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YourCreation posted:Did they find any pain on examination? I'm not sure radiographs are enough to diagnose IVDD, you would need an MRI to be definitive. Those changes to his vertrebrae may be related or may not be, hard to tell. Corgi's do get degenerative myelopathy so if he's getting worst then get him re-checked. So that's interesting, because the vet was pretty convinced it was IVDD. She suspected it on initial examination, and then said the x-ray confirmed it. We'll double check with our normal vet when we follow-up, of course. The first thing they did was a physical examination and she did point out that he had pain in the region where the x-ray eventually showed the vertebrae were close. No clue how, since from my view she was just poking and prodding and he didn't appear to really react much to what she was doing, but this was prior to the x-ray so it doesn't seem like it was a case of her seeing the x-ray then assuming there's pain there or something. When we got him, he was supposedly genetically clear of DM via testing on his parents. Obviously this is not guaranteed, but just wanted to mention it. YourCreation posted:Otherwise, if he's mobile following rest and NSAID's then just crack on and try to avoid any major acrobatics or trauma. Obviously we'll check with our vet, but what's typical here for what he can/cannot do assuming he's acting normal at the end of his rest/meds? Are stairs OK? Running/fetch? I assume stuff like jumping on/off things like couches/beds would be a no-no.
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Jan 10, 2023 13:29
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DaveSauce posted:So that's interesting, because the vet was pretty convinced it was IVDD. She suspected it on initial examination, and then said the x-ray confirmed it. We'll double check with our normal vet when we follow-up, of course. Avoiding stairs is ideal, especially during flare-ups, but if they're a fact of life, so be it, just try to minimize the frequency and try to keep him from zooming up and down them. Definitely avoid jumping up and down furniture. Exercise is a mixed bag, and basically boils down to finding the balance between enough exercise to strengthen the muscles without overdoing it. There are exercises meant to strengthen the muscles supporting the spine that might be worth looking into, and if his condition is bad enough to warrant it, there are physical therapists for dogs. Hopefully you'll find though that his flareup clears quickly, and that they don't occur often.
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Jan 12, 2023 01:21
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My German Shepherd Dog has developed a bump on her snout. It seemed to start a couple days after a trip to the vet where she had blood drawn and the yearly vaccines. It grew pretty quick and doesn't seem to be sensitive to pain and she doesn't itch at it. I haven't done anything to it other than monitor its size. Today I noticed some dried blood near it and little white spots on it. I'm probably going to take her back to the vet anyways, but wanted to know if any of y'all had seen something similar and if it warranted a more immediate intervention.   Current thought is that she bumbled into some kind of thorny plant and a barb got stuck in her skin and created a cyst. The vet mentioned keeping an eye out for swelling after the vaccines but I don't think this is what they meant. Any thoughts/advice welcome. I have the usual human first aid stuff like Neosporin that I've heard is okay for dogs. I also have some kind of spray that helps cover and disinfect wounds that's specifically for dogs.
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Jan 15, 2023 21:56
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My cat is 19 and it's been a joke for years about how social and active she is despite her age. Since October or so she's slowed down a lot, and just in the last three or four weeks she's completely lost her vision. She hasn't been able to get inside the litter box without being carried for about a week now, and can't see to jump up or down places. She doesn't seem to be in pain but is also stationary for 23.5 hours a day now, and is living a radically different life from just last fall. I don't know when or how to consider euthanasia. In the same timeframe my living situation has become unstable, so I also don't know if my personal circumstances are influencing this eventual decision, which makes me feel deeply selfish. It is incredibly difficult to process all this; she's been my best friend since I was a teenager. I don't know what to do.
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Jan 27, 2023 19:58
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She had a massive seizure in my arms. Asked and answered.
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Jan 27, 2023 21:00
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i say swears online posted:She had a massive seizure in my arms. Asked and answered. That's how my boy went too, more or less. Spent his last few nights snuggling in bed (which he'd never done before), then one morning, he waited for me to wake up, then went. I'm so sorry. It sounds like she had a truly wonderful life.
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Jan 28, 2023 00:03
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I have a 19 year old cat too and totally understand the inital question since mine has been less active too. All my sympathies to you.
