Dr Krista – I am a YouTube watcher with a 22yo cat that may have nasal or ear polyps. We have spent 8 weeks trying every antibiotic, nasal steroid drop, antibac nasal drop and still fighting the snorking sound and her inability to breathe. Did nasal swab wk of 4/20 – found 2 bacteria, getting compounded anti bacs at this point since both bacs are super resistant apparently – Citrobacter freundii and pseudeomonas species. Antibacs will arrive to me in California by Thur 4/30 . She has a grade 3 heart murmur and hyper thyroid (on 5mg Methimazole daily). Just as your YouTube vid about Stripes with polyps (2/23/2018), I think I may be in the same situation – I have a vet telling me to go to a specialist for $$$ because everything we are throwing at this isn’t working. How in the world do I find someone like you who is willing to help me for a reasonable cost? I am calling all over for vets and everyone is ‘specialist focused’. Do you have tips on what to ask, experience, and honestly, I need someone with your confidence to do this. Or I need you 🙂 I have been in cat rescue over 30 yrs and ‘get; the lingo but have never had such difficulty finding a vet who could assist. Thank you in advance!

Hi there. My dog Ruby had sudden onset Mast Cell Tumors present about 3 weeks ago. She’s an energetic 4 year old pit/great dane mix (I know because I spent a billion dollars on a DNA kit). I noticed about 7 subcutaneous lumps on her left side while she was outside playing. They felt like little oblong marbles under her skin. Our vet is an hour away. We had moved a few months back and kept our vet because we love him so much. We still see him for routine care. There is a vet very close to our home and I have read good reviews and have had email conversation previously when I was deciding whether or not to switch vets. I was concerned Ruby would have cancer, I just felt it, and didn’t want her to have to make several long trips to our vet if she were to require surgery, etc. So I decided to take her to the new close to home vet. As it is Covid-19 season, I did not get to go inside the vet’s office with her. They aspirated one of the lumps and were concerned. She was scheduled for surgery in the following week. I talked to my other vet about this, and he was not pleased to hear they aspirated her, because he was worried that the histamines from the tumor would cause it to spread. I was alarmed and researched Dr. Google for 2 days. It seemed to me after my research that the aspiration was standard course of care. Ruby had her surgery and had 2 large masses removed. They could not take all of them because there would have been too many incision sites. Directions for care included keeping her inactive for 10-14 days, not an easy dear with an anxious 65 lb lap dog. On day 7 of recovery, I noticed a fluid buildup around the incision site. Back to Dr. Google, I decided she had a seroma. I called the vet the next morning and we took her over and my suspicion was confirmed. They told us to call if it got worse. We still haven’t received the pathology back on the two masses that were removed. This morning I decided I needed to do more research, as two new masses have cropped up (the tumors, not seroma). Ruby is in good spirits and just wants to play and run with our other dogs. She’s mad at me, I’m sure of it, for making her lay around all day. Is it normal to have a seroma after surgery? Why do these tumors pop up all of a sudden?

So, we rescued a dog about a month ago, and since then me and him have had a really strong bond until recently. Nearly 2 weeks ago we found a baby kitten abandon and we took him home, so I’ve been busy taking care of him aswell. My dog seems to be more distant towards me and hanging out with other household members instead. I think he may be upset, will this go on forever or will he get over it? I miss my big boy by my side all the time

This isn’t anything major, I’m just wondering why, when I’m busy or on my phone, my dog just stares at me with the saddest eyes the whole time? We rescued him a little over a month ago, he had been shot in the head with a BB gun and we nursed him back to health. He’s the only one he does this to

Good Morning Pawbly friends-
I have a corn cob question… Thursday (a week ago) Rontu threw up a bunch of grass and a white blob. We could not figure out what the heck it was, or where he got it from. He was fine- running, playing, pooping. I always check their poo schedule and make sure it looks normal- sorry I’m weird. Anyway, Friday evening on our walk he pooped and I swear it had a chunk (pretty sizeable) of corn cob in it. We do not eat corn, so I have no idea when or how he got into corn. Especially this time of year when none of the fields around us are growing yet. Then again on Saturday morning on our long walk around 11, he passed another, much smaller chunk of cob. He had already done a normal poo at our early morning walk. He has been acting normal ever since. My original “plan” with all of this covid going on was to watch him closely and see if he passed it, which he seems to have. He is having normal bathroom and has been eating and drinking normally- so I thought we dodged that bullet. But every so often, he is slow to get up- and his back legs quiver. After he has a poo, it stops and he is running and playing and having a ball. It happened this morning and Monday morning. So my question is, does this warrant a trip to the vet? I hate to bother everyone during this hard time. And could it be related to the corn cob somehow? Sorry for the long post.

