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Diana | 5 years ago
My Vet Strongly Suspects My Cat Has A Nasal Polyp. She Has Be Snoring/snarling Consistently …

My vet strongly suspects my cat has a nasal polyp. She has be snoring/snarling consistently for 2.5 years, but is otherwise fine. When it began, I first had a potential infection treated with two antibiotics, followed by a teeth cleaning, that yielded no issues with the teeth, and ended with a nasal flush. My vet was hoping to be able to see and grab the polyp during the flush, but couldn’t. Because she was otherwise healthy, eating, and playing, I went without treating it. Recently, she was treated for a G.I. flair up that had her not eating. She had begun not eating or moving get bowels for days. Once vomiting was added in, I took her to Metropolitan Emergency Vet. They gave her an ultrasound, saw the inflammation and gas in her abdomen, took a CBC, gave her fluids and nausea medication and sent her home a couple hours later for $800. Her bloodwork was was fine, aside from dehydration. She continued not to eat, so I brought her to my vet a day and a half later. They did an x-ray and saw the lower intestine looked aggravated. They kept her for the weekend and gave her fluids and more nausea medication. She returned to me after two days and began eating again at home. I’m awaiting the additional $600 bill for that. While being discharged, one of the docs urged me to address what she felt strongly was likely a polyp in her nasal cavity, as she believed it may now be large enough that it’s limiting her ability to smell, which may have contributed to the refusal to eat with the G.I. issue coexisting for a few days. She referred me to the specialty docs locally to have the nasal polyp removed. They are quoting me $3,195 plus. They said it would be $195 for a internal med consult, $1,500 for a “necessary” CT, and $1,500 or more for the Rhinoscopy. My vet said Lilah is otherwise a healthy 12 year old cat. I am sick with the cost, as I will need to put it all on a credit card. I have called around to multiple other specialty vets and I’m getting comparable quotes. I have had family members suggest I euthanize my cat over a nasal polyp, which I absolutely will not do. I stumbled across a Utube video of you removing a nasal polyp, so I tracked you down by name, wondering if you could help Lilah? I’m two hours from your practice, which is close enough. I’d really appreciate you getting back to me. As of now, we have a consult scheduled for 3/4, and I’m sick over the cost.

Thank you,
Diana Maginn

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Well! That’s quite a huge long laundry list of issues. Has anyone done a FeLV/ FIV test? What does the blood work look like?
    While no one can rule out a polyp without a scope or ct scan this does sound like a long list of issues and I worry there is an underlying issue causing many of them. I would ask your vet to sedate her and look behind the soft palate to see if there is a visible polyp that might be able to be removed with traction avulsion. Otherwise I think the retro flex endoscopy and ct are the only way to diagnose. Although I would ask some very hard and direct questions about what can actually be done if they’d one it buried dee within the nasal cavity? I hope this helps.

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Jason | 5 years ago
Can Someone Give Me Some Suggestions On Nail Trimming On A 1-year Old Pointer? His Nails …

Can someone give me some suggestions on nail trimming on a 1-year old Pointer? His nails and quick are black so that adds a challenge. As soon as he sees the nail clippers, he gets into a panic. Trying to hold him down is very stressful for both the dog and me as the owner (but I do try to remain calm and talk with him the entire time). Please advise tips so we can get to a better place and maintain his nails better. Thank you.

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    This is going to be a bit of a road to travel, but CAN definitely be done. You are going to have to reintroduce the clippers as a positive thing. Slowly and gradually until you get to the point where you are able to trim. Treats and praise will help- but it will take time to get there. In the meantime- the vet techs at your vet will most likely be able to assist you. I am still trying to reintroduce nail trimming to one of our shepherds and it’s almost a year now… not giving up though. So much closer than we were. But right now- they get trimmed during his vet visits. Best of luck ????????

  2. Laura

    I agree with Sarah – you need to revisit the clippers (or dremel) in a different way.

