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Heidi Ingle | 5 years ago
Hello! I Could Use Some Guidance On A New Foster Puppy. Puppy Is 10 Weeks Female CH …

Hello!
I could use some guidance on a new foster puppy. Puppy is 10 weeks female CH puppy and is coming from Mexico from a rescue. She has a shot record and will be flying with a companion on February 11. I need to put my furry family first. Can you help guide me on precautions that I need to take other than shots? Do I quarantine her in my house or another? I’ve received several videos. She looks healthy. I’m probably taking on more than I should right??. I guess I can google this but thought I’d ask someone who knows the real risks.
Thanks
Heidi

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I’m going to answer this two fold. First you are my fiend and I know. And second as a person who wants to provide info to others in your situation.
    Ok. I know you are the kindest most generous person I know. I also know that you cannot turn away from an animal in need it makes you the exceptional one in a million person that you are. So. For this case. Since I think you are already committed to taking this pup I would make very sure that you undetand and meet all of the government restrictions and requirements placed on you and the dog. I honestly don’t know what these are. The state vet, the transport carrier and the local animal agencies can help. Or talking to a rescue who does this more commonly. My point is to call multiple agencies to make sure that your paperwork and requirements are covered. Next see your vet in the first few days or arrival. Next quarantine for at least two weeks. Double barricade are and clothing change in between visits. Or find a vet facility with quarantine abilities.
    Next. For everyone else. I would never recommend taking a pet from a foreign country. The risk of bringing in a disease like the paranoia and death associated with corona virus in China is a good example why. All medical professionals are afraid we will introduce a disease the native population hasn’t seen before and will not be able to manage. It is a very low risk but no one wants to be that patient zero. No one. Also I feel strongly that There are Soo many pets in need here. So why would we risk disease when our own Here are being euthanized. That is my personal opinion.
    Please have your vet run a bloodwork and fecal at the first visit. And watch closely for any signs of infection or disease. Vomiting diarrhea, lethargy. Etc.
    I hope this helps. I know your heart is always in the right place.
    Sending best wishes. Krista

  2. Laura

    Dr. Magnifico’s your best bet for medical stuff, but I’d be very, very careful with any dog imported from outside our borders. Even a dog coming in from Hawaii would have me concerned.

    Why?

    In the last year I’ve trained two puppies from outside the continental US, and both died of distemper due to misrepresented shot records. PLEASE follow quarantine protocols to the letter, for the safety of your existing pets.

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Kari | 5 years ago
Female Cat With Urinary Blockage

Hi, my female torti Dusty has bumps on her tongue… The vet had me give her doxycycline liquid and prednisone for 2 months… the bumps didn’t change, but while I was there, she also told me to stop giving her wet food. About a week or so ago I stopped her wet food (which is Sheba Perfect portions) and just gave her the puro a one sensitive stomach hard food she has been eating for 2 years (I was doing 50/50)… I noticed she is having issues peeing… no pain, but she takes me to see she is only peeing about a teaspoon or so and she does it very often… she isn’t showing any signs of pain or lethargy, and eating fine. I tried to feel around but not sure if I found a bladder or not, nothing feels hard and she only complains as much as usual so I don’t think anything hurts.
I’ve watched videos on expressing a bladder and catheterizing a male, but I can’t seem to find any info on females (still looking)… my mom’s dog had 3 bladder stones for over a month just peeing a few drops every time and then all of a sudden they just popped out so I’m trying to weigh the cost-benefit with the local vet. Today is Sunday and I wasn’t about to go emergency if she wasn’t in pain, but I’m still afraid they’ll want $500+ to do anything since just a physical with no blood tests or shots is over $100 and I’m sure they’ll want xrays, etc. I’m in Florida and I know vets here charge 2x-3x more than other places.

