Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
7 year old female beagle with a history of allergic reactions (bee stings, environmental/pollen/poison Ivy)- started to exhibit serious scratching and head shaking. I have a cone at home so I used that to deter the scratching and head shaking. I also tried these “allergy aid” treats (picture attached), and /or Benadryl to try and calm down the allergic response.
She was starting to get small hives on her head and one of her ears was swelling . She’s had the ear hematomas before in both ears, and the hives before in her head and back.
I was worried it may be fleas or ticks with the smaller hives, so I did the topical flea &tick K9 Advantix with no improvement.
I also gave her a bath two days ago with her mild oatmeal shampoo, and gave her a good scrub just in case there were any mites or critters.
My other half said she threw up yesterday when I was out and had some anal leakage? And now she is not eating- she didn’t poop today when I took her out, instead she peed, did her usual walk around and then just sat down like she was uncomfortable. So I am wondering if she’s constipated and that is why she’s not eating.
My cat lowered his right ear and shaking his head and when i look in his ear it had dark red spots and it was a litle bit swelling inside.i brought him to vet and also i said him that he closes his right eye and when he sleeps his left eye does not close-it is closed halfway.he gave me drops for eyes and something liquid for the ears.thing is that i can see the white tissue on his left eye.so basically the problem seems to be the left eye which do not close-it closes half way when he is bot awake and asleep.i can also see that his ears are not in the same position.he moves the right ear(which was the inflated)when he hears a noise,but the other ear is not moving(i am not sure about this).also note that a week before they injected him for anesthisia and i am thinking the possibility of nerve damage or that his left eye was injured by a scratch.
hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. But I cannot provide much assistance based on what you’ve provided here. Certainly things like infection , trauma and other diseases might cause this. I think the vet needs to be consulted again.
If needed go ask for a second opinion from another vet,, maybe even a cat specialist
sincerely
dr magnifico
Recently every time my 7 year old black lab retriever jumps into the car he holds his back leg and whines a little or acts funny then lays down and is okay. He’s out running and seems fine any other time just does this when jumping up into the car. Any thoughts? Im going to purchase steps to help him into the car. Maybe just a sprain
I tend to be conservative with things like this – I will put a dog with a sore limb on crate rest for a week to see if it resolves. If it doesn’t, we head to the vet. This means on leash when in the yard for toilet, no jumping in the car, no jumping on furniture. Just crate or on a cushy bed on the floor.
Things to do: check paw pads, check nails (most people keep dog nails WAY too long, so if you can hear them clicking, it’s time for a nail trim…and then do them twice a week until they’re short, and weekly to maintain). I also move the limb and gently massage to see if there’s any sort of soft tissue soreness.
I have a German Shepherd who suffers from allergies and is on apoquel again… but I continue to read that they are notoriously allergic to chicken. Wondering what is the best food for dogs with allergies?? Other than the pro plan Salmon and the Lamb, we tried both and both of my dogs hated it.
I have a Siberian Husky who has suffered from ear infections forever and now I can’t help but wonder if the food is the culprit. He has been to the vet more times than I can count for it and his peeling nose!
A friend’s chicken allergic Greyhound did well on Natural Balance turkey limited ingredient diet. Another friend feeds her Dobes Annamaet Aqualuk and Manitok with significant success – the dogs love it and look great on it.
Pro plan had a fairly recent recipe change of the sensitive salmon (as in last year), and a lot of dogs seemed to go off it. I’m told it may have improved since then.
Hello,
There is a possibility that a food allergen can be the culprit. I was told by a dermatologist that it is about 8-12% of the dogs with allergies. The problem is that there are no commercially available over the counter foods that are truly hypoallergenic. You have to get a prescription diet which is either a novel protein (like kangaroo or venison) or a hydrolyzed diet where the proteins are broken down to be so small the body cannot recognize them. These are expensive and the pet cannot have anything else out in their mouths while on these foods. We feed for at least a month and then we challenge with the old food to see if the itching returns. It is difficult to do and expensive. In my opinion it is imperative to be on a good flea and tick prevention and on it year around. Then use apoquel and shampoos to help. If this works it is the best affordable option most of my patients are on. Occasionally I have to add a steroid for a small period of time or cytopoint. But most are managed well.
