Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
I have a male cat that’s 2 years old. He was recently taken to the hospital because he couldn’t pass urine. For him to get a catheter alone was 2,000. We brought him back home and it’s been two days. As of now, his bladder feels pretty large and almost solid. I ended up massaging his bladder until he got a good amount of urine out. Am I still able to monitor him or is the only way for him to recover is with a PU? I will not be able to afford it at full price, especially already have dropped 2,000 on the first visit.
My cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The research I’ve done so far suggests that radio iodine therapy is the best course of action. There are 2 practices that provide this treatment; Radiocat in Catonsville, MD & Mid Atlantic Feline Thyroid Center in Queenstown, MD. I’m trying to determine which practice would be best for our cat. I already know one of them does not have availability until early June, but I don’t want that to be the deciding factor.
Hello,
I do agree that this is the best treatment method available. I have had clients use both. They were all happy with their experience and outcome. So I would chose based on schedule availability and location.
Please let me know how about your experience and feedback is always helpful to provide guidance for others.
Dr Magnifico
Dear Dr. Magnifico, thank you for the very quick response! We have Maka scheduled for May 13th at Mid Atlantic. She will be on medication until the end of April as we prepare for the procedure. Hopefully by early June she’ll be back to normal. Thanks again, Ada
We were notified a week ago that the pharmacy does not have I-131 available. The treatment was rescheduled for May 28th. I’m hoping this is not a supply chain issue. Our cat did not tolerate the medication well and we had to stop it after about 2 weeks.
My dog has these itchy spots popping up. They’re risen and have a scab over them. If you remove parts of the scab, there is a clear wet substance coming from the spot. Hair is also coming off with the scab. They are the size of a nickel, and I don’t see any other tiny spots or bumps around them. No change in diet/monthly preventatives. He has one on his back and one on his chest. He is a neopolitan mastiff if that matters. Trying to avoid a vet visit if possible.
my leopard gecko wont open his eyes and theyre super squinted almost shut. i dripped warm water on them and he still wont open them. his appetite has decreased a lot and im worried.
I would be looking for an exotics vet yesterday.
Hello,
I’m sorry we do not have a reptile in expert here at this time.
We’ve had my dog for 6+ years. Up until about 3 months ago, he never got in the garbage and only stole food off a counter one time that we’ve known of. However, this is not the case now. For the last three months, he has started regularly getting into the garbage and recycling bags. He stole a loaf of bread off the counter the other day. The only thing we can think of that has changed is that we started giving our cat wet food instead of dry. But it seems weird that this would be the thing to trigger the behavior. Any ideas? And what can we do to train him out of it? He only does this when we are out of the house.
First: get a full “senior” bloodwork panel done. Rule out anything medical.
Second: hide all trash and all food. Counter and garbage surfing are self-reinforcing. Lock the trash away, get a locking can. Remove all food from all counters and put them in a secure cabinet. Lock the fridge with a child lock, if necessary.
Third: Crate when you can’t supervise.
This is usually medical if it’s sudden like this, but you need to be proactive in your prevention, and it’s always a multiprong approach.
Thank you!
My cats are patients of Jarrettsville Vet. I am reaching out please to get information for my friend. They are located in Michigan and Her 7 year old indoor cat hurt its back leg. Her vet told her that she needed to see an orthopedic specialist because the cat tore a ligament. They made an appointment and were told it would run $250 for the visit plus whatever they needed to do to identify the problem and surgery could cost up to $8000. They are a young couple with a small daughter, and are looking for other options. I thought I had seen a video that Dr. magnifico did regarding anti-inflammatories, pain meds, and cage rest. Can you please Point us in the right direction as to what she should do. I recommended that she contact her vet to see if those options were available to her through them and she could try that route first before seeing a surgeon. I am so blessed and grateful that Jarrettsville Vet is close to me and offers options such as those. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! Her appointment at the surgeon is tomorrow.
Hello
I’m sorry to hear about your friends cat. I’m also not sure what advice I can give as I don’t. Know what kind of injury or diagnosis this is.
I do however think it is important to be honest about your financial abilities and express that to the surgeon. It is perfectly acceptable to ask for affordable treatment options and insist that they be provided.
Thank you Dr. Mag for your advice and I will forward that to her this morning. It is so difficult for us as pet owners to deal with the emotions, concerns and worry in the moment, without being given all possible available options instead of just surgery or amputation. This country most definitely needs more vet practices like yours! We will see you on our next visit and thank you for your time.
Teresa, Girlfriend & Panda Bear
My almost 2 year old dog has started to nose his way out the door when I leave the house. This has only been going on for about a week. There are two people who live in the house with him. This problem started when I was leaving for a weekend. His other person was here for the whole time I was gone I have been gone for weekends before. I need help to try to stop this behavior so we don’t have to keep him locked in part of the house so we can get out or in the house.
Please help
I’m not sure what your question is.
