Attached below I have x-rays of my 12 year old cat. He has been having problems eating and breathing for a while. I thought that it was nasal polyps, but Dr. Krista told me that that was most likely not the case. The x-rays taken at his regular vet below show that he has something pinching in the middle of his esophagus. He can only eat a couple licks of watered down food, then walks away with a pained look in his face. I’m asking if anyone has ever had this situation with any other pets before. I will be scheduling an ultrasound at Jarrettsville vet ASAP in order to find out if there is anything that can be done to alleviate his struggling to breathe and eat. We are using transdermal prednisone to help with any inflammation. Also, his recent bloodwork has been great except for his glucose being a little high.
I adopted a barn cat about 6 months ago. She has been doing well up until 2 days ago… I noticed she wasn’t eating her favorite food, she’s lost weight and now she is vomiting. Her first vomit was foamy and her second was straight runny wet food.
Has she been to the vet yet to be tested for parasites and other diseases and given her vaccinations? Either way, I would call first thing in the morning and get her in to see the vet. Keep an eye on her this evening- if she stops drinking water you might need to go to the ER. There are so many different things that could be causing, your vet will probably do some blood work. Hope everything is ok!!💛🐾
She is up to date on all vaccinations and is also spayed. I haven’t taken her to the vet yet because money is an issue at the moment due to Covid and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t overreacting. She is a barn cat so it’s hard for me to watch her drink etc…. I know what she eats because she does eat on my deck.
Hi, my cat was just diagnosed with some early signs of liver disease. The vet told me to buy Denamarin tablets and recommend a liver supporting prescription food, either Hill’s i/d or Royal Canin Hepatic Support. When I search for these foods I cannot find anywhere in the US that carries them, they are out of stock or discontinued. The only companies I find that are carrying them are in Europe or New Zealand. Does anyone have any idea of what else I can look for or foods I could make at home to best help my cat without starting a personal international cat food import hobby?
hello! My cat has been going to the vet constantly, for coughing, gaging, gulping, and loud breathing? noises. The vet examined him under anesthesia and said his throat was just red and irritated and sent him home with some antibiotics and prednisolone. He took it for a while but there were no changes. He mostly does the whole coughing gaging thing when he is exited. His vet can’t seem to figure out what is wrong with him, so i’ve been researching different sicknesses and seeing which ones matched his symptoms. I came across collapsed trachea. This is the only one i’ve seen that matched his symptoms and says it gets worse with excitement. What can be done to diagnose him with a collapsed trachea? I’ve seen that a fluoroscopy would be a good option but the animal hospitals around me don’t have the machinery to do that. There is a high tech specialist vet office about 2 hours from me, but it’s by referral only. Would i still be able to get a proper and correct diagnosis by getting a normal x-ray? is there any other options that could tell he has a collapsed trachea? he’s had chest x-rays before and nothing seemed abnormal, so that rules out some other sicknesses.
My cat was blocked Wednesday, the vet had a hard time getting catheter in. The unblocked him. Sent him home with pain meds and proposing.
He didn’t go to the bathroom at all that night
I took him back Thursday morning, they drained his bladder again . He had alot of bloodclots.
They told me next option was to hospitalize him.
But sent him home with a sedative to keep him relaxed and hopefully he can pee..
Mufasa has been drinking water. It looks like he has pass dribbles of pee in the litter box.
My question is if they had a hard time getting the catheter in the first time, will another place be able to get one in and keep him monitored?
Going on the third day and I am so worried keeping him sedated and not knowing if he is actually blocking back up
Hello,
I’m not sure what options were given to you at the first vet visit but in every cat blocked case I see I recommend placing a urinary catheter and hospitalization for three days (at least) to flush the bladder and debris that caused the blockage. Placing and then replacing a catheter just adds trauma to an already traumatized urinary system. This is what I recommend now.
Hi there
My 5 year old cat Max has been diagnosed with a broken back. His back is broken in the middle of the spine.
The vet said she can’t believe he is walking and she does not know how to treat him so she has sent his x-rays to a specialist for opinion.
Max is home with me an he is still walking and just a little wobbly.
He’s always had a bit of a wobble when he walks so I don’t think this issue is new.
Just hoping someone can help me with what I can be doing for him now?
Also if surgery is an option, is it necessary? Is it the only option?
Really no idea what to do.
Thanks in advance.
X
Wow! What a shock this must have been. I am no vet, but I vaguely remember reading something about allowing animals to heal with rest and limited movement. But I don’t think that was with the spine- I believe it was a kitten with a broken leg actually. Have you discussed what you should be doing with your vet? I know that you said they have advised you to a specialist, but was there any instruction that you were sent home with? I think if it were me, having seen my cat walking around etc… finding out that it had… Read more »
Thanks Sarah. Yes it was totally a shock. All they said is you can take him home keep him inside to limit his movement and they will call me when the specialist has responded. She also said that they are so surprised that he is walking. He’s only ever been to the vet for vaccs and he had a tummy upset when he was younger and that’s it. I’ve only moved to this area recently so I’m trusting this vet knows what they are doing. I have also contacted the vet that he went to originally when he was younger… Read more »
Hello, I have seen multiple cats with broken backs. It is important to do a through assessment of then and understand their ability to urinate and defecate and restrict activity so they cannot further injure themselves. I recommend cage rest unless supervised. They also need to be spayed if they aren’t already. My biggest concerns are bladder and colon issues. Whether that be incontinence or retention. Also they can get pressure sores if not walking directly on their foot pads. Surgery is an option if the surgeon seems it to be helpful but most clients cannot afford it, or the… Read more »
Thank you. Specialist and vet that has seen him say surgery is an option which will be major and very risky. They say it is an old injury and he may have had it for years and is one tough cat and has just coped and compensated and has had a flare up. I’ve decided not to go down the surgery line. I’ve been keeping him in doors and restricted his movement and he is walking a lot better. He’s eating, toileting, groovy, and drinking. I taught him how to walk on a lead when he was a kitten so… Read more »
Hi
My 4 y old cat had pyometraand hystrectomy and ovarian removal done 40 days ago . After the surgery, I noticed that she became less active and cannot jump as she used to do before.