Find a vet who has an interest in dermatology or ask for a referral.
Thank you for your replies! The apoquel definitely makes a difference. I think it works better on him than the Cytopoint shot did, but I’ve heard that the Apoquel has a lot of side effects. I have not noticed any issues. They are both on Frontline all year since we back to woods and like to spend time at the creek.
I was going to try Victor Ocean Fish? Doesn’t do anything for their breath though. I need to mix dasaquin in one meal a day and like to use wet food which makes for more searching of good quality food.
I will continue the Apoquel for now though.
My cat was constipated this morning (he has other issues, but this was the key problem this morning). The vet said I could give him Miralax, which I did. I knew it was kicking in because my cat started yowling a bit, most likely because he was feeling cramps. It’s a struggle because I don’t want him to feel bad but I know this is part of the problem with giving a laxative. Does anyone have a suggestion about what I can do “in the mean time” to make him feel better while we wait for him to defecate? Heating pad? Warm rice pad? Cold pad? Just rubbing his belly softly? Thanks!
For cats with constipation issues I recommend a high quality canned food only diet and lots of exercise. If you are worried about pain please talk to your vet about safe options for cats. There are not a lot of them.
Thank you. Since we’re dealing with several other health issues my cat has been less mobile, which I know was part of the problem.
was wondering if I could ask a question.
About my Shih tzu MeiLing:
MeiLing is not having symptoms. My question is related to lab values. She is 14 years old and just acts tired at times.
1. The paperwork shows that she is positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Her vet did not offer any treatment advise on this or even mention this to me during the visit. I happened to find it later when reviewing her lab work. I have never found a tick on her since I rescued her 9 years ago.
2. Other lab work:
BUN 41, had been 33 year prior, one month after that was 29;
ALT 227 was 134 year prior, one month later 117;
ALP 673 was 668 one year prior and 1040 one month after that;
MCV 59.3 was 61.1 year prior and one month after that was 59.8;
Platelets 504 was 542 year prior and 561 one month afterwards;
Plateletcrit 0.62 was 0.66 and 0.68 one month later.
Based on some of the labs in point 2 the vet started MeiLing on Hepato Tru Benefits which supports healthy liver function and is telling me that we should do an MRI.
I love my dog and would like very much to do whatever is necessary for her health. However, I am retired, living on social security and am not able to afford a monthly payment for health insurance for her much less $1000 or more for an MRI. So my question is, with these labs, considering she is having no symptoms, granted she is not as lively as she once was but she is 14 years old, in your opinion how necessary is it that she have an MRI? Also why would he have not even mentioned the Anaplasma phagocytophilum? Should I seek another opinion?
I don’t expect that I will be able to afford other treatments revealed by an MRI.
I know I am asking a lot here but if you could just help me with a little guidance I would deeply appreciate it.
Thanks for any info you can give me.
Hello,
I think that I would ask for a second opinion from a different vet at another practice. I say this because I cannot interpret lab values without an examination. These go hand in hand to make an accurate assessment of a patient. Ask your friends and family who they use and trust and go there.
I also think you should bring all of the things that you mention above to your old vet.
Also I think it is important to talk to your vet about your financial abilities and ask for diagnostics you can afford. This is your right and the vet’s responsibility in my opinion. If they cannot help you find answers that are meaningful to your pet and their care go elsewhere.
Lastly I have been a vet for almost 20 years. I have not had many patients able to do an mri. And although I may offer we always (always!!!) tell about more affordable and readily accessible diagnostics like an ultrasound. I also ALWAYS talk about why I am asking questions them to do this. I fear very few vets do this. There is almost no point in asking you to do (and pay for) a diagnostic if we cannot do anything about the disease or problem from there. So what is an mri going to get you that is treatable? And Would you be able to afford that? If the answer is no why are we worried about the mri?
Rottweiler, female, 11 years old.
Vertically split nail; under vet care but I think we need to get more decisive.
The vet trimmed the nail half way with local (dog has bad reaction to sedation protocol, narcotics, etc). Still hurt and vet said it would cause undue pain. However, the nail continues on splitting.
How common of a procedure is cutting the nail off all the way to nail bed? How does that improve outcome? How much faster is the recovery?
