Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
My 3 year old dog was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure after about a week of vomiting, lethargy, and not eating. After less than a day in the hospital her BUN came down from a 227 to a 200 and when I visited her in the hosptial I could tell her mood was night and day from when she was admitted to the hospital, much more energetic and happy, which I took as a very good sign of her health. So I guess my question is what can I expect? What are her realistic chances of recovering from this?
I’ve had a kitten for almost 2 months and have adopted a friends older cat. My kitten tries to be friendly but the adult cat hisses and tries to attack. I have put them in separate rooms with the doors between them slightly open and each has their own food, water and litter box. Should they get along better over time? I feel sorry for the older cat because she seems stressed out and won’t leave her hiding spot, even though the kitten is being friendly.
Just like with anything else, the will take time. Giving them each their own space is a great start. A perch and a play tree might be a good idea to look into for both cats. The older cat may just need more time to adjust. Best of luck and congrats on your new cats!
What would cause a cat to never clean himself. He looks awful & is getting matted clumps of hair. He will not let me brush or comb him. His fur is dull & sheds all year, i know this isn’t normal. Can anyone help me figure this out please..?
Cats stop grooming for many reasons. Sometimes it is from stress and sometimes there is a medical reason such as arthritis or an underlying health issue or even a dental issue. I have run into this with my own cats, with my older girl it is simply because she is arthritic and she tends to spend more time laying than she did when she was younger which causes the matts. She tolerates me brushing them out and occasionally I do shave the areas that tend to matt the most. Once we returned home from vacation to find one of our cats a matted mess, he had been fine 10 days prior. Turns out it was stress related. Our house sitter reported that he spent the majority of the time hiding, he simply didn’t adjust well to the change in his routine. I would take my cat to see my vet not only to determine the cause but also to help in de-matting. If left the matts will continue to get larger and will eventually start to pull the skin causing wounds. Best of luck in getting your kitty comfortable again!
Thank you for answering Jennifer, everything you mentioned is absolutely worth checking into… The cat belongs to a friend who does take great care of her pets. This cat is maybe 6 or 7 yrs old, spoiled rotten & never really has been very active, he’s more like the big lazy guy who just wants to lounge around, eat & sleep. I read your answer to my friend & she has made an appointment with her vet. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Question for Krista
Hi…wondered if you could give me some advice? As you know I’ve had Blue with Anal Sac Carcinoma and his mum Rio with Thrombocytopenia. My gut feeling is to keep all chemicals away from them both. I’ve been using a Homeopathic Essential Oil Flea spray and putting Rose Geranium on their collars as fleas and ticks hate the smell.
Not seen a flea all Summer till yesterday when a big one crawled off Blue and onto my arm. YUK! It was pretty slow, I caught it easily. It obviously didn’t like the spray on Blue’s coat otherwise it would have burrowed in not crawled off. No blood in it so hadn’t bitten him. However one flea and there’s probably more fleas. I wondered if you think Frontline Spot on would be safe to use on them both? It just sits in the hair follicles and doesn’t go into the bloodstream like some of them do. Thanks Krista hope all is well with you xxx
RESPONSE FROM KRISTA VIA EMAIL..she suggested I put this on the site as it may well help others.
“Hello! I always recommend my patients will be ok with a flea and tick preventative. Even with concurrent health issues. If you don’t use one you will get fleas. I don’t know of a safer product that has worked better. I know many of the Holistic Vets try other things but I just haven’t seen them be effective.
Regards Krista
Sending lots of hugs from the left side of the Atlantic! Xoxo
Sending big hugs (and licks from the crazy Spaniels) back ?! Xx
A month ago we went out of town and left our dog in the care of friend but when we came back our dog seemed lethargic and in pain. We took him to the vet who stated that our dog had hip dysplasia and he could go back to normal activity, (just not sprinting) and here is arthritis medication, but when his pain got worse and walking became difficult, we got an appointment to see a surgeon to have a hip replacement. The surgeon stated we would have to get an appointment to get an MRI because he stated that there is a problem with our dog’s spine because of the ataxia and pain. This came as a shock because of what we were told previously but that now we have to some how get the dog to an MRI specialist in the next coming days and handed us a 30 day supply of dog opiate. His diagnosis was never given but taking into account what was said to us that it may be IVDD. Is there something we could do that may make him more comfortable. I have read that he should only be restricted to a crate and let out to bathroom on a leash. Our vets on the other hand say he would be fine for a walk? We are just wondering because we do not know when the MRI facility an hour and a half away will have an opening we can take our beloved companion to.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about all of the troubles with both your dog and the vets run around that has left you lacking a direction and a helpful immediate and long term treatment plan. The best advice I can give is to call the vet you trusted the most and felt the most confident with and ask them to help you navigate your way through this. You need to get a firm diagnosis and start with that treatment plan. And then see how your dog does. Yay would be my advice. To get better direction from the vet you think can help you best. Very best wishes. And please let us know what happens.
