Question
Profile Image
Kristen Duracka | 4 years ago
Hello! We Were Hiking With Our Dog This Morning When He Got A Thorn In His …

Hello! We were hiking with our dog this morning when he got a thorn in his paw. Luckily we were able to remove it but it required two of us since he doesn’t like having his feet touched especially when he’s in pain. I have two questions. I realize now we need to carry a soft muzzle or something in case this happens when he is with only one of us, do you have a kind you prefer? Also how can we work with him, so he is more comfortable with us touching his feet?

Thank you so much,
Kristen

5 Responses

Comments

  1. Sarah

    Hi there- we are currently working with one of our dogs and his feet. He does not like them being handles or touched either. What we are doing at the moment: after a good long walk, and while he is calm and resting, I have been sitting with him and just “playing” with each of his toes individually, and rewArding his patience with a treat. He is getting much more tolerant with this. So much so, that the other morning I was able to cut almost all of his nails in one sitting. Is has been a process/ still is, but I feel that the repetition is helping to make him less sensitive… and the treats always help????????

      1. Laura

        It’s definitely a good reason to carry a spare nylon leash. 🙂 I always have a few around since they can be so very handy.

Question
Profile Image
Breauna | 4 years ago
Hello I Recently Watched A Lot Of Your Videos On Youtube About Ivdd And The Beagle …

Hello I recently watched a lot of your videos on youtube about ivdd and the beagle you were taking care of. My Gracie was diagnosed with ivdd yesterday and my vet gave her a steroid shot and she is now on steroid medication prednisone, pain killers and muscle relaxers. She is not able to walk or stand on her own, her right leg drags, her left leg seems normal. I have been using a makeshift sling to help her use the restroom, she is able to pee and poop on her own as long as I am helping her stand outside with a sling. She sometimes sits up in bed but mainly only using her upper body. Is this a good sign? My vet said I need to put her on a diet and give her strict rest but my vet also said if she is not better in two days I should take her to get surgery. I am relucatant to get surgery not just because of the cost but because my Gracie is 11 years old and I am afraid that it could worsen the paralysis in her other legs or it might be only a temporary fix. Me and my parents want to try naturally helping her, and I am not sure how to start or what to do. Should I just try making her get strict cage rest and see what happens or should I start physical therapy right away? I am planning on calling my vet to see what she thinks but from what she told me yesterday she seems pretty set on surgery only. Gracie has only been laying on one side when laying down. Her left side. Her right side is the side with the bad dragging leg. She is eating well and drinking well, I just want her to get better soon. Any advice or suggestions you can give me would be great. Thank you Krista.
Sincerely,
Gracie’s mom.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    So sorry about Gracie. Dr. Magnifico has a lot of videos on YouTube regarding ivdd AND she has information on her blog- diary of a real life veterinarian- that you may find helpful. Very best of luck to you and Gracie!!????????

Question
Profile Image
Samantha | 4 years ago
Hi! For A Couple Weeks I Have Noticed My Dog Chewing On His Back Paw… He …

Hi!
For a couple weeks I have noticed my dog chewing on his back paw… he normally has pretty strong allergies this time of year and he is a licker anyway.. however tonight when I got home from work I took another close look at his paw (it was looking very pink) and noticed that he is missing a nail.. it’s completely gone ! He is in no pain as it seems.. hes walking, running, playing and eating as normal.. the only thing is he is obviously licking the area where his nail was.. it’s not bleeding and doesn’t look infected…
what advice do you have for this type of situation? I have been reading and watching videos about this but it’s half and half of I should take him to the vet or if I can take care of this at home.. Thank you

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Sarah

    I have never had a situation where the entire nail has been gone- a few times we have had a partial rip and then we did have to make a trip to see the vet or vet tech to have it looked at and snipped. I’m guessing, if there is no pain, swelling, soreness- that it may have happened a bit ago? If there is still a “wound” opening, I would keep it clean and keep an eye on it. If it feels swollen, or sore then definitely call your vet. And honestly, I’m a nervous nelly, so I would probably call my vet anyway and double check with them to see if I should bring them in to be seen…

  2. Laura

    My suggestion? Get all the nails much shorter and keep them shorter to prevent this in the future. Torn nails, broken nails usually happen due to excessively LONG nails. Keeping them short keeps them safer from this sort of accident.

