Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
Good morning and happy thanksgiving Pawbly friends!!! We decided to go to a local trail this morning with the kids and the dogs. Rontu, who is usually pretty good on leash, was really a maniac. Lots of panting, whining, pulling…. really a jerk???? My thinking is anxiety because it is not one of our normal walking trails. We walk everyday, but the same usual routes with little variation. I am now going to start bringing him to other places once or twice a week where we can work on this behavior. I will be sure to bring lots of treats and patience. We have not had this issue with any of our other GSDs, so I am just guessing that this will be a good way to start to correct this behavior. If anyone has any other ideas, please share. Thanks!!!????????
I saw the video from Dr. Magnifico regarding polyp removal and cost. I was given from a vet here in the Salt Lake City area the cost of $2,000. How do I find a vet who will do the procedure for a lot less? Also, how do I make sure my feline has a polyp. She has only had a visual inspection and did show discharge on the right side when she sneezed. She has the snoring sound, the high pitched sound, and sneezing.
Good morning-
I would call around to local animal shelters and rescues to see if they know of a vet who is familiar with this issue. You could also talk to your vet and see if they have any other recommendations/advice or if they can refer you to a vet who is also familiar with nasal polyps.
Hello. There are lots of vets who are not as expensive. You have to call and ask and keep calling and keep asking. If you’re do find someone please share your pets story in our storylines section so others can benefit. Don’t give up! Good luck
Harry usually chews on toys and treats. Yesterday he tore two blankets up. Some pieces are missing. Hope they are not in his belly. He is not hungry. Very well fed. He’s always snatched my other dogs treats and food. When he first got here, June 2020,, he chewed the stuffing out of his bed. Hasn’t done any of that till yesterday.
What is your question?
Hi there-
I’m not sure what your question is. If you are wondering if there is an obstruction that your dog might need removed because of the missing pieces of blanket, I would definitely watch for signs and keep track of his bathroom if. As always, you could make an appointment with your vet to see for sure. If you asking about his behavior- that is something, training, time, consistency and patience will help with.
Is fentanyl really safe for dogs? My uncles dog was hit by a car and was taken to a emergency vet after xrays they found that his back legs are crushed and needs surgery the doctor gqve the dog fentanyl yes a patch that lasts 3 days they said he was in shock, if humans can get addicted to this drug can dogs? I always thought dogs cannot take or have these types of medicines by the way my uncle lives in texas
Hello,
Yes they can use it. And no I’ve never seen them get addicted. We o ty use it for a few days to get over the intense pain of trauma/injury
I have a cat that I suspect likely has a soft palate or nasal polyp. So far we have seen my usual vet twice. The 1st visit they just looked at the cat and told us it was probably a respiratory infection and sent us home w/ a course of antibiotics (Orbax). That was a $150 visit. The cat completed the antibiotics and showed no improvement in it’s respiratory status, plus it seems like the meds made the car loose his appetite to the point of hardly eating. We just went back for another f/u visit, this time insisting on at least some diagnostic tests and they drew blood for labs, and did a chest x-ray (which the said appeared clear). This time they sent us home with azithromycin and prednisolone (more antibiotics and a steroid). That was a $500 visit. I expressed concern about an obstruction or polyp to the vet, and was told that if this course of meds didn’t work, we might need to see a specialist. I would be very grateful if anyone could put me in touch with a vet like Dr. Krista Maginfico that could help us address the medical issue at a reasonable price in the Austin, Tx area. Please, help if you know of anyone…..thank you in advance.
Good morning- so sorry about your car. Is it possible to get referred to a specialist by your vet? I know you already spoke to them, but perhaps a quick over the phone conversation could point you in the right direction if your vet isn’t equipped to diagnose? Or maybe call your local humane society and ask if they know of a vet practice that is capable? I hope you can get in touch with someone you’re comfortable with. Best of luck!!
I am sure the next step w/ our vet will be a referral to a specialist, I am just trying to reach out and ask for help finding one that might be a bit more reasonable than $1500-$2000 to diagnose and remove a polyp
My cat has gone missing for the past 4 days.. We checked everywhere.. We asked the neighbours about her but only some saw her which was 4 days ago.. She is 1 year old. She also has 3 kittens each 1 month old.. It is normal for cats to run away like this? Are there any chances of her coming back? Could you help me? What are the possibilities of this?
Good morning. I’m sorry about your cat. There could be many reasons for her to be missing…. unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure. Hopefully she shows up????
