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Hi! I have a question about my cat who will be 4 at the end of this month. Sometimes when he stretches, I notice that his rear end (particularly his anus) looks like it is protruding. I thought he had a hemorrhoid but then he stood up and walked like normal and it went “away”. I have another cat and I never noticed this on him. It’s not red, it just looks puffy sometimes. He is eating, drinking and playing like normal. I just want to make sure he is okay and he is not in pain or anything or if this warrants a vet visit. I tend to worry about my boys a lot because I love them so much but I don’t want to be “missing” something. Thank you so much!
We have a beautiful beagle boy who is around 10, he has gained weight as he had gotten older and is currently on a diet. He has IVDD in his neck. He is still able to move on his own and has no issues with the bathroom however has spasms of pain during which he is very painful. Currently he is on pain killers, steroids and is taking joint supplements and is crated. The vet has also recommended getting an arthritis shot per week however the weekly trip to the vet seems to aggravate him and whenever we get home he has another spasm. We are trying to manage him conservatively for now and I am wondering if we should persevere with his diet while he is recovering and if we should stop taking him to the vet weekly until he is a bit better as these trips seem to set him back. Thank you!
Hello,
I have a ton of information on my blog and YouTube channel on this. I would ask about a muscle relaxant like robaxin and feed a watered down wet food for weight loss to help keep the feces soft and easy to pass. I also talk about adding a laxative if needed.
I have a 3 year old rottweiler with an ear infection (it is a reoccurring problem). He has a vet appt Monday. The ear is oozing and he is in pain.
He is very aggressive when I take him in with ear issues so I have to give him Gabapentin and Trazadone to calm him down.
Can I give him either of those for pain now? He weighs 110 lbs.
I have 3 100 mg gabapentin pills which is his normal does
I have 2 trazadone (he normally takes 1 1/2)
but he’s only taken them before appts.
Thank you for any guidance.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I’m also sorry but we cannot prescribe or comment on prescriptions as we do not know your dog. If your vet prescribed then they are the people to ask. I can tell you that trazadone is usually used for fear anxiety and sedation. It is not for pain. Gabapentin is used as an analgesic and sedation. I hope this helps. Please also ask your vet about medication for long term help with the ears. I usually try an anti allergy medication and some of the se are very effective for long term management. It has helped many of my patients.
On Monday my cat slid off our grill, and his back paw got caught in between the handle and grill cover. He was hanging by the leg, the back paw bent over, unable to get free. (He’s 15 pounds). Went to local vet. X-rays taken. Told nothing broken. I called the next day, since he wouldn’t walk on it. Was told they didn’t get good X-ray of foot, so I brought him back in. Was told 1 bone broken, no need to cast. Was sent the X-ray. Appears to have 2, maybe 3 breaks. Not sure if this can heal without casting. Don’t feel comfortable just giving him pain meds for 2 weeks, and then find out it didn’t heal correctly. Already spent $350. Does he need a second opinion, or casting?
Hoping someone might offer a response to my question
Hi-
I’m sorry no one got back to you sooner! I would get a second opinion. It sounds like you are wary of what the first vet office told you…. I would bring the xrays with me, but they will probably want to take more, so be prepared for that expense. I hope everything works out!
I am the owner of a 2 year old English Bulldog. Last year his urethra prolapsed and he received a purse string suture and was neutered at the pet ER in Bel Air. The issue resolved itself and he had been doing well until this last week when the urethra prolapsed again. We took him through the Towson pet ER so he could see a surgical specialist. They evaluated him and suggested surgery. After surgery they sent him home to recover and stressed the importance of him staying calm. We stayed by his side, even staying home from work, to ensure that he didn’t do anything to distrupt the healing. We kept him in a play pen and carried him up and down the stairs to potty. Two days after the surgery (and lots of bloody laundry later) we noticed that he was extremely uncomfortable even while on the pain and sedative meds. We also noticed the protrusion of his urethra tissue. We took him back to the surgeon and they confirmed that the urethra has prolapsed and they have recommended that the surgery be performed for a second time (tomorrow). We have ruled out the obvious contributing factors that may cause pressure such as stones, uti, etc. Any thoughts for treatment options moving forward? Are we missing anything? I just want our little guy to start feeling well again! Thank you.
Amber
Hello.
