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I have the sweetest Siamese mix, Goldie, adopted from our local humane society. Unfortunately, she has been a sick kitty and she’s had 4 URIs in her two years of life. She did take the full course of antibiotics for all of them and healed successfully.
Recently, she’s been making low snoring noises periodically when awake and sleeping and it seems to be only when inhaling. She’s a talkative girl and sometimes her voice changes when meowing. She has no other symptoms and is eating, drinking and playing normally and there has been no mouth breathing while making the noises. Her breathing rate has been normal. Sometimes it seems like she is making the noises and then stretches out real long in the first picture to get comfortable.
Below is a link to her video around 24 seconds you can hear it, you might have to put it at full volume:
If this is difficult to hear it sounds very similar to this:
I have a vet appointment next week and am concerned she has stertor from an oropharyngeal polyp from my online research and her symptoms. Is this something that a vet would be able to see without putting them under sedation? Are there any other suggestions you have as to what I could have them test for if it’s not a polyp? I wasn’t sure if she could have asthma or another breathing related issue.
Finally, do you by chance have any recommendations for vets in Phoenix, Arizona? I am just getting myself prepared if needed for a second opinion or if surgery is necessary.
Appreciate it and all your tips and videos online! You are doing incredible work!
Hi,
I only noticed this bump under Beasley’s nose few weeks ago. It is steadily growing. Doctor thinks it is a skin granuloma, gave him antibiotics and steroids for the past week. Hasn’t helped I went back and looked at pictures, looks like it started mid August, after a trip to the beach. I can’t keep him from licking the spot, anything we put on it, he licks more to get it of.
Hello,
The best way to diagnose and lump or bump is with surgical excision and biopsy. Until that is done it is just a guess and many lesions can look very similar. I would hope it’s a histocytoma but I would talk to your vet about treatment options including surgical excision or referral to a veterinary dermatologist. Let us know what happens. And good luck!
I recently adopted my cat, Critter, as he was on my grandma’s farm and had a paw infection. We brought him inside and started him on antibiotics. Unfortunately, the infection did not respond as hoped and he had to have his leg amputated.
After this, he was back to a perky young cat – playing and eating well. A week after surgery I noticed a bump just below the incision. I asked my vet if I should be concerned, and she said not unless it’s hot and that it’s probably a seroma. This made sense to me as he was more active than he probably should have been post surgery.
The next day, that bump burst and started leaking fluid. It was pink and not super cloudy, not smelly or hot. I kept and eye on it all day, and found that it never stopped leaking, so today I took him to the vet. There appears to be a small hole and it’s infected. It’s not at the site of the incision and the incision looks perfect.
He’s on a higher dose of antibiotics now, and some more pain meds as it is tender. He had the wound flushed this morning, and goes again in two days for another flushing.
I guess my question is – is it possible this is the same infection as before? The vets who performed the amputation said they were positive they got any infection (even taking the lymph node), I’m hoping that this is secondary and that maybe the bump was caught on something, or he scratched it open?
ETA: 1st photo is Saturday night, 2nd photo is Sunday afternoon, 3rd photo is today after flushing and rest.
Hello,
Well this is a lot of info to go through. First it is always hard for an outside person to assess a situation and the response to that situation. That being said I have never amputated due to infection. Cancer yes. Infection no. Damage to a limb yes. So perhaps that was the issue? If the limb wasn’t functional and it was infected then amputation was prob the best way to go. After that I would talk about culturing the infection to make sure the correct antibiotic is being used. Talk to your vet about this. See what they say. It’s not cheap but it helps to direct the treatment plan.
Thank you for the insight!
They did take a swab of the infection today so hopefully this provides us with some direction.
The limb wasn’t broken, but the initial x-ray did show that there was an abnormality with the wrist. They weren’t sure what caused it, but they indicated it would probably not heal property on its own. He stopped walking on it on September 21st, and had it amputated October 18th.
