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Erin | 5 years ago
I Recently Adopted My Cat, Critter, As He Was On My Grandma’s Farm And Had …

I recently adopted my cat, Critter, as he was on my grandma’s farm and had a paw infection. We brought him inside and started him on antibiotics. Unfortunately, the infection did not respond as hoped and he had to have his leg amputated.

After this, he was back to a perky young cat – playing and eating well. A week after surgery I noticed a bump just below the incision. I asked my vet if I should be concerned, and she said not unless it’s hot and that it’s probably a seroma. This made sense to me as he was more active than he probably should have been post surgery.

The next day, that bump burst and started leaking fluid. It was pink and not super cloudy, not smelly or hot. I kept and eye on it all day, and found that it never stopped leaking, so today I took him to the vet. There appears to be a small hole and it’s infected. It’s not at the site of the incision and the incision looks perfect.

He’s on a higher dose of antibiotics now, and some more pain meds as it is tender. He had the wound flushed this morning, and goes again in two days for another flushing.

I guess my question is – is it possible this is the same infection as before? The vets who performed the amputation said they were positive they got any infection (even taking the lymph node), I’m hoping that this is secondary and that maybe the bump was caught on something, or he scratched it open?

ETA: 1st photo is Saturday night, 2nd photo is Sunday afternoon, 3rd photo is today after flushing and rest.

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Well this is a lot of info to go through. First it is always hard for an outside person to assess a situation and the response to that situation. That being said I have never amputated due to infection. Cancer yes. Infection no. Damage to a limb yes. So perhaps that was the issue? If the limb wasn’t functional and it was infected then amputation was prob the best way to go. After that I would talk about culturing the infection to make sure the correct antibiotic is being used. Talk to your vet about this. See what they say. It’s not cheap but it helps to direct the treatment plan.

    1. Erin Post author

      Thank you for the insight!

      They did take a swab of the infection today so hopefully this provides us with some direction.

      The limb wasn’t broken, but the initial x-ray did show that there was an abnormality with the wrist. They weren’t sure what caused it, but they indicated it would probably not heal property on its own. He stopped walking on it on September 21st, and had it amputated October 18th.

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Sarah | 5 years ago
????Good Morning. Hoping Someone Has A Little More Insight. This Morning We Woke Up To Rontu …

????Good morning. Hoping someone has a little more insight. This morning we woke up to Rontu being his normal self. I fed him, while sitting with him per training recommendation and he was actually fine with that so we felt really positive. But now he has started grumbling/growling literally about everything. He wants attention but growls when you get in his space. He comes up to you but his ears are back and he is grumbling- almost submissive and nervous. It seems so odd to us. This behavior has just started. Now we are a multi-pet household and I have noticed that the cat has started sleeping on Rontus bed while he is watching and he is afraid to move her. (Cats are higher in the pack order in our house) This visibly upsets him, because the beds are their space. So I have taken to moving her so that he can lay on his bed. But it is not just his bed where he is doing this nervous grumbling… since this started this morning, I have just been mildly correcting him when he starts and withdrawing affection. When he stops I give affection or a treat. Any other advice would be appreciated.

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  1. Laura

    At this point, you may want to get a behaviorist involved. He’s been checked out for medical stuff recently, yes?

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Ana Garcia | 5 years ago
Hello. I Have A 15 Year Old Dachshund, Brody, Who Is Currently Suffering From A Cervical IVDD …

Hello. I have a 15 year old Dachshund, Brody, who is currently suffering from a cervical IVDD injury. This is Brody’s third IVDD injury in his short life, however, it is the most severe. We are not sure what happened this time since Brody was injured when we got home from work. Today is day 7 since Brody went down. While Brody is able to right himself from the lateral position, he does spend most of his time on his side. Brody is able to lift his head and look around, he can scoot himself from one position to another, he has a fantastic appetite, he has feeling in his hind quarters and only deep pain in his front two. My poor boy is not able to consistently empty his bladder and has required cathing; as of today, with the help of lactulose, Brody has been able to empty his bowels, incontinent.

Brody is not a candidate for surgery due to his age and other health conditions, so we are managing him conservatively. Brody has been seen by his regular vet where he was started on prednisone, robaxin, & gabapentin; he also takes CBD and I just started him on tumeric paste. Brody has seen a holistic vet where he had acupuncture done with electro stimulation.

My question is, how long do I give him before we decide that enough is enough? Brody is not in extreme pain, but he does have occasional neck/shoulder spasms that make him scream. I just am afraid of putting him through more than what I should just because I am not ready to let him go. Brody has been my guy for 15 years and I cannot imagine life without him, but I don’t want him to suffer. I have watched Dr. Magnifico’s YouTube videos about giving IVDD dogs time, but what is a realistic timeframe?