By what percentage is anesthesia risk lower with such a short procedure? (Has to be anesthesia as explained above). Last time, after anesthetic procedure, she had heart rhythm problems and other problems; became critical and almost died. But was also full of drugs and had pancreatitis as complication of splenectomy. I’d assume the shorter the time under, the lower risk of complications?
I’m concerned about putting her under but I’m also concerned about dragging this out for weeks, taking valuable time from her, and having to do it that way anyway eventually.
I really don’t know what is the best thing to do for her. Hubby leaning toward waiting if it heals but I’m not seeing it healing any time soon if at all. (Photo of the present state of the nail attached.
I’m sad, depressed, concerned, and don’t know what I should decide for her.
Hello,
First I will admit that I have had cases like this and they are frustrating. So I remind my clients this.
Next we take it in small steps. I do start with trimming the nail as much as able and start toe/foot soaks to keep the area clean and place an ecollar to stop the patient from licking and further traumatizing the nail and seeding infection from the mouth . I ask them to give it a week or two to heal.
If it doesn’t or other nails start cracking we talk about oncodystrophy. And start talking about what to do if that is the case. The treatment options are not great so the decision to treat needs to be made with a great deal of thought or referral to dermatologist is recommended.
In one case I had a dog who was placed under general anesthesia and the nail was ground to the base to allow a new nail to grow back.
Risk of anesthesia is something discussed on a case by case basis and usually has little definitive concrete information to allow predictive measures or reasoning. That would be a conversation for an anesthesiologist.
Also I have had some cases with underlying nail bed infections so antibiotic’s, foot wrap and medication or culture and sensitivity testing might be helpful.
It’s already been three weeks now. It appears the nail was vertically cracked from the beginning with the first part in the middle (which is now the end)
How well did the grinding to the nail bed work and what was the recovery?
The other nails appear to be fine.
Grinding the nail was a last resort for a difficult chronic case. It worked but it was a last resort treatment.
Actually, it looked quite bad and hurt every time she brushed it on something. We had the nail entirely removed last Friday. Anesthesia was a risk, but I didn’t want her to spend whatever time she has left trying to get that damn nail healed–she already lost months with the first one.
The upside–48 hours of bandage, some pain meds, and all done. It looks good now and doesn’t bother her at all. She can now get on with her life and have fun.
I hated taking the risk but I”m glad I did.
My 2 year old female dog was neutered last week and the incision site is looking concerning. The only veterinary clinic close to us is closed today and I am worried about infection or other issues. The dog is an obssesive licker and I don’t know if the wound is healing ok.
Hello
Try to keep your dog from licking the incision and follow up with your vet asap.
I have a 1.5 year old male Himalayan who has been having issues with his chin for about 7 months now. It started off with a little black build up on his chin that looked like acne so I didnt Pay much attention to it. It then started to get a lot worse to the point it looked like he had wet food cemented onto his chin. I took Him to the vet and they told me to change his bowls from stainless steal so I did And I’ve tried plastic, ceramic, glass, any kind of bowl you can get and that has not changed anything.
We went back to the vet and they were stumped on what it could be so he went on steroids to see if that would help and it did for a couple days and it came back worse. We then tried an antibacterial shot and that slightly helped but then came back worse again. Tried steroids once again and made no difference this time. We ran some tests and swabbed the chin and they concluded it was staff infection. So he was treated for that and it didn’t help at all. We then tried another antibacterial shot I believe It was and it cleared up completely. But it is now back again and just keeps getting worse. The chin is raw, red, bloody, black scabby looking things, and so so itchy for him. They have now said I should Try a different food but he is on the urinary s/o Royal canin because my other cat recently had a urinary blockage and I cannot afford to put them both of different vet foods. I do Not think it is a food allergy because I have Tried numerous different foods with him but I could Be wrong. I clean it daily with a medicated soap they gave me and it doesn’t do much except keep it clean obviously, it hasn’t helped it improve. Has anybody dealt with something similar or have any possibly ideas of what this could be?
I will try to Add images to the comments , it won’t let me add them to the post
Hello,
There is no way for me to help without a diagnosis. To get this you may need more diagnostics. Which I know is going to cost you more money. But if it gets you the answer to the cause you can direct the treatment plan. You are at a place where you either need a dermatologist or a biopsy.