????Good morning. Hoping someone has a little more insight. This morning we woke up to Rontu being his normal self. I fed him, while sitting with him per training recommendation and he was actually fine with that so we felt really positive. But now he has started grumbling/growling literally about everything. He wants attention but growls when you get in his space. He comes up to you but his ears are back and he is grumbling- almost submissive and nervous. It seems so odd to us. This behavior has just started. Now we are a multi-pet household and I have noticed that the cat has started sleeping on Rontus bed while he is watching and he is afraid to move her. (Cats are higher in the pack order in our house) This visibly upsets him, because the beds are their space. So I have taken to moving her so that he can lay on his bed. But it is not just his bed where he is doing this nervous grumbling… since this started this morning, I have just been mildly correcting him when he starts and withdrawing affection. When he stops I give affection or a treat. Any other advice would be appreciated.
At this point, you may want to get a behaviorist involved. He’s been checked out for medical stuff recently, yes?
Hello. I have a 15 year old Dachshund, Brody, who is currently suffering from a cervical IVDD injury. This is Brody’s third IVDD injury in his short life, however, it is the most severe. We are not sure what happened this time since Brody was injured when we got home from work. Today is day 7 since Brody went down. While Brody is able to right himself from the lateral position, he does spend most of his time on his side. Brody is able to lift his head and look around, he can scoot himself from one position to another, he has a fantastic appetite, he has feeling in his hind quarters and only deep pain in his front two. My poor boy is not able to consistently empty his bladder and has required cathing; as of today, with the help of lactulose, Brody has been able to empty his bowels, incontinent.
Brody is not a candidate for surgery due to his age and other health conditions, so we are managing him conservatively. Brody has been seen by his regular vet where he was started on prednisone, robaxin, & gabapentin; he also takes CBD and I just started him on tumeric paste. Brody has seen a holistic vet where he had acupuncture done with electro stimulation.
My question is, how long do I give him before we decide that enough is enough? Brody is not in extreme pain, but he does have occasional neck/shoulder spasms that make him scream. I just am afraid of putting him through more than what I should just because I am not ready to let him go. Brody has been my guy for 15 years and I cannot imagine life without him, but I don’t want him to suffer. I have watched Dr. Magnifico’s YouTube videos about giving IVDD dogs time, but what is a realistic timeframe?
Good morning. I am so sorry you are going through this. I am a firm believer of “you know” as in, when it is time you will just know it. I think it differs for each individual pet and person. I feel that if your guy is still in general good spirits all things considered, and has an appetite- then it probably isn’t time yet. If he is still trying then there is a chance that things could improve. When the time comes where you feel you have to make a judgement call, he will help you. Best wishes for you all.
Hello,
I have to say that based on my experience and my personal views I don’t know if there is an answer anymore. I used to say to wait 3 weeks before making a decision and now I am realizing that many pets can live happy lives as pets that aren’t quite perfect. It sounds like a few things might be helpful. Ask about Your dogs ideal body condition score and then work very hard to help your pup become a lean muscular athlete. I see this disease a lot in dachshunds, of course, but oversight dachs are especially troubling and to often reinjure and recur with issues. I also think it is time to learn how to palpate and empty the bladder. Over time this gets easier and it’s far better than repeat catheterization. I also think more physical therapy like propping him up so he’s sternal and keeping him in a crate at all times he is not with you. These are just a few of my thoughts. I have a ton of info on my blog and YouTube channel. I hope this helps. Very best of luck.
Dr. Magnifico,
I want to thank you so very much for your guidance in your response and through your blog and YouTube channel. Because of you, we continued to work with Brody during this IVDD injury and residual effects of this injury. Thank you for giving us hope.
We helped my sweet Brody cross the Rainbow Bridge this past weekend due to kidney failure and other health issues…he was ready. I am so grateful to you for taking the time to provide education through your platforms. I will be forever grateful to you for the extra time that you gave me with my precious little man.
Thank you!!
