A month ago we went out of town and left our dog in the care of friend but when we came back our dog seemed lethargic and in pain. We took him to the vet who stated that our dog had hip dysplasia and he could go back to normal activity, (just not sprinting) and here is arthritis medication, but when his pain got worse and walking became difficult, we got an appointment to see a surgeon to have a hip replacement. The surgeon stated we would have to get an appointment to get an MRI because he stated that there is a problem with our dog’s spine because of the ataxia and pain. This came as a shock because of what we were told previously but that now we have to some how get the dog to an MRI specialist in the next coming days and handed us a 30 day supply of dog opiate. His diagnosis was never given but taking into account what was said to us that it may be IVDD. Is there something we could do that may make him more comfortable. I have read that he should only be restricted to a crate and let out to bathroom on a leash. Our vets on the other hand say he would be fine for a walk? We are just wondering because we do not know when the MRI facility an hour and a half away will have an opening we can take our beloved companion to.

I rescued a 6 week old kitten who tested positive for HIV. I have done some research that states at this age test probably positive for hiv antibody but not virus. Can be tested at a later date and may be negative. My vet is not offering much hope. I have other cats. My vet states kitten can’t be around other csts however literature I have been reading states that is not true either. I need some advice on what my next steps should be.

We have an ~ 4mos old puppy who testicles became inflamed and/or infected recently. He has had some diarrhea as well (was diagnosed with roundworm and treated), but otherwise has been acting fine. Blood work showed his was slightly anemic and his WBC was slightly high. Thyroid test was normal. UA was normal. Urine culture showed two different types of bacteria, but they decided it was contamination and didn’t treat one of them since it was only susceptible to an antibiotic that isn’t good for puppies. He was already on Doxy which would treat the second bacteria. Brucella screen was negative. He was neutered the other day and the testes were filled with blood. They were sent to the pathologist and a culture was also submitted (results pending). They also ran a distemper test as well as a different type of Brucella test (results also pending). Torsion was ruled out. Has anyone seen anything like this? Are there other tests we should ask about running to figure out what is causing this?

I believe my 4 month old kitten has acid reflux. She was born from my sisters cats first litter so she has a lot of birth defects already. For the past month every time she eats a bowl of Meow-Mix cat food she throws up stringy saliva. She also seems to be chocking while doing it. Her other birth defects are twisted in legs, broken tail, and she has a little lazy eye. Please comment if you need any further information.

In the near future I am thinking of getting a kitten but I have a dog which I have had for 6 years but when seeing small animals such as rabbits he has a tendency to nip them nothing to harsh but I am just weary as the kitten has only got 3 legs is there any advice or tips to get my dog to stop nipping other small animals in preparation for the kitten thanks.

Hey there, I am 17 years old and I adore animals. I live with just myself and my mother and I currently have 4 cats (soon to be more probably) 2 gerbils, and 2 goldfish. I look after my pets very well and make sure they are happy and healthy.

I have always loved birds and have always pictured myself having a parrot (such as a macaw) I have owned finches, budgies, and other small pasts in the distant past, but I haven’t had any for a while thus I will not get a large bird like a macaw. One that has really caught my eye is a Sun Conure. I think they are beautiful birds and would love to have one as a pet to commit my time to.

I will mention in a list-styled fashion what my concerns are:

-I am 17, very young and my life is just beginning. I don’t travel much but will likely travel every so often. Not to mention I may be starting university soon.

-I have 4 cats, obviously cats and birds don’t mix. My plan would mainly be to just make sure they are seperated at all times in the house but I am still concerned, should I be?

-Gerbils natural predators are birds, as far as I know, Sun Conures do not eat rodents, however they would still terrify my gerbils. Gerbils only live until around 4 years old so maybe once they are gone I will get my bird.

Besides what I listed, I cannot think of any reasons as to why I would not be ready. I will always commit my free time to looking after it and spending time with it, I will be sure it’s healthy, regular check ups, and so forth. Would like to hear some feed back. Am I ready?

