Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
My 10 year old male Persian cat was blocked with a bladder infection.
One week ago, the Vet did a catherization to remove the fluids and sent him home.
He further recommended surgery to remove bladder stones. Is there an alternative to bladder surgery ?
Thank you.
Hi, my cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 2 weeks ago and our vet put her on Methimazole 5 mg liquid. Yesterday my cat started trying to urinate frequently (every couple of minutes) and defecated outside of her letterbox several times. I searched up to see if these were the symptoms of the medication and was unable to find anything online. So i just wanted to run it by you guys and double check. Today my cat seems to be doing well, she is not urinating every few minutes, however, I’m still a little worried. Thanks so much!
Hi there- I agree that your cat is trying to tell you something with this litter box behavior. Have you phoned you vet to let them know? I would definitely start there. I know that my vet would want to know any changes in behavior right away and be kept up to date on the patient…. I would call your regular vet before they close and speak with them. I hope things are ok????????
Hello,
Please follow up with your vet about your cat. I don’t think the medication and the litter box issues are related but litter box issues should always be followed up ASAP. Also I have not had much luck with the transdermal medications so please follow up with your vet on the thyroid level checks too.
Hi Pawbly friends-
I had asked the other day about antiseptic for minor scratches etc. does anyone have thoughts/advice on equisilver antimicrobial spray or povidone iodine solution? Thanks!!
Hello,
Iodine is great. But it can stain the fur. Equalizer if a horse product? Right? I’d have to ask the equine peeps.
Thanks- I found the equalizer when looking for the product Laura had recommended. I have been washing Rivas ear with warm saline- and it is healing up beautifully ???? Ihave no idea what she may have caught it on. The kids all came running “Rivas ear is bleeding” and sure enough…. so I did the first cleaning with peroxide and then switched to the novasal we had leftover from Rontus scuffle, which came in handy. When I ran out of the novasal, I started with saline and neosporin. And now it is just about healed and gone… I was just figuring since they’re out in the woods with the kids all of the time for the next few months, good to have something on hand. Thank you????????
My four year old dachshund was just diagnosed with IVDD, and is presenting with full paralysis of his hind legs. He seems to be in a lot of pain despite being put on Robaxin by our vet. I am feeling very overwhelmed because it happened so suddenly, and am really looking for ways to help him as much as I can. I work full time as well, but live with my parents who will be home with him everyday so I would like to be able to coach them in what I learn. Is there a go to resource for helping your dog to heal from IVDD?
Hi there- so sorry!! Dr. Magnifico has videos that may be able to help you on her YouTube channel. I would take a look there… very best of luck to you and your pup????????
Hi! My dog has recently been licking around is butt and has completely licked off the hair on the back of his tail. He’s been doing it for about 2-3 weeks now. I thought it was the new food I tried with him but after seeing him do it for a few days, I stopped and went back to his original food. However, he has not stopped and now I’ve notice my other dog biting around her tail a little. Not nearly as bad as my male dog though. I am concerned something else is going on like worms. I unfortunately still owe a lot of money to my current vet for emergency visits the dogs had early this year and can’t afford to take them in to be checked. Can I try using Safe-Guard with them to see if that corrects the issue? Is something else possibly going on?
This could be anal glands, it could be intestinal parasites, it could be his diet isn’t working for him. We can only guess. I would at least try to get a stool sample checked out.
Hi there, I wanted to ask if polyps in the throat can be felt. My kitten that can’t meow I suspect of having polyps. The vet tested for Leukemia and FIV negative, xrays negative, and lung worm negative. Now I notice both sides of her neck has lump, one side bigger. My other kittens do not have these lumps. My vet said she doesn’t think it’s polyps because that’s uncommon in kittens, so $500 in tests later and I have no answers. Shouldn’t they have noticed these lumps? They are the size of a small marble.
Hello,
I have only been able to feel a polyp a few times. Every so often I can do a quick enough oral exam to feel them in the back of the mouth. But even with these I needed to do a sedated exam to be sure. Kittens can get hyperthyroidism which can cause palpable enlargement of the glands on the outside throat area. This is diagnosed and confirmed with a blood test. Please call your vet to discuss these. If finances are a concern call the shelters and rescues to see if there are low cost pet care options available.
Hi there!!!
Penny and Sampson’s mom here. Quick question…they weighed in at 47 lbs and 48 lbs last month when they saw Dr. Ahrens for their Cytopoint shots. Dr. Ahrens said Sampson looks a bit underweight. I took the recommendation you gave me for Wellness dog food and just started tapering them off the raw. I like them around 50-53 lbs they both look a bit underweight to me. I will follow the feeding guidelines and watch their weight. Do I need to go to the next weight class down for their Heartguard medication or can I still use the 50 lbs and up dosage?
