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?

Hi, Please if there’s someone who knows a vet like this near York, PA who won’t charge an arm and a leg to remove a polyp from our cat’s throat! we have to pay $2,000 and wait forever just for an appointment! Please! She almost died a few times because she can’t breathe. Her name is Destiny and she’s a sweet and loving cat. Our vet misdiagnosed this as asthma. Tonight she’s having another hard time breathing. We can’t afford to keep taking her to the Emergency vet they charge a fortune and don’t help. Please let me know ASAP. My email is tshelleman@juno.com. Thanks in advance!

My vet thinks my cat has a nasopharyngeal polyp but he needs to go under anesthesia so he they can know for sure and get it out, but he was also listening to my cats heart and said he has a grade one mitral heart murmur and that he needs to have xrays and ultrasounds and such done to make sure his heart is ok before going into surgery because they said his heart could fail while under anesthesia and he could die. My dad said they we should just go ahead with the surgery without spending $550 extra dollars because he doesn’t think he has anything serious wrong his heart considering it was only a grade one heart murmur and my cat was already very nervous about the car ride and being at the vet and that could have caused his heart rate to be off a little. Would it be necessary to look into his heart further or just go ahead with the surgery considering it would only be a 20-60 minute surgery? Would a cat with any type of heart conditions die during surgery? What should I do next?

Hi,

Last April, my 16-year-old long haired cat, Geisha, began experiencing frequent sneezing and congestion. Her symptoms worsened gradually. Her nasal breathing sounded wheezy and her purring sounded like duck quacking. We took her to the vet who treated her with antibiotics (Amoxicillin) and anti-histamine (Chlorpheniramine). When her symptoms did not improve, the vet then gave her a different antibiotic (Convenia) and a steroid (Dexamethasone). When her symptoms still did not improve, we took her to a specialist. The specialist ruled out rhinitis because Geisha’s bloody nasal discharge only occurred from her right nostril and concluded that Geisha possibly had a polyp or nasal tumor. They recommended performing a CT scan, rhinoscopy, and biopsy. They prescribed Geisha a steroid (Prednisolone) while we thought over their recommendations. Within a day, Geisha’s symptoms began to dissipate and after a couple of days, all her symptoms disappeared and she was fully recovered.

Unfortunately, in January of this year, Geisha had another relapse of the same symptoms. We brought her to the vet on 1/9/2020, who after hearing her previous history, prescribed both Clavamox and Prednisolone. They also administered a blood test, the result of which we were told was unremarkable.

Geisha’s recovery last year came after she was put on 1 tablet of 5mg Prednisolone per day. Unfortunately, the same medication regimen this time did not improve her condition. After weeks on medication with no signs of improvement, on 3/6/2020, we brought Geisha to a specialist referred by the vet. There she was given another blood test, the results of which was once again deemed unremarkable. During the same visit, we were told that only a CT scan along with a biopsy would conclusively identify the root cause of her symptoms. We agreed to the CT scan on this basis alone.

After spending close to $2,500 on the scan, we were told that the CT scan did indicate a mass but that the nature and identity of the mass could not be determined. The specialist informed us that the biopsy results did not indicate that the mass was cancerous. However, he stated that it is his opinion that the mass was cancerous, without any supporting evidence and despite the contradictory biopsy results. It is his opinion that the biopsy results are incorrect due to poor sampling. His conclusion is that we should consider pursuing radiation treatment since that would be the only resolution. So, basically, after a $2,500 expense, the vet is just as clueless about the nature of Geisha’s issue as he was before.

Geisha was returned to us after the CT scan with Prednisolone medication. We were instructed to increase her dosage to 1.5 5mg Prednisolone per day. With this increased dosage, Geisha’s condition has improved. In the month that has passed, while her condition has improved, she is still mildly symptomatic and not fully recovered and thus is still on the same medication regimen.

