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My cat ate a piece of habanero cheese! It was small, probably about the size of a pea. Should I do anything? Expect anything? She seems ok as of right now
Hi, my cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 2 weeks ago and our vet put her on Methimazole 5 mg liquid. Yesterday my cat started trying to urinate frequently (every couple of minutes) and defecated outside of her letterbox several times. I searched up to see if these were the symptoms of the medication and was unable to find anything online. So i just wanted to run it by you guys and double check. Today my cat seems to be doing well, she is not urinating every few minutes, however, I’m still a little worried. Thanks so much!
Hi there- I agree that your cat is trying to tell you something with this litter box behavior. Have you phoned you vet to let them know? I would definitely start there. I know that my vet would want to know any changes in behavior right away and be kept up to date on the patient…. I would call your regular vet before they close and speak with them. I hope things are ok????????
Hello,
Please follow up with your vet about your cat. I don’t think the medication and the litter box issues are related but litter box issues should always be followed up ASAP. Also I have not had much luck with the transdermal medications so please follow up with your vet on the thyroid level checks too.
Hi! My dog has recently been licking around is butt and has completely licked off the hair on the back of his tail. He’s been doing it for about 2-3 weeks now. I thought it was the new food I tried with him but after seeing him do it for a few days, I stopped and went back to his original food. However, he has not stopped and now I’ve notice my other dog biting around her tail a little. Not nearly as bad as my male dog though. I am concerned something else is going on like worms. I unfortunately still owe a lot of money to my current vet for emergency visits the dogs had early this year and can’t afford to take them in to be checked. Can I try using Safe-Guard with them to see if that corrects the issue? Is something else possibly going on?
This could be anal glands, it could be intestinal parasites, it could be his diet isn’t working for him. We can only guess. I would at least try to get a stool sample checked out.
Hi there, I wanted to ask if polyps in the throat can be felt. My kitten that can’t meow I suspect of having polyps. The vet tested for Leukemia and FIV negative, xrays negative, and lung worm negative. Now I notice both sides of her neck has lump, one side bigger. My other kittens do not have these lumps. My vet said she doesn’t think it’s polyps because that’s uncommon in kittens, so $500 in tests later and I have no answers. Shouldn’t they have noticed these lumps? They are the size of a small marble.
Hello,
I have only been able to feel a polyp a few times. Every so often I can do a quick enough oral exam to feel them in the back of the mouth. But even with these I needed to do a sedated exam to be sure. Kittens can get hyperthyroidism which can cause palpable enlargement of the glands on the outside throat area. This is diagnosed and confirmed with a blood test. Please call your vet to discuss these. If finances are a concern call the shelters and rescues to see if there are low cost pet care options available.
My lab will be 11 in June. He was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago. We’ve never been able to regulate his insulin and have tried both human and dog insulin. He’s currently taking 31 units of vetsulin 2 times a day and has been for over a year. No matter what dose/medicine brand we try, his blood sugar is still really high (between 250-400)! Recently, he’s been throwing up a few times a week after eating or drinking. The vomit is white and clear and looks like its mostly slobber with only a very small amount of food. What’s causing this?
Hello,
I have had a few cases like this. Here’s what I do; I talk about diet, exercise and make sure everything is very consistent. I also check and recheck bloodwork. Diabetes can cause concurrent illness and this needs to be monitored very closely. I also refer to an internal medicine specialist when I feel stumped. I know it’s not what people want to hear but ask your vet to run a full bloodwork with urinalysis (and maybe even a urine culture) and then ask to be referred to a specialist. They can help. With the immediate vomiting your vet can help. Vomiting can mess up the insulin so make sure you are monitoring the blood sugar closely. Good luck! I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.
My dog Sampson is a 15 year old boxer/pittie mix(50 pounds). Has had diabetes for 7 years. Been on arthritis pain meds the last year.. Has become very sluggish the past 2-3 weeks. Vet diagnosed him with a early stage heart murmur and slight anemia. Changed his arthritis pain meds to Gabapentin. It made him so drowsy that he fell asleep while eating. Became unable to walk without assistance. We weaned him off the Gabapentin and back on the old pain meds. His walking has improved a little but still is wobbly. Yesterday he refused to eat, which is highly unusual for him. Still drinking, but not eating today. He sleeps a lot but also has 30-60 minute spells of restless/repetitive behavior. I’m thinking he may have dementia. Any suggestions on how to help him?