Hi Ana,
How is Brody doing now? I have a 15 year old
Chihuahua who just recently got diagnosed with ivdd and it’s only day 4 but I feel so bad for him. He’s
Constantly crying or whimpering when he the meds
start to wear off. I’m in the same boat as you . I don’t know when enough is enough. I’m constantly crying from seeing him in so much pain and discomfort.
For those of you Pawbly friends that have been following my progress and at times lack thereof, with the dogs….. this is where we are at today. Riva is out of her cone and Rontu has not displayed any possessive tendencies. I’m rolling with it having a watchful eye on their interactions. They’re in a good place today, so I’m using it as a training opportunity. And training activities you care to share are welcome.????????????
Hello!
I’m so glad to hear things are going well today. My personal concern is that the issue lies with having two strong personalities in the mix of a close household. Triggers can change and spur on a moment so our advice is to always keep them under close supervision try to avoid feeding together and toys that might instigate frustration or possession and keep them exercised and engaged in their world so they don’t turn on each other. As far as training goes I would look for the clues that a trigger is about to happen. Any changes in posture position, ears, tail, intense eyes. Ideally we look for the clues of a trigger and work around the reaction that might elicit. Reward the good. Train out the bad. Hope this helps. Xoxo
My cat, Nala, has kidney disease and her levels are going up. She is currently getting fluids 3x a week. She’s not eating much and has tried two appetite stimulants and was allergic to both. I have a new medicine to try this week but was wondering if there are more natural ways to stimulate her appetite? Also, does anyone have experience with kidney support gold? It’s a supplement from pet wellbeing.
Creatinine-5.7
BUN-81
IDEXX SDMA-31
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
How is Nala doing? Did the new medicine help and if yes what was it? My cat Gino has kidney disease, too. He is a picky eater. He may eat soemthign now, but not the next time. Since April this year I offer him dry food, too (he didn’t eat anything back then, so I was happy he was eating that). He is back to wet food now, but on bad days still prefers dry food.
When he absolutely doesn’t like to eat, medication against nausea sometimes helpes him. When he was so sick in April he would only eat cooked chicken breast and only small amounts. I had to feed him with a syringe and he hated that. But he pulled through. By now he also gets something to keep his stomach acid down, that helps, too.
Otherwise I can’t give him much supplements. I tried various things, but when I do something in his food he won’t eat it. So I can’t help much with my experience here.
She’s doing OK, numbers all went up ???? but she’s acting fine and eating here and there. At this point she’s just eating treats and people food (Turkey, chicken, ham, lunchmeat). The new appetite stimulant (oxazepam) didn’t do anything for her. I started her on the kidney support gold, hoping that helps. How did you know Gino needed the stomach acid medicine? Thanks for the reply!
Good morning Pawbly friends-
Having a sudden – very sudden- change in behavior in one of our GSDs. We are trying to think back to figure if there has been any change in routine that might cause this. It is strange- Rontu will start to give a high grumble or start to “talk” now when you approach him, or his bed or his bone or his food. This morning just now, he did that with Butch (one of our others) when he came to me to get a head scratch. We promptly put Rontu in a sit and then told him “bed” which he went to a did lie down. We are going back to square one training and positive reinforcement. My thinking is that this not nipped in the bud right away will lead to full blown food aggression and possession issues, which we do not want. Any other advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!
Yep, that’s the start of resource guarding. Is he the newest member of your pack?