These are really frustrating cases. I’m so sorry about your experience and I empathize completely. I guess my first concern is that we don’t often know why this happens. My second concern is that you are going to repeat the same surgery and it should be assumed the failure has a pretty fair chance of happening again. My preference as the surgeon for cases like these (and they happen to all of us) is to both offer a redo (although I will admit I rarely charge or I charge a nominal redo fee) is to also offer a different surgeon to try over. My concern is that failing twice is an awful big expenditure and a tough explanation as to why I didn’t see that coming. My personal preference is to refer these difficult refractory cases to the vet teaching hospitals. They have faster easier and better access to more minds and more diverse experience. You just can’t get that at a private facility. I use UPenn or va tech vet schools. They are often cheaper and give a broader access to options and experience. I hope this helps. Please let me know what happens. I would love to hear a follow up and I would love to hear about your previous surgery and experience. Especially to add this to our storylines page. It is such a unique case. Very best of luck. Krista.
Thank you so much for your reply and suggestions. We will move forward with the second attempt to repair the prolapse despite the low success rate and cost associated. If it is unsuccessful we will need to get another opinion. I hadn’t thought to consult with a vet school and I think that is great advice. I will certainly keep you posted along the way.
I want to second Dr. M’s recommendation of a vet school. UPenn is phenomenal – we drove up from Timonium. They couldn’t help my puppy but they literally threw everything they could at him to diagnose his issue, and it was more than the local vets could do.
I have a 8 week old kitten with possible spine fracture I have the x rays but my vet said they”couldn’t tell” they said he needs a mri and surgery but that something I just can’t do. He is pooping just fine but he is unable to pee it’s been 24 hours and he isn’t responding to pain in his back legs when I pinch them. He is on pain meds. Any advise will be greatly appreciated! Please help me decide what I should do!
Hello,
Kittens this age will surprise you every time. I would cage rest and keep doing physical therapy for at least 3 weeks. I would also feed watered down wet food and learn how to palpate his abdomen so you can help him urinate and defecate if needed. Kittens will surprise you. I have had so many success stories simply because I didn’t give up on them. Best of luck.
Hi last Saturday Sept 14 my dog maltipoo 5 years old woke up in pain and was hunching back. Took her to the Vet, they did x rays and bloodwork that came out fine but vet said probably she had bulging disk. I guess they dx: IVDD ( I didn’t really know then) They told me to not have her jump and sent home with gabapetin, rimadyl methocarbamol for 14 days. She seem back to her old self but on Wed she let out a yelp and her back leg gave out. I called they said to resume all meds again. As I was only doing Rimadyl in Tuesday. She seemed to walk again but back leg still weak. Brought her to the vet again today and this doctor said Daizie has decline in on left left no neurological respond when bended. The right leg has slow response. They tell me to now have her limited in movement. So I got her a dog pen as she never like to be in a crate. The vet is referring for MRI/ct scan and surgery. I asked about conservative care and she did rx supplement but said at this point no guarantee. I did purchase phycox max vet recommended. Vet makes it seem like only option is to proceed with surgery. Which MRI alone is costly. Can I still do conservative care and if so what recommendations.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. No one online can diagnose or prescribe a treatment plan for your dog. If you are asking if you “can” well, sure. You can do whichever plan you chose for your dog. Is it going to be as effective as surgery? No one really knows. We think that surgery offers a faster recovery and a better long term prognosis overall. But which is best for you is a decision to be made after a long talk with a vet you trust. In almost all cases my clients choose conservative care because they simply can not afford the mri and surgery. I also strongly (strongly!!) recommend strict cage rest for 8 weeks. If your pup isn’t on your lap or outside going potty they are in a cage. Period. No excuses or exceptions. I say this so the scenario that your describe is less likely to happen. I hope this helps. I have tons of info on my blog and YouTube channel. Also the book below is super helpful.
I wish the vet would have been that specific with me, even when I call her on Monday that she was doing better she okay to stop meds, wish she would have tell me to stay the course and keep her in strict confinement. I will do that now, the hope is she able to walk and is not in pain. I found you through YouTube. I didn’t see the book…. Also Do you know if there is any vet like you in Houston area?
My niece had Her dog neutered. Is it normal for them not to give out pain meds for that?
Hello,
I prescribe them. But not everyone does. This is something to discuss with your vet. Preferably in advance of the neuter.
I should also add that I give an injectable NSAID to each patient in the morning before their surgery. It lasts 24 hours. Not all pets are painful longer than this. I have found. Cats especially bounce back very quickly.
I have 3 kitty babies, my 18 month old boy however has been having UTI issues. Over the past number of weeks he has been to clinics/ emergency room 5 times.
Trip 1: manual bladder release, sent home with prazosin and gabapentin
Trip2 & 3: blocked, unable to pass catheter at clinic, went directly to emergency room, able to pass a catheter, 2 mucus plugs, full stream, sent home with buprenorphine, clavamox, prednisone and continue prazosin.