She could have run off. She could have gotten injured and can’t return. Please, keep her kittens indoors at all times and spay/neuter them when they’re old enough. IF she returns, please spay her and keep her inside.
I have a 8 year old American Shorthair. Her name is Puma. We recently experienced a very traumatizing and costly visit to the emergency room. They recommended euthanizing her since we couldn’t afford their costly treatment plan. They explained that she had severe narrowing of her trachea due to a growth. Possible nasal polyps. Her more overt symptoms include an obvious blockage, snoring/snorting sounds while breathing, and head shaking. I recently watched Dr. Magnifico’s video on Stripes and his Nasopharyngeal Polyp removal and was surprised to see that sedation and a visual exam/removal could be done within such a short time with great results. Giving my husband and I restored hope. We love our little girl so much and don’t know what we do without her. Are there any vets within this network that anyone would recommend that would charge a more reasonable pricing for a similar procedure in California?
Hi???????? I would start with a discussion with your regular vet to see if they could point you in the direction of someone who is capable. They should have a better idea of people in the area. You also might want to call local rescues, humane society, etc. as they may know of someone to put you in touch with, since they are usually networked with a larger group of veterinarians. Perhaps even searching on the internet may help get you to someone who could help. I hope to that you are able to find someone and that they can help you with Puma!
Thank you for your prompt response. Puma has an appointment this Thursday. I will keep you guys posted. 🙂
My 10 week old kitten has a very bad humerus fracture on her right front leg. I just came home from the animal hospital and they are telling us to take her to a specialist/surgeon tomorrow and that the surgery will be about $6k. I am beside myself because we just cannot afford this, but I know I need to do something. I have seen a video of a similar aged kitten with the same fracture and they were able to splint her and wrap it around her back to the other side to stabilize her shoulder and humerus. I am hoping I can find a vet willing to do this tomorrow but does this sound like it would heal? I was told amputation or euthanasia are the other options but we just got this kitten on Tuesday and would be heartbroken. We aren’t even sure how this happened, it’s been an overwhelming day! Any advice is appreciated.
Hello,
Without knowing the specifics of this fracture I will say (and I believe this to be true) that all kittens heal. In vet med we have a saying “if you put a broken kitten in a cage and wait long enough they always put themselves back together”. (Well the saying is pretty close to that).. find a vet who will help you. Put this kitten in a cage just big enough for a small low sided blanket, food, water and a low sided litter box (or litter on newspaper) and let her rest. No playing. No leaving the cage and no items to climb on foe 4-8 weeks. It will heal. It always does. Make sure she is spayed after she is healed.
Thanks so much for your reply! After several phone calls today, I found a vet willing to splint her, and she is currently home and in her cage. He was optimistic as well, and said if anything she may have a slight limp, but that he thinks it will heal. I appreciate your time and your videos!
Hello again- Hazel had her cast removed today and the fracture healed slightly crooked/bent outwards, so now her leg looks deformed somewhat. I did keep her in a cage for a month with food and a shallow litter box, like you said, and I was very strict with keeping her in the cage and resting. I am happy that it did heal, but feel so bad that I couldn’t pay the money to have the expensive surgery so that she would heal correctly. Have you ever seen kittens that are able to walk normally again after a poorly healed humerus fracture? I know that is a broad question to ask. I am just hoping for anything, I feel heartbroken for her that it didn’t turn out the way we had expected. Im wondering if the bones were not aligned properly or moved after she was splinted.
Dr.Magnifico:
I hope this message finds you and your family well.
I actually have a concern not about one of my pets but one of my daughter’s cat. Frisky (my grandboy cat of 12 years).
2 weeks ago my daughter noticed he had an odor of urine. She had tried a new litter and thought it was due to the muddy consistency. She bathed him with no luck and decided to take him to a vet in her area. Frisky is a very cool easy going gentle cat . Unfortunately, when he went to the vet, my daughter said he turned into the cat from hell. They were unable to treat him but managed to give him his rabies. He was prescribed 100mg gabapentin to be taken that night and then one more an hour before his visit the next day. She described him as acting stoned starting with the first capsule. He was fine at the vets office but sadly has been diagnosed with kidney disease. The following 3 levels are off the chart: IDEXX SDMA 63, CREATININE 8.6, BUN 165. The following levels are slightly elevated: Phosphorus 9.9, Anion Gap 27, Total Protein 9.4, MCH 17.6, Monocytes .646.
Frisky was put on a special renal diet with phosphorus powder added (to bind the phosphorus). He is supposed to go back to the vets on Monday to have his kidneys flushed in hopes of flushing toxins I guess.
