I have a 12 year old dachshund mix who I’ve had on grain free food for about 5 years. He has had ear issues over the years but it’s been manageable and infrequent. I have been transitioning him to Purina Pro Plan for bright minds and all the sudden his ears are bright pink and he’s shaking his head constantly. I have read so many terrible things about the grain free diets but now I wonder if I made a mistake and he might actually have sensitivity to grains bc I had him on grain free food for so long. Is that possible? Should I just go back to the grain free food given his old age?

Hello!! I found Dr Krista’s YT vid (Stripes the cat re nasal polyps) while researching my kitty’s condition. I have had Percy out to Pet ER w. initial thick mucus that became tinged w. a bit of blood. He was prescribed Doxy to treat the infection… it wasn’t until during the course of treatment that he began the “snoring” at which point I rushed him back to Pet ER. Having limited funds and no experience w. these issues ever before, I opted for Labs (figuring that would be a start). Unfortunately, the results did not “tell me anything unusual” and I am not a vet. It was then that I learned about these polyps … and I feel confident that this could be what Percy is suffering from (unless there may be a foreign object obstructing his airway). At this point I have no dx!! I’ve been on the veterinary roller-coaster ride trying to determine the best course of action between my local vet (Dundalk Animal Hosp), Pet ER or another vet altogether… at this point not knowing the cause of his breathing issue or how much the costs may be… I guess I can understand why “estimates” can’t be given … I am just trying to determine the LESS COSTLY route and there seems to be no clear answer. My head is spinning and I want the best for Percy and to NOT have to lose him, that’s the bottom line… my heart is hurting as this was so unexpected!! Would it be possible to fit Percy into the clinic’s busy schedule ASAP?? I called this morning and was told that Monday is already full. Emily advised to reach out on Pawbly … I also sent a pm on FB.
I really need help, I cared for 2 cats last year both former strays, one Main Coon mix w. Hypercardiomyopathy and the other cancer of his paw which was eating away. Both these babies tore my heart in 2 but I did what I had to until it was time to journey on RIP… we had a family of 6 at that time along w. my deceased uncle’s dog. My Care Credit card was easily almost maxed out… my boys and I are pitching in together as many ways as possible for Percy. He is the last of our most recent feline family and I do NOT EVER want to stop caring for animals!! Thank you for my restored faith in humanity!! ~Love~ Shelley & Percy

Is my kitten a Bengal mix

my 7 year old dog, we aren’t sure of breed, but we think a lab/beagle mix of some sort experienced extreme pain and loss of the use of his back legs 2 days ago. I immediately took him to the emergency vet. They told us med management and cage rest. They brought him to the car with the use of a sling for his hind legs stating he still had some movement of his hind limbs intact. 2 hours later I believed he had declined and had no use. I called back to the vet who made me feel guilty for asking for further evaluation stating she would not put a dog through an MRI and surgery that still exhibited neurological function. He cried all night long and every time I moved him to potty was in excruciating pain. he wouldn’t eat and no longer could void. I took him back to the vet the next morning where he received an MRI and underwent surgery for a ruptured disc. at that point he no longer had deep pain sensation. My question is did that delay diminish his chances of recovery? and what are the odds now? I’m just heartbroken for him and do not want him to suffer. I am a nurse practitioner and very willing to provide the care he needs however I don’t want him to be in long term pain or have a poor quality of life.

Hi Dr. Krista,

My name is Yana and I have beagle mix Charlie who injured his neck on 07/08/20 last week. We took him 10 flights of stairs for exercise and 30 min later he started crying in the dog park then yelping in the car and screaming at night. We took him to the ER and he was diagnosed with neck disc injury and prescribed Methocarbamol, Gabapentin, Tramadol and Caprofen. He seemed to be fine, not paralyzed but screaming 1-2 times a day usually on potty brakes. Then he started having episodes when he became more stiff and lifted his front paws…usually in the morning after sleep. We took him to a neurologist on 07/13/20 but he said he is 1 from 6 and not that bad. He stopped Caprofen and prescribed Prednisone, Fentanyl Patch and Acepromazine with other medications from the ER. So we were spacing out medications because we were afraid to give too much. He did not seem to be improving and we started all meds. He seems better after he screams like pressure relieved and he can lift his head and move more free.

Long story short, we placed him in a boarding hospital due to us living in a studio in highrise on the 10th floor, working from home and being 7 month pregnant. We are planning to visit another neurologist on monday and hopefully get x rays or mri.

Questions:

In your video with Hank he was paralysed and recovered in 17 days. So far I don’t see much positive progress in our dog and he is not paralized. How much chance do we have or what we should do moving forward?

October 2019 he had a similar episod and I took him to the vet, no x-rays were performed. Two reasons indicated neck or teeth. More towards teeth inflammation which I was focusing on by brushing and adding supplements. Medications prescribed Cephalexin and Carprofen. He got better in 3 days but his screams were not that severe. Should we try Cephalexin?

Any help, suggestion on advice will be highly appreciated! If we can bring him to your facility for boarding and recovery at least till he doesn’t have those screams we would like to do that! Please let us know how much it costs since it adds up quickly and I know that surgery is very expensive.

My 11yr old Lab/Mastiff mix was diagnosed with a mass on her spleen. It’s currently not bleeding, but we are trying to figure if we should go ahead with the surgery or not. I feel in my heart she has still more life in her, but I also know that if it’s cancerous she won’t have long. I know in the long run it’s my decision, but I just need to hear what others think.

My dog is paralyzed from the waist down. My dog is a 4 year old, 10 pound Shi-poo mix. He suffered from some trauma yesterday (Friday) after getting his paws stuck in some metal grating he seemed ok but then his symptoms exacerbated after running around the park and playing with another dog. At around 5pm on Friday, he was able to poop and urinate and ran around at the dog park but by the evening he couldn’t put any weight on his hind legs. At 8pm, my dog was still able to wag his tail. We went to a doctor this morning and that doctor says he still has sensation in his hind legs (even though they he cannot move them). We have been given the option of MRI followed immediately by surgery but we are not sure if we want to put his body through that much trauma with the risk that he could die on the operating table. We have taken him to a “holistic” vet who has treated him with acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and cortisone. The acupuncturist Vet said he would need 4 weeks with 1 session a week to see if that method could help but also told us we could very well have “missed” his critical cure time if it doesn’t. Nevertheless the acupuncturist said he is very confident as his method has seen much success in IVDD in older dogs. My dog is in a lot of pain and has not urinated or passed stool since yesterday I do not believe he has control over his bowel movements And he is constantly holding his head back and he is constantly propping himself up on his two front legs. I would love a second opinion and an honest opinion of what his chances of regaining full motor function and bowel control are with OR without surgery.

Hello… i was hoping for some advice… so i have a 7 y/o lab/rotti mix whom ive had since he was 4 weeks old… he’s very good EXCEPT for when i try to mess with his ears or go passed his chest area… he has chronic ear infections and now has growths popping up in a few spots… he’s miserable n he won’t let me help him… Im out of work n can’t afford much. Just had 3 disc replaced in my neck n the covid situations had everything messed up so i don’t know what to do to help him n it’s breaking my heart… I’ve tried to muzzle him n sedated him a little with benadryl but he gets very aggressive when i try… he’s 100lbs n I’m only 140 and have been injured so i can’t really do much. When my husband left in 2018 he left me with all these fur babies n being out of work since dec 2019 im desperate at this point ???? but i refuse to give up on him ever… can someone give me some advice/ help

my chihuahua terrier mix takes Phenobarbital for seizures. I am looking for an alternative natural medicine to replace the Phenobarbital. any advice on this.

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?