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Andrew | 5 years ago
We Believe Our 3 Year Old French Bulldog Has IVDD Related Issue Based On The Exam At …

We believe our 3 year old French bulldog has IVDD related issue based on the exam at the emergency vet tonight.

We want to do everything we can as soon as we can. I spoke to a neurologist who said they won’t see him until he is referred by his primary vet. Just within the last 8 hours of this happening it appears he has loss all use of his hind legs. I’m not quite sure if this sign of paralysis or what I should be looking for. He is panting quite a bit from the pain so I’m assuming the paralysis hasn’t kicked in. We were given two prescriptions to follow through with until we can get him into a doctor on Monday. Is this going to be soon enough? We have pet insurance but also want to be sure it will cover the cost of the surgery if needed.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In almost all cases you can be referred by any vet you see. So call the ER vat back and ask them to refer you. If they cannot ask for your money back as they are not much help and then find an ER with a specialty referral associated with it. This can be found in almost all large cities and every veterinary teaching hospital. For these cases seeking surgery time is critical. If you are not prepared to have surgery (usually due to cost which in my area is about $7-10,000) talk about starting conservative medical therapy. Good luck. Let me know what happens.

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Ebony | 5 years ago
My Cat Got A FLUTD Diagnosis Yesterday Morning After Spending The Night In The Animal Hospital …

My cat got a FLUTD diagnosis yesterday morning after spending the night in the animal hospital because they were checking for an obstruction. He hadn’t obstructed, but they couldn’t get enough urine for a urinalysis, so when we picked him up yesterday morning they gave us a container. I got a hair under 3ml, dropped it off and was told they’d run it and let me know if it was enough but I have yet to hear if anything has come from it. He’s on an anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxant. He’s a very vocal and clingy cat, but he’s been very quiet since we brought him home. He produced a decent amount of urine yesterday, but he hasn’t done more than a little dribble for about 4 hours now. I was told, if there were no additional or worsening symptoms, to bring him in immediately if this reaches 12 hours with no output. He doesn’t yell or talk or grunt when he’s in the litter, just stays there for a while and scrunches his back up as he tries to go but can’t, and will turn around frequently. He’s walking normally and isn’t having trouble getting to sleep, he’s eating normally and drinking frequently.
I was advised to start a vet prescription diet made up of 90% Hills Science Metabolic Urinary Care + CD dry food and 10% wet food, but the vets didn’t have any and after making a few calls around, was told my best option was to order it online and wait. Waiting is very stressful, and I’d really like to know if there is anything else I can do in the meantime to prevent any further discomfort or an obstruction. I would also like to know if there is a safe way to get him to the animal hospital the fastest. I’m worried if he’s obstructed, picking him up and carrying him or putting him in his cage might cause even more pain or make his urethra rupture.
Any additional tips or advice is very much appreciated. Thank you for your time.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry but in these cases the only way to really know what is going on in the bladder is to palpate your cat to feel the size, firmness and pain in the bladder. I teach my clients how to palpate and I also advise giving at home sw fluids OR best yet hospitalizing with iv fluids until the urine runs clear and the patient is pain free and comfortable. I think that at this point if you are worried it’s best to see the vet ASAP. I also think it is important for the urinalysis results to be known. Lots of cats have cystitis and not a Urinary tract infection. Different things and therefore different treatment plans and options.
    Let me know what happens and above all else ask the vet to give you a diagnosis and both a short and long term treatment plan and help in getting through it all. If they aren’t helpful go elsewhere. These cats need a lot of oversight and assistance. You need to have a vet who will fo all of this for you.

    Best of luck !

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Jasmine | 5 years ago
My Dog Is On Day 9 After Being Diagnosed With Ivdd . He Was Walking A Lot Better …

My dog is on day 9 after being diagnosed with ivdd . He was walking a lot better after losing mobility in his right front and back leg but today it looks like he’s losing the mobility in his 2 front legs all over again. What happened?? He was doing so well. His pain looked like it had gone away and he was sleeping through the night without the pain killer.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    This is a hard question to answer for a few reasons. One we hardly ever get a confirmatory diagnosis on this disease. To do that you would need an mri or ct and an csf tap. Without them we guess that it is IVDD which is the most common cause of acute paralysis or weakness. So trying to understand what is or isn’t normal when we aren’t sure of the diagnosis is difficult.
    If it is IVDD then yes it is not uncommon for them to get worse as we try to get them better. The worsening can occur because more of the disc is slipping into the spinal cord area or because another disc is also slipping. Or because the damage to the spinal cord is progressing. Please call your vet with any questions or concerns or changes to your pet. They can help. Best of luck.