Naturally, my wife and I are very disappointed that we still have an inconclusive diagnosis despite having been assured that the costly procedures would be justified by the precise root cause that they would deliver. We also don’t understand why we spent money for procedures such as the biopsy only for the vet to completely disregard the results and formulate his opinion purely on conjecture. This all seems to fly in the face of the scientific method that all science is based on.

I would love to get your opinion on what you think is the issue with Geisha and what you believe the best course of action for her is based on her past year of symptoms and treatment history and also taking her age into account.

Thank you so much for your time.

I have a 12 year old cat that is experiencing sneezing, nasal discharge followed with blood in one nostril as well as some wheezing. Took him to emergency room and he was given steroid injection and clavamox for two weeks in December. After the two weeks experienced same thing, they stated it could be nasal polyp. Regular vet gave Orbax which did nothing. After calling around because everyone wanted 2500 for a ct scan i found a vet that performed a rhinoscopy and he removed three polyps. One looked abnormal so he did a culture and biopsy. He put my cat on doxycycline. The cat is still having wheezing but breathing better. The meds do not seem to be working. So went back to vet and he gave my cat a steroid injection. The biopsy came back negative for cancer and the culture negative for respiratory viruses. He doesn’t know whats going on. He says either my cat has a immune issue with inflammation where he will prescribe some predisone pills or that the cat has a tumor deeper than his rhinoscopy can go. He is suggesting i put my cat down. My cat has been behaving more energetic since receiving the predisone injection days ago but the wheezing and stuffy nose wont go away. Any ideas, i don’t want to put down an otherwise healthy animal.?

Good afternoon!

I volunteer at a local rescue in their feline only facility. We received a young cat, named Cami, recently that is 9 months old. She has a right head tilt that started about 2 months ago (7 months of age) according to the person who had her since she was a kitten.
A local vet attempted an exam but did not have a scope small enough to look into her ear and the exam became very uncomfortable for Cami. The plan was to get a smaller scope, knock her out and do the exam. Unfortunately, they are unable to acquire the scope at this time. The suspicious is that this is a polyp.
Any ideas what this could be? We are currently wondering if this could be something treatable with medication (to try first) or should we pursue the polyp investigation. Since we are a rescue we are trying to balance the cost but still address Cami’s needs.
Cami shows no distress because of her condition. She does not scratch the ear or shake her head. And is awfully cute!
Thank you, in advance, for any help you can offer!

My cat has been diagnosed with an ear polyp. We were referred to a specialist with an estimated cost for removal at $1500-$2500. I saw a video with Dr. Magnifico about removal of certain ear polyps, and how the procedure can be done much less expensively than what we were quoted. How might we go about scheduling a consult for removal (and/or removal)?

Thanks, Eddie

My vet strongly suspects my cat has a nasal polyp. She has be snoring/snarling consistently for 2.5 years, but is otherwise fine. When it began, I first had a potential infection treated with two antibiotics, followed by a teeth cleaning, that yielded no issues with the teeth, and ended with a nasal flush. My vet was hoping to be able to see and grab the polyp during the flush, but couldn’t. Because she was otherwise healthy, eating, and playing, I went without treating it. Recently, she was treated for a G.I. flair up that had her not eating. She had begun not eating or moving get bowels for days. Once vomiting was added in, I took her to Metropolitan Emergency Vet. They gave her an ultrasound, saw the inflammation and gas in her abdomen, took a CBC, gave her fluids and nausea medication and sent her home a couple hours later for $800. Her bloodwork was was fine, aside from dehydration. She continued not to eat, so I brought her to my vet a day and a half later. They did an x-ray and saw the lower intestine looked aggravated. They kept her for the weekend and gave her fluids and more nausea medication. She returned to me after two days and began eating again at home. I’m awaiting the additional $600 bill for that. While being discharged, one of the docs urged me to address what she felt strongly was likely a polyp in her nasal cavity, as she believed it may now be large enough that it’s limiting her ability to smell, which may have contributed to the refusal to eat with the G.I. issue coexisting for a few days. She referred me to the specialty docs locally to have the nasal polyp removed. They are quoting me $3,195 plus. They said it would be $195 for a internal med consult, $1,500 for a “necessary” CT, and $1,500 or more for the Rhinoscopy. My vet said Lilah is otherwise a healthy 12 year old cat. I am sick with the cost, as I will need to put it all on a credit card. I have called around to multiple other specialty vets and I’m getting comparable quotes. I have had family members suggest I euthanize my cat over a nasal polyp, which I absolutely will not do. I stumbled across a Utube video of you removing a nasal polyp, so I tracked you down by name, wondering if you could help Lilah? I’m two hours from your practice, which is close enough. I’d really appreciate you getting back to me. As of now, we have a consult scheduled for 3/4, and I’m sick over the cost.