Question
Profile Image
Nabia | 4 years ago
My Baby Brownie Was Diagnosed With IVDD 6 Days Ago. I Didn’t Go For The Surgery …

My baby Brownie was diagnosed with IVDD 6 days ago. I didn’t go for the surgery due to the cost. I’m giving him crate treatment at home he’s on two pain meds and a steroid at the moment. I hate seeing my baby in pain but I’m trying to stay positive. I saw your video on YouTube and it was very positive and hopefully. I’m hoping you can share any advice on our I can bring my baby back to good health. Currently his back legs aren’t working and he has no control over his bladder so I’m helping him go potty and cleaning his pee pad. His back and neck are in pain. I’m hoping he can make a great recovery.

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Wishing you the very best of luck. I have quite a few videos on this and you can also search Ivdd at kmdvm.blogspot.com. There’s lots of info there too

Question
Profile Image
Harrison | 4 years ago
Possible Polyp In Healthy Cat (Similar To Stripes Video By Dr Magnifico) – Urgent

Hi,
For about 3 months now, our 9 year old cat, Wheezy, has been making strange noises when she breathes that are similar to snoring or sounding just really congested. We took her to the vet and determined that her lungs are fine and she doesn’t have an upper respiratory infection. We believed it was possible for it to be a polyp.

I found the video about Stripes, by Dr. Kristina Magnifico, and I would be willing to bet that Wheezy also has a polyp on her throat. However, like Stripes’ owners, our usual vet gave us an estimate of close to $1200 for all the procedures to check for a polyp and remove it (some of them seemed unnecessary for this process). We cannot afford a cost like this and if there is a simpler way to go about this like in Dr. Magnifico’s video then we need to go that route.

I also wanted to ask about another symptom Wheezy appears to have where there’s a lot of fluid building up in her right eye. Not sure if this is any more evidence of a polyp or not. I’ll attach a picture.

Everything seems to have slowly gotten worse and she has a lost a VERY unhealthy amount of weight because she won’t eat, and I would guess she’s dehydrated as well. She has lost all her energy. Prior to this starting she was a very healthy indoor/outdoor cat.

If there is anybody in the area of Eastern Massachusetts that could recommend any where they’ve taken their animals that would be so helpful.

Thank you!

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I would be worried that this is neoplasia. It is unlikely that a cat this old will have a polyp. That has been my experience. Call the rescues and shelters and see if they know of anyone local to you who will sedate your cat and look behind the soft palate. Find a feline specialist to ask for a second opinion. Good luck.

    1. Harrison Post author

      Thank you for the quick response. Not exactly what you’d like to hear but at least we can probably rule out polyp. We’ll follow your suggestions.

Question
Profile Image
Maham | 4 years ago
Hi, My Cat Is 4 Years Old And She’s Approximately 17 Pounds. I Want To Bring Her …

Hi,

My cat is 4 years old and she’s approximately 17 pounds. i want to bring her to around 10 pounds so she can live a healthy life. I want to change her diet from Dry food, what do you suggest? currently she eats Friskies 3 times a day (a hand full each time).

3 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    I like science diet, royal canin and wellness. As a general rule. I also think that based on age a visit to the vet and some blood work to check thyroid and kidney function.

    1. Maham Post author

      Hi i’ve checked out these brands and they’re on the pricier side. Do you recommend boiled chicken instead of their store bought food?

      1. Laura

        Maham, plain boiled chicken isn’t nutritionally complete. Cats have more strict requirements than other carnivores.

Question
Profile Image
Hunter | 4 years ago
My 4yo Labrador Retriever Hank Recently (two Weeks Prior) Underwent A Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) …

My 4yo Labrador Retriever Hank recently (two weeks prior) underwent a Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) to repair the torn cruciate ligament in his back left knee. He gradually increased activity in the affected leg, but now seems as if his progress has halted. He’s very hesitant to put anymore weight on that leg. He won’t walk up a small step to get into my bedroom (this was the case before the surgery too). He moves around somewhat freely in the yard, but reverts to standing on three legs or doing a three-legged hop to move around at times. He has taken a bad step two to three times that resulted in a loud cry out. He must be coaxed to move around at all and appears to have developed a plum-sized seroma at surgery site of the infected knee. Could this be leading to the halt in activity/progress? He allows me to massage the muscles above and below the affected knee. We have also been doing some range of motion exercises on both legs.