I wish I could offer more help. It sounds like you have done quite a lot already.
Best of luck.
Hello,
I will contact my vet and see if I can get either of those options done. It is very confusing not having an answer for him and seeing him in pain. If I end up getting an answer I will update my post for others who may be facing similar issues.
Thank you for your advice.
Hey everyone. My sweet baby girl Ellie May is 11 going on 12 and has IVDD with back leg paralysis. The funny thing is that overtime she has been able to sometimes memory walk which resembles a raccoon on our carpet and can even kick her back feet when you carry her. She’s unable to urinate on her own so I do that for her and have for years. She has a wheelchair, her own playpen and even her own stroller because she is my diva child.
Last weekend little miss decided to jump from her stroller because she was too impatient to see what I was cooking in the kitchen. She didn’t help or anything and has even done this before and it doesn’t phase her but about gives me a stroke. Last Sunday morning I was getting her out of bed and she yelped and when I gently sat her on the floor to get her morning drink before tinkle time she flopped out on her left side. Since then she has weakness In the front and she knuckles the foot but can still put pressure but is hard to get around and will cry in pain and breathes heavier. She’s a dachshund so we all know their attitude and behaviors.
I called my veterinarian and it has been a back and forth battle the ENTIRE week and I haven’t actually spoken to the vet just desk people who apparently don’t like to pass messages or do anything really. I totally understand how busy a farm vet practice is but some communication would be nice. Thankfully I had some gabapentin left from her sister Miley’s dental and have been doing that twice a day but the dose is in half as she weighs less than Miley. When they did call me back they said yes what I was doing was fine as I’m also doing crate rest. I’ve done this dance before with my girl so we know what to do. From the start she wasn’t a candidate for surgery they said since she had already lost function In her legs. But with my love and care she bounced back within 2 weeks and then slipped again a few weeks later and has been without full use since.
I expressed my concern she could have slipped a front, they don’t seem all too worried,really????? Now my hubby and I have a game plan that as long as Ellie has the will to fight and live then so do we but the second she is truly suffering we will not allow her to deal with that. I’ve had so many folks wonder why we have a special girl and didn’t just put her down, I respond with would you shoot your own child if he broke his leg and couldn’t play sports again? You don’t give up on your dogs. If anything she has more attitude being my handy girl. We call her the sheriff of tiny town. I called my vet yet again yesterday to try and get in for a steroid injection and some nsaids and they just don’t seem to pass the message. So tomorrow I’m calling as their hours are 8a-12pm and if they can’t get me in then praying that at least doc can call the meds in for her. As a mama of an IVDD baby I’m familiar with the drill. Thank you for letting me vent.
We are ordering a secondary pop up playpen for her for when we are upstairs and when we are downstairs . Also ordering a raised bowl set so she isn’t angling her head down, I’ve rolled up blankets into the open areas in her playhouse so she is more secure and comfortable. Are there any other IVDD parents out there? Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated
Hello,
Congratulations on doing so well with managing your pups disease. It really is a total investment in love.
I know a lot of people like Dodgers list Facebook page. If you aren’t a part of that community go there.
If you have specific questions I will do my best to help. I have a really exhaustive library of information on my YouTube channel and blog. Maybe they can help? Search Ivdd on the YouTube channel or blog at kmdvm.blogspot.Com.
Good luck.
Hello,
What advice has your veterinarian given you. ? It seems like there are lots of options for you they should be offering.
I think it’s a good idea to start with them. If you are worried about a budget be honest with them. They should be able to offer lots of things to try after they confirm it is allergies. These cases always start with a thorough discussion of history and a list of things to try. Some are over the counter and others are more expensive like apoquel or cytopoint.
I hope this helps.
Thanks Dr Magnifico. My dog is actually a current patient at Jarrettsville Vet and I plan on calling tomorrow to make an appointment. I called today but with the holiday they are closed. Totally understandable.
We have some medicine from her bad reaction last summer, but I was worried to try those because I am not 100% sure what the cause of her symptoms are this time around.
Only one of her ears is swollen this time, so I am curious if it’s an infection- but no foul smell or odd colors. Definitely red & swollen though.
I was mostly concerned about her not eating. Thank you for the advice, again I plan on calling the office tomorrow to hopefully get an appointment if there’s been no improvement.