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I am the owner of a 2 year old English Bulldog. Last year his urethra prolapsed and he received a purse string suture and was neutered at the pet ER in Bel Air. The issue resolved itself and he had been doing well until this last week when the urethra prolapsed again. We took him through the Towson pet ER so he could see a surgical specialist. They evaluated him and suggested surgery. After surgery they sent him home to recover and stressed the importance of him staying calm. We stayed by his side, even staying home from work, to ensure that he didn’t do anything to distrupt the healing. We kept him in a play pen and carried him up and down the stairs to potty. Two days after the surgery (and lots of bloody laundry later) we noticed that he was extremely uncomfortable even while on the pain and sedative meds. We also noticed the protrusion of his urethra tissue. We took him back to the surgeon and they confirmed that the urethra has prolapsed and they have recommended that the surgery be performed for a second time (tomorrow). We have ruled out the obvious contributing factors that may cause pressure such as stones, uti, etc. Any thoughts for treatment options moving forward? Are we missing anything? I just want our little guy to start feeling well again! Thank you.
Amber
I have a 8 week old kitten with possible spine fracture I have the x rays but my vet said they”couldn’t tell” they said he needs a mri and surgery but that something I just can’t do. He is pooping just fine but he is unable to pee it’s been 24 hours and he isn’t responding to pain in his back legs when I pinch them. He is on pain meds. Any advise will be greatly appreciated! Please help me decide what I should do!
Hello,
Kittens this age will surprise you every time. I would cage rest and keep doing physical therapy for at least 3 weeks. I would also feed watered down wet food and learn how to palpate his abdomen so you can help him urinate and defecate if needed. Kittens will surprise you. I have had so many success stories simply because I didn’t give up on them. Best of luck.
My cat is a domestic long hair. She gets occasional hairballs every couple of months but tonight yacked up an almost 6 inch hairball. She has been eating, drinking, and defecating fine. Should I be concerned about a bowel obstruction? I have never seen anything like this before. At first I thought there may be a long worm inside of it but threw on some gloves and discovered its just matted hair. I have called multiple vets and can’t get her in for nearly a week. Is this worth an emergency vet visit?
Hello,
It’s very hard for anyone remotely to know whether a pets condition is truly an emergency or not. In general we go by the rule that “if they are acting completely normal it probably isn’t an immediate emergency”
If you have a regular vet I would call them first thing tomorrow and ask to be seen ASAP after explaining what happened. I would also keep the vomit sample and collect a fecal sample to bring in. If you don’t have a regular bet or can’t be seen soon I would go to the ER for peace of mind. I hope this helps. Let us know what happens
Hi! My 14-year-old shiba, Cody, has a slipped disc. This happened on Thursday (today is Saturday) and he seems to be doing much better. The vet that saw my pup on Thursday said this was a mild case since he was still able to walk. He’s on prednisone, a muscle relaxant and a nerve relaxant and his disc is in his lower back. He’s been on rest and I’ve been icing the area. My question is if there is anything else I should be doing? Any other at home treatments? I read online that strict confinement is key but my dog has anxiety issues with cages/crates but he has been laying down most the day, just walks to go to the bathroom really. Also, ive been noticing his energy is back up and wants to walk longer distances but haven’t let him to make him rest.
Sorry for the late response. It sounds like you are doing everything recommended. It is difficult to keep them resting when they begin to feel better, but try to get him to rest as recommended. You could call your vet and let them know how he is doing and they may be able to advise you as to the next steps and what more you can do to help him.
Hi last Saturday Sept 14 my dog maltipoo 5 years old woke up in pain and was hunching back. Took her to the Vet, they did x rays and bloodwork that came out fine but vet said probably she had bulging disk. I guess they dx: IVDD ( I didn’t really know then) They told me to not have her jump and sent home with gabapetin, rimadyl methocarbamol for 14 days. She seem back to her old self but on Wed she let out a yelp and her back leg gave out. I called they said to resume all meds again. As I was only doing Rimadyl in Tuesday. She seemed to walk again but back leg still weak. Brought her to the vet again today and this doctor said Daizie has decline in on left left no neurological respond when bended. The right leg has slow response. They tell me to now have her limited in movement. So I got her a dog pen as she never like to be in a crate. The vet is referring for MRI/ct scan and surgery. I asked about conservative care and she did rx supplement but said at this point no guarantee. I did purchase phycox max vet recommended. Vet makes it seem like only option is to proceed with surgery. Which MRI alone is costly. Can I still do conservative care and if so what recommendations.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. No one online can diagnose or prescribe a treatment plan for your dog. If you are asking if you “can” well, sure. You can do whichever plan you chose for your dog. Is it going to be as effective as surgery? No one really knows. We think that surgery offers a faster recovery and a better long term prognosis overall. But which is best for you is a decision to be made after a long talk with a vet you trust. In almost all cases my clients choose conservative care because they simply can not afford the mri and surgery. I also strongly (strongly!!) recommend strict cage rest for 8 weeks. If your pup isn’t on your lap or outside going potty they are in a cage. Period. No excuses or exceptions. I say this so the scenario that your describe is less likely to happen. I hope this helps. I have tons of info on my blog and YouTube channel. Also the book below is super helpful.
