Question
Profile Image
Tiffany | 3 weeks ago
Hello. I Have A Grey Kitty Who Is 3 Experiencing A Lot Of Wheezing. She Has About 4…

Hello. I have a grey kitty who is 3 experiencing a lot of wheezing. She has about 4-5 spells a day where she just hacks – never coughing up a hair ball or vomit, her whole body gets tight when this happens. I’ve had 2 opinions by different vets. The first vet said it was asthma gave me liquid albuterol for her as well as PREDNISONE. after about 3 months no change so I took her for another opinion. The vet there agreed asthma but said cats cannot metabolize prednisone so she gave me prednisolone to try. Still no change. She is so uncomfortable when she has these spells and I feel so bad because there is nothing I can do to help her. Any thoughts? I have a video but unfortunately it will not allow me to attach to this post 🙁

4 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I think that it is time for some diagnostics. I would recommend an Xray and some blood work. In some cases I am also concerned about things like lungworm, round worm, or toxoplasmosis.

    If you haven’t done an antibiotic trial you can also try that. The problem is that you are trying to treat clinical signs and not identifying the underlying cause.

    1. Tiffany Post author

      Thank you for this suggestion! I do appreciate it. Praying we find some answers for my special girl!

    2. Tiffany Post author

      Hello my cat is at the emergency vet in bel air and they said she has a bad case of pneumonia (their diagnosis) I paid $1200 via care credit , they are suggesting she stay over night for monitoring and be on oxygen. They gave her a injectable antibiotic and a steroid. They offered me the opportunity to take her home with meds also. I am not really sure what to do, but I don’t have another $2k to pay them and they won’t treat her without the funds 🙁 in your opinion is this something she may survive at home if I bring her home and try and get an appt with your office asap? Thank you for reading

  2. Tiffany Post author

    Hello my cat is at the emergency vet in bel air and they said she has a bad case of pneumonia (their diagnosis) I paid $1200 via care credit , they are suggesting she stay over night for monitoring and be on oxygen. They gave her a injectable antibiotic and a steroid. They offered me the opportunity to take her home with meds also. I am not really sure what to do, but I don’t have another $2k to pay them and they won’t treat her without the funds 🙁 in your opinion is this something she may survive at home if I bring her home and try and get an appt with your office asap? Thank you for reading

Question
Profile Image
Christine | 3 weeks ago
I’m In Desperate Need To Help My Cat Kitt She Is A 13 Year-old Siamese Cat …

I’m in desperate need to help my cat Kitt she is a 13 year-old Siamese cat who has been suffering from chronic constipation. The past five years it has increasingly gotten worse. It seems to be happening once a month now what can I do at home to assist her? I’ve changed diets numerous time, I’ve tried numerous supplements, laxatives- I’m at my wits end on how to help my poor cat. Are there any other suggestions to treatments I haven’t tried.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In my experience constipation on cats is always secondary to something else. Either old wounds, like a fractured pelvis, an underlying disease, or diet.

    Has your cat had a thorough examination, bloodwork and X-rays? Have your tried different diets, supplements and fluid therapy.
    I hope this helps.

Question
Profile Image
Tyson | 2 months ago
My 11 Year Old Cat Has Slowly Developed Noisy Breathing. For A Long Time It Was Bearly …

My 11 year old Cat has slowly developed noisy breathing. For a long time it was bearly noticeable, then over time I noticed she was getting worse, a snoring/snorting sound when sleeping and occasionally after playing or running. A short time after that I noticed she was having trouble eating, specifically swallowing. That was when I knew somthing was definitly wrong. I callled my vet and explained everything, they got us in, the vet checked her over and said everything seems fine.. not an emergency. Told me it was potentially a polyp in her throat, but said they cant do “scoping” at that location and said I would need a referral to another clinic. This annoyed me because I explained the symptoms on the phone while booking and they didnt mention their limitations. So they charged me ($200) to basically tell me they cant help. Luckily my cats symptoms subsided a bit while we waited for the referral. Some days are worse than others. This is when I found Krista Magnifico’s video removing a cats polyp!! It made me feel so much better know it might just be that simple, hopefully. I finally got the call back from the referral, they said they need to do a consultation first before anything else ($330) then after that they would need to sedate my cat, do a CT scan ($3000) and if my cat needs surgery I would need to come back, sedate the cat again and surgery would be roughy ($4-5000) This was devastating to hear…. now I completely understand vet bills arent always cheap and working people need to be paid, but this seems excessive… Any advice is greatly appreciated. I dont know what do to at this point…

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In my experience polyps are unlikely in a cat this age. I would ask for a few rounds of either an antibiotic or anti inflammatory to see if these help. In cases where clients struggle with the cost of diagnostics we often try various treatments to see if we get a favorable response. You can also ask for a sedated exam to look for a polyp behind the soft palate. Like I do in the video.
    I hope this helps.

Question
Profile Image
Danielle | 2 months ago
Dr. Magnifico- My Captain (5 Month Old GSD) Started Vomiting This Afternoon. Threw Up All The Food He Had …

Dr. Magnifico – My captain (5 month old GSD) started vomiting this afternoon. Threw up all the food he had in his stomach at the time and has since thrown up 8 other times. Mostly foamy mucus and liquid. Had diarrhea once so far that was very gassy and liquidy. He can’t hold any water down. He is now just laying down. I can hear his stomach gurgle every once in a while. I’m held up in the kitchen with him. This started around 6pm, it’s now almost 11pm. I don’t know if I should wait through the night or go to ER now. Help please.