Trip 4: pain urinating, only dribbles, first day of no more buprenorphine, went to clinic, full stream, sent home with 10 days of buprenorphine.
Trip 5: hurricane Dorian passed, major stress, stopped urinating, lots of pain. Blocked, extracted urine via needle. Sent home with amitriptyline, acepromazine, prazosin, vernia (her vomited at clinic), and dasuquin.
Yesterday I was paying in change for his bladder to be emptied via a needle. He passed a mucus plug at around 11pm with a few dribbles of urine but has not urinated since. He’s been eating and drinking and is on amitriptyline and acetaminophen. He very much needs surgery right away but I don’t start work again until tomorrow morning (I’ve been on disability for almost 6 months).
I lost our home and currently live on the boat. All of my savings, retirement and even my HSA are completely depleted.
I have spent hours every day contacting and re-contacting national and local places/ entities that could or might help him. I would even let him go to someone or a place that would help him if that gave him his best chance at life. He has a really great chance, but I don’t have the money right now.
Please, I don’t even have enough to euthanize him after yesterday, he needs help. Please help him. In any way you can think of. I just want goin to live.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/scooter-baby
Hello,
Wow that’s a dreadfully dismal story. Where are you? Are you the person in Connecticut? If you can get him to me I will treat him and help him find a home if you are willing to surrender him. I say this because I have no idea what it will take to treat him and I couldn’t even begin to estimate the cost of his care. Maybe we can work something out? I’ll try if you will.
If you cannot get him to me in northern maryland then call everybody and every rescue to see if something can be done for him. Offer them just what you did here. Start a social media campaign. Call and keep calling. He needs to be seen ASAP. I also think he needs an iv and urinary catheter. To start. Sending well wishes and hugs.
I am the person from Connecticut. I can’t find help for him anywhere around here into new York York up to Boston.
Update: he piddled last night 3 times around 7-8pm but now this morning tried to urinate and couldn’t, very loud painful meowing.
I have a friend who is willing to bring him to you to be treated but I can’t leave my first day of work yet until 4pm (government work) to meet him at the NY border.
If rehoming him is the only option I would do it if it saves his life, I would really love to keep him if possible and I would be happy to make payments, I haven’t been able to find any place willing to take payments has been my biggest hurdle. Anything as long as it means the wellbeing of my baby kitty!
How can we make this work? Time to bring him in? Money? Do you have my phone number?
Hi all, I have a six year old Jack Russell mix presented with neck pain about 5 weeks ago. The vet did xrays and saw calcifications in the c2-c3 area. I can’t afford to go the neurologist, so my vet is treating him with prednisone, tramadol, diazepam, methocarbamal, and gabapentin. He had a few days last week without his “episodes” as I call them after we upped his diazepam. Also last week we lowered his prednisone. I have had to hand feed him soft food because crunchy causes an episode, and him eating from a bowl causes an episode. These “episodes” are him screaming in pain, his neck thickens up, his back arches, it is so gut wrenching to see my baby go through this. Well after 5 days of no events, he had an episode yesterday and he hurt all day. It seemed to be worse than when it all started. Today is awful also. He is taking his meds but cries when he does. I have him on crate rest. I even put a note on the door asking people not to knock or ring the doorbell as barking also causes problems. I guess my question is with all these meds and rest, should we further along than where we are? I will call my vet in the morning for his opinion, but I was curious as to how others have handled this timeline.
Hello,
These cases are really hard to fit a normal. Everyone is different and each has its own twists and turns. Also I get concerned when we don’t have a firm diagnosis. Has your vet done xrays and bloodwork? If so I think it’s best to ask for a recheck ASAP and go over your pets medications and plan. It might need a little tweaking based on the pain your dog is having now. Also please inquire about cage rest. It sounds like you are on a good pain regimen but rest and sedation might be needed now. I hope this helps.
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, the doc did bloodwork and xrays. That’s what concerns me. We have tweaked meds several times now. We started with 10mg prednisone, upped to 20mg, now back down to 10mg since my boy is only 28 pounds when we started. We are at 100mg tramadol, 1000mg methocarbamol, 25mg diazepam, and 300mg gabapentin. Is that a lot for his weight or is there still room to change it up?
Hello,
The colon is the very last part of the gi tract. It is held inside the abdomen by two sphincter muscles. When you stretch these circular muscles can relax and the colon can protrude a little outside of the anus. This would be my best guess at what is going on. But to be sure you can take a video of it to your bet and have them do a rectal exam to make sure it isn’t anything else. Some cats can get a rectal prolapse and this should be ruled out before dismissing this as “normal”. I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.