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Hi! I have a question about my cat who will be 4 at the end of this month. Sometimes when he stretches, I notice that his rear end (particularly his anus) looks like it is protruding. I thought he had a hemorrhoid but then he stood up and walked like normal and it went “away”. I have another cat and I never noticed this on him. It’s not red, it just looks puffy sometimes. He is eating, drinking and playing like normal. I just want to make sure he is okay and he is not in pain or anything or if this warrants a vet visit. I tend to worry about my boys a lot because I love them so much but I don’t want to be “missing” something. Thank you so much!
My ex-feral cat has been diagnosed with a tape worm that the vet had us treat with a round of Cestex (25mg – 1 1/2x’s day for 2 days) this knocked the fecal test from a 4+ to a 2+ and they recommended the same meds again, knocked it from a 2+ to a 1+. Now they say do it again or come in and the cat can get a shot. The cat has had check up’s every year since coming inside, and tape worm was noted once before and meds given at the vet. Now they think she has had it for as long as she has been inside. Told it is a type of worm not normally seen in SE USA, more Pacific NW and could be caught from eating dead fish in a pond or frogs. When she was feral and coming to the door at night she would bring us frogs so this makes sense. Question is, is this type of worm bad for the cat long term? And does it pose any health risks for us? She really gets upset when being given the pills and does not travel well to the vet for shots. Any thoughts are appreciated, wish I could remember the name of the worm the tech told us on the phone.
Hello,
First if this is a tapeworm I consider them more gross than dangerous. So there’s that. Second they are caused by ingesting a flea so we start with treating fleas and tapes. And third (and best of all) all of this can be treated in one easy monthly application of revolution plus monthly. Easy-peezy!
Xox
Krista.
I should add one more thing. If your fecal is being sent to a lab they can help to diagnose it, assist with treating and help with any kind of zoonotic issues. I call them for help a lot. Hope this all helps. And in general very few cat parasites are dangerous to people. But you need to get the exact name of the worm to confirm this.
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
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.
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 14 year old female cat had surgery yesterday to remove a tumor on her right side. She has been doing very well until about 1 hour ago. Something about the surgical site is bothering her. It may be itchy or something, but she tries not to bite at the bandages at first. She will growl & run around, but will bite at the surgical area. Is there anything I can do to help her?
I asked my question already. Is there anything I can do to help her?
Hello,
Sounds like pain or discomfort? I would call the surgeon in the morning and ask them to help. Cats are terrible with bandages. I usually only use them if the cat is stating in the hospital to be monitored. Please call the vet ASAP. .
3year old yorkie is crying when he poops. Stool is soft and rectum is not swollen. He doesn’t want to go , peeing fine.
Hello,
Your pup needs a vet ASAP! I would do a very thorough exam looking for back pain, do a recital exam to feel for strictures or masses and even an X-ray to look at the spine. My point is that this can be many things so it’s super important to see a vet tomorrow to start ruling out possible cause to the pain and difficulty. This isn’t a diagnosis that can happen any other way then an exam with a vet.
He has been seen by our local vet and she did a rectal exam and found nothing. He is healthy but having this issue. Going to have to do an exray now since it is still happening.
Thank you for your response.
Yikes!! Autocorrect. Rectal. Not recital. ????
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
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.
Hello,
The colon is the very last part of the gi tract. It is held inside the abdomen by two sphincter muscles. When you stretch these circular muscles can relax and the colon can protrude a little outside of the anus. This would be my best guess at what is going on. But to be sure you can take a video of it to your bet and have them do a rectal exam to make sure it isn’t anything else. Some cats can get a rectal prolapse and this should be ruled out before dismissing this as “normal”. I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.