    1. Jasmine Post author

      Does this mean a longer recovery time? He is now on day 15 since he went down. I have him on around the clock Gabapentin and galliprant which seems to help . He’s still very wobbly and can only walk a few steps before falling.

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Jasmine | 5 years ago
Hi, I Have A 15 Year Old Chihuahua Named Peanut. He Was Diagnosed With IVDD On Sunday. …

Hi, I have a 15 year old chihuahua named Peanut. He was diagnosed with IVDD on Sunday. He is able to stand for 30 seconds on his own and can walk a few steps before falling over. His right front leg and right back leg are the main limbs that knuckle over and give out when he stands. He can’t get himself to an upright standing position. He is currently on Gabapentin and galliprant. When the pain killers don’t have him knocked out he is crying and whimpering. He looks like he is pain and can’t get in a comfortable position . He is eating and drinking water. He is able to use pee and defecate on his own but most of the time does it while he’s laying down in his pen.

I feel so bad for him I’m honestly just crying all the time because it hurts to see him in pain and I feel helpless. I try and let him stand and walk for a few
Minutes a day with my support but should I be letting him walk? Or should I be trying to make him rest more? Also he doesn’t let me switch the side he lays on. He only lays on his right side . I know Dr. Krista said we need to switch the aside they lay on but he looks like he’s in more pain when I try to switch him to the left.

Any advice , thoughts, or feelings? I really just needed to not feel so alone in this.

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    I’m so sorry you are going trough this. Dr. Magnifico has a lot of videos regarding ivdd posted, and you might find them useful. Another thing to maybe try as far as getting him on his opposite side- when he has his pain killers in his system and is sleeping for close to it, perhaps gently maneuver him to the another side and see if that works any better. If he is not giving up, please don’t give up either. Best of luck to you both!!!!

    1. Jasmine Post author

      Thank you so much for the advice! I’m going to continue to fight with him as long as he can. He still looks like he’s trying his hardest!

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Alexandra Fishman | 5 years ago
Post Bone Marrow Biopsy Pain Management
Treatment Cost (USD): $387.25
Post Bone Marrow Biopsy Pain Management
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Alexandra Fishman | 5 years ago
Sepsis Turned Fatal
Treatment Cost (USD): $5946.00
Colby presented with a 104.7 degree fever, extreme abdominal pain, Hx of immunocompromised, and abnormal blood work.
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Shiria | 5 years ago
Kitten With Completely Atonic Colon, Possible Causes? (Long Text Ahead) So Nov. 3th In The Evening …