4 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning. I am so sorry you are going through this. I am a firm believer of “you know” as in, when it is time you will just know it. I think it differs for each individual pet and person. I feel that if your guy is still in general good spirits all things considered, and has an appetite- then it probably isn’t time yet. If he is still trying then there is a chance that things could improve. When the time comes where you feel you have to make a judgement call, he will help you. Best wishes for you all.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I have to say that based on my experience and my personal views I don’t know if there is an answer anymore. I used to say to wait 3 weeks before making a decision and now I am realizing that many pets can live happy lives as pets that aren’t quite perfect. It sounds like a few things might be helpful. Ask about Your dogs ideal body condition score and then work very hard to help your pup become a lean muscular athlete. I see this disease a lot in dachshunds, of course, but oversight dachs are especially troubling and to often reinjure and recur with issues. I also think it is time to learn how to palpate and empty the bladder. Over time this gets easier and it’s far better than repeat catheterization. I also think more physical therapy like propping him up so he’s sternal and keeping him in a crate at all times he is not with you. These are just a few of my thoughts. I have a ton of info on my blog and YouTube channel. I hope this helps. Very best of luck.

    1. Ana Garcia Post author

      Dr. Magnifico,

      I want to thank you so very much for your guidance in your response and through your blog and YouTube channel. Because of you, we continued to work with Brody during this IVDD injury and residual effects of this injury. Thank you for giving us hope.
      We helped my sweet Brody cross the Rainbow Bridge this past weekend due to kidney failure and other health issues…he was ready. I am so grateful to you for taking the time to provide education through your platforms. I will be forever grateful to you for the extra time that you gave me with my precious little man.
      Thank you!!

  3. Jasmine

    Hi Ana,

    How is Brody doing now? I have a 15 year old
    Chihuahua who just recently got diagnosed with ivdd and it’s only day 4 but I feel so bad for him. He’s
    Constantly crying or whimpering when he the meds
    start to wear off. I’m in the same boat as you . I don’t know when enough is enough. I’m constantly crying from seeing him in so much pain and discomfort.

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Sarah | 5 years ago
For Those Of You Pawbly Friends That Have Been Following My Progress And At Times Lack …

For those of you Pawbly friends that have been following my progress and at times lack thereof, with the dogs….. this is where we are at today. Riva is out of her cone and Rontu has not displayed any possessive tendencies. I’m rolling with it having a watchful eye on their interactions. They’re in a good place today, so I’m using it as a training opportunity. And training activities you care to share are welcome.????????????

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    I’m so glad to hear things are going well today. My personal concern is that the issue lies with having two strong personalities in the mix of a close household. Triggers can change and spur on a moment so our advice is to always keep them under close supervision try to avoid feeding together and toys that might instigate frustration or possession and keep them exercised and engaged in their world so they don’t turn on each other. As far as training goes I would look for the clues that a trigger is about to happen. Any changes in posture position, ears, tail, intense eyes. Ideally we look for the clues of a trigger and work around the reaction that might elicit. Reward the good. Train out the bad. Hope this helps. Xoxo

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Vedrana Vilusic | 5 years ago
PLEASE HELP, IT COULD BE LIFE-THREATENING My 6 Months Old Dog Doesnt Take Any Food For 30hrs …

PLEASE HELP, IT COULD BE LIFE-THREATENING
My 6 months old dog doesnt take any food for 30hrs already. He got SQ fluids 15hrs ago from our local vet. At the begining of him rejecting food – he threw up some pieces of the bones with grass (I dont give them bones so I dont know from which animal those are or who gave them). This morning (few hours ago) he had diarrhea mixed with grass and mucus (not a big amount). The vet with an x ray is hours away and also doesnt work on the weekends.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
COULD THIS BE AN OBSTRUCTION IN HIS DIGESTIVE SYSTEM? Could a grass pass if he has an obstruction?
Please if you know more let me know.
There was no blood in his vomit or his stool

His temperature yesterday checked by the vet – 38.9°, and today checked by me – 38.6°

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to her about your pup. Without more information it is impossible for us to guess what is going on and without that we can only advise that you see a veterinarian as quickly as possible. Certainly gastrointestinal obstruction isn’t a possibility but so are many other things. Your dog needs to be examined and from there treatment options can be recommended. Please get help. Someone over the internet without knowledge of your pet is not the place to be at this point. I wish you the best of luck.