This is something I see asked often elsewhere online but don’t know the answer…what are the symptoms of a PARTIAL bowel obstruction in both dogs and cats?
Hello,
It depends on a huge number of things.. like species, breed, age, the type of obstruction and where it happens. For instance is this cancer, food, foreign body… and where it is,, i.e. Intestines, colon, stomach. Etc. sorry. I can try to help more with a better idea of what you’re thinking/worried about
Ah, apologies. Foreign body partial obstruction – for example, a corn cob that isn’t fully obstructing the bowel, but may not have fully passed.
I get asked about symptoms quite a bit (“I’m not sure if Fluffy pooped it all out” is the most common thing I hear) and I’d love some guidance to help folks understand their dog’s behaviors a bit better.
And for cats…DO they get foreign body partial obstructions often enough to have a checklist of symptoms?
I had my puppy in my arms today and he jumped out of my arms and landed on his head and seemed to have a seizure straight away it came out of it but is breathing very fast through its nose and they are not deep breaths and his stomach is moving when he breathes its really rapid. He also doesn’t seem to want to move and is having a hard time standing and walking
I agree!! Emergency.
This is an emergency. Take your puppy to the nearest pet ER NOW.
We have an ~ 4mos old puppy who testicles became inflamed and/or infected recently. He has had some diarrhea as well (was diagnosed with roundworm and treated), but otherwise has been acting fine. Blood work showed his was slightly anemic and his WBC was slightly high. Thyroid test was normal. UA was normal. Urine culture showed two different types of bacteria, but they decided it was contamination and didn’t treat one of them since it was only susceptible to an antibiotic that isn’t good for puppies. He was already on Doxy which would treat the second bacteria. Brucella screen was negative. He was neutered the other day and the testes were filled with blood. They were sent to the pathologist and a culture was also submitted (results pending). They also ran a distemper test as well as a different type of Brucella test (results also pending). Torsion was ruled out. Has anyone seen anything like this? Are there other tests we should ask about running to figure out what is causing this?
Hello,
I have not seen anything like this. I suppose neoplasia, trauma and toxin are also on the list. The pathologist can hopefully provide the answer. Let us know please. Best of luck to your puppy.
They did X-rays and ultrasound and it didn’t show any masses. Trauma is still being considered, but in a week’s time things got worse, not better which seems a little unusual for trauma. No one has mentioned toxins yet – I’ll ask about that. Thanks! I will let you know what the pathology report says (probably be a few more days still).
I believe my 4 month old kitten has acid reflux. She was born from my sisters cats first litter so she has a lot of birth defects already. For the past month every time she eats a bowl of Meow-Mix cat food she throws up stringy saliva. She also seems to be chocking while doing it. Her other birth defects are twisted in legs, broken tail, and she has a little lazy eye. Please comment if you need any further information.
Hello,
Can you try feeding her wet food? Even in small amounts with water added and see how she does? Perhaps she cannot eat dry food? Or she eats too much too fast? Also meow mix is not suitable for a kitten. Please try a better quality food that is age appropriate (kitten food).
my dog has been limping for 3 days now does not want to put weight on her left front paw and her left back paw gives out and she seems to be moving to one side and falls she is not herself and just wants to sleep.
I would advise you to get in to see your vet. The fact that she is limping so badly still and is lethargic has me quite concerned. Your vet will be able to give her a thorough exam and run blood tests for all sorts of possibilities, including Lyme. From there, you should be able to get a good diagnosis and start to heal your girl. Very best of luck!!
I would chat with your regular veterinarian. If it was an ER where your dog was treated their primary goal is to get your pet stable and back home. Your regular veterinarian can help establish a treatment plan and go over prognosis. My dog was 11 when diagnosed with kidney failure, initially she was given just days to live as she did not respond to fluid therapy. We had her for 10 months that I will be forever grateful for. She did need to stay on a food recommended by our vet and we also did go in for regular bloodwork to monitor her. Best wished to you and your pup!