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Jan 28, 2023 00:51
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It's done. I'm so sad. I miss my friend. She was the last close relationship connecting me to my childhood.
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Jan 28, 2023 02:10
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Anyone ever have success crushing and capping their own pet’s pills? Jet’s scrip involves 1/4 of one tablet and 1/2 of another, and one of them is extremely bitter. I’ve had success just stuffing both pieces into a capsule, but it’s annoying and time consuming. I was thinking of simplifying it and just getting one of those batch capsule fillers and doing two-three months worth at a time. I have a pill crusher, but I don’t have a pharmaceutical degree, so I have no idea what math I’d need to do to get the capsules sized and filled properly.
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Feb 2, 2023 23:47
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The vet thinks my young cat might have ringworm. Or rather, she has a weird couple of dark freckles on the back of her ear, a bit of hair loss and sort of a scabby rough patch. She's had it for about two weeks. The test came back negative but they said it could be a false negative and said I should get some miconazole cream and apply it for 30 days just in case. I am very worried because everything is telling me to disinfect everything, wash the bedding every day for 30 days (although the vet only mentioned the cream and no oral medication or baths or dips or anything) and, honestly, my building's washer/dryer is like $7 a load and I can't afford that. That bald patch is from the ringworm test. The thing is, I know for a fact she was clean when she arrived from the breeder (and the breeder also doesn't think it's ringworm) and since then, hasn't encountered any other animals. I'm very careful about hand-washing when I get in from outside. I feel like there's nowhere she could have gotten it. Plus, she tends to crawl all over my neck and face and I haven't had any sign of a rash and I'm immunocompromised, so things show up pretty quickly. HellOnEarth fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Feb 4, 2023 |
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Feb 4, 2023 03:42
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Pollyanna posted:Anyone ever have success crushing and capping their own pet’s pills? Jet’s scrip involves 1/4 of one tablet and 1/2 of another, and one of them is extremely bitter. I’ve had success just stuffing both pieces into a capsule, but it’s annoying and time consuming. I was thinking of simplifying it and just getting one of those batch capsule fillers and doing two-three months worth at a time. I have a pill crusher, but I don’t have a pharmaceutical degree, so I have no idea what math I’d need to do to get the capsules sized and filled properly. Figured that between the math and effort involved, and the fact that batch pill fillers are now very controlled in the US and I can’t find any for my cat’s size, I’m gonna continue filling them by hand with pill pieces.
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Feb 6, 2023 19:09
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Pollyanna posted:Anyone ever have success crushing and capping their own pet’s pills? Jet’s scrip involves 1/4 of one tablet and 1/2 of another, and one of them is extremely bitter. I’ve had success just stuffing both pieces into a capsule, but it’s annoying and time consuming. I was thinking of simplifying it and just getting one of those batch capsule fillers and doing two-three months worth at a time. I have a pill crusher, but I don’t have a pharmaceutical degree, so I have no idea what math I’d need to do to get the capsules sized and filled properly. Do you have a compounding pharmacy local to you? They may be willing to help you with a solution to this that you don't have to DIY. (They may also have other options that are more cat-friendly; some friends of ours have their cat's drugs compounded as a topical cream they can rub into her ears to get into her bloodstream, which is much easier than pilling her.)
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Feb 6, 2023 23:39
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Antivehicular posted:Do you have a compounding pharmacy local to you? They may be willing to help you with a solution to this that you don't have to DIY. (They may also have other options that are more cat-friendly; some friends of ours have their cat's drugs compounded as a topical cream they can rub into her ears to get into her bloodstream, which is much easier than pilling her.) My vet will send prescriptions to a compounding pharmacy, I got the option of seafood or chicken flavor.
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Feb 7, 2023 14:39
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I’ve been getting them from Chewy, but if the compounding pharmacy can encapsulate them for me then sure, why not. I already get liquid pimo from them.
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Feb 8, 2023 20:40
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Is there a way to tell if my female cat is pregnant in the earlier stages? She was in heat the end of December and I do have male cats (they're all strays) but here at the start of February she still looks and eels as thin as ever to me. I dunno if she should be showing yet. I can't see worth poo poo is kind of the problem. I'm also running low on money and the earliest I could get here to a cheap spay/neuter clinic is start of March, before I get paid. I thus re-scheduled for April but if she is pregnant, that is going to be way too late. And a simple pregnancy test at the local vet is $78. Goddamn. Kinda frazzled because I just don't know what to do.