Hello,
This is largely a diagnosis of exclusion. I would call your vet back. Go over everything and repeat the blood work, cheat radiographs and discuss a cardiologist. There are too many things going on with your pup for me to say with any kind of degree of confidence to add that diagnosis to the list. All of the conditions you speak of can cause mental depression. So I would start over and ask for a referral to both an internal medicine specialist and even a catdiologist. I have a lot of information on my blog about cognitive dysfunction and there are lots of things you can do at home to help. But don’t over look previous issues before jumping into a new condition. To find the information on cognitive dysfunction please go to kmdvm.blogspot.com and in the search bar type cognitive dysfunction. I hope this helps.
Your dog needs a cardiologist, stat.
I have a female cat, around 4 years old. I had noticed she was gaining weight, or so I thought, as her belly was starting to get really round. She is not fixed but there is no chance of pregnancy. I have now noticed that she seams to have a discharge and quite a bit of it. I have read that it could possibly be an infection. Vets are quoting me around $3,500. Due to covid 19 my hours at work have been cut so I can not afford all of that up front. I doubt I will be able to get approved for care credit and if so I will not be able to get approved for that much. So I’m wondering what other options I might have? I dont want to loose my baby girl and it may be coming down to rehoming her to get the care she requires right now. What can I do to at least try to keep her comfortable during this?
Hello,
I would call everyone you can and ask for help. I do not charge an exorbitant fee for this and I am not alone. Call rescues, shelters and everyone you can you ask for help that you can afford. In the interim call your vet and ask to be seen. If you can or afford surgery perhaps you can afford fluids and antibiotics . and hopefully this will be enough help to get her through this and then spay her ASAP. Surgery is best But antibiotics are better than nothing. Call your vet and ask for help you can afford. Please let us know what happens and please share it in the story section of Pawbly so others can benefit from your experience.
I have been making calls all day. Only thing I keep getting pointed towards is care credit. So I am going to continue to try to do what I can. Ievenbrokedown and created a go fund me. Hoping combined efforts will help. Thank you!
Hello. At least get fluids and antibiotics started. At my clinic this would be $45 exam, $25 fluid kit (1 liter fluid bag will give you 10 sq treatments) and antibiotics which you can get for $10-20 at Walmart. Go to the vet ask for a fluid kit and written antibiotic prescription for the most affordable antibiotic you can get. I think that for about $100 you can at least give your cat a fighting chance. Find a low cost spay and neuter clinic after the infection clears. That’s my honest low cost advice. Please let me know what happens
I have a friend who has a family member that owns a vet clinic. She is going to work with me to try and help until I can gather the funds needed for the big stuff. I have created a go fund me to help gather the funds needed. Thank you.
Pisoi is an indoor 18 year old male cat who is also allowed to spend as much time as he wants outside. Last summer he started to get from his left nostril a discharge, first clear mucus which despite an antibiotic injection (good for two weeks) became later a thick puss. The doctor’s supposition was: A) sinus infection; B) a foreign body in the nostril; C) cancer. The Doctor’s opinion is that more precise investigations requires anesthesia but due to the cat’s advanced age the doctor felt that he might not wake up from the anesthesia. It was prescribed Tobramycin Dexamethasone Ophtalmic and the puss became again a pretty clear discharge. He was eating and behaving normal. Everything remained in this state until two months ago when Pisoi began to snore, a sign that his left nostril was beginning to be affected. There was no discharge from his “healthy” nostril. After six days of doxycycline, his snoring became a little softer, then loud again. Another six days doxycycline, another week of soft snoring. Now he received doxycycline for 20 days. Already after four tablets he seams to be better but still 1) he cannot rest well because of heavy breathing and 2) his appetite is gone. Only ¼ tablet mirtazapine will make him to eat (really well).