Are you worried about him escaping while you are out? If so then I do think that placing him in a cage while you are away is the safest thing to do. If you are away all weekend and this is your dog and your responsibility for his care and safety then this is another question you must answer as his primary care giver. If you share custody of this dog with someone in the house then I think you both need to sit down and discuss the situation.
It sounds like your dog knows you are leaving and is upset about it. We don’t want to discourage that kind of loyalty and love do we?
How is the dog getting out? At what point of your departure is he leaving? I suspect this needs to involve a behavior change in the humans as well as the dog. Reevaluate HOW you leave, and what you focus on as you’re leaving. Make sure the door is closed securely when you leave. If the door doesn’t close securely, look into fixing that issue.
I would also make sure the dog understands that we don’t go outside without a person. Take the dog outside, spend time outside with him, and bring him back inside when you come back in. (Dogs shouldn’t be unattended outside anyway, so this is a safety thing beyond training.) Work on barrier training – train the dog not to cross exterior doors without being told to do so. Look for a training club to find a good trainer to help you work with this issue. (In the Baltimore area we have Oriole Dog Training, which offers a wide array of training classes. Most major cities have at least one training club.)
Thank you for your comments. He tries to get out as we open the door to leave. For almost 2 years we have always have him sit and stay telling him we love him and will be back. My question is how do I stop this behavior. He is way to strong for myself with a shoulder injury to walk him so taking him even to the car to take him for training is not what I can do or even afford. Just looking for an idea
The other person isn’t willing to work with him?
Making a big deal out of leaving is part of the issue. I have a shelter mutt who came to us with some separation anxiety (on top of everything else) and she absolutely door dashed when we first got her. We built a routine of giving a high value dental chew just before we leave, and we require her to go to place (go to her bed) before she gets it. Until he has a better grasp of not door dashing, use a barrier! Baby gates are relatively expensive and very, very useful. Crating is also a good skill every dog should have, and should be practiced regularly – don’t discount this as an option.
There’s a LOT of training you can do at home. I mentioned a local training club for the widest variety of training options available, but you don’t necessarily need to go someplace to get a trainer in your home. Additionally, you can investigate Denise Fenzi’s dog sports university online at https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/
Thank you again. My dog is a very larg boy! He seems to be getting a little better! ( he dies not like the door being closed) . The other person ( my brother who is his actual owner) does work with him just not enough to my liking. The dog and I play out in the yard all the time. We are going to try again this weekend to see if the behavior is better. I just can’t do it by myself.
Set up a daily training routine with him. At least 5-10 minutes a day will work WONDERS for his overall behavior.
My dog ate a small mouse! Is this normal, and should I be worried?
Hello,
If Your dog ate a small mouse that was alive he will probably be fine. If the mouse was dead I would worry that it might have been poisoned.
I noticed this bump on my dogs (will be 5 years old in June, spayed female German Shepherd, up to date on vaccines, given simparica trio last week) ear tonight. I don’t think it has been there long seeing as it’s visible and I rub her ears often when she’s laying next to me. I did put pressure on it while trying to get pictures and there appears to be a tiny hole in which a small amount of fluid, light blood and some matter came out of. She went to daycare last week seeing as we are going out of town for a week and will need to board her while we’re away so I’m not sure if she was injured during play.
Hello,
As this is a very small mass and in an area that is difficult to surgically remove I recommend that you see your vet for a discussion on how we diagnose lumps and bumps. In almost all cases we need to remove the mass and submit it for pathology review.
My pup was fine all day the. Out of the blue started yelping when he had to jump or tried to run or be active I can’t touch it’s back his legs his hips everything and he is fine can not pick him up with out him yelping screaming he can not jump up or down with out yelping
I’m sorry to hear about your puppy. I strongly recommend that you place him in a small carrier or cage and get to a vets office. Do not allow him to walk or jump or over exert himself or he can cause more damage or worsen whatever is going on. The vet need to do an examination and maybe take an Xray.
Keep him calm and quiet and do not give any medications without speaking to a vet first.
Hello.
I have written numerous pages of information and tips on this disease. Please see my blog at kmdvm.blogspot.com
I would at least ask a vet to empty the bladder via cystocentesis. I would also ask about how much it is to place a urinary catheter and ask to go home with it in place to see if a few days at home with it in will help resolve the underlying issue. In some cases a vet tech can help you manage this at home. This is all very out of the box but your cats life is at stake.
I would also like to have as much information as you can provide about where you went and what they offered for options. Along with any invoices and estimates they may have provided. If you are near Maryland USA I will help if I can.
I went to blue pearl in Tacoma and they only offered the 2-3 hospital stay with a catheter in while they keep an eye on him for around 5-7 thousand, or just flush him out and send him home for 2,000 or euthanize him. I’ve asked if I can just bring him home and monitor him there but they turned that idea down. Since then we’ve been giving him the prescription food with the pain killers and the medicine for the muscle spasms. We’ve tried massaging his abdomen last night and we got a good amount of fluid out but I’ve tried four times today and couldn’t get the same result. All the vets are also closed.