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Feb 8, 2023 23:07
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She can be spayed even if she's pregnant. It means fewer kittens in need of a new home so I am always for this.
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Feb 9, 2023 06:43
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Yeah we would do spays on shelter cats who were pregnant. Helps save the would-be-momma the trouble and possible problems and keeps the strays and shelters situation from being that much worse.
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Feb 17, 2023 18:02
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I'm feeling pretty horrible today. We ran out of digestive enzymes which have been helping my elderly cat keep his food down. The usual chemist/pharmacy also seems to have none in stock. The other pharmacy in town doesn't have any in stock either (and doesn't open until Monday anyway). The supermarket doesn't have any in stock, only available online. I bought some online but after they took my money, I find shipping won't get here UNTIL MARCH. I feel like I've let my little buddy down, he is going to starve to death and coat my house in puke while he does it. But also it probably wasn't unreasonable for me to expect to be able to easily get my hands on more of the stuff. I'm considering mixing pineapple juice in with his food, or meat tenderiser (too much salt probably). I really don't know what else to do. He's already eating royal canin recovery which I'm assuming is about as easy to digest as possible for prepared food, is there anything else that is easily digestible (like egg?) that I could try to supplement with? He hasn't been specifically diagnosed with anything on the digestive front, just some bloodwork picked up that his pancreas probably isn't working very well, the enzymes really helped, and the vet (quite rightly in my opinion) hasn't really been interested in further invasive investigation since he has a big inoperable fibrosarcoma and is 19 years old so what is the point of putting him through anything further. I just want him to be as comfortable as possible until the end, which until now has included being able to eat without vomiting.
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Feb 18, 2023 11:37
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What product does he need?
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Feb 18, 2023 18:12
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Nourex brand digestive enzymes OR NutraLyfe brand seems exactly equivalent. I've been using those because they cover protease, lipase, amylase, and have extra plant based enzymes as well which are probably less useful for a cat. I'm in regional Australia so there isn't much variety or choice.
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Feb 18, 2023 18:20
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My 15-YO DSH street cat went to the vet's for her annual flare-up of the chronic nasal viral infection she was born with. Typically, they giver her an antibiotic shot and I follow with 10-days of Z-pack, and she's good for another year (or three). Vet noticed she has lost a pound or so (normally 8.5lbs, now down to 7). They tested and I got a VM from the vet: She found she has a thyroid issue that can be treated with iodine or a lifetime of 2x/day meds. I am inclined to go with the iodine. Has anyone had any experience with this radiation treatment? It sounds like the least-invasive way to clear it up for her. Hear its expensive but not sure how much - I'll talk to the vet when she's back Tuesday & has to refer me elsewhere as they don't do that therapy. Sounds to be between $1500-$3000.
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Mar 11, 2023 20:58
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PainterofCrap posted:My 15-YO DSH street cat went to the vet's for her annual flare-up of the chronic nasal viral infection she was born with. Typically, they giver her an antibiotic shot and I follow with 10-days of Z-pack, and she's good for another year (or three). If the price ends up being restrictive, methimazole can be compounded into a transdermal gel which makes medicating pretty easy, assuming your cat doesn't take to pills well.
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Mar 12, 2023 02:31
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I’ve got two thyroid boys now, both around 16 years old. They are on carbimazole which metabolises into methimazole, which means it’s a lot less nasty to handle. One is on 5mg carbimazole x2 and the other only gets 5mg a day split into 2, we tried him on 1.5 tablets but a blood test showed that was too much. We give them a lick of cheese spread, then give the tablet with a pill applicator and then another lick of cheese spread once the pill is swallowed. This method has resulted in both cats lining up and begging for their pills each morning although the evening pill they are slightly less excited. We weren’t given the option for radiation therapy but I believe this is because there is no local facility and the associated cost, not because it is a bad option. The vet used the gel for his own cat that didn’t tolerate taking tablets but he didn’t seem to be a big fan of that and recommended it only as a last resort. Both cats have regained weight, one has become more confident and friendly, the other one had diarrhea which has cleared up as soon as his thyroid levels were corrected. The process involved getting a blood test after being on the initial dosage, then adjusting dosage as necessary and another blood test to confirm correct results, these blood tests weren’t cheap but the tablets themselves are very inexpensive for a pack of 100.