Kitten with completely atonic colon, possible causes? (Long text ahead)
So Nov. 3th in the evening we got 2 kittens, estimated 6 weeks old, thin. However due to being cold outside they already had very thick fur, so it wasn’t visible how thin they were. Weight was 550 & 650gr.
The finder said they have been more active before and only now they were able to get those two. They borrowed to live traps to get the mother and another kitten.
Both were seen eating. They were treated against worms (Milbemycinoxim/Praziquantel) and fleas (Lotilaner)
Nov 4th: Overnight everything was eaten, poo was solid. Kittens were responsive and alert. To the evening only half was eaten. Poo was still solid.
Nov 5th: Nothing was eaten over night, the little one seemed a bit weaker. I started to feed them with a syringe. They started with diarrhea, but that sometimes happens when feeding with a syringe.
Nov. 6th: They still don’t eat by themselves. The smaller one still seemed weaker, but otherwise it seemed fine. A bit diarrhea. In the evening I found it the litter box, not being able to stand, barely reacting. It hat vomited (at least it looked like it), and still had poo stuck on it. It was immediately brought to a vet. It received glucose solution s.c., something against vomiting, pain and an antibiotics. Lung sounded free, heart (ultrasound) was fine, too. A test of parvovirosis came back negative. I took both of them home that night, so I could feed it smaller portions more often and to give more fluids. 2 hours later to was able to stand again. I fed them every 3-4 hours, fluids every 6 (only small amounts obviously). It was lying on a warmth mat. The bigger one was fine, but avoided it’s litter mate.
Nov. 7th: No further improvement. None of them was eating on their own. The smaller one was still lying down most of the time, sleeping, but would react when I came to feed them. It would stand up and walk to the litterbox between the feedings, but the poo had a weird consistency. Not really diarrhea, but veeeery sticky, so it always carried it back to it’s sleeping place. So I had to clean it before every feeding. A test on giardia was positive, treatment started with Carnidazol. Continue to feed them with a Syringe and fluids for the smaller one. Fluids were always absorbed to the next feeding, but it still was a bit dehydrated (skin fold test). The bigger one would play in between and seemed fine otherwise.
Nov. 8th: No changes in the smaller one during the day, still weaker, able to walk, sit and stand, but sleeping most of the time. Today there was rarely poo in the toilet. I assumed that the treatment started working and it was a good sign (although I already had the feeling that something was wrong… wish I would have trusted that feeling). In the evening it seemed weaker, but would still accept being fed with a syringe. It felt different, less body tension, but would still walk away/go to the t. 10pm feeding. More calm, didn’t want to eat that much, peed on me. Meowed louder during giving the fluids than usual and tried to get away. 2am clock, the fluids weren’t absorbed completely, it’s abdomen felt like a sponge. I only fed a tiny amount. 6am weaker, would lie down immediately, breathing was shallow and faster, meowing, I didn’t feed it, fluids still not absorbed. Rushed to the vet.
-> Heart had a low frequency, breathing fast and shallow
-> X-Ray lungs were free, only a tiny amount of fluids in the abdomen, however the complete colon and stomach were filled with food. There was no visible blockage or air.
-> Ultrasound: Absolutely no movement in the colon/stomach, no blockage or air seen either. Kidneys and liver seemed fine
-> Punctation of the abdomen: ca. 3-4ml of fluids, lots of proteins, a bit of blood. Didn’t look like FIP. Possible that the fluids came out of the colon.
It was given something against vomiting, pain, antibiotics, something to help the cardiovascular system and something to get the colon moving again. To help with its breathing got a mask with additional oxygen. However in the next hour it got worse, so we decided to let it go. After it was gone food came back out of it’s mouth. And it didn’t even smell like it had started to digest.
It’s littermate is still with me and fine. It started to eat on its own yesterday.
Now I obviously ask myself what i could have done better/different. By now I think I should have started with additional syringe feeding earlier – at least with the smaller one. And I should have reacted when my feeling told me that something was wrong, even when there were no obvious changes yet. I somehow have the feeling that I sis something wrong and killed it. Did I give too much fluids (but lungs were free and only a bit fluid in the abdomen)? Did I feed too much? Other kittens eat even more without problems – and the other one is fine.
And what can be the causes for the complete stop of movement in the colon/stomach?
I know that FIP can cause this and an ileus (but there were no visible blockage, everything was filled with food), are there other causes? Can giardia do this?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    First it is important to give yourself a very firm and big pet on the back. You have gone above and beyond and saved these kittens from a slow awful death. Next this isn’t a question about the colon this is a question about what is causing all of the clinical signs you are seeing. Ileus (slow or absent moving gi tract) has many many causes but something caused it. Probably has everything to do with the same something causing everything else you are seeing. There is a huge list of possible causes. Infection, congenital disease, malnutrition before they got to you. Infectious disease like rabies, etc etc. my recommendation is to stick with the basics of keeping them warm, fed, and treated for parasites (internal and external). After that (or before your preference often dictated by amount owner can spend) is to keep asking for second opinions and keep running. Diagnostics. I really applaud your dedication and I have to say as much as sometimes we try we just aren’t able to save them all. This is especially true with kittens. Which have been some of the most rewarding and most heart breaking of all the cases I have seen.