Any info will help
Female
Indoor
Shorthair
About 10 yrs young
No signs of sick/injured/pain

2 Responses

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    When it comes to cats displaying issues with urination we always worry most about urinary blockage, which can be life threatening. This is less common in female cats. A blocked cat will typically frequent the litter box (obsessively and continuously), and produce no, or very little urine. A cat with bladder inflammation will do the same but NOT typically have a full, hard, distended urinary bladder, which is why an exam by a vet is imperative. We cant tell the difference without an exam and usually a urinalysis.
    I have to admit that I never recommend dry over wet for cats. I just find that dry has no benefits.. Not teeth, certainly not weight, and for urinary issues wet it better as you can add water and start to diurese the urine.
    If your cat is calm and comfortable you can probably wait until morning to be seen.
    If all else failed you could ask the ER vet to just assess for blockage and then ask to be seen by your vet (assuming they can and will have time to see you) tomorrow. If her heart, temp, color, respiratory rate and bladder are all normal I bet they would have trouble saying that she isnt stable enough to wait a few hours.
    I always think it is important for pet parents to be proactive, but also provide an honest admission of budget and ask for assistance to make care affordable and accessible. We all owe our pet parents and patients that. Please let me know what happens. Good luck

  2. Kari Post author

    Thank you. Yes, the only thing is her lack of pee. Today I put her back on the wet food and added water and her pee doubled this last time. Also, since everything I read seemed to say blood in urine, and she wants me to watch her pee, I took a paper towel and put it under her and her pee came out colorless… not red, or even yellow , but the paper towel looks like I put water on it…I will not it is a stronger smell than I would expect, smells like pee, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed her pee have a smell before (maybe because I never had her pee on a paper towel before, I dunno)
    Tomorrow I plan to take her in, they were good about seeing her same day when I took her in for a checkup (2nd trip to a vet in her life…1st was her spray trip when she was about a year old) hopefully they won’t rake me over the coals.
    Also I found a video that says to add ACV and water to the food and I happened to have some here so I added it…and she still ate half of it it (I was surprised because she can be picky)…

    While I’ve got your attention, since one reason they say in the videos is stress, my husband thinks this may have been caused by my recently changing them to a litter kwitter as I have started toilet training them.. Can holding it in cause a problem? And what are your thoughts on toilet training cats?

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Ashlyn | 5 years ago
Hello! I Rescued A Stray Domestic Shorthair That Came Crying At My Door About 6 Months Ago …

Hello! I rescued a stray domestic shorthair that came crying at my door about 6 months ago and named him Koda. He is the sweetest boy of about 5 years (not too sure about his age though) and I am so grateful of the love he has shown me. Since I’ve had him, there has been nasal discharge on one side of his nose. He began sneezing after a while and I noticed large chunks of hardened mucus would come out. I took him to the vet and he was put on antibiotics and they cleared out most of the build up. The vet also did an x ray and it showed that one side of his sinuses were completely backed up with mucus, so he did a blind bioscopy to look for polyps and could not find anything. The antibiotics seemed to work at the time, but now looking back I’m assuming it was because the they had cleared out most of the mucus, because the symptoms came back after about a week after stopping antibiotics. We are now looking at constant snoring sounds, occasionally gasping for air, sneezing and decreased appetite due to not being able to smell his food. The vet recommended us to someone that had the proper technology, which would be a scope and a ct scan to go in and look for any polyps, and remove them if found. This would cost me $1500-$3000 which I cannot afford since I am a college student 🙂 I went anyways to get their opinion and stupidly spent about $1000 on more testing, appetite stimulants, and more antibiotics that didn’t work. I am considering trying steroids to try and lessen the symptoms just so that he can have an easier time breathing if they worked, but I am afraid of the cost and especially the side effects, if it it doesn’t help that will be more wasted money. Recently, the nasal discharge has spread to the other nostril and he has more bloody mucus than ever before, and as of three days ago, a mucus-like mass has protruded from one nostril and has slowly turned black and bloody over these few days. I tried to remove it but it was very stuck and started bleeding, and I could tell the poor baby was in pain. It may be a polyp that has slowly moved out of his nose, so I will be calling a vet tomorrow to hopefully get it taken out.
I am looking for another opinion on what might be going on or of any similar stories. If anyone knows any good vets in the Tampa, Florida area I would be forever grateful. I am willing to take Koda anywhere in Florida if it means I can find help for less money or just more straightforward people who care about animals and not just the money! Koda is still a happy and loving cat but he has slowly become less playful, and I can tell he does not feel his best becsause of all of this. I am afraid of how much worse it can get. Thank you so much for any help in advance!