Hello! I have been a follower for a couple of years and you helped me to not give up hope when my 15 year old dachshund suffered from cervical IVDD in October….he was completely paralyzed for 1 month and is mostly back to his rambunctious self. Thank you!!
I do have a question. I am currently fostering an old lady chihuahua who has red eyes. I was wondering if you had come across it or have any resources I could use? She does not have conjunctivitis. She sees well, but does appear to startle if we move too quickly. It appears that the cornea and iris are red…like that of a hamster or rat. There is not really any pupil distinction, however, it does not seem as though she suffers from light sensitivity. Thank you for any information that you can provide.

My elderly cat, age 17, recently took a downward spiral with her health. It started with her not eating, then the next day she started becoming more unbalanced, along with sleeping more, and still, eating very little (she also did seem to use the bathroom a tiny bit more than usual, but it wasn’t anything like when my male cat had a urinary tract block, she peed a little each time, but she could be dehydrated) , and today it’s only gotten worse, along with her barely using the litter box, she peed today but no sign of pooing. She ate all of maybe once today, with a few treats here and there. She also has been wandering aimlessly to stare into the bathroom (a place I used to give her water) and to stare at her litter box.
She seems really interested in drinking when she’s up, but doesn’t actually seem to be doing it much. (I’ve debated syringe feeding her some water, but I worry it might hurt her)

She is a cat with a history of feline kidney disease, diagnosed stage 2 by the vet that I’d seen a year ago. Although I have been managing it with daily feedings of wet food and water.

I took her to see the vet today, but all he really did was palpate her kidneys and then tell me he felt something there. I was unable to afford the suggested blood work and x-rays, but the vet was saying things like “everything is hospice care at this point, she’s so old, there not much worth putting the money into her at her age.” Wich was a bit callous sounding. But maybe it’s because she’s my baby.
So they suggested I consider euthanasia right then and there. I couldn’t go through with it right that moment and just took her home to decide.
She has eaten a little, and drank a little since. I’ve been putting her in her bed near me as she’s super tired.

Would putting her down be the right decision? Is there something else I can do???? She’s my only family, and pretty much my child. I can’t just give up on her. Please help.

A year and a half ago we rescued a 4 week old kitten who presented unresponsive with a body temp so low it did not register. She was revived. As the caretaker was going to put her back out that evening I stepped in and offered to take her with the plan to rehome her. I have rehomed dozens of kittens over the years, all who came from feral colonies. From the get go Annabelle was incredibly sick and had behaviors that weren’t what we were used to. When held she would attack faces, when stimulated she would attack, we continued to work with her and a year and a half later she lays with us at night and as long as we don’t touch her does not attack people. Instead she attacks items. This occurs whenever there is any stimulation in our home, folding laundry, cleaning out a closet, dogs playing, children laughing, the list goes on and on. She has destroyed a sofa, armchair, curtains, tablecloths, comforters, sheets, duvet covers, etc, etc. We can not trim her nails….because we can’t handle her and truly even with her nails trimmed I am sure she would rip things apart with her teeth. We are no stranger to ferals, I am happy to allow them to hide until they feel comfortable, there is no hiding with Annabelle instead she literally runs into the chaos. When we let our dogs out and at feeding time out she runs into the chaos, when I vacuum she runs around the room, when we have company she runs around as I warn our guests not to touch her. We are no stranger to keeping cats happy, we have cat towers, scratching posts, scratching boards, elevated areas, areas to hide. Our other 4 cats are incredibly happy members of our family. I am at my whits end, I honestly feel like we attempted to tame a raccoon and are living with it in our house. I do wonder if Annabelle would be happier outside, but with no sense of danger and a habit of running into the chaos I can’t help but worry she would get killed….and I didn’t save her to have that happen.
I am open to suggestions and curious if anyone has ever had a similar experience.