I wish the vet would have been that specific with me, even when I call her on Monday that she was doing better she okay to stop meds, wish she would have tell me to stay the course and keep her in strict confinement. I will do that now, the hope is she able to walk and is not in pain. I found you through YouTube. I didn’t see the book…. Also Do you know if there is any vet like you in Houston area?
My niece had Her dog neutered. Is it normal for them not to give out pain meds for that?
Hello,
I prescribe them. But not everyone does. This is something to discuss with your vet. Preferably in advance of the neuter.
I should also add that I give an injectable NSAID to each patient in the morning before their surgery. It lasts 24 hours. Not all pets are painful longer than this. I have found. Cats especially bounce back very quickly.
After many attempts to resolve one of my foster kitten’s URI, I learned about nasopharyngeal polyps and low and behold that was the problem with Lindy. My vet’s team removed the bulk of the polyp behind Lindy’s soft palate with a CO2 laser rather than with traction using forceps, the doctor estimated she removed 90%. I see you have had much experience with these nasty growths. Lindy is a foster and I am getting ready to turn her over to the adoption center to find her forever home. I’m not exactly sure what to write about Lindy’s polyp and what might happen in the future. I hear they can recur. Do you have any advice to give me. Thanks so much.
Hello,
If your kitten begins to have loud breathing or making snoring sounds, or if you notice open mouth breathing or any kind of discharge from the nose then I would go back to the vet. In my experience these recur about 10% of the time. Good luck. If you don’t mind I would love to have you share her story on our storylines page. It helps other people learn from the members experience and also helps understand prices in vet med. if you have any questions just let me know.
Good luck.
Krista.
Join the discussion…Hi Krista – thanks so much for your response. Yes please share my story. The vet removed the polyp at the same time Lindy was being spayed. I think the polyp removal added about $200.00 to the bill. I normally use a low cost spay/neuter clinic for my foster cats but because of Lindy’s unique situation I paid the my vet’s cost for spay so her total bill for the day’s surgery, spay and polyp removal, was $700.00. My vet was wonderful working through this problem with me but it was the first time she and her colleagues had encountered and removed this type of polyp. I bet they find a lot more of them now that they know they are out there. Thanks again.
Join the discussion…Thanks again and I just made a donation. This gives me great peace of mind.
My dog seems to be constantly panting. We have our A/C on 70 degrees and ceiling fan on. Should I be concerned?
Yes. I would be concerned. Please see a veterinarian as quickly as possible. This could be an emergency and therefore I would treat it as such. Let us know what happens. Good luck.
Thank you!
My 4 year old cat had a 3 year rabies shot and a distemper shot at about 11:30AM this morning. It is now 9:25 PM and she is having tremors in her leg muscles. It is NOT a seizure but I’ve never seen muscle tremors like this before. She is also lethargic and not eating too, which I know is fairly normal…I’m just worried about her muscle tremors. Does she need to be seen immediately or is it ok to wait until morning to call the vet?
Hello,
It is very hard for me to answer this safely. The advice always has to be to err on the side of caution so that safety comes first. A veterinarian will listen to heart and lungs, take a temp, and assess neurological function and probably give an injectable steroid. We also check mucous membrane color. All of this is done to assess severity of the condition and be prepared to halt it from progressing. The tremors can be pain or anxiety due to pain or discomfort. But without all of the rest of the physical parameters to use as an assessment I can’t tell you whether or not to be worried. I’m sorry. I know that is not cut and dry. But it’s the honest truth. I think you are a Jvc client. If so please pm me on the Jvc fb page and I will call you for immediate help.
