Boston terrier was having neck pain. Vet gave muscle relaxer, gabapentin and prednisone.. she suspected IVDD. My baby wasn’t doing that great with meds every 12 hours. So recently we went to 8 hours. He seemed to be doing a lot better. Well today, he started to walk towards me and he froze in mid step. And fell down. Rushed to vet. She said he is in a lot of pain- major spasm- not seizure. Gave him a pain shot that pretty much not him out. She said he needed surgery – only can do it in Dallas. If I couldn’t afford surgery then he needs to be put down. I’m trying to get donations for the surgery. Trying to give him a chance. He still walks on his own, poops etc. I saw videos of dogs recovering from IVDD without surgery and they were worse off than my baby. What should I do??? Any advice? I’d like to know what meds Dr. Magnifico used on Hank in her YouTube videos. Please help!

My cat is having “spasms” in his stomach that are similar to hiccups. I’ve taken him to the vets twice, we’ve done bloodwork and tried pain meds but nothing has worked. His appetite is good and no vomiting. He just looks uncomfortable. I’m getting ready to make another vet appt, but wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts

Hello, I was trying to cut the hairs around my dogs ear and he shook causing the tip of his ear to get cut off. Very small port around a 1/4” or even less it looks like. It is not bleeding. Do I need to do anything? He doesn’t look to be in pain but I know animals don’t always look to be in pain even if they are.

Hi,

Last April, my 16-year-old long haired cat, Geisha, began experiencing frequent sneezing and congestion. Her symptoms worsened gradually. Her nasal breathing sounded wheezy and her purring sounded like duck quacking. We took her to the vet who treated her with antibiotics (Amoxicillin) and anti-histamine (Chlorpheniramine). When her symptoms did not improve, the vet then gave her a different antibiotic (Convenia) and a steroid (Dexamethasone). When her symptoms still did not improve, we took her to a specialist. The specialist ruled out rhinitis because Geisha’s bloody nasal discharge only occurred from her right nostril and concluded that Geisha possibly had a polyp or nasal tumor. They recommended performing a CT scan, rhinoscopy, and biopsy. They prescribed Geisha a steroid (Prednisolone) while we thought over their recommendations. Within a day, Geisha’s symptoms began to dissipate and after a couple of days, all her symptoms disappeared and she was fully recovered.

Unfortunately, in January of this year, Geisha had another relapse of the same symptoms. We brought her to the vet on 1/9/2020, who after hearing her previous history, prescribed both Clavamox and Prednisolone. They also administered a blood test, the result of which we were told was unremarkable.

Geisha’s recovery last year came after she was put on 1 tablet of 5mg Prednisolone per day. Unfortunately, the same medication regimen this time did not improve her condition. After weeks on medication with no signs of improvement, on 3/6/2020, we brought Geisha to a specialist referred by the vet. There she was given another blood test, the results of which was once again deemed unremarkable. During the same visit, we were told that only a CT scan along with a biopsy would conclusively identify the root cause of her symptoms. We agreed to the CT scan on this basis alone.

After spending close to $2,500 on the scan, we were told that the CT scan did indicate a mass but that the nature and identity of the mass could not be determined. The specialist informed us that the biopsy results did not indicate that the mass was cancerous. However, he stated that it is his opinion that the mass was cancerous, without any supporting evidence and despite the contradictory biopsy results. It is his opinion that the biopsy results are incorrect due to poor sampling. His conclusion is that we should consider pursuing radiation treatment since that would be the only resolution. So, basically, after a $2,500 expense, the vet is just as clueless about the nature of Geisha’s issue as he was before.

Geisha was returned to us after the CT scan with Prednisolone medication. We were instructed to increase her dosage to 1.5 5mg Prednisolone per day. With this increased dosage, Geisha’s condition has improved. In the month that has passed, while her condition has improved, she is still mildly symptomatic and not fully recovered and thus is still on the same medication regimen.

Naturally, my wife and I are very disappointed that we still have an inconclusive diagnosis despite having been assured that the costly procedures would be justified by the precise root cause that they would deliver. We also don’t understand why we spent money for procedures such as the biopsy only for the vet to completely disregard the results and formulate his opinion purely on conjecture. This all seems to fly in the face of the scientific method that all science is based on.

I would love to get your opinion on what you think is the issue with Geisha and what you believe the best course of action for her is based on her past year of symptoms and treatment history and also taking her age into account.

Thank you so much for your time.