    Are you on Facebook? There’s a FANTASTIC group focused on doing nails in a way that the dog isn’t stressed. Some members build scratch boards for their dogs to use while they’re training them to accept clippers. I would encourage you to join and read all the Files: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nail.maintenance.for.dogs/learning_content/

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BILL | 5 years ago
Blue Is An Approximately 7-8 Year Old Rottweiler. I Recently Adopted Her Last Year From A …

Blue is an approximately 7-8 year old Rottweiler. I recently adopted her last year from a family that had adopted her 5 years before when she was brought to a Rottweiler rescue as a stray. Recently have some issues with her licking paws and biting at the hair on her legs, also severe dandruff with scaly scabs along her flank with leathery skin, also scabbing along the outer ridges of her ears. I initially suspected an allergy as have had rottweilers before and experienced their tendency to have allergy to food etc. Visited the vet about the skin, did antibiotics and it subsided but not completely cleared up. I decided to change food and in doing so she had 2 bouts of diarrhea that both had to be treated with metronidazole. In this process comes the problem, on one of those visits my vet discovered her spleen was enlarged. confirmed by xray, no masses just enlargement. In process of having her thyroid checked by a 3 panel test as I think the vet is going in the direction of a low thyroid causing multiple ear/skin infections which in turn is enlarging the spleen. I did check with previous owner and she has had skin/ear infections in past, treated by Keflex and allergy shot but never confirmed as to why. Vet stated she has little confidence at this point it could be cancer, but possible. we are embarking on finding out why her spleen is enlarged… My question is has anyone had a similar situation and or what do you think will be the outcome? Also if this does play out as a thyroid issue, given proper treatment will the spleen return to healthy size or will it need to be removed? I am aware of the possibility of hemangiosarcoma and do know what that outcome would most likely be.

2 Responses

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  1. Diana

    Hello! Lilah, my 12 year cat is believed to have a nasal polyp/s by our vet. She has the classic symptom of the constant snoring/snarling sound. It actually began over two years ago, but we waited to address it due to cost. Recently, she had a short GI flair up that she had treated, but she would not eat for several days during it. My vet suspected it was because the potential polyp is large enough that she couldn’t smell her food well on top of being sick. I had her hospitalized for the weekend to get fluids and nausea medication. She resumed eating. My vet urged me to get the polyp addressed, indicating it is a simple procedure, and Lilah is an otherwise healthy cat. Her blood work was fine. She was both ultrasounded and x-rayed with the GI issue, and just had inflammation in the lower intestine at the time. The referred specialty vet is quoting us over $3,000. $1,500 for a CT scan and $1,500 plus for the Rhinoscopy. In searching for options, I stumbled across you in a Utube video. The cat you were doing the procedure on both looked like and met the snoring description of my cat. She had a nasal flush two years ago, when the snoring began, and they could not see or reach it at that time. They presumed it was in the nasal csvity. We love our cat, but we just paid $1,500 for this GI issue and an additional $3,000 plus would require us to borrow the amount. When we saw your video and that you helped someone in a similar predicament, we wondered if you could help Lilah? We are drivable to your practice, though in Pennsylvania. If appreciate any help or advice. Thank you so much!
    Diana Maginn

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I would wait for the thyroid panel to return before speculating too much more. I also advise people that hypothyroidism is one of the most over diagnosed diseases we see. The dog should be acting like they have a low Thyroid along with appropriate test results before diagnosing. As far as the spleen goes. I’m not sure if oversized is a problem. It is just a finding. And I have no guess as to what it will do. You can ask for an ultrasound to better appreciate it and speculate on its underlying issue and best course of action. If I think a spleen is, or is going to be a problem I remove it before that happens.

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Liz | 5 years ago
4 Days Ago My Cat Began Acting Really Lethargic. She Has Been Sleeping All Day And Won…

4 days ago my cat began acting really lethargic. She has been sleeping all day and won’t move. I offered her canned food on day 2 and she scarfed it down as well and drank water. Over the last 48 house she has declined severely. She is eey weak and has lost and extreme amount if weight despite my efforts. I have been syringe feeding her, stimulating her, administered Pedialyte as well as tried to maintain her hydration. I began subcutaneous fluids yesterday and she is still of a deep decline. I’m afraid I will lose her. She was fine the day before this started. None of my other cats are sick not have any symptoms at alll. She is 6 months old. Her name is Honey.