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Angela | 5 years ago
My Cat, Nala, Has Kidney Disease And Her Levels Are Going Up. She Is Currently Getting …

My cat, Nala, has kidney disease and her levels are going up. She is currently getting fluids 3x a week. She’s not eating much and has tried two appetite stimulants and was allergic to both. I have a new medicine to try this week but was wondering if there are more natural ways to stimulate her appetite? Also, does anyone have experience with kidney support gold? It’s a supplement from pet wellbeing.

Creatinine-5.7
BUN-81
IDEXX SDMA-31

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

2 Responses

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  1. Shiria

    How is Nala doing? Did the new medicine help and if yes what was it? My cat Gino has kidney disease, too. He is a picky eater. He may eat soemthign now, but not the next time. Since April this year I offer him dry food, too (he didn’t eat anything back then, so I was happy he was eating that). He is back to wet food now, but on bad days still prefers dry food.

    When he absolutely doesn’t like to eat, medication against nausea sometimes helpes him. When he was so sick in April he would only eat cooked chicken breast and only small amounts. I had to feed him with a syringe and he hated that. But he pulled through. By now he also gets something to keep his stomach acid down, that helps, too.
    Otherwise I can’t give him much supplements. I tried various things, but when I do something in his food he won’t eat it. So I can’t help much with my experience here.

    1. Angela Post author

      She’s doing OK, numbers all went up ???? but she’s acting fine and eating here and there. At this point she’s just eating treats and people food (Turkey, chicken, ham, lunchmeat). The new appetite stimulant (oxazepam) didn’t do anything for her. I started her on the kidney support gold, hoping that helps. How did you know Gino needed the stomach acid medicine? Thanks for the reply!

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Sarah | 5 years ago
Good Morning Pawbly Friends- Having A Sudden – Very Sudden- Change In Behavior In One Of …

Good morning Pawbly friends-
Having a sudden – very sudden- change in behavior in one of our GSDs. We are trying to think back to figure if there has been any change in routine that might cause this. It is strange- Rontu will start to give a high grumble or start to “talk” now when you approach him, or his bed or his bone or his food. This morning just now, he did that with Butch (one of our others) when he came to me to get a head scratch. We promptly put Rontu in a sit and then told him “bed” which he went to a did lie down. We are going back to square one training and positive reinforcement. My thinking is that this not nipped in the bud right away will lead to full blown food aggression and possession issues, which we do not want. Any other advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!

6 Responses

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  1. Laura

    Yep, that’s the start of resource guarding. Is he the newest member of your pack?

    1. Sarah Post author

      Hi Laura-
      I was hoping you would respond. Thank you!! He is the newest member, but he’s not that new. That’s what makes it strange. We’ve had him over a year now. I will admit that it has been a difficult year of adjustment at times. We have 3- all rescues. Our oldest is almost 14 and he has different needs obviously. He is an alpha- was the alpha of our old pack. He is all that’s left of that pack. When we rescued Riva, she fell into line perfectly with him. She’s you g- about 3 I think. That is part of the reason we rescued Rontu- she wanted to play hard and Butch just can’t at his age and in his condition. He tries though???? Anyway- I am sure that Butch being a senior citizen and having modified dog rules is confusing to the rest of my pack- but it has to be. So as pack leader I am just like, this is how it is, period. Which seemed to have been fine up until the other day. This is long- sorry. Now we did just have a huge power struggle between Rontu and Riva. Dr. Mags was a saint and had me rush her into Dr. Ahrens at Jarrettsville Vet and she was stitched up and put on antibiotics within the hour. I love Jarrettsville???????? My thinking is that some change in the dynamic is happening for whatever reason. I’m just trying to put my finger on it to avoid any long lasting bad habits/behaviors. So we are square one back to basics training with Rontu AND Riva. Any other thoughts you could share? Much appreciated????

      1. Laura

        I wouldn’t consider it that strange. Some dogs take a lot longer to settle in, and once that happens the weird behavior comes out.

        Honestly…feeding separately and only allowing them to have low value toys may be the way to go for now. I’d also look into NILF – he’s guarding you, as well as other stuff, and that’s NOT acceptable.

        1. Sarah Post author

          NILF? I have not come across that term before. I will research that. Thank you????

          1. Sarah Post author

            Nothing in life is free. Got it. We say earn your keep. I had realized that was an actual acronym. No- all three dogs have to “ask permission” for things. I will start adding my personal attention to that equation now that you have brought it to light. But yes, doors here do not open until a nice sit is displayed. Food is not served until a sit, paw and kiss are given. Carpet is off limits…. although just about 15 minutes ago, Rontu was casually laying in the carpeted floor in the office…. it seems like he is trying to become “the boss”. So we will have to have a family meeting this evening about making him work a little harder for his privileges I suppose.