Krista.
Thank you so very much for your quick response and the phone call. Your help is very much appreciated!
I have 3 kitty babies, my 18 month old boy however has been having UTI issues. Over the past number of weeks he has been to clinics/ emergency room 5 times.
Trip 1: manual bladder release, sent home with prazosin and gabapentin
Trip2 & 3: blocked, unable to pass catheter at clinic, went directly to emergency room, able to pass a catheter, 2 mucus plugs, full stream, sent home with buprenorphine, clavamox, prednisone and continue prazosin.
Trip 4: pain urinating, only dribbles, first day of no more buprenorphine, went to clinic, full stream, sent home with 10 days of buprenorphine.
Trip 5: hurricane Dorian passed, major stress, stopped urinating, lots of pain. Blocked, extracted urine via needle. Sent home with amitriptyline, acepromazine, prazosin, vernia (her vomited at clinic), and dasuquin.
Yesterday I was paying in change for his bladder to be emptied via a needle. He passed a mucus plug at around 11pm with a few dribbles of urine but has not urinated since. He’s been eating and drinking and is on amitriptyline and acetaminophen. He very much needs surgery right away but I don’t start work again until tomorrow morning (I’ve been on disability for almost 6 months).
I lost our home and currently live on the boat. All of my savings, retirement and even my HSA are completely depleted.
I have spent hours every day contacting and re-contacting national and local places/ entities that could or might help him. I would even let him go to someone or a place that would help him if that gave him his best chance at life. He has a really great chance, but I don’t have the money right now.
Please, I don’t even have enough to euthanize him after yesterday, he needs help. Please help him. In any way you can think of. I just want goin to live.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/scooter-baby
Hello,
Wow that’s a dreadfully dismal story. Where are you? Are you the person in Connecticut? If you can get him to me I will treat him and help him find a home if you are willing to surrender him. I say this because I have no idea what it will take to treat him and I couldn’t even begin to estimate the cost of his care. Maybe we can work something out? I’ll try if you will.
If you cannot get him to me in northern maryland then call everybody and every rescue to see if something can be done for him. Offer them just what you did here. Start a social media campaign. Call and keep calling. He needs to be seen ASAP. I also think he needs an iv and urinary catheter. To start. Sending well wishes and hugs.
I am the person from Connecticut. I can’t find help for him anywhere around here into new York York up to Boston.
Update: he piddled last night 3 times around 7-8pm but now this morning tried to urinate and couldn’t, very loud painful meowing.
I have a friend who is willing to bring him to you to be treated but I can’t leave my first day of work yet until 4pm (government work) to meet him at the NY border.
If rehoming him is the only option I would do it if it saves his life, I would really love to keep him if possible and I would be happy to make payments, I haven’t been able to find any place willing to take payments has been my biggest hurdle. Anything as long as it means the wellbeing of my baby kitty!
How can we make this work? Time to bring him in? Money? Do you have my phone number?
Hello.
These are really frustrating cases. I’m so sorry about your experience and I empathize completely. I guess my first concern is that we don’t often know why this happens. My second concern is that you are going to repeat the same surgery and it should be assumed the failure has a pretty fair chance of happening again. My preference as the surgeon for cases like these (and they happen to all of us) is to both offer a redo (although I will admit I rarely charge or I charge a nominal redo fee) is to also offer a different surgeon to try over. My concern is that failing twice is an awful big expenditure and a tough explanation as to why I didn’t see that coming. My personal preference is to refer these difficult refractory cases to the vet teaching hospitals. They have faster easier and better access to more minds and more diverse experience. You just can’t get that at a private facility. I use UPenn or va tech vet schools. They are often cheaper and give a broader access to options and experience. I hope this helps. Please let me know what happens. I would love to hear a follow up and I would love to hear about your previous surgery and experience. Especially to add this to our storylines page. It is such a unique case. Very best of luck. Krista.
Thank you so much for your reply and suggestions. We will move forward with the second attempt to repair the prolapse despite the low success rate and cost associated. If it is unsuccessful we will need to get another opinion. I hadn’t thought to consult with a vet school and I think that is great advice. I will certainly keep you posted along the way.
I want to second Dr. M’s recommendation of a vet school. UPenn is phenomenal – we drove up from Timonium. They couldn’t help my puppy but they literally threw everything they could at him to diagnose his issue, and it was more than the local vets could do.