Hi Laura-
I was hoping you would respond. Thank you!! He is the newest member, but he’s not that new. That’s what makes it strange. We’ve had him over a year now. I will admit that it has been a difficult year of adjustment at times. We have 3- all rescues. Our oldest is almost 14 and he has different needs obviously. He is an alpha- was the alpha of our old pack. He is all that’s left of that pack. When we rescued Riva, she fell into line perfectly with him. She’s you g- about 3 I think. That is part of the reason we rescued Rontu- she wanted to play hard and Butch just can’t at his age and in his condition. He tries though???? Anyway- I am sure that Butch being a senior citizen and having modified dog rules is confusing to the rest of my pack- but it has to be. So as pack leader I am just like, this is how it is, period. Which seemed to have been fine up until the other day. This is long- sorry. Now we did just have a huge power struggle between Rontu and Riva. Dr. Mags was a saint and had me rush her into Dr. Ahrens at Jarrettsville Vet and she was stitched up and put on antibiotics within the hour. I love Jarrettsville???????? My thinking is that some change in the dynamic is happening for whatever reason. I’m just trying to put my finger on it to avoid any long lasting bad habits/behaviors. So we are square one back to basics training with Rontu AND Riva. Any other thoughts you could share? Much appreciated????
I wouldn’t consider it that strange. Some dogs take a lot longer to settle in, and once that happens the weird behavior comes out.
Honestly…feeding separately and only allowing them to have low value toys may be the way to go for now. I’d also look into NILF – he’s guarding you, as well as other stuff, and that’s NOT acceptable.
NILF? I have not come across that term before. I will research that. Thank you????
Nothing in life is free. Got it. We say earn your keep. I had realized that was an actual acronym. No- all three dogs have to “ask permission” for things. I will start adding my personal attention to that equation now that you have brought it to light. But yes, doors here do not open until a nice sit is displayed. Food is not served until a sit, paw and kiss are given. Carpet is off limits…. although just about 15 minutes ago, Rontu was casually laying in the carpeted floor in the office…. it seems like he is trying to become “the boss”. So we will have to have a family meeting this evening about making him work a little harder for his privileges I suppose.
Yes, sorry, I had to run for the day yesterday – NILF is Nothing In Life Is Free, and in his case, it sounds like he needs to be reminded of the rules. You’ve got your pack well in hand, I’m certain you’ll get this sorted as well. 🙂
Is it normal for a cat in heat to have abdominal swelling? My cat is 3 yrs old and we have been meaning to spay her, but she goes into heat so often it’s hard to find time to do it. She is currently in heat and has been for over a week, and last week she had shown asymmetrical swelling on the left and right of her belly. The next day it went down so I figured it was nothing serious and probably swelling from being in heat. Now it has been a week she is still in heat and her abdomen seems just ever so slightly fuller on the right and left and firm. She is crazy in heat and doesn’t show any signs of being sick, acting normal, eating drinking, playing and jumping.
Is it possible for a cat in extreme heat to cause extreme swelling of the ovaries to where they would be palpable? I’m worried it could be early signs of pyometra, or if this is normal with heat. Her cycles have gotten more intense and extreme, as well as longer and more often, which makes me think it could be possible her reproductive system is simply engorged with blood causing it to be palpable.
If that (the swelling) is not normal with heat then I’ll take her to the vet ASAP, but again she is not grossly distended, she just appears “full”. Also there is no chance of pregnancy. Thanks.
Hello-
I would get into the vet for an exam and probably an X-ray or ultrasound ASAP. I just would not want to chance it- and I would definitely spay her for her benefit and everyone’s peace of mind. Best of luck.
Hello,
I wouldn’t ever say that something is impossible, but, I get very concerned if anyone mentions abdominal swelling. Please see your vet ASAP for an examination. Certainly I would be worried about pregnancy but I am also worried about fluids and Organ enlargement which are both indicative of a problem and need to be addressed by your vet. I would recommend an exam ASAP. Your vet might also want todo an X-ray or ultrasound. If everything is Normal. I would spay her as soon as possible to avoid all of this from hopefully happening again. Please let us know what happens. If you are tight on funds ask for her to be spayed and while they are doing that take an internal exam of her to make sure everything looks grossly normal.
Wanted to post an update. She had a lot of discharge suddenly so I took her to the vet. It indeed was pyometra and she had an emergency spay. Hoping for a smooth recovery.
