Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
What can I do for my cat’s teeth? My cat has yellowed teeth and bad breath. His gumline is also red around some teeth. He’s eating and acting normally, but I’m very concerned about his teeth. It’s difficult to get a veterinary appointment where I live due to the pandemic so I’m only able to take him to the vet a month from now. Until I can take him to the vet, what can I do for a month to help his teeth?
My cat was diagnosed on Monday with an abscess most likely from dental problems. My cat was given an antibiotic shot at the appointment. The abscess has not gone down. How long does it typically take to go away?
Hello,
Some abscesses can be really difficult to resolve. Especially if in bone or deep in tissue. If I don’t see improvement on an antibiotic within a few days I change the antibiotic. If it still not responding it might be time for a culture or advanced diagnostics. Like X-ray or biopsy. Please keep in touch with your vet especially if you feel like things are not progressing as expected.
My eight year old rat terrier went in for a dental cleaning and a single tooth removal, but ended up having to have fourteen teeth pulled. My vet said they were baby teeth that never fell out and had died. She did comment that he had a very unusual mouth. I was wondering why no other vet had ever noticed he still had baby teeth for all these years. Is this common?
Hello,
I will say that every pre op dental exam I do I notify the pet parents of any residual baby teeth before undergoing anesthesia. I also check at every exam I do. I think it might be helpful to ask your vet to clarify and explain why you weren’t notified of this in advance.
Good luck.
Hello all!
My 7-month-old English labrador got spayed yesterday. She went into surgery at 7 am and we picked her up at 3 p.m. Of course, she was not herself due to the anesthesia. Once we got home, we fed her some lunch and then later some dinner, she was very hungry. Now, the following day, we have noticed she has yet to poop. She has peed minimally but has not pooped once. Is this normal for female dogs after undergoing surgery?
Hi there-
Sometimes the anesthesia can slow things down. I would give her a little time- hopefully she has by now. If she still hasn’t, I would call your vet and speak to them. Best of luck!!
Hello,
I am not usually worried about not defecating for a few days after surgery. She should however be acting normally and urinating normally. If worries call your vet and confirm. Better safe than sorry. Ty for spaying her!
My 11 year old indoor cat has started a snoring sound when breathing over the past year. A local vet said it was not in her lungs and that he saw something while looking in her nose. She is eating and drinking fine with no other problems. Steroids and antibiotics helped pretty well, but the symptoms returned afterward. We think it could be a nasopharyngeal polyp (all of the symptoms are there[the sneezing fits, the head shaking, the constant swallowing like she has something in her throat) but we just got quoted 5 grand for a CT and surgery at the specialist. No other local vet will do an exam under anesthesia to look. Someone please help. We feel like our days are numbered for our sweet Sadie girl. ????
Good morning- sorry you are going through this. Is your vet able to do this or are you referred to a specialist? I vaguely remember another Pawbly friend having the same issue a while back, and they found a vet that did an exam under general anesthesia for a much more affordable cost. Have you spoken to your local animal shelter to see if they know of a vet that can do this? They may be able to offer some advice on who else to reach out to in your area. I am sorry that I cannot offer more concrete advice.
We’ve asked several local vets, but they all say they don’t do that. They always refer to the specialist clinic and no joke they are quoting 5 grand. Mind blowing! We’ll keep asking around. We’ll start with the animal shelters as well.
Hello,
I agree with Sarah. Start calling rescues and shelters and ask if they’ve had a case like his and who they used for it. There are lots of vets who will look and remove a polyp if it is there but you have to be persistent. If you find someone please share it with us so we can pass it along. Also I would ask your vet to have the radiographs reviewed by a boarded radiologist. It might help. At my clinic this is about $70.
Dr. Magnifico! Thank you so much for responding! Your YouTube videos have provided us hope that we can potentially fix our cat’s problem at a reasonable cost. You’re the best. ????
Thank you. Please let us know what happens.
Dr. Magnifico, we are having difficulty finding any vet willing to do an exam under anesthesia to diagnose/ perform a potential polypectomy. Do you know of anyone in the southeast that will do this? We’ve made so many calls. We’re seriously considering driving across the country to see you. Please let us know. Thanks!
