer depending on how intense the exercise was) and then the soreness goes away. I am wondering how I could help her with this problem.

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  1. Sarah

    Have you been going for regular checkups at the vet? Have you spoken to your vet about this, or had an appointment to get it checked out? That is where I would start. Meantime, I would let her set the pace for exercise/walks to be in the safe side. Best to you both!!

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your dog. I agree with Sarah. This is something that needs some investigating. I would worry about diet, disease and immune mediated conditions. In worst case scenarios muscle biopsy is done. But start with an exam and bloodwork. I really think there is an answer. Let us know what happens.

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Jen Behler | 5 years ago
Dog Won’t Open Eye, Red, Watery

My dog, Max, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. We are still trying to find the right dose of insulin and were making progress until yesterday. His sugar was back up to 471 yesterday when 2 weeks ago it was 275. We know cataracts are already forming but this morning before 4am he woke me up. I thought he had to go outside but when I got him, realized he wasn’t opening his left eye. When he does open it, it seems rolled back and is red. His third eyelid is also visible. The right one is better but also seems like it might be bothering him. I contacted the vet for walk in hours today but wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue and what it might be.
Thanks!

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Me again. I think that as long as he is acting completely normal otherwise AND not rubbing his face or eye (which can cause trauma or damage to the cornea (think about all the doctors advice to not run your eyes)), then you are probably fine to wait until we open at 1. If he is rubbing his face please place an ecollar on him. You can always make a quick make shift one with either a large price of plastic or thick poster board or even a bucket (do a google search for homemade ecolllars people get creative. And you just need one for a few hours we have them at the clinic), and then come in. For dogs with a history of allergies I would recommend a saline flood (like the kind you do if you get a toxin in your eye). Nose to the sky and flood the eye with strike saline or clean two water (cool). To wash out any irritants. Or give diphenhydramine orally. I want to hold off on your pup due to the diabetes. I also am a little concerned about Horners. You can look that up online too. Dr Ahrens has been notified that she will see you at 1230. You can email me anytime if you need anything. Stay safe! Hugs to you all.

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Lukasz | 5 years ago
Any Assistance Would Be Greatly Appreciated. My 14 Weeks Old Golden Retriever Have Eye Infection. I Don…

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. My 14 weeks old Golden Retriever have eye infection. I don’t know what is this, could you please advice?

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Hi there- eyes are serious. And using a photo is difficult to diagnose. It could be an injury (scratch or worse), it could be a conjunctivitis (infection), or it could be allergies…. a vet would have to inspect it closely to give a proper diagnosis and then get you the medicine you need.

    1. Lukasz Post author

      yesterday he played with the dog with conjunctivitis so I believe is just this. Thank you for youe respond.

      1. Krista Magnifico

        Your puppy needs to see the vet. If I were your vet I would probably stain the eye for any signs of injury and add an ophthalmic antibiotic and an ecollar. Please go to the vet. Mucous discharge is possibly a sign of a serious eye issue. And all eye issues in my opinion should be addressed to cover worst case scenario which is blindness. I have seen it happen in puppies. I hope that is not the case. But I never mess around with puppies OR eyes. Be well and stay safe.

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Julia | 5 years ago
Please Help!!! We Recently Rescued A Yellow Canary From Pet Smart 3 Weeks Ago. He Has Been …

Please help!!! We recently rescued a Yellow Canary from Pet Smart 3 weeks ago. He has been acting fine, loves attention, sings, perks up when you talk to him and was great all day today. He loves to stand tall and flap his wings normally. This evening we were making dinner and I walked back in the living room and he was stuck in his hooded food bowl. Within a minute this happened because I walked to stir the pot and went back and there he was. I immediately scooped him up and placed him on his favorite perch, I removed the hoods as I thought maybe they were dangerous. And reached over to give him his favorite pet on his neck and he climbed on my hand and would not get off, I wouldn’t be alarmed if this was normal for him so I kept my hand there for him thinking he maybe felt safe after feeling trapped. He kept closing his eyes and wobbling bad. He finally jumped off in about 4 minutes and kept trying to perch and would lose his balance and try to sleep but startle and lean forward doing so. He even tried resting against the bars. I have been watching him now for about 2 hours and he has finally settled in but just seems a bit off still, not seeming relaxed and cozy at his bedtime like normal. I also want to add he kept leaning forward after like he was afraid he was going to fall backwards. I just want to stay ahead of things if he is sick and with all that is going on I figured I would try here first to see if you think maybe he just got scared and will settle in now. He immediately fit right in here when we brought him home. He is such a happy and friendly little guy and we love him so much already. My daughter is so scared and so am I, he has brought so much joy during this crazy dark mess we are in with the virus threat. Thank you so much in advance and God Bless and keep you all safe.