2 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning. So sorry about your cat. Have you been in to see your vet?

  2. Laura

    What did your vet say when you took her in? You DID take her in the day this started, right? If not it’s beyond emergent now…

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Aimee | 5 years ago
We Brought A Re-homed Cat Home To Our House One Week Ago. She Is 4 Years Old, …

We brought a re-homed cat home to our house one week ago. She is 4 years old, spayed, up to date on shots and healthy. She came from a multi-cat and dog house to our single-dog house. Her previous owner says she had no problem standing up for herself against other cats and the dog (reports the other cats are much more willing to come out of hiding since she has been removed). We have noticed that she is shy and skittish, but eating and drinking. She spends most of her day hiding under a bed.

Unfortunately she refuses to use her litter box (so far preferring kids closets and under desks). We’ve taken a step back and confined her to a single room. She has a clean litter box. Food, toys and bed are at the opposite side of the room. We’ve also confined the dog to a separate part of the house

None of this is ideal. We have few doors, so keeping them apart also keeps the humans apart. I can put food or litter in another part of the house, but the cat is more likely to encounter the dog if I do that.

Thoughts?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In general I take the ridiculously slow and gradual approach to new cats joining the family. I do the following. I place a big cage with a little box in it and place that in a room by itself. The new cat is kept there with a big blanket covering as much of the big cage as needed until everything is calm and happy. This means the new cat is coming to you and purring. Using the litter box and eating normally. It can take weeks. We let them get used to their own new place before expecting them to adapt to ours. After they are doing well we open rhe big cache and let them acclimate to their own room. Now they can sniff the other animals under the door until that is also calm and peaceful. No hissing at others under the door. If that goes well so short small supervised visits with others housemates. If any thing doesn’t go well go back to bases. Ideally the cage and box stay accessible until the new cat is using the community boxes. If all else fails go back to small and safe. Cats need time and patience and they don’t always adapt well. Also super important to talk to your vet and rule out any issues. Think about different litter and litter boxes. Let you cat decide which they like. Hope that this helps.

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Chrystal | 5 years ago
I Rescued A Kitten Several Weeks Ago. He Was Said To Be A Female And To …

I rescued a kitten several weeks ago. He was said to be a female and to be 4 /5 weeks old. Took him to vet next day and she turned out to be a boy around 3 weeks old. Was very sick and had fleas really bad. He is healthy now but very aggressive. I have an 8 year old cat who has never been with any other cats. The kitten attacks him to the point he cries and I can’t get him to stop attacking my adult cat. Please help

4 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning- keeping the kitten confined may help. I am confused as to how a kitten so small can have the ability to be attacking a full grown cat though. As far as introducing them, I would keep visits monitored , and go slowly.

    1. Chrystal Post author

      We are already past the introduction and at first they were fine and all was well. The healthier the kitten gets the more aggressive he gets. My adult cat will not return the aggression. I honestly don’t understand it either

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    Here’s what has worked for me in the past. We set very strict schedules and regiments to help define acceptable behavior and safe times and zones. I think that the other very Important item to talk about is cats don’t think like us. They usually like and need the opposite of what we think they want. So. For cases like this we define individual and community zones. All cats get their own space where no one can bother or harass them. If needed cages are used. At the clinic with all of the cats coming and going we cage them at night and it reinforces a safe me only zone. It also reduces intercat aggression. Things like toys, Feliway and games help. Cats with too much energy are given toys to keep busy and burn off excess steam. Things like hunting for food (my way of scattering dry kibble instead of getting it given to you without working for it. I also use catnip, catnip toys, laser pointers and neutering ASAP. In some cases we have used harness training to let cats go outside on chaperoned walks.
    It’s important to say that you cannot reprimand a cat. They are not trainable like dogs. Reprimand will only cause fear and heighten aggression. If all else fails sometimes finding a kitten to play with your kitten helps. They can correct each other and exhaust each other. I hope this helps.