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thank you for saving this kitty. In some cases these guys are chronic upper respiratory kitties, or herpes, or a few other harder to treat things. I would talk about a nasal flush and long term lysine and even rotating antibiotics. See if there is a feline specialist near you. And be honest about your budget. See if they can help. I wish you the best of luck!

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Cathy | 5 years ago
My English Bulldog Puppy Was Spayed The 10th Of December. Can Benadryl Be Used Instead Of …

My English bulldog puppy was spayed the 10th of December. Can Benadryl be used instead of trazodone? The trazodone doesn’t have that much of an effect on my English bulldog puppy. She is currently taking 150 mg a day. But is still very anxious by not being able to play. She is a jumper and had tons of energy.. We have had a seroma diagnosed just the other day and were told to keep her confined for at least seven more days. It is next to impossible unless we sedate her. These pills are not doing that for her. Please help before my puppy loses her mind. I know Benadryl does help calm her. Could I use that instead of the trazadone?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    This is a question for your vet. I will add that I do r sedate puppies nor post op. I ask my clients to do low impact games and walks to keep them occupied and content. Or buy a few training books to spend time with them and keep them busy in a productive manner.

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Michaela Leftwich | 5 years ago
We Have A Lab Almost A Year Old. She Wont Eat Out Of Her Bowl. She …

We have a lab almost a year old. She wont eat out of her bowl. She will eat the dog food if we put it in our hand but she wont eat it out of her bowl. She will eat other treats and table food. She also seems very lethargic per her usual self. We have been watching to make sure she is still pooping but something just seems off. What should our next steps be? Should we try changing dog food? Could she be going into heat?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Bowl aversion is one thing but acting lethargic is a reason to see your vet. We always have to be worried that there is a medical condition going on and with that the vets should be seen.

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Christiana | 5 years ago
I Am So Lost In Caring For My Chihuahua/dachshund Mix. She Was Diagnosed With IVDD …

I am so lost in caring for my Chihuahua/dachshund mix. She was diagnosed with IVDD on Sunday December 15, 2019. Surgery was not an option financially so we opted for conservative treatment combined with acupuncture and the Assisi loop treatments. The one thing I can not get a definitive answer on if she needs to 24/7 cage rest of if letting her rest with us on the couch in the evenings okay. Some blogs says strict cage rest for 8 weeks and only out for potty time while many others suggest other treatment plans. I just want to know if I am hurting my fur baby by letting her rest on the couch with me or not. Since the start of her treatments she has gone from full paralysis in her hind legs and being in continent to being able to walk a little and has full control over her bladder/bowels in just a little over a week!

2 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning. Dr. Magnifico has a lot of videos posted on YouTube that may be helpful to you. She has a lot of experience with IVDD and has posted blogs about it as well. Don’t give up- especially since your pup is showing improvement. Best of luck to you guys!

  2. Krista Magnifico

    In my opinion it is 24/7 cage rest unless they are in your arms ( while you are awake) or outside going potty. No expeditions. Ever. Because one accidental anything can result in reinjury and loss of any healing you have gained. I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck.

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suerena schaefer | 5 years ago
My Dog Is13 1/2 Years Old. He Is A Dachshund/German Shepard Mix. More Dachshund. He Has 5 …

My dog is13 1/2 years old. He is a dachshund/German Shepard mix. More dachshund. He has 5 fatty tumors that have all been biopsied and are not cancerous. They do seem to continue to grow in size. Not substantially but still grow. He had to go In for emergency surgery 2 years ago from cutting his artery in one of his paws during a walk. He has been a little different since then. More afraid of things. Urinates in the house every so often. I don’t know if it is from the surgery or just his age. But my question is whether or not I should have his Tumors removed with his age and how he responded to his last surgery. He is in very good health except for one health issue one time. A year ago he fell down and couldn’t walk. Took him to the vet. They kept him over night. They said it was old dogs disease. It went away 2 days later and hasn’t returned. Other than that he is very healthy. Gets his vaccines, heart worm, tick and flea meds. So do I remove them at his age or leave them alone. I keep debating this in my head and can’t make the call. I want what is best for him. I just don’t want to chance issues with going under anesthesia.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