Seroma?: He allows me to touch it and it is soft to the touch. It feels like a water balloon filled with a slightly more viscous fluid. It is directly above the incision site and the fluid appears to rest directly on top of the knee joint. Per vet recommendation, I discontinued the use of Rimadyl to try to reduce the size of the seroma.

Other symptoms: Licking at the base of tail to the point of seeing some blood in his fur. Excessive licking of the blanket he sleeps on.

3 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Please contact the surgeon or your vet ASAP. Really. ASAP. This doesn’t sound normal and an exam is indicated. Good luck.

  2. Sarah

    Hi there-
    I am hoping that Hank has been seen by your vet and/or surgeon already???? We recently had one of our dogs undergo tplo surgery, and although her recovery has been slow, it has been steady. We have been very strict about what she is allowed to do and what she is not to do and she has undergone xrays along the way to make sure she is progressing ok. The fact that Hank has cried out in pain and is regressing is very concerning. Please keep us posted

    1. Hunter Post author

      Update: Took Hank to see the surgeon yesterday. They removed the sutures and checked the seroma. They think he is just still in a lot of pain and recommended putting him back on Rimadyl for another week and to let them know if he doesn’t get any better. The seroma is looking better, but still somewhat large and still resting on the joint, which may be leading to discomfort. I may have just been too quick to let him resume light activity.

Question
Profile Image
Eva | 4 years ago
My Dog Is 6 Months Old Roughly And She Started Her Heat Cycle For The First Time 6/10/21 …

My dog is 6 months old roughly and she started her heat cycle for the first time 6/10/21 and her brother (unaltered) and her got “stuck” few days ago I know she is pregnant and she started to lightly spot blood Yesterday. What could happen from this besides the fact That puppies may not make it? Also she is pitbull/ rottweiler mix

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I spay these dogs as soon as possible. Why wait to see if birth defects occur? And what would you do if they do? Euthanizing puppies is the most awful heartbreaking thing a pet parent or vet ever had to do.

Question
Profile Image
Jeri | 4 years ago
Hi, My Cat Daisy Recently Had Major Dental Surgery To Remove 12 Of Her Teeth. She Did …

Hi, my cat Daisy recently had major dental surgery to remove 12 of her teeth. She did well through it but shortly after started to pull her hair out as she grooms. Wherever she has rested there are clumps of hair and it’s primarily on her thighs. She’s eating well, acting normal and using the litter box normally. Can you help?

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Sarah

    I would contact your vet and make them aware of this new behavior right away.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    I would worry this is pain. Or stress. There are lots of medications available for these. Please call your vet.

Question
Profile Image
Debra Brenner | 4 years ago
So Our Little Morkie Stella Had Jumped From My Arms And Landed Wrong On Her Hind …

So our little Morkie Stella had jumped from my arms and landed wrong on her hind leg. She then proceeded to have trouble walking on it and has been limping. It seems to be affecting her joint. She’s not crying out in pain, but is not putting any pressure on her leg. Her hip felt stiff under my fiance’s grasp.
I am freaking out, unsure of what to do. She’s not shrieking when we touch it. She’s just complying

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    The only time a joint injury is a true emergency is a hip dislocation in these cases time is of the essence to put it back into place. The classic presentation of this is a prominent bump on the hip and the leg appears to be rotated outward also they toe touch. Little dogs tend to have shallow hips so they can dislocate fairly easily and it is most common with a fall or jump. A trip to the ER is indicated they will take an X-ray and if dislocated try to put it back into place. The faster it is put back in place the better as the longer you wait the harder it is to correct and the more likely it is to fail (ie “pop back out”).
    The other possibility is a fracture. Little dogs have fragile bones. Although it sounds terrible this isn’t an emergency and cage rest is indicated. See a vet ASAP for an X-ray. An orthopedic specialist should be seen to repair this.
    Lastly a knee injury like a cruciate ligament rupture is the next possibility. This is like an ACL in people. It happens with trauma or abnormal forces on the knee associated with playing or turning the leg while the body is in motion. This is often a surgical procedure to correct.

    It is also possible to have a muscle, joint, tendon or injury elsewhere which would benefit from rest and analgesics or steroid/NSAID therapy.

    In cases like this I have to say it’s best to go directly to the ER for an exam and possible X-ray.

    I hope she’s ok.

    Keep us posted

    1. Debra Brenner Post author

      Even if she isn’t in pain when we touch that area? Is it possible that she just sprained something?