I have 13 year old 38 lb. poodle x german shepherd mix. He has some arthritis and/or hip dysplasia and muscle loss in his left hind leg. He’s on carprofen. He occasionally loses traction and often drags his left toes mid stride. He still wants to be active, does not need help getting up or walking. I’m considering a hip brace for him and wonder if you have heard or had good experiences with them.

Finnegan is a 3.5 yr old male cat with serious nasal polyp symptoms – sneezing, noisy/labored breathing (snoring, stridor), persistent nasal discharge and one runny eye. He did two rounds of clavamox and one round of Doxycycline and nothing worked. I took him to two in person vets (including an emergency vet) in the NYC area and his blood work and urinalysis came back unremarkable. From the research I’ve done I’m sure it’s a polyp or something of the sort. The internal medicine places in my area are quoting me 5-10k just for a biopsy and they don’t have openings until mid January. Please help! I am able to travel with him in a car up to 6-8hours and will go where I can get him help. He is constantly snoring and I have to flush him out throughout the day. He is still eating but has lost a bit of weight due to this going on so long and progressively worsening. Last year he had FIP and he made a full recovery from the 87+ days of shots. Thankfully that has not returned according to his lab work but makes sense that he is more susceptible to other illnesses due to a weak immune system.

Luna is an 18 year old female American shorthair. She has had nasal polyp(s) for many years. Historically this resulted in frequent sneezing with mucoid discharge and ear tenderness. Over the past month she has developed vestibular symptoms which have acutely worsened in the last week. She now has head tilt, and frank ataxia, falling over at light touch. She does not show Horner’s Syndrome. The sneezing has actually stopped since the balance issues began. A few years ago a vet offered traction/avulsion, but at the time her quality of life was good and we did not want to put her through a procedure.

Is traction/avulsion still possible in an otherwise healthy 18 year old cat who now has vestibular symptoms?

Many Thanks,
Luna’s Mom

Good morning, Dr. Magnífico,

We adopted Luka approximately two months ago. He is a happy boy and has been a great addition to our family.

He is constantly biting his tail and has this fishy odor as well. We had his anal glands expressed by our local vet and he was given a course of antibiotics. At first we saw improvement but unfortunately the tail biting and foul odor returned.

I was wondering if your clinic could perform an anal gland flush if you determine based on your evaluation that the glands are:
Impacted

Infected (sacculitis)

Filled with thick, dry material

Not responding to normal expression

I have read it helps remove debris, pus, or hardened material and often includes:

Internal expression

Sterile saline or antiseptic flush

Possible antibiotic infusion

Follow-up meds if infection is present.

We live in NOVA but my office is in MD. I’m able to travel to Jarrettsville for a consult.

I appreciate everything you do for the community!

Thank you,

Frank