4 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Hi there ???? I think I would chat with the vet at his next checkup and see what their thoughts are. There is always a risk with surgery, but if the pros outweigh the cons, then the answer is obvious. At this stage though, if your vet feels they aren’t a threat and you feel that the dog’s quality of life isn’t effected, then those would be strong factors in determining what the next step would be. You and your vet know your guy best, so that would be where I would start my discussion. Best of luck!!!

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I agree with Sarah. This needs to be a decision that you make with the help and guidance of the surgeon. You can get as many opinions as you need but they need tone from someone who can examine your dog. Find a vet (or two or more, or even a boarded surgeon) and ask for advice. Very best of luck.

    1. suerena schaefer Post author

      I have consulted my vet and she told me it was my decision. The tumors are not in the way of his normal every day activity, Yet. I’m just afraid left unchecked they might become too large to handle. I just don’t know what the recommendations are for an almost 14 year old dog in regards to surgery. I know with every surgery there is a risk and I would assume his risk is greater than others due to his age. My gut tells me to remove them but will they just grow back? My heart tells me to leave them alone due to the fear of losing him under anesthesia. I’m absolutely torn.

      1. Sarah

        Just thinking more about your situation…. wondering if you could just have it with your vet to have more frequent visits to check the tumors and make sure they aren’t growing or changing? That might help give you some peace of mind should you opt out of surgery.

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Ben | 5 years ago
I Noticed A Raised Lump On My Staffordshire Bull Terrier Aged 8 On The 21st Of November …

I noticed a raised lump on my Staffordshire bull terrier aged 8 on the 21st of November on my dog head that ulcerated the next day. The ulcerated lump scabed over then got knocked off the following week. I have been to 2 different vets within that time and both feel it either a histiocytoma or a mast cell tumour with both vets leaning toward it being a histiocytoma but only a biopsy will make sure. I have a biopsy for Wednesday but my question is would it be worth doing is this lump too close to the eyes for good margins? I have done days of googling and I see 1cm is all that needed for good margins and 90% of other sites saying 2-3cm is needed. I would not put my dog through radio therapy so if good margins is not possible would it be worth doing a biopsy? Another thing is I know it low chance but I don’t want to risk Anesthesia with my dog being that 1 in 2000 dog to die from it. Anyone know if good margins is possible from looking at the picture of my dog?

1 Response

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  1. Sarah

    Hi there-
    Sorry you are going through so much stress with this situation. Unfortunately, it is always so hard to tell anything definite from A picture. I would have frank discussion with my vet and ask about all of my different treatment options from aggressive on down. They know you and your pet best, and can advise accordingly. Best of luck to you both.????????

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Mai | 5 years ago
Hello, I Have A 2.5 Year Old Desexed Female Cat And A 4-month-old Male Kitten. We Moved …

Hello, I have a 2.5 year old desexed female cat and a 4-month-old male kitten. We moved house 4 months ago, and adopted the new kitten about 3 months ago. In our previous house, we used to let the older cat out during the day to roam the neighborhood, although she never went too far.

Since we’ve moved, we only let her out once or twice a week as there are a lot of cats here and she gets into more fights and has gotten injured once. She seems very stressed out, wanting to go out constantly.

We have tried everything to ease her stress: playing with her a lot, brushing and cuddling her daily, giving her a mix of wet and dry good food (that she likes), putting up Feliway diffuser around the house, and she plays with the kitten daily.

However, she still exhibits signs of stress, ie hiding, minor crouching, hissing or growling from time to time to us or the kitten, sleeps more, meows more, generally less affectionate towards us.

Do we have to let her go outside daily like before, so she can be less stressed, or is there any other way to lessen her stress? It has been 4 months and I am worried it will become chronic stress for her.