Thank you,
Diana Maginn

I have a question directly for Dr. Magnifico. I reached out through Jarrettsville Vet, and they directed me to Pawbly to reach Dr. Magnifico more directly:

I am reaching out after watching your YouTube videos on nasopharyngeal polyp removal. My cat Fitzgerald has all of the symptoms of this (and has for multiple years). A couple of years ago, he had a full-mouth tooth extraction due to stomatitis at University of Georgia. (I live in Atlanta.) They suspected his wheezing, occasional sneezing, snoring, and other symptoms could be due to a polyp, but, as a vet school, they refuse to check without putting him under and doing $3500 in scans. They would then have him come back in to be put under again, taken to the pet hospital, and then would extract the polyp as a costly surgery. They are not alone in the high costs of treatment in the Atlanta area.

I have seen your expertise and candidness regarding this simple diagnosis, actual procedure, and the lower cost and would like to bring my cat to your clinic. Fitzgerald has been on longer car rides in the past, so I’m sure it would be okay. I am a graduate student living on a small stipend in the city. $3500+ is not possible for me, which is why I am willing to drive 10 hours. It’s the only way I can afford to take care of Fitz’s polyp.

Please let me know how I may proceed with scheduling this. I am eager to do so as early as this month. I appreciate your time.

Best,
Christy Kinney
(and Fitzgerald)

7 MONTHS LATER MY CAT IS SLOWLY CHOKING TO DEATH !
I posted this 7 months ago : My rescue cat of 5 years is showing all the symptoms of Nasopharyngeal Polyp. He is my everything!
OH please I am begging for help here ! I am disabled and he is the center of world . I am on the south west coast of Washington State, my rescue cat Kiki presents with all these symptoms ( I come from a family of RN and Bachelor in Nursing ) I have called vest around here and ALL of them say they do not do this surgery because they dont have the scope, or they will not even discuss possible price or treatment without me coming in and the vet seeing them. They say they will diagnose and refer me to a specialty clinic not far away . The specialty clinic gave me a quote of $3,500-$5,000 !! If this is even what is wrong with him . I am devastated that no one will even discuss this with me without paying for a vet visit. It looks like i could spend hundreds in visits before i can find someone who is even willing to think about this surgery without referral to the very expensive specialty place . PLEASE HELP I CANNOT AFFORD THAT MUCH !! Meanwhile my poor sweet Kiki is slowly getting worse. I dont know what to do anymore !!!!!!!!

UPDATE : PLEASE PLEASE I AM ONCE AGAIN BEGGING FOR HELP !! My cat displays all the symptoms of this I do not have a lot of money . i can come up with a few hundred dollars but no where does this surgery without a scope or it being a specialist . I keep being quoted THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to have it removed ! I have called and called and called vets around here and either they dont know what I am talking about or they will only refer me to a very very expensive specialist ! I asked for help months ago and finally chatted with you and all you told me was keep calling vets in my area and asking . I have over and over , I am watching my cat slowly choke to death more and more each day ! this is a nightmare ! I dont have $3,500-$5,000 that they are telling me it will cost ! Why can you do this for so little and no one else can ? PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU !!! ANYONE PLEASEEEEEEEEE HELP !!!!!! He is choking to death !