We rescued our almost 2 year old dog in early January. She was spade in November I believe. In late February she was diagnosed with a UTI and has seemed to have issues ever since. She was given medicine for her UTI and as soon as she finished she seemed to have some more dribbling at times, and straining and not a large production of urine. We took her to the vet and they said there was some formation of crystals, her PH was high, and they recommended notto do a certain kind of testing (I can’t remember what) because she just came off antibiotics and said it wouldn’t yield true results. They said we could do a blood test and X-ray, but I wasn’t sure it was necessary. A few days later she had what I believe they called large intestine diarrhea and needed medication for that. She just finished the medication and probiotic for that this week and now she is having some dribbling or puddling issues. I noticed it yesterday, but I thought my son just scared her with his toy. Today, it was after coming in from a walk. She was laying down and peed a small puddle. She has been drinking plenty and goes to the bathroom and produces a normal amount of urine, she doesn’t seem to strain at all. Not sure if I should call the vet and what kind of tests she should get moving forward. It is getting very expensive and I can’t keep spending almost $200 for each vet visit.

I think my dog has separation anxiety. He gets very sad and freaks out when he knows we are leaving and cries nonstop. I was wondering if there was a way to make him more comfortable at home when we will be going to work?

My dog, Max, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. We are still trying to find the right dose of insulin and were making progress until yesterday. His sugar was back up to 471 yesterday when 2 weeks ago it was 275. We know cataracts are already forming but this morning before 4am he woke me up. I thought he had to go outside but when I got him, realized he wasn’t opening his left eye. When he does open it, it seems rolled back and is red. His third eyelid is also visible. The right one is better but also seems like it might be bothering him. I contacted the vet for walk in hours today but wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue and what it might be.
Thanks!

Hi Dr. Magnifico. Our cat Boogie was recently seen by Dr. Ahrens for his constipation issues, and also to have blood drawn to check his hyperthyroidism. I have a couple questions for Dr Ahrens.
I prefer not calling the office, as I do not want to pull her away from whatever she is doing at that time, and it is really hard to reach me by phone.
Can you please ask her to email me at ——— or if you could give me her JVC email address so I can email her, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Terri

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Sophie is an extremely active 12 year old Tibetan Terrier who appears to have cervical disc disease. This diagnosis is not definitive, though signs and symptoms point this way. All tests have come back negative, antibiotics were not successful, so we started her on Prednisone 5 days ago. Day 1 and 2 she was a new dog. Happy and running. Unfortunately we weren’t aware of the necessity for bed rest. Day 3 she went downhill and now she is in significant pain when she attempts to get up. We addenda Gabapentin 2 days ago and this seems to give some relief. I carry her outside and she can support her weight and limp to do her business. Front right paw is most involved. Her feet will splay and she goes to her stomach in pain if she tries to get up without me helping. I have attempted manual traction which she tolerates. My question is what other medications or conservative treatments can we add (surgical intervention is not an option for us for a number of reasons). At what point can we hope to see changes. Should we limit her from trying to get up on her own, as this is the most painful for her? If so, any suggestions on how to do that?

Hi Dr. Mag, Gatsby and I need your help.
I came across some of your videos on YouTube and that brought me to your blogs and finally here to Pawbly.com I feel so fortunate to have found your videos you seem so knowledgeable and more importantly empathetic. The care you have for animals truly shines through. I feel so helpless When it comes to my little guy Gatsby. He is 8 years old and has been very healthy all his life, But within the last six weeks we have been experiencing some urinary issues. I did think he had a blockage because he was unable to urinate for close to 24 hours, he seemed lethargic and did not want to eat. I took him to the vet first thing in the morning and he was given an x-ray which did not show any signs of kidney stones. He was given fluids under the skin, an antibiotic shot and sent home with 5 days dosage of Prozasin. The vet diagnosed him with feline lower urinary tract disease, yet he did not take any urine samples because he said that Gatsby’s bladder was very small and he was unable to collect a sample. He did not take any blood either. Within a couple days Gatsby was again exhibiting the same symptoms so I asked around for personal referrals and took him to a different vet. This vet said the same thing, Gatsby’s bladder was very small, but he kept him for a few hours to collect urine and did perform blood analysis and lab work. This was a Saturday and the vet suggested I switched him to a prescription urinary diet and informed me I would receive lab results that Monday. When the vet called all of his lab work came back clear, no infection, no signs of crystals, no signs of cystitis, kidneys functioning properly and he does not have diabetes. The vet suggested I keep him on a prescription diet and suggested that he lose weight because he is a big boy at 15 pounds. This was about a month ago and Gatsby has had two more episodes since. He is licking himself a lot. He travels to his box many times and is only producing small dots of urine, he has on a handful of occasions exhibited inappropriate urination, but only during these flareups which tend to last 2 to 3 days. I’ve called the vet to discuss Gatsby’s condition and his solution is to have the surgery performed. I have read a lot of literature, watched a lot of videos and have taken him to two different vets to try and find answers and help for him. It hurts me to see him struggling. He is on a wet food only diet, I do not feed him any dry food or dry treats. I have tried a urinary health chew which he receives once a day. I have noticed that he has not been drinking water as he used to prior to these episodes. I have a water fountain for him I’ve tried fresh water in different types of bowls, I’ve tried water with ice, he’s just very resistant to drinking water now. Any advice or guidance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.