Hi Dr. magnifico! Curious on your thoughts on gabapentin for pain? I’ve read mixed reviews. My pup has a painful back leg. Originally she saw a vet at our practice who thought is was due to Lyme because she had tested strong positive and did not feel a drawer sign when checked. We did antibiotic treatment and the lameness got better for the most part. She would have some days where you could see it was bothering her. Then a few months later she was back to not bearing weight on it. Saw a different vet this time at our practice and this vet said he felt the drawer sign and said he felt it was injured CCL and reccomened a surgeon. Surgeon said would need to have x-rays to confirm which I haven’t had the money for. So we did pain meds (gabapentin and tramodyl) and rest for about a month and lameness went away again. She’s been good for about a year up until the past month or two and the vet gave gaba again. When she’s on it, she looks sleepy and scared. I’ve never had an issue giving pills with her in cheese on lunch meat or something but now she tries to spit it out. It’s like she knows what it’s going to do to her. I’ve read mixed reviews. I’ve also read it’s more for nerve pain? So I’m not sure if it’s actually relieving her pain or not. I’ve also read the reciptors that tramodyl targets, dogs don’t have? Curious on your opinion on all of this. I would like to see if she’s still a candidate for surgery even though it’s been some time but I need to come up with the funds for that so I’m trying to help her in the mean time. I give her vitamin supplements for her joints. I don’t want her on pain meds all the time but want something that gives her some relief on those bad days without making her feel drugged up.

Hi,

Last April, my 16-year-old long haired cat, Geisha, began experiencing frequent sneezing and congestion. Her symptoms worsened gradually. Her nasal breathing sounded wheezy and her purring sounded like duck quacking. We took her to the vet who treated her with antibiotics (Amoxicillin) and anti-histamine (Chlorpheniramine). When her symptoms did not improve, the vet then gave her a different antibiotic (Convenia) and a steroid (Dexamethasone). When her symptoms still did not improve, we took her to a specialist. The specialist ruled out rhinitis because Geisha’s bloody nasal discharge only occurred from her right nostril and concluded that Geisha possibly had a polyp or nasal tumor. They recommended performing a CT scan, rhinoscopy, and biopsy. They prescribed Geisha a steroid (Prednisolone) while we thought over their recommendations. Within a day, Geisha’s symptoms began to dissipate and after a couple of days, all her symptoms disappeared and she was fully recovered.

Unfortunately, in January of this year, Geisha had another relapse of the same symptoms. We brought her to the vet on 1/9/2020, who after hearing her previous history, prescribed both Clavamox and Prednisolone. They also administered a blood test, the result of which we were told was unremarkable.

Geisha’s recovery last year came after she was put on 1 tablet of 5mg Prednisolone per day. Unfortunately, the same medication regimen this time did not improve her condition. After weeks on medication with no signs of improvement, on 3/6/2020, we brought Geisha to a specialist referred by the vet. There she was given another blood test, the results of which was once again deemed unremarkable. During the same visit, we were told that only a CT scan along with a biopsy would conclusively identify the root cause of her symptoms. We agreed to the CT scan on this basis alone.

After spending close to $2,500 on the scan, we were told that the CT scan did indicate a mass but that the nature and identity of the mass could not be determined. The specialist informed us that the biopsy results did not indicate that the mass was cancerous. However, he stated that it is his opinion that the mass was cancerous, without any supporting evidence and despite the contradictory biopsy results. It is his opinion that the biopsy results are incorrect due to poor sampling. His conclusion is that we should consider pursuing radiation treatment since that would be the only resolution. So, basically, after a $2,500 expense, the vet is just as clueless about the nature of Geisha’s issue as he was before.

Geisha was returned to us after the CT scan with Prednisolone medication. We were instructed to increase her dosage to 1.5 5mg Prednisolone per day. With this increased dosage, Geisha’s condition has improved. In the month that has passed, while her condition has improved, she is still mildly symptomatic and not fully recovered and thus is still on the same medication regimen.

Naturally, my wife and I are very disappointed that we still have an inconclusive diagnosis despite having been assured that the costly procedures would be justified by the precise root cause that they would deliver. We also don’t understand why we spent money for procedures such as the biopsy only for the vet to completely disregard the results and formulate his opinion purely on conjecture. This all seems to fly in the face of the scientific method that all science is based on.

I would love to get your opinion on what you think is the issue with Geisha and what you believe the best course of action for her is based on her past year of symptoms and treatment history and also taking her age into account.

Thank you so much for your time.