My concern is that he has trouble processing the gabapentin due to his kidneys.
You know how much I value your opinion and I truly love Frisky. If one of my cats presented all these issues, would you recommend the same treatment? I am also extremely concerned considering what I have read about the toxicity of gabapentin with kidney disease. I am very surprised by his behavior at the vets but obviously he needs something in order to calm him down. Would you recommend an alternative to gabapentin? I believe they gave her a liquid for Monday’s visit opposed to the pill that was used for the previous visit. Have you seen the use of special food and the flushing of kidneys to help improve some of these numbers and allow him some time with a good quality of life? I hope I have provided as much information that you may need.
As always, I appreciate your insight very much.
Thank you
Sandy Brown
Hello!
I’m sorry to hear about your daughters cat. As crazy as it sounds I have numerous patients like this. Ie perfectly wonderful at home and complete terrors at the clinic. My own cat is one of them.
I can’t prescribe anything to a cat I haven’t seen. Nor can anyone else. But I do think it’s important this cat be followed up on and if that means gabapentin is used then so be it.
You can and should ask about at home Sq fluids or even maybe an in clinic iv fluids hospital stay. It’s important to distinguish acute kidney failure from chronic and one of the ways to do this is with an inpatient stay to diurese the kidneys.
As always, I appreciate your input. Frisky is one of two cats that I rescued many years ago that my daughter gave a home. I feel a special bond to them because of that in addition to just loving all animals.
Thanks again and hope you have a nice day.
Sandy
Hi, I have a 14 month old australian shepherd mix that has had a terrible time dealing with the car since I got him, specifically a lottttt of drooling. I’ve been able to counter-condition him to be relaxed just sitting in the car but whenever we try to go to the next step and he notices we start moving in the car, the drooling comes right back and he is visibly anxious. I have started taking him to a nearby park with trails (about a 10 minute drive) after seeing Dr. Magnifico’s video on youtube about the subject. He has not vomited yet on these trips but the drool is definitely a concern and so far hasn’t improved (just had our fourth trip today). Also, after these trips he appears more wary of the car, with drooling sometimes starting as we approach the car to return home. As long as he is not vomiting am I not pushing him too much? When I first got him at four months, he was fine until the last 3 minutes of a 45 minute car drive, at which point he threw up. I think this has unfortunately traumatized him since and I just want to make sure I’m not creating further trauma.
I have also tried anti-nausea medication both OTC and from the vet with limited success, definitely does not help the drooling which makes me further believe it is anxiety related.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Hello,
The drooling is part of the anxiety. In my opinion and experience the only way around it is through it. Keep working with him and keep thinking of new ways to make the car less scary. Like sitting in it and not going anywhere. Offering treats. Just going for a quick ride to the post office. Or a little jaunt around town anything and everything to make it less stressful and more enjoyable. Foe my pups this usually takes 4-6 months. But now they can (and do) go anywhere and it doesn’t matter if it is a ten minute or ten hour drive. They love to go anywhere and always think it’s an adventure.
Thanks so much for your reply, it is relieving to hear that despite the lack of results I should be on the right track, I’ll keep chipping away at it!
Hi there- Dr. Magnifico is definitely right. We had one shepherd (Butch) that was terrified of the car. It took about 6 months, but we finally got there. My trick with him was to make the ENTIRE experience worth it. At first, the car itself meant a treat of ham. Then, staying in the car meant more ham. We actually would go to visit the vet to get a treat, not for an appointment. Many times, I would just go to the end of the road and back- before the anxiety could grab ahold. After those first months, the car became a fun experience for him???? Also- a strong bond with your dog will help them overcome seriously just about anything. So working on that will help. If their bond with you is right, no matter where you are, they will want to be. Time, lots of love and patience are key. Keep up the good work????????
Ahh, I’ll try using some ham. I had been using bullysticks in the car but once the car gets moving he got sick pretty quickly. Ham might be a bit easier on his stomach. Fortunately I have had lots of time to train him so I do have a pretty good bond and can keep him in a down position in the car. Thanks for the reply!
Use a crate. My Doberman is a hellion if she isn’t secured – she screams and whines and won’t settle. Try a crate, and cover it.
Hello!
Happy thanksgiving. I think you are spot on! Try new places and try tho balance the excitement (and yes possibly anxiety too) of a new place with the focused intellectually challenging aspect of exploring. Keep him on a tight watch and enjoy as he learns new boundaries and new explorations. Sending love to you all.