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Diedra Cardamone | 5 years ago
I Recently Purchased A “furminator” Brush For My Cat With Medium Long Hair So That I …

I recently purchased a “furminator” brush for my cat with medium long hair so that I can brush her daily to help cut down on her hair balls. The brush works great! So, I am working on brushing daily and have purchased over the counter hair all control dry cat food to use with basic wet food. What is my next step if she is still vomiting Hair balls once in a while? Thanks!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Great questions. If you are still having issues talk to your vet about having your cat shaved down. You can also try otc catlax. But if you have excessive vomiiting don’t forget to ask about a possible medical issue. I worry some of these guys have an underlying medical condition that causes them to be chronically nauseous so they over groom and Chronically vomit. Chronic vomiting can have a huge range of causes but for these cases I start with a thorough history, exam, bloodwork, X-ray and ultrasound. Then I talk about an anti nausea medication trial highly digest able food and managing stress. But like I said this can be a long rule out list. Start at the easy and most likely and go from there. Monitor weight closely and document the vomiting with time, amount and vomitus description. It call help to identify the location of the primary issue. Let us know what happens. And ps I love the Furminator. It works great!

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Tyler | 5 years ago
I Apologize I’m Advanced If This Is Confusing To Read Its Kind Of Difficult To …

i apologize i’m advanced if this is confusing to read its kind of difficult to explain what im trying to say. i have an 11 year old rottweiler named Roxy. she’s been more amazing than you could ever ask for. as she has gotten older she has obviously gotten slower and it got to the point recently where when she would sit down she would sit on the side of her leg, she needs assistance getting up, and when walking you have to support her back half for a minute then she can walk on her own for a while till she needs a break. She can’t really bend one of her hind legs anymore. i’ve took her to the vet but am currently looking for a new vet because this one kept her 5 days, he called on day 2 and told me she was responding to some medication good. then called me on day 3 and told me she seemed paralyzed in the back half, then called me on day 4 and told me she didn’t seemed paralyzed and was walking better and i could come pick her up the next morning. i get there and he is very short about Roxy’s problems, doesn’t tell me much of anything wrong with her just gives me $300 in medication to give her at home. i’m working with her everyday helping her walk anytime she wants to move and she does seem to be slowly getting better. She never whines or acts like she’s in pain when moving or if you touch the back legs. She’s still full of life, her back legs are just holding her back. I’m going to do anything it takes to make sure she’s living as happy as she can and was just looking for any suggestions on what her problems could be and any thing i could do to help her
Thank you for any help i’m advance!!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I think a second opinion is in order. I also think you should send your vet a letter asking to explain why your dog needed to be kept and if there is a more affordable pain medication you can try. All vets have a license and all care can be inquired upon and challenged if deemed inappropriate. Also ask your friends for help in finding a reputable vet and then be completely honest about your financial abilities and treatment concerns for her. I’m sure there are affordable medications you can try And options like acupuncture or physical therapy and even cold laser therapy might help. I also think it’s time to discuss an X-ray or the joints and bloodwork.

    1. Tyler Post author

      i currently found out she has arthritis pretty bad in her hip and a ruptured disk in her spine…. she still doesn’t show any signs of pain. she has now began to rub the skin off of her foot where she’s dragged it around when nobody is around so i’m thinking it’s time to try crate rest for a little while

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Lex | 5 years ago
Blocked Cat Question I Have A Male Cat (about 4 Years Old) Who Was Recently Taken To …

Blocked Cat Question

I have a male cat (about 4 years old) who was recently taken to the vet for having a blocked urethra. The vet had unblocked him and gave him a urinary catheter. He stayed at the vet for 3 days. He then came home and we watched him for a day. He still couldn’t pee on his own, was straining, and was trying to use the litter box every few minutes. We took him back to the vet and she was able to express his bladder by squeezing it. So, about 2/3 of the urine he had in him was then emptied out. She said that he didn’t seem like he’d ever be able to push his urine out on his own again and that the most humane thing to do was euthanize him. I couldn’t do it. My cat is a beautiful, perfectly healthy boy. The only ailment he has is his bladder issue. Right now, he is at the vet again with a catheter in. I will do anything to save him. Does anyone know any solutions to this? Is there any way that my cat can be saved? Please help!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. I have tested many of these guys and often they need a combination of medications and lots of intravenous fluid therapy. I don’t know enough about your cat to answer this. But I have not given up on these cats and I have had incredible success in finding the right combination to manage their condition. If you are more in agreement with your vets decision ask for a referral or find a feline specialist to help. Also ask about medications like a steroid, prazosin or bethanachol. all might help. I also have had some cats who needed to stay on iv fluids and a urinate catheter for almost a week. My point is I am like you. I don’t give up and I am happy to give these guys time and attention and all (so far) have pulled through because of this. I wish you the best of luck.