Hey! Just found your page from YouTube, was wondering if it’d be possible to chat about my cat? Almost certain he has a nasopharyngeal polyp but I am having trouble convincing any vets in the Dallas area to sedate him and take a look without him first getting scans and tests that cost thousands of dollars. Is there anything I should be asking them for differently? He’s been fighting a URI for about 5 months now and we have done six rounds of antibiotics with steroids and antihistamines to help and nothing has stopped his symptoms from returning and we have only now made the connection as to why that is. He has the distinct snore noise while breathing and every other listed symptom associated, I just can’t afford the tests the vets are saying they require, it’s very heart breaking. Any help or wisdom is appreciated, we just don’t have the money to do much else and he is degrading quickly since his last round of antibiotics ended this week. I wish I didn’t sound so sure, we just are panicking that we have wasted so much time and money and may have missed our chance to best this this while we could and now may be unable to. Just heart breaking all around.
Hello,
My advise in these cases is to call and keep calling until you find someone who you trust and can afford. It’s honestly why I see so many of these. Call the shelters. Call the local rescues and call the foundations that support pet care and ask for a person they know and recommend. They are out there but sadly they need to be searched for. If you find someone please let me know so I can pass it along. Like I said the local rescues know who is fair and affordable. Start there. Keep me posted. Very best of luck.
hello Amanda!
If you think your kitty has stertor, or what I call upper nasal snoring sounds, I think it is best to start at your vets office. A couple of things are important to discuss early on. One, lots of stertor sounds alike. For the many cases of polyps that I have seen it is important to look at the whole cat, take a very detailed history and do the basics, like ruling out URI (upper respiratory infection) first. Lots of cats get this, as mist have come through rescue/shelter scenarios. So, I always talk to clients about covering the basics first.
URI should look like infection. Lethargy, fever, ocular and nasal discharge are usually present. Antibiotics are our first stop for these cats. I usually use clavamox, doxycycline, or azithromycin (I’ll even try all three before I move out of the infection suspicion scenario).
BUT, some cats are instead chronic rhinitis. These are usually a little older, and a little distanced from the rescuing phase of their lives. They are usually the somewhat older cats (like 2-6 years old) and they were probably exposed to a herpes virus early on. They sort of never get over the snoring and sniffles. These guys are life long snifflers. Usually with some degree of nasal and ocular discharge.
There are also the polyp cats, These are the ones I see often, because, their primary vet doesnt want to go take a look because if they find a polyp they are afraid to remove it. So most of the cats I see are the suspected polyps who cannot afford the $2500 plus estimate the specialists are giving for retroflex endoscopy, and removal with a surgeon.
I know lots of general practitioners who will sedate (yes this is required to get an adequate look) who will look and will remove but the risks are important to discuss before hand. The risks are; regrowth. I have seen it happen in two cases. Both resolved permanently after the second removal. I have also seen significant bleeding after removal. The cat ultimately did fine, but, I was worried for a few days.
If you find yourself with a vet who is reluctant to look ask for a referral. If the referral is to a specialisit and this is not affordable call the local cat specialty clinics, rescues and shelters for a referral you can afford.
I hope this helps. Please let me know what happens.. If you cannot find help let me know and I can reach out to some of the rescue people I know in AZ.
good luck!
krista
If it is in fact a polyp and it goes without removal, does this lead to any suffering for the cat throughout their life? Do these polyps continue to grow to the point of full obstruction?
I really appreciate all your advice and time! Thank you so much and I’ll report out after the appointment either way.
Hello, I just wanted to follow-up on my vet visit. The vet gave Goldie a Kenalog shot and to be honest, the noises she was making went away, but it’s strange as it seems now I’m not hearing her purr as often. Is a steroid shot ok to use on a limited basis? I know that it’s short term use and would not want to continue giving her shots every few months as I know it can suppress her immunity and for a cat that has had several URI’s I’m now second guessing the vet giving it to her.
Thanks!