    1. Shiria Post author

      Hello,
      thanks so much for your answer and the nice words. Malnutrition would be definitly possible, it’s nearly winter here and they were thin when we got them. Maybe it was too much for the gi tract after not getting much for some time.
      What additional diagnostics would you have recommended to do? I think bloodworks could have been an option, but what parameters? Just the large profile or other tests (besides FIV/FelV)?
      I added the xRay. I was only present at the ultrasound, where I couldn’t see air. The xRay shows air in the stomach and colon. But otherwise everything is just… filled – theres not really something visible. Kidney and Liver could be seen in the ultrasound and looked normal. The “swelling” on it’s belly is the fluid that wasn’t absorbed – altough it felt a bit harder that a fluid bubble under the skin usually does.

      The other one is still fine, active and playing, starting to eat on it’s own. Purring and cuddly. Yesterday we got the 3rd littermate, the mother is nowhere to be found until now. I haven’t seen the new one eat yet, but it was hungry when i fed it with a syringe – and it liked it. So I’ll just feed it a bit too, just not as much. That’s also nice for bonding. But it ate what was in the trap – so it knows cat food. It’s still very afraid, so I guess it will mostly come outside when I’m not in the same room.
      We also got another one, a little male that the fidners named Nero – same area but not same place – but same age (a bit younger possibly) and also black furred. But this one is in bad shape, too. Very calm and tired. Lying most of the time. It’s just skin and bones, dehydrated. I haven’t seen it eating or using the litter box yet – and since the other two use it and the towel it lays on is wet sometimes I think it doesn’t really go. But it is able to stand and walk – I think it’s just to tired/weak to do so without need. This one is also fed every 3-4 hours and gets fluids. I heard him sneezing, so maybe it’s getting cat flu.
      All were treated against internal and external parasites and no diarrhea until now from the new ones.

      Thanks again for taking your time to read my wall of text(s) and answering so detailed.

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Madison | 5 years ago
Hi So My Pug Seems Like He Is In Pain On His Back Leg He Walks …

Hi so my pug seems like he is in pain on his back leg he walks on it but usually liftes it up and he keeps chewing on his paw what can I do

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I would be worried that the licking is an indication of pain. Limping can be indicative of many things to. like injury, illness or Orthopedic issues. Please see a vet about this. There is no other credible advice I can give from here.

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GARY | 5 years ago
Took Are One Year Old Cat In To See The Vet Because He Could Not Urinate. …

took are one year old cat in to see the vet because he could not urinate. On exame the vet drew fluid and did a ultrasound. There was blood in the urine and the ultrasound showed some indications of foreign bodies but not crystals. She gave us Clavamox a antibiotic, prazosin for inflammation and Buprenorphine for pain all was ok for two weeks then are cat Leo was back in trouble again with not urinating . Same m.o. , and she told us about the PU surgery, or leaving him there for a few days while they but a catheter in him to reestablish his bladder function. My question is this, we feed are cat raw food that we make from chicken livers and hearts with bone ground up for fiber . Leo drinks lots of water so we are wondering why this is recurring in such a young male cat that is a outdoor cat . Is there something we are missing in Leos care or prevention of this problem . love your videos on youtube and saw the cat being unblocked with a catheter, wish we could do that at home.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I think that this is an excellent question to ask your vet. I don’t know enough about Your car to answer this. I c an say that in some cases we never know why some cats have issues while others do not. In my personal experience I have found that I see this most commonly in indoor only, overweight, sedentary cats who are being fed a poor quality dry food. It doesn’t sound like a lot of this criteria is consistent with your cat but please talk to your vet. If possible I would love to have you add your experience and cost of care to our storylines page. It will help others. And that’s what we are all about.
    Please keep us updated.
    Best of luck. Krista

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Henry | 5 years ago
Hi, I Need All The Advice And Help You Guys Can Give Me. I Have A …

Hi, i need all the advice and help you guys can give me. I have a two-year-old French bulldog and yesterday morning we realized she was a little paralyzed from her hip down she ate and pooped fine. Took her to the emergency room they diagnosed her with IVDD. They told me they need to do surgery on her spine and I can’t afford the surgery process. Is there other options? She’s on steroids and pain medication

Prednisone
Gabapentin
Prazonsin
Please help us she means the world to our family!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I have tons (and tons) of information on my blog and YouTube channel. If you just google my name and ivdd at either of these places you will find loads of advice. Start there. I also think the book below helps many newly diagnosed pup parents.