    1. Lex Post author

      Thank you so much! You have given me some hope. I refuse to let my cat go without trying. I have one more question for you. My vet also mentioned that my cat “has no tone.” (when speaking about his bladder). Do you know what this means? I know you mentioned you don’t know enough about my cat, so I completely understand if you can’t answer this. But have you ever even heard of this before? Also, I found you through your youtube videos! Thank you for making them, you have helped me so much and are very informative. 🙂

    1. Lex Post author

      Thank you for asking! We left him at the vet for a little more than a week with a catheter in. We recently took him home and have been monitoring him. He is peeing on his own again! It is truly a miracle.

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Sarah | 5 years ago
Hi Pawbly Friends- We Have An Appointment Tomorrow To Get Drains Taken Out Of One Of …

Hi Pawbly friends-
We have an appointment tomorrow to get drains taken out of one of our dogs. Just now on our evening walk, she either ripped or lost the bottom part of one of the drains. I’ve been cleaning them 2 to 3 times a day by flushing blue antiseptic solution through them. Just now when I cleaned them it ran through nicely. We have an existing appointment tomorrow… wondering if it is ok to wait until then?

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AJ | 5 years ago
My Cat Had Surgery And Stitches Taken Out. Is It Ok If She Swallows Tiny Remnants …

My cat had surgery and stitches taken out. Is it ok if she swallows tiny remnants of the bandage tape?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Without knowing more I would say it’s best to call the vets who did the surgery and ask them. Typically tape isn’t biodegradable in the stomach. A little tiny piece probably isn’t a problem. But the type and amount might be so call to check. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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Laurie Sites | 5 years ago
Foreign Object On Ultrasound After Surgery? My Cat Had A Bilateral Chain Mastectomy 5 Months Ago After …

Foreign object on ultrasound after surgery? My cat had a bilateral chain mastectomy 5 months ago after a cancer diagnosis. The surgery went well and at her 2 week suture removal appointment the surgeon said everything looked great. However, soon after she developed a rather large seroma in her abdominal area. I took her to my vet and she drained almost almost 100 cc of fluid and tested the fluid to confirm it was a seroma. As expected. the seroma was back by the next week and has been there ever since (going on 4 months), though this time it was rather firm. I was told that the seroma should eventually go away on it’s own. The seroma doesn’t really seem to bother her at all. I took her to my vet 2 days ago for an unrelated matter and she was concerned that it hadn’t changed at all. She drained the fluid again so she could feel the incision underneath. She was concerned that something could be causing irritation or something could have improperly healed (she said it felt odd when palpitating the stomach). She suggested that I make an appointment with the specialty surgeon.

I took her in for her appointment today and he suggested that we could do surgery to remove subcutaneous tissue and place a drain. I really do not want to do a drain and would like to avoid another surgery if at all possible given what she’s already been through!! (and I already paid for a $3000 surgery) He said we could do a limited ultrasound of the abdomen first to make sure the body wall was intact. I agreed to the ultrasound. He called with the results and said the body wall was intact and the fluid was clear but a could see a “repeatable foreign object” near the front of the seroma that could be causing irritation and fluid buildup. It seems to me that this foreign object has to be a direct result of the surgery (flipped staple, something left inside…)?? It’s outside of the body wall. I’m very frustrated. He stuck with his recommendation of a $1,500 exploratory surgery and the drain placement. However, he did say it’s not an emergency as she doesn’t seem in any distress and has been living with it for months.

Advice on how to proceed? What questions should I ask? Should the surgeon take responsibility for this?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It sounds like you have a firm understanding of everything that has been done. And a suspicion that is reasonable and understandable. With all of this I would inquire with the surgeon your concerns. If I were your surgeon I would offer to do it for free if indeed I was also concerned that I might be responsible for this. Your other option is to ask the surgeon for a referral from an unbiased unrelated surgeon who can give an honest assessment without bias or liability. Things happen. But ethical responsibility is paramount. You have options. Don’t be afraid to inquire, insist and exercise them. Please let me know what happens. I’m interested. Good luck.