I found a brownish string like object sticking out of my cat’s anus. There was also a little bit of blood near his anus. Is this a symptom that he has worms? He has been given a tablet of allwormer. He also has fleas but they are not evident anymore as he has also received medication for fleas. He does not have bloody stool or vomits or sneezing. Please help ! ????
Hello,
I always diagnose worms by sending a fecal sample submitted to the lab. I do not guess and I do not presume. The dewormers can be especially harsh on animals so I only use them if I know the worms they treat for are present.
How about the brownish string like object sticking out of my cat’s anus ? Is that a shedding of a worm or you cannot tell? I will submit a fecal sample but I wanted to know if he is in danger because of the brownish string like object. Thank you !
I don’t know what it is? You can ask your vet to look at it
4 year old lab, who LOVES to eat, refused breakfast, had yellow vomit in his bedding and is acting a little subdued. His bowel sounds are so loud. I can’t think of anything he ate that he shouldn’t have. Do dogs sometimes just get a stomach bug? His bm was normal this morning
Yellow vomit is bile, and is something we see in Dobermans when they have an empty stomach for too long. When was his last meal? What happens if you give something small, like a little plain yogurt?
Agree with Laura-
I would definitely watch him closely. If hole gets any worse, probably call the vet. Meantime, if he is getting an appetite, I would keep it bland. Boiled rice and chicken…. hopefully he is fine????????
My 3 y/o lab has chronically had bad breath since he was about 1 y/o, no matter what food he is on (currently Purino Pro Plan Lamb & Rice). When he licks you, his saliva residue smells really bad, and can actually feel stinging, leading me to worry about the possibility of acid reflux for him that we’ve missed all along. Is there anything we can try with him either OTC or natural supplements for him to address this? Or does this warrant a trip to the vet to address?
If it’s gone on for 2 years and you haven’t gotten it addressed in that time, it’s most likely something that REALLY needs a vet’s involvement. Could be medical, could be dental, but you should call the vet about it.
hello! My cat has been going to the vet constantly, for coughing, gaging, gulping, and loud breathing? noises. The vet examined him under anesthesia and said his throat was just red and irritated and sent him home with some antibiotics and prednisolone. He took it for a while but there were no changes. He mostly does the whole coughing gaging thing when he is exited. His vet can’t seem to figure out what is wrong with him, so i’ve been researching different sicknesses and seeing which ones matched his symptoms. I came across collapsed trachea. This is the only one i’ve seen that matched his symptoms and says it gets worse with excitement. What can be done to diagnose him with a collapsed trachea? I’ve seen that a fluoroscopy would be a good option but the animal hospitals around me don’t have the machinery to do that. There is a high tech specialist vet office about 2 hours from me, but it’s by referral only. Would i still be able to get a proper and correct diagnosis by getting a normal x-ray? is there any other options that could tell he has a collapsed trachea? he’s had chest x-rays before and nothing seemed abnormal, so that rules out some other sicknesses.
Sorry that there has not been a response yet. Have you spoken to your vet about your thoughts?
My 4 year old lab has chronic ear infections. We have a great system in place (regular ear cleanings, steroid drops during an infection, and anti inflammatory when it’s really bothersome to him) to try to stay ahead of them, and treat them from home when he has a flare up. Recently during a flare up (about 2 weeks ago) he developed a lump on the inside of his ear that I thought was a scab from scratching, but now I’m worried it could be some kind of skin cancer. Or is it just scar tissue and since it’s on the ear is a little more raised? Should I take him in to be seen for this or monitor it a little longer to see if it heals and goes away? It doesn’t seem to cause him any pain, he’s more concerned about his itchy ears.
Hi there. Unfortunately it’s impossible to diagnose a lump or bump on the internet – the vet needs to actually touch it, feel it, etc. I wouldn’t freak out TOO much unless it starts to grow. In your situation I’d probably draw a circle around it (yes, on the ear itself) to monitor it, and I’d let the vet know what’s going on.
I’m glad you have an appointment scheduled. It does sound like he needs to be seen by a vet and have his teeth looked at and cleaned. Perhaps your vet can push up your appointment?
Wait for your vet. Keep calling and ask them to keep you in mind if they have a cancellation