    1. Chrystal Post author

      Thank you for the advice. They did well last night and Koba, my adult cat actually layed with me for an hour like he did before Stinky Pete, the kitten came. The vet said he can’t be neutered until May so that will have to wait. I say a lot that I will send Stinky Pete packing but I honestly would never do that. He is with us til I pass and at that point one of my kids will take them then.

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zeta rose id | 5 years ago
Hi There, I’ve Been Feeding Some Stray Cats Near My Work Place And Recently I …

Hi there, I’ve been feeding some stray cats near my work place and recently I noticed one of the male cats has crusty lesions on several places of its body like on the nose, the cheeks, the balls. I googled some pics online and his condition seems to match feline herpes virus. I tried to trap him for a vet visit but he just won’t let me. I asked some vets in my area but they insist on me to bring in the cat. So I think that option is pretty much impossible. Is there any kind of human antibiotics or supplements I can give to the cat? Something I can sneak inside his food? Thank you!

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Have you reached out to any of the local rescues around you? There are really few medications that cats can get and fewer that are for humans. So it isn’t really safe to do that. Also I would think this cat will need more care like rabies vaccine? Spay/neuter. Etc. Also some dermatology conditions can be treated with a topical or injectable option which is far better and safer for these cats. Please call and ask for help. In our area there are multiple cat rescues who will help with trapping and caring for ferals. I hope there is someone near you.

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Barb | 5 years ago
My Female Jack Russell, Rowan Was Recently Diagnosed With Protein And Crystals In Her Urine As …

My female Jack Russell, Rowan was recently diagnosed with protein and crystals in her urine as well as being acidic. Her vulva is also irritated and a little puffy. We tried 10 days of antibiotics, no change, so now are trying Sci. Diet C/D , does not really like the kibble, can I mix in veggie puree, pumpkin or anything else to make it more palatable for her. Any suggestions are welcome. Maybe wet food?Again we are under vet care, not just home medicating.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    hello,
    for these cases I try to add a little of the food they will eat to a little of the food I want them to eat. Is the vulva irritated because she is in heat? or could it be vaginitis that is causing the urinary tract to be affected.

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Kelly | 5 years ago
It Has Been About 3 Weeks Since My Stray Cat Snow Had Her Stomatitis Flare Up Again, …

It has been about 3 weeks since my stray cat Snow had her stomatitis flare up again, she will eat periodically if I cut up deli meat very small or mash Max cat venison canned food for her, the randomness of her eating isn’t likely enough to sustain her but as I mentioned before she won’t let me trap her for a vet visit. Is there something over the counter I can add to the food that I manage to get in her to reduce inflammation and is there a normal time frame that inflammation will subside on it’s own?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I haven’t had much luck with anything long term over the counter. In most cases the only way to get long term relief is with a full mouth extraction of all of the teeth. This should be done by a veterinarian who is proficient and comfortable with this. And unfortunately that can be expensive. I have tried steroids, antibiotics, cold laser therapy and even 1-TDC (available on line). Please ask your vet if any of these might help. I wish you the best. This disease is such a terrible one.

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terry smith | 5 years ago
My 16-1/2 Year Old Calico Has Been On Prednolisone Since August. Even Though She Was Still …

My 16-1/2 year old calico has been on prednolisone since August. Even though she was still eating normally she went from about 9 pounds to 7.2 pounds in a year. Tests showed everything was good with the exception of inflamed intestines. Being on the prednolisone has helped her gain weight again, she now weighs about 8.4 pounds. Within the past month on occasion she has started howling very loudly for no apparent reason. She doesn’t seem to be in any pain, sometimes it actually seems as though she’s confused. Any ideas on what could be causing her howls? What can I do to help her? Dr Graff has been her vet since she was a tiny kitten, I would bring Pumpkin in if necessary but hate the idea of stressing her out in doing so. Thanks for any suggestions.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I think it would be best to bring her in. In cases like these I get worried about kidney and liver issues and these are best diagnosed with bloodwork and/or an ultrasound. Certainly dementia can happen to any and all mammals but we rule out medical issues first. Dr graf is at the clinic on mon-weds through Saturday. I hope this helps. Best of luck.