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Jonathan | 5 years ago
Hey! Just Found Your Page From YouTube, Was Wondering If It’d Be Possible To Chat …

Hey! Just found your page from YouTube, was wondering if it’d be possible to chat about my cat? Almost certain he has a nasopharyngeal polyp but I am having trouble convincing any vets in the Dallas area to sedate him and take a look without him first getting scans and tests that cost thousands of dollars. Is there anything I should be asking them for differently? He’s been fighting a URI for about 5 months now and we have done six rounds of antibiotics with steroids and antihistamines to help and nothing has stopped his symptoms from returning and we have only now made the connection as to why that is. He has the distinct snore noise while breathing and every other listed symptom associated, I just can’t afford the tests the vets are saying they require, it’s very heart breaking. Any help or wisdom is appreciated, we just don’t have the money to do much else and he is degrading quickly since his last round of antibiotics ended this week. I wish I didn’t sound so sure, we just are panicking that we have wasted so much time and money and may have missed our chance to best this this while we could and now may be unable to. Just heart breaking all around.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    My advise in these cases is to call and keep calling until you find someone who you trust and can afford. It’s honestly why I see so many of these. Call the shelters. Call the local rescues and call the foundations that support pet care and ask for a person they know and recommend. They are out there but sadly they need to be searched for. If you find someone please let me know so I can pass it along. Like I said the local rescues know who is fair and affordable. Start there. Keep me posted. Very best of luck.

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Alexandra | 5 years ago
Question About Cat With Intermittent Puffy/swollen “behind” Area

Hi! I have a question about my cat who will be 4 at the end of this month. Sometimes when he stretches, I notice that his rear end (particularly his anus) looks like it is protruding. I thought he had a hemorrhoid but then he stood up and walked like normal and it went “away”. I have another cat and I never noticed this on him. It’s not red, it just looks puffy sometimes. He is eating, drinking and playing like normal. I just want to make sure he is okay and he is not in pain or anything or if this warrants a vet visit. I tend to worry about my boys a lot because I love them so much but I don’t want to be “missing” something. Thank you so much!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    The colon is the very last part of the gi tract. It is held inside the abdomen by two sphincter muscles. When you stretch these circular muscles can relax and the colon can protrude a little outside of the anus. This would be my best guess at what is going on. But to be sure you can take a video of it to your bet and have them do a rectal exam to make sure it isn’t anything else. Some cats can get a rectal prolapse and this should be ruled out before dismissing this as “normal”. I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.

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Jason | 5 years ago
My Wonderful Vet Gave Us Eye Drops For Our 6-month Old 40lb. Puppy. He Just Had …

My wonderful vet gave us eye drops for our 6-month old 40lb. puppy. He just had surgery to address a “cherry eye”. Does anyone have any suggestion on how to administer these drops? Every time the dog sees the little white eye drop bottle, he gets very stressed. We are unable to keep him still long enough to put in the drops. Please advise any suggestions.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I have two options I recommend. One sir him down in between your legs. Surround him under you and hold his nose to the ceiling. Then drop the drops into the eye. And talk to him. In cases like these it’s not the drops that are the problem it’s the restraint. So practice and don’t give up. The other option is to pull the lower lid away from the eye and place the drops in the pocket. So he doesn’t have to be looking at you. If it’s really a struggle being him in and we will help. If all else fails use a muzzle. Usually they are so blindsided by the muzzle they surrender. Although I suspect this is all about him not wanting to be the patient and you not willing to be the forceful determined dad. Be gently but be firm and don’t let him win. He will never listen to you again willingly. I am at the clinic 10 to 2 tomorrow. Xox

  2. Sarah

    Hi there-
    I just want to reiterate “calm and firm”. And yes, if you let him win, you will have to go back to square one with a lot of training success you’ve had already. I am living proof???? it is why I have such trouble trimming my dogs’ nails. Keep trying and be persistent. Best of luck.

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Estelle | 5 years ago
We Have A Beautiful Beagle Boy Who Is Around 10, He Has Gained Weight As He Had …

We have a beautiful beagle boy who is around 10, he has gained weight as he had gotten older and is currently on a diet. He has IVDD in his neck. He is still able to move on his own and has no issues with the bathroom however has spasms of pain during which he is very painful. Currently he is on pain killers, steroids and is taking joint supplements and is crated. The vet has also recommended getting an arthritis shot per week however the weekly trip to the vet seems to aggravate him and whenever we get home he has another spasm. We are trying to manage him conservatively for now and I am wondering if we should persevere with his diet while he is recovering and if we should stop taking him to the vet weekly until he is a bit better as these trips seem to set him back. Thank you!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I have a ton of information on my blog and YouTube channel on this. I would ask about a muscle relaxant like robaxin and feed a watered down wet food for weight loss to help keep the feces soft and easy to pass. I also talk about adding a laxative if needed.