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Christine | 4 years ago
Hi Christine Remines Here. Sampson’s Ears Were Bothering Him So We Cleaned Them. They Were …

Hi Christine Remines here. Sampson’s ears were bothering him so we cleaned them. They were dry and itchy so I put some dog nose moisturizer on them. Now they are swollen like they may have hematoma. Emergency vets on your answering machine … one has an 8-9 hour wait and the other isn’t seeing patients what should I do?

2 Responses

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  1. Gloria

    I don’t know the answer but wanted to know how his ears are today. Better, I hope?

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry I just got this. I am happy to call tomorrow and assist with this. I hope things are ok. I am at rhe clinic tomorrow and I am happy to fit you in. I sorry I was having my own pet emergencies last night.

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Shells | 4 years ago
Hello!! I Found Dr Krista’s YT Vid (Stripes The Cat Re Nasal Polyps) While Researching …

Hello!! I found Dr Krista’s YT vid (Stripes the cat re nasal polyps) while researching my kitty’s condition. I have had Percy out to Pet ER w. initial thick mucus that became tinged w. a bit of blood. He was prescribed Doxy to treat the infection… it wasn’t until during the course of treatment that he began the “snoring” at which point I rushed him back to Pet ER. Having limited funds and no experience w. these issues ever before, I opted for Labs (figuring that would be a start). Unfortunately, the results did not “tell me anything unusual” and I am not a vet. It was then that I learned about these polyps … and I feel confident that this could be what Percy is suffering from (unless there may be a foreign object obstructing his airway). At this point I have no dx!! I’ve been on the veterinary roller-coaster ride trying to determine the best course of action between my local vet (Dundalk Animal Hosp), Pet ER or another vet altogether… at this point not knowing the cause of his breathing issue or how much the costs may be… I guess I can understand why “estimates” can’t be given … I am just trying to determine the LESS COSTLY route and there seems to be no clear answer. My head is spinning and I want the best for Percy and to NOT have to lose him, that’s the bottom line… my heart is hurting as this was so unexpected!! Would it be possible to fit Percy into the clinic’s busy schedule ASAP?? I called this morning and was told that Monday is already full. Emily advised to reach out on Pawbly … I also sent a pm on FB.
I really need help, I cared for 2 cats last year both former strays, one Main Coon mix w. Hypercardiomyopathy and the other cancer of his paw which was eating away. Both these babies tore my heart in 2 but I did what I had to until it was time to journey on RIP… we had a family of 6 at that time along w. my deceased uncle’s dog. My Care Credit card was easily almost maxed out… my boys and I are pitching in together as many ways as possible for Percy. He is the last of our most recent feline family and I do NOT EVER want to stop caring for animals!! Thank you for my restored faith in humanity!! ~Love~ Shelley & Percy

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I am happy to meet you and your cat at my clinic. If that would help. We work very hard to provide affordable options to help people with their pet care needs. I am at the clinic Sunday thorough Thursday.

    1. Shells Post author

      Thank You so much, you are a blessing to ALL pets and their humans!!

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Pramod | 4 years ago
My Cat Died Outside The House With Blood In Her Mouth. And I Touched And Look …

My cat died outside the house with blood in her mouth. And I touched and look for any marks or injuries. There’s no mark she was hit by a car, or someone hit her. And she is not going to any other house. Please, someone, say it’s a natural cause. I was thinking about this whole day. I’m stressed because of this. I worried that someone did something to her. She lived with us for 13 years.

A few days ago she couldn’t eat and vomited time by time. So we took her to the vet, and they gave saline and a few injections. She was fine after that.
The only thing that happened is before she died, she sneezed continuously at night and morning when she is sleeping with me.

I can try to make up my mind if this is due to natural causes.

3 Responses

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  1. Laura

    First, and most importantly, I’m very sorry for your loss. It’s hard when we don’t know the cause of our pets’ death.