Hello,
So I talk more about muscle condition score with these breeds versus body condition score. I’m not sure how they fare in either. Can you post photos from the side and above? Or we can set up a FaceTime chat. And I try to stick to the weight guidelines in the packages. If you bought them from us we will happily exchange for the correct size. Unless you think you will put the extra few pounds on and have them at the correct dose. Let me know what works for you. ???? krista.
Either way is fine. We can start with the photos. I can send them tomorrow since they are in bed for the night. I do plan on getting then up just a few pounds I certainly don’t want them overweight again. They are due for their Heartguard tomorrow. So once I send the pics I will go from there with whatever your recommendations are. I gotta say I love Pawbly. It makes asking questions so much easier and you are amazing at getting back quickly. Wish there were more human doctors like that????
I just recently got a 7 week old kitten. He was perfectly fine when I first got him but I don’t have a car so I was unable to get cat food but had some tuna in the cabinet. He seems really weak and sleeps all the time. I have since then gotten cat food but what should I do to get his strength back up? Is this something that I should be worried about?
Good morning-
With a kitten so young, there are a multitude of things to take into consideration and worry about. Since you have just gotten her, you will have quite a few vet visits in your near future for health examination and vaccinations. If you haven’t already, you need to get those vet visits set up. When you go, bring a stool sample with you so that they can check for parasites, etc. you can also get meds for flea and tick prevention. Fleas and parasites and distemper are a few top concerns. Hopefully, you can get an appointment today. Best of luck.
This should be considered an emergency, in my book. Babies crash VERY quickly. Please get him to the vet.
Morning???? Quick question about antiseptic for keeping cuts clean. I know peroxide isn’t the best option. I like to use this blue solution from the vet. Is it Rx only? We are all out and it is “run around like a maniac in the woods with the kids” time of year for the dogs.
Are you referring to Blu-Kote? I have seen spray Blu-Kote on Amazon.
I use soapybwarm water. Best widely available antibiotic ever made. Flush. Flush. Flush. Copiously. The blues solution is Chlorhexidine. Avail everywhere. We call it Nolvasan.
Hi, my 4 year old adopted whippet was neutered on 4/22/20. I followed all post-op instructions and he was healing fine and resumed his normal activities at the two week point (May 6th), and was bathed on May 7th. They used dissolvable stitches, which I could still see on the area weeks after the surgery. Everything looked like normal healing, no redness/drainage/swelling, and he wasn’t bothering the area. Today (over a month since the surgery) I noticed him licking the area and upon inspection I noticed some redness and swelling at the incision site, and there is some minor serous drainage from the site. No change in behavior, no change in appetite or energy level. It doesn’t seem to be painful for him, but I’m worried since the incision area should be completely healed by now. Could this be a seroma or does it look like a bad infection (or something worse) that will require veterinary attention?
The first pic was taken today 5/30/20. The other pic was taken 4/26/20. Thank you in advance.
Hello,
I would call the veterinarian who did the surgery as soon as you can. In the interim I would apply a warm compress twice a day, put an ecollar on and apply an over the counter antibiotic ointment. This is not to give you a treatment plan it is to get you through the next few hours until your vet office opens up. Please call first thing Monday morning. If your pet changes any kind of behavior or activity or shows any signs of the area opening please go immediately to an ER. The incision site looks like it’s opening but the question is why is it happening? It could be a suture reaction, closure failure due to the pet self traumatization, or dehiscence and infection. It is not possible to diagnose this over the Internet or via a photo. It must be looked at by your vet. I hope this helps. Thanks for neutering and for visiting our site. Good luck.
Thank you very much. I sent pics to my vet this morning, they think it’s a “suture reaction,” like you suggested. He will take another course of antibiotics, keep e-collar on, and I will take him back if it gets worse or doesn’t clear up. It’s looking better each day/less redness. Thank you!
Sounds good. Thank you for the follow up.
Hi there-
We had a car with a blockage years ago. We had to have emergency surgery and put him on a special diet. We ended up with 8 more, stone free years with him????????
Thanks Sarah. This situation is really stressing me out. I put him on the Hill’s C/D diet. Do you know what emergency surgery he had ? I would like to avoid the surgery if possible.
Sorry- I hit submit before I finished- I was going to add that an in depth discussion with your vet is probably best.
Hello,
I don’t know enough to offer specific advice. Here’s what I usually recommend. If the cat is blocked do that they cannot urinate I place a urinary catheter and keep the cat on iv fluids in the hospital until the urine is running clear. Usually this is about 3-4 days. Then I remove the catheter and make sure they are able to urinate a normal amount easily and comfortably. I also start them on a urinary prescription diet. I much prefer watered down wet food vs dry. I take radiographs of the urinary stones and check a urine sample every 2-4 weeks. Many cats urinary issues will resolve over time with diet. For the rare cases of storms that are so big or those that will not dissolve we discuss a cystotomy to remove them. Either way all cats with urinary issues need diet changes and increase exercise and activities to help them from blocking again. I hoe this helps. Let us know what happens.
Thank you very much Dr. Krista. You have given me hope. I will follow your advice and let you know what happens.