3 Responses

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  1. Laura

    Have you taken her to the vet? Those are signs of stress, but they’re also signs of injury and illness.

  2. Laura

    OH, I forgot to mention – you could always build a catio for her to spend time outside, SAFELY, protected from the other cats. There are tons of videos and plans online for this. If she truly wants to be outside, this might be the best option for everyone.

    But get her to the vet, first, to make sure something isn’t actually wrong.

    1. Mai Post author

      Hi Laura, thank you so much for replying.

      We actually brought her to the vet a few months ago because of a fight bite she got from one of her outside trips. While the wound was not anything to worry too much about, we talked to the vet about letting her outside and expressed our worry (she’s gotten scratches before but it was the first time she got a bleeding bite wound), and the vet agreed that she should stay inside from then on.

      Aside from the wound she was overall fine, thus why I believe these are stress symptoms…

      As for the catio option, we are renting, and while we do have a garden, we share it with the landlord, so I don’t think it’s a viable option right now.

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Talia | 5 years ago
Hello! I Just Discovered This App Via A YouTube Video, As I Now Spend My Days …

Hello! I just discovered this app via a YouTube video, as I now spend my days googling things like “Cat breathing loudly” and “normal cat breathing”…!

Since perhaps June I’ve noticed with increasing regularity my cat, Clover, breathing very loudly, sometimes to the point of waking me up with the sound. In September this progressed and my husband noticed her breathing freakishly fast and we rushed to a vet.

However 5 vets, including a specialist, many xrays, and treatment for gum disease later, no one seems to know what it is, and I can’t take the wait and see method they are prescribing. She is playing and eating and otherwise normal, but her breathing does seem to bother and annoy her and at times she looks very despondent.

The history is that almost two years ago I made the most terrible judgement call of my life and she got out the window of a new apartment and fell 4 floors. She was unable to use her back legs for a few days during which they kept her under observation and she needed stitches in her soft palate. She has made an almost complete recovery.

The accident happened exactly a week after our other cat contracted an unknown disease and died suddenly and shockingly at aged 5. I still haven’t recovered from our other cat’s passing and both my husband and I comfortably acknowledge that Clover is the number one love in my life, and I will do everything to keep her alive and happy. However we have reached our pet insurance limit and I am so concerned about what will be next.

I have done all of the internet researching there is to be done, and I just know looking at her and hearing her stressful breathing that something is very wrong. I don’t know if it’s connected to the fall, but it isn’t bronchitis or asthma both of which treatments did less than nothing.

If anyone has any advice or had a cat with similar symptoms please let me know what you think?!

5 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    I am very sorry that even after all of your vet visits and research, you are still at a loss. Other than finding another specialist, my only thought is if there is a teaching veterinary hospital/school that would want to take on your case. Hoping that some other Pawbly friends may be able to share mor advice with you. Very best of luck to you…????????

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In many of these cases I have found that these cats have chronic rhinitis. A friend scan if about the best way to identify this, but, it isn’t usually able to be cured, only somewhat managed with long term use of anti inflammatories and adjunct treatment options like minimizing allergens and managing weight. I have also tried cerenia drips and steroids to some help. Or even an inhaler to see if it helps. Ideally I keep these cats in a clean ventilated moist environment and minimize allergens to include all household cleaners, litter and even their own pet dander. Finding a diagnosis is a challenge as it isn’t infection and if it isn’t it is harder to cure. Some cats just snore no matter what we do.

    1. Talia Post author

      Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. It it usual for it to come on relatively unprovoked? Or could it be connected to the fall? Also, as it is deteriorating so quickly now, what is the likely time she can live with it?
      The whistling is relatively constant now, with every day becoming more extreme.

      We have an air purifier running constantly, I have never used harsh cleaning chemicals ever and we are in a small apartment, so her exposure to irritants is as low as I can make them.

      She was on cerenia but it did nothing and nor did the steroids.

      Thank you so much again.

      1. Talia Post author

        Also anti inflammatories did nothing I should add!