    Unless you’re watching her at all times – literally 24 hours a day – or you keep her inside, where she should be, there’s no way to say she isn’t going away from your home.

    That said…due to the blood from the mouth, I would wonder if this is the result of rat poisoning. Is there ANY chance of rat poison around your home?

    1. Pramod Post author

      Thank you so much for your kind reply. No dear. There’s no poison around home…

      1. Laura

        Then I would look at the neighbors’ homes. Because unless she’s contained in a cage of some sort, she can and will get away from the house for a while. It happens with every outdoor cat.

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Angela | 4 years ago
I Have Two Puppies 7 And 8 Months Old I Want To Apply Revolution To One Of Them …

I have two puppies 7 and 8 months old I want to apply Revolution to one of them and I am afraid the other one while playing will lick it off and get poisoned what do I have to do separate them for how long or may be do something else

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello.
    I tell my clients to apply it right before bed. So this won’t, or is significantly less likely, to happen.

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Sofia | 4 years ago
My Foster Cat, Who I Am Now Considering Adopting, Has Been Struggling To Breathe Properly For …

My foster cat, who I am now considering adopting, has been struggling to breathe properly for about 3 months now. He came into the shelter with a suspected URI. However, after months of treatment with antibiotics and a whole swath of other anti viral medications, the vet determined that he wasn’t getting any better and euthanasia is on the table. I want to get a second opinion before we make any drastic decisions. I am doing online research and suspect that perhaps he has a polyp, a tumor, or foreign object in his throat/nose.

While I am dying to explore these other solutions, the shelter told me if I adopt him and take him to a specialist costs could go up to $5,000. I don’t have that kind of money. I am in Olympia, Washington State. Does anyone recommend any veterinary hospital that is more affordable and can explore other resolutions at a more reasonable price? I don’t want to give up on him, but can’t afford to spend that kind of money.

Thank you so much.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I always advise that you ask your vet for affordable options. If they can’t provide that ask the local rescues, shelters and pet centered foundations. Post online on all social media sites. There are affordable and accessible vets around but often it takes a lot of asking. If you do find someone please post your story on our storlylines section. It will help someone like you down the road. Good luck.

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Megan | 4 years ago
Kittens And Coccidiosis – Race Against Time

Hello. A few days ago, I found a litter of five abandoned kittens. They have been determined to be between four- and five-weeks old. There are three females and two males, and they are all very social. They are eating and drinking well, and we are currently in the process of weening them from formula and kitten pate to moistened kitten kibble.

Unfortunately, on Sunday afternoon, one of the female kittens (who is named Princess Butterscotch) started to show signs of Coccidiosis. Being in the country like I am, I am very familiar with the signs of the parasite. I rushed her to the emergency vet on Sunday evening, where she was diagnosed with Coccidiosis. She was put on a starter dose of both Panacur and Albon for all parasites. I was also given enough treatment to treat the other four kittens at home, because common sense dictated that they were also infected, even if not showing signs. The four whom were healthy before are still doing well. They all get .25ML of both the Panacur and Albon every evening. The last dose of Panacur will be this evening, whereas the Albon was given in an eight-day dosage.

Princess Butterscotch still has diarrhea. It is to the point where she was “poopy butt” (as we so elegantly call it), and she does not always know she is going to the bathroom. She is still eating, drinking, playing, purring, and doing all things that kittens do; however, I am distraught, because as I said, I have seen Coccidiosis in kittens before and know how quickly it can take a turn for the worst.

In all my experiences and my family’s experiences, Albon DOES NOT WORK on Coccidiosis. And even if it temporarily stops the symptoms of Coccidiosis, they reappear within 24 hours of the last dose of Albon. However, it was all the emergency vet carried. I called my regular vet this afternoon for an appointment and to discuss Ponazuril as a possible treatment, as it is the only medication we have ever found to definitely treat a kitten with Coccidia. My vet could not see me due to having no appointments. I called another vet in the area, and they also cannot see me due to having no appointments. The emergency vet I took Princess Butterscotch to on Sunday evening is not open today.