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about Captain. In puppies we worry about parvovirus, intestinal parasites, foreign bodies and eating something that doesn’t agree with them. With your pup I am not as concerned about the first two.

    I am at the clinic first thing. We will fit you in.
    Dr Magnifico

  2. Danielle Post author

    Thank you for following up. He is back to his normal self this morning. He has eaten fine as well. I guess something did not agree with him.

Question
Profile Image
Nichole | 3 months ago
Dr Magnifico, Ivy Started The Quattro Preventative On Sunday. She Started Having Diarrhea On Tuesday And …

Dr Magnifico,

Ivy started the Quattro preventative on Sunday. She started having diarrhea on Tuesday and it’s still an issue today. She is playing fine and eating normal. Should I be concerned? How long should I wait til I bring her in?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Well, that’s not a preferred response to a new treatment. If you think she is acting normally then I don’t think she needs to be seen right away. I am at the clinic Sunday. And we are here Saturday too. You can call the clinic anytime and ask to speak to the charge tech. The hey can help right away. Please also leave me a message so I can follow up next week. If you need me in between email me at krista@pawbly.com.

Question
Profile Image
Jennifer | 3 months ago
I Have A Question On A 9 Year Old Boxer, Back In January He Was Treated For …

I have a question on a 9 year old boxer, back in January he was treated for respiratory cough, he was treated once, didn’t go away. Had to take him back to vet, and treated again was better but it continue for a few more weeks and finally went away. Now our boxer really isn’t eating properly will not eat dry food at all ,only if we give him people food. We rescue dogs and have 2 other dogs so we only have so much of budget.

Any suggestions of what it could be or what minimal testing we can do?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    I start a work up for a cough with trying to decide if this is a respiratory issue (ie the lungs/trachea part of the body reposition breathing) or a cardiac problem (heart). An examination is key to this. After that I talk about an Xray or blood work. I wish I could help more than this but I think it’s time for a second opinion and diagnostics.

Other Service
Profile Image
Autumn | 3 months ago
Pancreatitis
Treatment Cost (USD): $1500.00
0 Responses
Question
Profile Image
Scott | 3 months ago
Not Sure If You Answer This But Had A Question About Our 5 Year Old Cat. Since …

Not sure if you answer this but had a question about our 5 year old cat. Since November she has been experiencing a fair amount of nasal discharge. We tried to rounds of antibiotics, a flush, and the vet searched for a polyp using a spade hook on her soft pallet while she was sedated. The vet was unable to see a polyp and the nasal xray didn’t show much either. A month later we saw no improvement on the nasal and over the past ten days our poor cat has been breathing terribly. When she is standing up and moving around it is clear her breathing is obstructed and it sounds like she is snoring. We have noticed a large decrease in her nasal discharge but her breathing is just awful. She is still eating and drinking as normal. We have been referred to internal medicine in St. Louis but aren’t excited to spend $2-3K for a CT Scan and scoping. Is it possible the poly behind her soft pallet has grown since they first looked for it or could a polyp be some where else? Do you think a CT scan us necessary or should the scope do the trick. We love our cat but are reluctant to spend $3K on her only to find out the couldn’t do anything to help her.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I’m also sorry everything in vetmed is so expensive right now. It sounds like your vet has done what I would do for my clients and that the next step is a CT scan. You can certainly see if another vet will look for a polyp for you, but you may be back where you are now if that isn’t productive.
    There are also CT scans available outside a referral hospital for a lower price (I don’t know if this is the case in your area), but the dilemma there is that this will only help diagnose. You may still need that IM vet to help with the treatment plan.
    I hope things work out for your cat.

    Dr Magnifico

Surgery
Profile Image
India | 4 months ago
5 Year Old Spayed Female Cat – Nasopharyngeal Polyp
Treatment Cost (USD): $650.00
0 Responses
Question
Profile Image
Nate | 4 months ago
Needing Help With A Blocked Kitty! My Baby Latte, 8 Months Old, By All Appearances, Seems To …

Needing help with a blocked kitty! My baby Latte, 8 months old, by all appearances, seems to have a blockage. She has been vomiting it’s all just been clear or pale yellow with white foam no blood no worms. We don’t know if what she ate is passable, and it’s been 2 days since she’s eaten anything but a lick of food. She isn’t drinking much water either, and she hasn’t gone #2 since this all started to boot. We have an appointment tomorrow t have her x-rayed but I have no idea how much it will cost. I’m really nervous I won’t be able to avoid surgery if it’s a blockage. What are my chances it’s just really bad constipation, or if they can remove blockage without surgery? Or if surgery is needed how can I get financial help for it?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello
    Until you have a diagnosis it’s hard to speculate the rest of it you are concerned about cost I would recommend seeing a veterinarian who is in a privately owned practice and not a vet practice owned by a corporation. They are often more affordable and might offer payment options.
    You can also ask for multiple treatment plans. If they examine your cat and then only offer one treatment plan option that you cannot afford ask for others. Tell them you are on a budget and ask for treatment options that are affordable. Ask them to provide everything in writing. You can also look into starting a crowd funding campaign like waggle.org.
    If your cat is blocked you can ask for at home conservative options like pain meds antibiotics and sq fluids.
    I have also allowed people to monitor their cat at home with a urinary catheter in place for days to help relieve the obstruction and inflammation.

    Ask lots of questions and remain steadfast on finding help that works for you and your cat.

    It is possible to find affordable help. You just have to not give up.
    Good luck. Keep us updated