My little dog Angel (14 yo shin tzu/ Lhasa Apso mix) went to the vet on November 28 due to stumbling , possible blood in stool, and weight loss. The vet said she had no blood in her stool and was diagnosed with intestinal parasites. She was prescribed metronidazole, Regan, and Pepcid. Prior to her starting the medication she was walking but slipping on her hind legs. Also prior to the medication she was eating and drinking water. As the days went by she started dragging her hind legs. I did research and found your videos on the beagel with IVDD. So yesterday December 3rd we took her to a second vet and explained everything that was going on with Angel as well as showing the vet the medications Angel was taking. According to the vet from yesterday the dose was too large for her 7.4 lb frame that she could have developed some neurotoxicity. However the vet said since she was having some difficulty walking prior to the medication then it was more likely IVDD. We were told she was too far along and would require surgery. I ask about oral medications to treat her IVDD and then we were told she was in renal failure. So due to her renal insufficiency and possible upper GI bleed they are unable to give prednisone to help with the inflammation. Angel’s lab work showed an elevated BUN/Creat and she is acidotic. I ask about IV fluids to resolve the renal insufficiency and the vet said we could do IV fluids for 24-48 hours which may only give her a 50/50 chance of renal improvement. The vet then went on to say even if we corrected her renal function she would still have the issue of IVDD and with her dark stools Angel would still not be able to take the prednisone. The final option the vet suggested was euthanasia.

She said we could take Angel home with gabapentin, sucralfate, mirtazapine, and cerenia. Just spend time with her and love on her with an life expectancy of about 2 days.

At this point I’m at a loss because it seemed everything snowballed very quickly.

Today December 4 my adult kids are coming to see her and my husband said we need to take her in for euthanasia on Tuesday December 5th. I feel like I’m giving up on her. The vet said her prognosis is poor and even with surgery she may never have a good quality of life.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

My cat developed a hematoma so we took her to the vet and they charged us $400 to drain it without anesthesia. After about 2 weeks it filled back up again so we took her to a different vet and they want us to spend $1,000 to have it surgically drained but with no guarantee that it won’t come back. Will it heal on its own or is it worth it to spend the $1,000 with the chance that it might come back?

Hello! I have a 2.5 year old indoor cat. At his last check-up the vet showed me that he has red gums and suggested a mouthwash-type liquid (DentiCan) that I apply every day with my fingers (it’s really a spray but I’ve found that dipping my fingers in the liquid and running them over his gums is the only way to apply the product.) I haven’t really noticed any improvement. Is there anything else I can do prevention wise? What might be causing this issue in the first place? None of our other cats have gum issues and they all eat a high quality Hills diet. Thanks for your input!