My fear is that I am going to lose this kitten. I know Albon generally takes one to two days in order to really start showing signs of improvement; however, it seems she’s getting worse and not better. I am wiping up all of her little spots on the bathroom floor with bleach cleaner, and I am making sure their litter box stays clean. However, this will all be for naught if she does not make it. I am currently treating her with some Pedialyte in order to ensure she stays hydrated until someone can see her and possibly provide her and her littermates with more effective treatments against Coccidiosis.

Any advice in the meantime would be greatly appreciated. I have not had this litter of kittens long, but it is difficult not to get attached to such wonderful, loving creatures, and I would hate to lose one because I did not do all that I could to save her life.

Because I know this will be brought forth in mind, none of the kittens are showing ANY signs of Fading Kitten Syndrome. They are all very loving, active, and social. All of them, save for Princess Buttercup, are using the litter box regularly, and they are all eating very well.

Thank you for any and all advice,
One very worried pseudo-foster mother

4 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Hi there- thanks for rescuing these kittens!!!!???????? Is there no way that your regular vet can squeeze you in? Or at least get you on a list in case of cancellation? And can they recommend anything else to do in The meantime while you wait for your appointment?

    1. Megan Post author

      I wish. I even talked to the veterinarian this morning and she told me she couldn’t get me in; that I need to feed her some Pedialyte and hope for the best. This afternoon it’s clear that she now weighs a lot less than her littermates. However, the seeping diarrhea seems to have cleared up a bit. I haven’t found any on the bathroom floor, only small droplets on the their blanket, which of course I’ve gotten into the washer immediately. Unfortunately, it looks like I can do nothing until Thursday when either of my vets in the area have an appointment. Either that or the animal hospital again, but they don’t open until 8PM tonight. It’s a really tough spot to be in. No vet availability and no vet around here, despite Coccidiosis being a real issue in these parts, willing to do anything but Albon. I hate to sound like an “internet vet”, but experience and vet articles published online tell me that Albon simply does not work on Coccidiosis.

    2. Gloria

      Thank you for caring for these babies. According to VCAHospitals.com, the most common treatment for coccidiosis is sulfadimethoxine, and that is what Albon is.

      <>

      Good luck! Keep her going on the pedialyte in any case.

      1. Gloria

        I tried to copy the paragraph from VCAHospitals.com, but it dropped it. Anyway, that’s what it says to use.

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Jackie | 4 years ago
HELP!! I Have A 3yo Female Pom, Nomi, Who Is Bullying Our Newly Adopted Female Puppy, …

HELP!!
I have a 3yo female Pom, Nomi, who is bullying our newly adopted female puppy, Ali.
Backstory: We had a senior Beagle (who recently passed away) and our current 3yo Pom. They got along very well tho the beagle was not in to playing with toys, he would play “wrestle” with Nomi. Nomi never had any aggression toward him (other than don’t go after my food) but she did like to boss him around….stay out of the garbage, don’t lick the dishes when the dishwasher is open sort of stuff. As said, our Beagle recently passed and we just (like yesterday) adopted a puppy, wanting to give Nomi another companion. Nomi is bullying the new pup; will not allow her to play with the toys…(.and we did buy new toys as we knew not to just give Nomi’s toys up for grabs)….will not allow her play freely, nips at pup if she makes sudden movements around her. Normally, Nomi is a very social dog with humans but has never been around dogs other than her beagle brother who was already here when Nomi came to us at 12 weeks old.

I need to know how to calm Nomi down and teach her it is ok for the new pup to play both with toys and in general. I need to know how to effectively “discipline” Nomi when she is mean to the pup without using tactics such as striking her or yelling. I have been giving her lots of praise in the moments when she doesn’t nip or growl at the pup, even treats. We’ve been very cautious to make sure we show Nomi affection right along with the new girl and we do not leave them alone together, and do not feed them together.