Dr. Magnifico, I would appreciate it if you could see Pisoi as soon as possible, especially after I read what on this page what happened to Tony’s cat, Destiny.
We live in New Castle Pa, five hours and a half from you
Thank you very much,
Mihai
Hello,
At this age a growth due to cancer is more likely. I do feel that taking a look with a quick acting anesthetic is in everyone’s best interest but you have to be prepared for the possibility of the oral cavity inspection not yielding anything. The best options for these cases are ct scan. They require anesthesia and are expensive. Most people decline for these reasons. If you want someone to look try to find someone closer to you. Lots of vets are comfortable looking and I find it hard to believe you would have to drive this far to have someone look. Also we are not an ER clinic so most procedures come with a pre op exam, bloodwork and then a later appointment to do the procedure. Call the local shelters, rescues and pet foundations to see if anyone local is willing to help. Also speak to your vet about a sweater exam for a polyp. If you cannot fine any help please email back. Best of luck.
Hi. My Welsh Springer was drinking alot but not eating for 4 days and following an ultrasound was diagnosed with pyometra. She underwent surgery ten days ago.
Since having the operation she still refuses to eat. She has had anti nausea treatment as well as mirtazapine. The vet has now also prescribed trazodone. We did book her in to stay at the vets for a couple of days and they said she did eat some chicken. They showed me a video as evidence. Physically they could find nothing wrong with her. On returning home she still refuses to eat but is drinking. She will not eat anything, even her favourite treats, her usual dog food, nothing. So far it has cost me nearly £2000 for her treatment and I have no funds left. It really feels as though she will starve herself to death, although I thought dogs would never do this. I have tried restoring her old pattern of eating and have removed uneaten food after an hour and offered her nothing until her next meal but she still will not eat. I am at a loss as what to do next. Thanks for your advice. Andrew.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear that your pup isn’t bouncing back as you had hoped. I would call the vet back and ask for help. I would also talk about placing a feeding tube to supplement food and give her some more time to return to normal. At this point it is too long to safely wait. She needs the nutrition and she needs help in getting it. A small nasal-gastric tube can be placed with minimal topical sedation and it will at least help with liquid meal delivery. I would also look at any medications you are giving and consider stopping them all. Also I would ask about adding cerenia. It has helped me with cases like this many times. I hope this helps. Keep offering any and every kind of food. Meat flavored baby food, canned cat food, macaroni and cheese, purreed food of any kind. Keep offering. Best of luck.
Thank you. I will keep trying and speak to the vet about the tube.
Hello-
I am sorry this is happening. I would definitely speak to the vet again and ask about help in feeding her. I would also try to entice her with boiled chicken or hot dog pieces or ham…. anything that is a super treat that might get her into eating again. I hope she is ok!!????????
Thank you. I have tried her with chicken, ham etc. No joy.
I have a 9yo. Siamese that has been diagnosed with possible nasal polyps. His more overt symptoms include an obvious blockage, snoring/snorting sounds while breathing, some drainage, head shaking. He has seen 3 different vets, all giving estimates for upwards of 2.5k+ for an investigative rhinoscopy/surgery.
I recently watched Dr. Magnifico’s video on Stripes and his Nasopharyngeal Polyp removal and was surprised to see that sedation and a visual exam/removal could be done within such a short time with great results. This was never offered as an option with any other vet visits.
Are there any vets within this network that anyone would recommend that would charge a more reasonable pricing for a similar procedure in the greater NYC area?
Hello,
Call my friends at Long Island Spay and Neuter. I bet he would be willing to try to examine your kitty and help. I ask one small favor in return. Please PLEASE! Let me know what happens and please also add your cats experience and price for care into our storyline section. It will help others. And pay it forward. Let me know what happens.
Hi there- I would keep an eye on her and if she acts like she is in distress give the vet a call. I think since it was a small piece, and in the cheese rather than a straight piece of habanero pepper she is probably fine? If she starts panting call the vet….and check the litter box. It might be messy later.
Hello,
I would be most worried about gi issues, like vomiting and diarrhea. If you don’t see any of this in the next day or two you are probably fine.