Hi Dr. Magnifico. You are our vet to our indoor cats. Last week, we brought in a feral cat that was roaming our neighborhood. Turns out, he is pretty friendly, allows petting and belly rubs. On Monday June 19th, I took him to Animal Rescue, Inc., to be neutered, a rabies shot, and flea control. They also checked for a microchip (none), and I paid to have blood work done to have him tested for feline leukemia. Unfortunately, he tested positive for FIV. I would like to find him a home. I have two questions. Do you know anyone willing to give a home to a big orange friendly male tabby cat, or is there anything you can do to help? Maybe doing a courtesy post on your facebook page? I asked Animal Rescue and was told to put him back outside since he is now neutered. I was shocked they said that, as he could infect other ferals. We are currently keeping him in our basement and I just noticed a tapeworm coming out of his anus. My second question is, can you prescribe a tapeworm medication, without me having to bring him in, since he is FIV feral, and just went thru so much at Animal Rescue? My husband can pick it up after work. If not, can you recommend an over the counter medication to treat tapeworms? I am hoping whatever it is, that it will be something easy to give, maybe something I can put in his food that is tasteless. Thank you. Terri

My 11 years old cat died yesterday after 12 hours in pain. She has been lethargic for about 1 month now, but I really thought that was a result of her aging. She was occasionally puking, mostly unprocessed food. Yesterday she started puking but just liquids, greenish and with some foam. She was really in pain and she started breathing with her mouth open and tongue out. We took her to the vet which told us that was probably a kidney failure and run some blood test on her. Then he sent us home with the cat telling us to come back the other day, he didn’t realize it was an emergency. We took her back home but the situation got worse. She puked more, the pain got worse she didn’t have any energy at all. So we rushed to the clinic again at 1 am. The vet did some x rays on her, and told us she had something near her stomach but he couldn’t tell what it was. It could have been anything from a tumor to a hairball. He thought it was best for her to stay overnight. She was in very bad conditions, he just injected some pain killers to her. She died three hours later. I feel so bad for letting her there. I just can’t believe she is gone like this. Another vet that saw the blood test and the x rays thinks it neither kidney failure nor tumor or hairball. I’m devastated. What could it possibly be that killed my cat?

my dog ( 1 1/2 year old small mix terrier) is a sweet guy when it comes to humans and dogs he is familiar with. sadly, he has picked up aggressive behaviors from my brothers large dogs. He will growl at people he is not familiar with on the street and when they enter the home. he will growl at outside noises and also at other unfamiliar dogs. he doesn’t bite people he just growls and when they try to pet him he runs away and gets shy. minutes will pass and he will warm up to people. he does fine at the dog park, when a dog approaches he smells the dog and runs away( which makes sense, he is a small dog) i’m more concerned when we go on walks. i’m looking for advice and tips i can do to help me and my dog work on his excessive growling. i would love to be able to go on a walk with him and be able to pass people without him growling and he can just keep walking.

Fancy Mouse and Tetracycline Antibiotics?

So I had a ca. 9 month old fancy mouse who started with an irriteted eye around 2 weeks ago. She was otherwise fine and healthy and had a weight of 32gram. She got eye drops twice a day for 10 days, but that didn’t help much.
So last Thursday (two days ago) I visited the vet again and she got tetracycline s.c. and I got some of it home, to inject it to her every two days additional to her eye drops.
So when I wanted to give it to her today, I found her outside of her hiding places cold and apathic. She rarely made trembling, seemingly non controlled movements with her head and paws, but couldn’t walk or rob. She didn’t really react when I took her in my hands. I rushed to the vet where she got fluids and vitamins (B12). Her weight was still fine and she was only a little dehydrated. I kept her warm and should keep her hydrated and try to feed her. She still died around 2 hours later, but she was her hiding spot, together with the other mice she lived with.
Is it possible that it was an reaction to the Tetracycline, that she maybe couldn’t metabolize it or something? It just came so suddenly without warning. Thanks for reading.