ANY help/advice would be so welcome as we want these two girls to get along and be pals for their sake and ours!

2 Responses

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  1. Laura

    How did you introduce them? Have you talked to Nomi’s obedience trainer for ideas? This sounds like it COULD be generalized resource guarding, and it might mean she needs more confidence.

  2. Sarah

    Good morning-
    I think starting over from scratch might be helpful. Complete re-introduction for both dogs. A trainer will be helpful as well- even if your dogs already have obedience training. It just helps establish some routine as well as pack order. I am a firm believer in walks. They are another fantastic tool that help keep things in order. And personal space vs. supervised play will be helpful also. Setting up a place for your 3 yo dog to go for a break (crate, bed, etc.) that they know is for them only can also be very helpful. When our senior dog was still with us, if he went to his bed- everyone dogs and humans alike- knew to let him be, he needed a break. Our younger dogs do the same thing, and it really helps keep things calm. I hope you find this helpful. Again, a trainer who can see things firsthand will probably be money well spent and prove very helpful. These are just some things that help in our house. Best of luck!!!

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Bonnie | 4 years ago
My Sweet Little Josephine Is 2 1/2 Years Old And Has Herniated Discs In Her Back And Also …

My sweet little Josephine is 2 1/2 years old and has herniated discs in her back and also has severe heart failure in the right side of her heart. I have to make the heartbreaking decision of whether or not to take the chance on anesthesia to repair the disc herniation since a week of sedation and pain medication has not produced any improvement on her motor skills (she can’t stand and poop or pee and her appetite is waning) and risk complete heart failure, or take her home and try other alternatives to back surgery. The doctors tell me that the results of the EKG tell me that I only have about 2 more years with my little girl given the condition of her heart. Do I do the back surgery? Are there successful alternatives?

3 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    I have a lot of information on my blog and YouTube channel. I think cage rest, analgesics and lots of TLC help. I also know people who think rhat acupuncture has provided great benefits. Good luck.

    1. Bonnie Post author

      I just can’t stop crying about this. I just watched your video from the car. God bless you. My sweet Josephine is at the University of Minnesota, where she had her first surgery, to repair her heart valve (stenosis?). My friends did a GoFundMe for her for that surgery, but that time, it wasn’t an immediate emergency and we had some time. Today they called me when they already had her anesthetized for the spinal cord disc surgery and called me to get the deposit of $6000.00. Since I did not have that readily available on a credit card, they canceled her surgery. I am not sure where this is heading, but I truly admire you for standing up for your beliefs. What are we supposed to do? Turn in to these people that say it is cheaper to just get a different one? If they had ever looked in my sweet Joey’s eyes and watched the joy that she has when she gets a new ball and leaps in the air to catch it. Now I know that no matter what, if she does get the back surgery, and if she does survive it, if she ever walks again, if she ever runs again, will she live more than 2 years? Will she be happy? Am I doing this for me? Am I truly doing this for her? Will she be in pain? She didn’t show any pain before or after she couldn’t walk anymore. She is a tough little girl. She has lived through so much in her short little life that I want to keep fighting for her, but is it fair? Am I really doing it for her? I can’t afford this. I don’t know how I will make the credit card payment, but that isn’t what matters. Joey matters.

    2. Bonnie Post author

      Two people that care about me have now said that maybe I should let her go. I spent $5000.00 on her original heart valve operation and I am going to spend an additional $7000.00 on disc surgery and if she survives that she will only live for another 2 years. Am I being selfish?