          2. Laura

            Yes, sorry, I had to run for the day yesterday – NILF is Nothing In Life Is Free, and in his case, it sounds like he needs to be reminded of the rules. You’ve got your pack well in hand, I’m certain you’ll get this sorted as well. 🙂

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Lauren | 5 years ago
My 12 1/2 Year Old Miniature Schnauzer Has A Bump On Her Face I Discovered Two Days Ago. …

My 12 1/2 year old miniature schnauzer has a bump on her face I discovered two days ago. The bump was originally pink and matted over by hair. She got a full hair cut about a month ago so the bump wasn’t there before that. We’ve been putting Neosporin on it and a liquid band aid but after cutting more hair from the wound which had scabs over it with the hair, it is red and still fully exposed with a black edge. Not sure what this could be. Is it life threatening or do I need to take her to the vet?

2 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    It is so hard to tell from a picture. I think I would call and get an appointment with the vet- it could be something simple, but I would make sure. Best of luck.

  2. Laura

    To the vet, for sure. They’ll want to put hands on it to help in diagnosis and cure.

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Nick | 5 years ago
Our 2 Year Old Pitt Mix Recently Suffered From A Laceration To His Front Paw Pad. We …

Our 2 year old Pitt mix recently suffered from a laceration to his front paw pad. We ended up bringing him into the ER for stitches, which he received. However, neither the vets or ourselves were able to get him in his cone of shame. For about 4 days we were able to deter him from interfering with his wound through careful monitoring and a sock with cayenne pepper placed over the bandage. Day # 5, however, is when things went to pieces. Sometime between lunch and when I get off work, he was able to get his bandage off and proceeded to gnaw at his stitches… We took him back to the ER last night, but given how he is with strangers (not good), we opted to forgo getting him sedated and re-stitched, and try to take care of him from home. He lets us change his bandage, but when I tried changing it this morning, some of the gauze had adhered to the wound. I’m afraid if I pull more of it off, I will make the wound worse, but I can’t imagine that leaving it on there is a good idea either. If we can avoid even more costly medical bills without jeopardizing his health, that would be great. That being said, I’m reaching out to the canine community for any advice available! Thanks for taking the time to read my post 🙂

2 Responses

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  1. Laura

    Hi there! I’d be tempted to call and ask if you can soak the wound to release the gauze.

  2. Sarah

    Morning-
    I agree with Laura…. the other thought I had was maybe to try a soft cone? Our one dog is a bit with a plastic cone, but he will tolerate a soft cone.

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Julie | 5 years ago
Is It Normal For A Cat In Heat To Have Abdominal Swelling? My Cat Is 3 Yrs …

Is it normal for a cat in heat to have abdominal swelling? My cat is 3 yrs old and we have been meaning to spay her, but she goes into heat so often it’s hard to find time to do it. She is currently in heat and has been for over a week, and last week she had shown asymmetrical swelling on the left and right of her belly. The next day it went down so I figured it was nothing serious and probably swelling from being in heat. Now it has been a week she is still in heat and her abdomen seems just ever so slightly fuller on the right and left and firm. She is crazy in heat and doesn’t show any signs of being sick, acting normal, eating drinking, playing and jumping.

Is it possible for a cat in extreme heat to cause extreme swelling of the ovaries to where they would be palpable? I’m worried it could be early signs of pyometra, or if this is normal with heat. Her cycles have gotten more intense and extreme, as well as longer and more often, which makes me think it could be possible her reproductive system is simply engorged with blood causing it to be palpable.

If that (the swelling) is not normal with heat then I’ll take her to the vet ASAP, but again she is not grossly distended, she just appears “full”. Also there is no chance of pregnancy. Thanks.

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Hello-
    I would get into the vet for an exam and probably an X-ray or ultrasound ASAP. I just would not want to chance it- and I would definitely spay her for her benefit and everyone’s peace of mind. Best of luck.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I wouldn’t ever say that something is impossible, but, I get very concerned if anyone mentions abdominal swelling. Please see your vet ASAP for an examination. Certainly I would be worried about pregnancy but I am also worried about fluids and Organ enlargement which are both indicative of a problem and need to be addressed by your vet. I would recommend an exam ASAP. Your vet might also want todo an X-ray or ultrasound. If everything is Normal. I would spay her as soon as possible to avoid all of this from hopefully happening again. Please let us know what happens. If you are tight on funds ask for her to be spayed and while they are doing that take an internal exam of her to make sure everything looks grossly normal.

  3. Julie Post author

    Wanted to post an update. She had a lot of discharge suddenly so I took her to the vet. It indeed was pyometra and she had an emergency spay. Hoping for a smooth recovery.