Before she was used to jump easily and directly to get on the bed but now she climbs onto an adjacent arm chair and then walks to the bed Also before she was able to scratch her ear by her leg , but now she is not able to do that.
She’s trying but can’t raise her leg to her ear.
Is it possible that her legs become weaker as a complication of the surgery?
Is it normal for a cat to be less active for this long time after a pyometra surgery ?
What should I do to help her regain her normal movement ?
I really appreciate what you are doing , many thanks.
My cat is about 14 years old. Male. Last week really noticed he goes to litter often but doesnt go. But sometimes he did have a few times of clumped urine litter. So took to emergency clinic Sat 12/13/30. They could not get any urine to test. Sent home with antibiotics antiflamatory- pain meds and told to get in see regular vet.
Took to vet today 12/15/20. They were able to get a good stream of urine out as well as these blood clots tissues. See image. Said that I would need to ck his bladder ongoing to make sure it doesn’t get rock hard baseball sized. Gave me a medication to help dilate. Did blood panel and Im waiting to hear back on any other medications.
I feel like imaging should be done like yesterday.
If this blood clot tissue can happen again should he have been keep at vet to do something ?
Was this blood clot a actual plug and blockage. So since they got it out the blockage is gone at the moment?
I am just worried and dont want to make a mistake and not know if he has a full hard bladder.
Or did this clot coming out as he is good currently. How long would it take for another clot to form?
Any input advice would be much appreciated
Hello,
I think that all of the questions you pose are excellent questions to ask yourself vet. I also talk to parents about feeding watered down canned food. I often add a steroid and I give cats Sq fluids daily to help flush the bladder. Just things to talk to your vet about. I get super aggressive with these guys. And I offer lots of options for parents to do at home. Along with showing them how to palpate a bladder to monitor at home. I hope this helps. Good luck.
My kitten’s splint was removed today after a month of immobilization. She had a complete humerus fracture, we assume from her jumping off the couch or playing with our older cat (regrettably too soon which I had not realized). It was an angular break, and the vet did his best to place the bones and splint them, but today we learned the bones healed together improperly, on somewhat of an angle, and her elbow will not bend. She can use the paw and applies some weight to it, but the vet said we will have to keep her confined and wait and see how it progresses, or amputate it worst case. I feel sick about it because I had hopes she would heal, we could not afford the $6k surgery. Her skin is also red with some patches of missing fur. Do you have any recommendations of anything else I can do while we wait and see if she begins to heal more? Can I treat the skin at all? Thanks so much for all you do for these animals.
I attached an image of the original fracture. It is healed with a “knot” around the break, but healed crooked. That doesn’t seem to be what’s causing her leg to stick out crooked, it seems to be the elbow that seems “stuck”.
Hello,
I’m so sorry for the delay. I tell clients in this position that there are only three options.
1. Spend the money on a surgeon to correct it. Often this is >5,000
2. Leave it as is and this cat must be kept indoors forever.
3. Consider amputation down the road if needed to keep her comfortable and pain free
Thank you! I appreciate your response! I feel awful that we couldn’t and likely won’t ever be able to afford such an expensive surgery. I had hoped by splinting her it would at least heal a little bit better. Do you ever see kittens that have improperly healed bones improve over time? I was reading that in children bones tend to straighten out over a few years even if malunioned, but I know pets are also not children! I just feel so sad that she is so young and now has a messed up leg. She will definitely be an… Read more »
My cat had a cancerous tumor removed approx. 1 1/2 yrs ago (at JVC) She has had this black (not sure how to describe it) crusty substance under her chin, on her front paw and I recently spotted more underneath her and on another paw. Could this possibly be caused by her cancer if it has returned? Other than that she is acting normal.
Good morning- It is hard to tell from a picture. The only time we ever had a cat with something that might be similar (and I too was worried about it) it was also on his chin. Turned out to be some sort of kitty acne that I had to cleanse. I do not know if this is the same thing though. When is your next scheduled visit? If it is fairly soon- maybe wait until then. But if it isn’t for a bit, I think I would call to get her seen just to be safe and to also… Read more »
Hello, I have two cats who have very dirty chins almost all the time. I always tell clients that they should use glass, ceramic or stainless steel bowls (no plastic) jic it is an allergic reaction and that some cats just have dirty chins. For the cats like mine I do the following; I use the chlorphenaramine scrub called nolvasan that we have at the clinic, and the ketohex wipes (also at the clinic) and I keep the chin clean every day. If your cat is current on their annual exam with us I am happy to fill these for… Read more »
Hello,
I am not sure if you are already a client of jvc. Please call the clinic and ask for an appointment. We can discuss future diagnostics from there. I wish you the best of luck