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Cath | 4 years ago
I Have A Question About Our 13 Yo Dog Who Likely Has A Bulging Disc. He Is …

I have a question about our 13 yo dog who likely has a bulging disc. He is a mutt (probably part Border Collie, part Shepherd). Soon after a small slip on our stairs, he had lameness in his one back leg; this went away after one day, he limped for a few days after, and he quickly recovered from those things.  Though he was walking fine fairly quickly, he showed stiffness, showed hesitation going up stairs unless we gave him a treat (we have only stairs to the outside), and his tail was down and only wagged from the tip of it. We had him quickly on an anti-inflammatory (Novox) and a pain med (started on Gabapentin but had to discontinue). He was fine on a walk; we went on short walks and he always craved for much more than we allowed. We prevented jumping, aerobic exercise, stopped him from using stairs by having a ramp to the outside, etc. We continued the Novox. His symptoms continued, then got better, and then seemed to regress when he started showing signs of pain (panting even when lying down and even when it was cool outside and some anxiety); the pain thing was probably because of taking him off Gabapentin. We took him to the Neurology Dept at a local, large vet hospital and a physical exam indicated that he “likely” has a bulging disc. When they inspected his back, he showed signs of pain and anxiety and his back legs bent and his rear went down. We don’t think we want to do surgery due to his age. He has not had an MRI as the regular vet and my husband and I thought that the treatment would be the same if we did not do surgery — treatment being restricting movement, continuing anti-inflammatory and pain meds, and looking into possible physical rehab. A switch to the pain med Amantidine helps a lot and the panting and anxiety are gone. He now continues to crave longer walks and, at the rare times we forget to block off the couch, he will try to jump up on it. We have been continuing to restricting movement but we just don’t know what to do about activity restrictions and have not had a lot of advice from neurology. He has always craved movement and exercise and when we take him around the block his stiffness seems to go away a bit and he seems energized and maybe even more comfortable. He has always craved a lot of exercise and movement. His spirits are lowered a lot if we keep in him in a small space — it almost seems like he wants to move around. He is eating and drinking, can do #2 (though he struggles some if doing it a long time). If allowed to do some movement, he is mostly happy and getting around with walking. Questions are: Should we restrict his movement altogether despite all this? Should he we do no walks at all? Is it bad if he is free to walk around the first floor or should he stay only in a very small area? I feel we are so confused as to what to do and how to know how to prevent regression. We’d love the input of any veterinarians or other owners with the same experience!

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I think that I have to defer these questions to your vet. My inkling is to say strict cage rest except for short walks outside on flat grassy ground. My concern is that he will keep exacerbating the injury if you don’t. I have lots of information on my blog and YouTube channel under IVDD please go there for advice and case based examples. Best of luck

    1. Cath Post author

      Thank you so much for your reply! Do some dogs who have been restricted with movement get to the point that they “recover” or is this always a progressive situation? We don’t know if, after the 4 weeks of restricting him, if he will can to return to walks or anything if he is showing that he improved enough. Do you have thoughts on this? Also, is there anything we can do for him at home (like light massage or heat on the back)? Thank you so very much! You are so very helpful! 🙂 -Catherine

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Isabela | 4 years ago
Can A Dog With Ivdd Walk Again Without Surgery?

My dog was recently given the prognosis of intervertebral disc disease or herniated disc. His hind legs currently are not working and are possibly paralyzed but he still has feeling in them. The surgery for him to get better is something that we can not afford and our not sure what to do. Is there any way for him to walk again without the surgery? Is there any other treatments we can try?

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your pup. Some dogs can recover from this even if they don’t have the decompression surgery. It takes time, a lot of intensive at home care and assistance and patience. I have a lot of information on conservative management on my blog and YouTube channel. Please search my name and IVDD on both sites and you can see a patient named Hank who recovered without surgery. It took him almost three weeks to be able to walk again. It is absolutely imperative to have access to pain medications, and the time to invest in their care. It is also very important to have a vet who will help you. Good luck.

    1. Isabela Post author

      Hello,
      I watched your videos and they were very helpful! I just have a couple more questions though. What type of therapy/rehab did u start hank with? Will starting therapy too early hurt the process? Do you think acupuncture is a good idea?