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I would put him in a very quiet very safe place and let him rest tonight. It sounds like trauma and honestly in these small guys the only thing you really can do is give them time to heal. No food no water no ability to fly or fall. Just a safe small quiet place to rest. Check on him in the morning and give him time. I hope he heals ok.

    1. Julia Post author

      I am so sorry, I am just seeing your response as I just am figuring out how to navigate this site, which is amazing by the way. I sent a fb message a few minutes ago with videos and pictures. Should a remove him from his cage now?

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Terri S | 5 years ago
Hi Dr. Magnifico. Our Cat Boogie Was Recently Seen By Dr. Ahrens For His Constipation Issues, …

Hi Dr. Magnifico. Our cat Boogie was recently seen by Dr. Ahrens for his constipation issues, and also to have blood drawn to check his hyperthyroidism. I have a couple questions for Dr Ahrens.
I prefer not calling the office, as I do not want to pull her away from whatever she is doing at that time, and it is really hard to reach me by phone.
Can you please ask her to email me at ——— or if you could give me her JVC email address so I can email her, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Terri

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    i notified Dr Ahrens. please reach out to me anytime if you need anything,, be well,, stay safe and hugs to Boogie!
    xoxo
    krista

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Leslie | 5 years ago
Our 9 Y.o. English Bulldog, Max, Is Experiencing A Very Itchy Face Only On The Right …

Our 9 y.o. English Bulldog, Max, is experiencing a very itchy face only on the right side. He will scratch daily and it sometimes becomes raw. We have moved to Colorado, but have not established a veterinarian here yet. With COVID-19, I do not want to take him out to the vet unless it is the only way to treat this. Is there something I can get online? I have seen great reviews for Coat Defense which, according to reviews, is used successfully for itchy skin on horses, dogs, and cats. Do you have any experience with that product or is there something else that could address both the itchiness and the root of the problem that you might suggest?

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    So. Here is the problem. Your pups itch is probably too severe and deep to allow an otc to work well. Also and this is a big one, it is on the face. So you have to be crazy careful about what you use.
    I actually have used this product and it works well. But it cannot be near the eyes or mouth.

    The source is the genetics. Aka the plague of being a bulldog. The answer lies at the vets office. Start there. His history and breed make it important to go earlier than waiting for it to become a deep and difficult infection to treat and resolve.

    Be safe! Hugs to you all!
    Krista

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Karen Hesch | 5 years ago
So I Have A 2 Y/o Female Cat Who Isnt Fixed Yet But Soon Will Be. …

So i have a 2 y/o female cat who isnt fixed yet but soon will be. I also have a 2 y/o ferret. They have always gotten along as they both have free range (no one yell about thre ferret having free range please, that isnt the issue and he’s very safe) i found a 4 week old ish kitten about a month ago and decided to keep him. My fear was my cat… but to my surprise she fell head over heels in love with the kitten and now seems to think she’s his mom… that’s being said she cleans him, watches over him, sleeps with him, disciplines him and PROTECTS him… with that being said everytime my kitten and the ferret play she goes aggressively at the ferret and he runs n hides… i feel terrible and have tried to encourage them to play and distract her while they play but she’s relentless. Help!!! All my life ive had different combos of animals and have always found ways to make them get along but im at a loss here… getting her fixed should help this???

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Spaying might help. Big emphasis on might. I would say this is going to take time and boundaries. There is no other way around it. It is very common for the family dynamics to change with the addition of a new pet. You can try to isolate and spend time independently with everyone. Or try caging the aggressor intermittently to see if that helps de intensify the situation (but better wanted it might make the stress worse). Or find a separate place for your ferret and get him his own friend. Really my biggest concern is the ferrets safety. It will take time to see if they can work it out. But I don’t want to risk him in the process. Whatever the resolution might be I encourage you to stay optimistic. Try not to make matters worse with stress or reprimand (Never ever works on animals!) and just trying lots of options. Like adjusting feeding placement and attention rewards for the food behavior.
    Ask your vet for help from a behaviorist. And get the cat spayed. If needed ask the vet about behavior modification assistance. There are lots of options there. Very best of luck!