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Mar 12, 2023 04:26
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I should post an update on my digestive enzyme cat too - i tried pineapple juice in his food and that seemed to work to help him keep it down, and my partner knew of another chemist in town and found some digestive enzymes there so in the end it wasn’t so bad and there were only a couple of spews to clean up. And now I have a decent supply of enzymes and shouldn’t run out again.
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Mar 12, 2023 04:31
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PainterofCrap posted:My 15-YO DSH street cat went to the vet's for her annual flare-up of the chronic nasal viral infection she was born with. Typically, they giver her an antibiotic shot and I follow with 10-days of Z-pack, and she's good for another year (or three). Over the life span of a cat, the I-131 usually works out cheaper. If you factor in routine blood tests, re-check exam fees, and medications costs, plus the quality of life from not giving daily medication, it's a great option for most.
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Mar 12, 2023 16:00
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Thank you all for your input. I intend to get the iodine treatment. I'm near Philadelphia so I am sure it's available, just may have to wait a bit as there are only a limited number of therapies done per week to avoid dosing the dosers. Mehitabel on the day I picked her up out of the street in July 2008:  And last week, keeping our bag of pretzels warm:  Note that she entirely ignores the pan of bacon because she is a queen. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Mar 12, 2023 |
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Mar 12, 2023 18:23
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I think there was/is also a worldwide shortage of I-131 so there may be a wait
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Mar 17, 2023 12:07
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Part of it is that the clinics that can do this have to space them out to avoid dosing their techs. She’s going in to a clinic in April for the initial consult & the actual therapy should follow within 3-4 weeks. Of the four clinics contacted, this was the most reasonable in cost and soonest available. Penn was over $4500 plus outside prep/testing. Two others were $2800+ with earliest availability being September. This place, Blue Pearl in Levittown, PA is $1500 +prep tests & imaging that (hopefully) my vet can do/provide
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Mar 17, 2023 16:57
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not entirely sure if this is the right thread, but everything else in the first few pages seemed less appropriate. my spouse found a baby squirrel on a sidewalk:  it's breathing and drinking milk so my basic understanding says it's alive. I'm going to contact a small mammal rehabilitator in the area, but any tips until then? edit: found a rehabber Gambit from the X-Men fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Mar 24, 2023 |
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Mar 23, 2023 19:17
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My 2 yo cat Mars had been acting a bit weird (sluggish, not begging to go outside, very quiet despite being a chatterbox ginger) and having runny poops, sometimes outside the box. His sister Eartha has seemed fine. Husband took a close look at Mars's butt today and yuck, he's got the telltale signs of a tapeworm (don't read if eating: looks like bits of rice or sesame seeds stuck to his butthole). It being a holiday weekend, I ran up to Petco to get some OTC dewormer, since I don't know when we'll get into a vet. Should I dose Eartha as well as Mars? She's eating fine, playing/meowing normally, and doesn't seem affected in any way, except maybe a bit down cuz her bro is sleeping in weird spots like the linen closet instead of snuggling with her on their cat tree like usual.  The med is praziquantel, 23 mg. I just don't want to drug Eartha if she's okay, especially without the advice of a vet. Pamphlet inside the box ain't giving me any advice.
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Apr 9, 2023 02:39
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As long as you dose properly, giving prazi presumptively isn't harmful, and is probably a good idea in this case. I'd also get them both on a good flea prevention.
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Apr 9, 2023 04:11
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I need a reality check from someone well versed in heart disease and its medication. My cat has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and was also diagnosed with heart disease around August of last year, and he was put on clopidogrel, furosemide, and pimobendan (liquid/oil form for the latter). Since then, he seemed to recover a bit, but has recently started vomiting and getting diarrhea/extremely loose stool again. I scheduled a vet visit for Thursday, but in the meantime, I did some research. It looks like all three of clopidogrel, furosemide, and pimobendan can cause diarrhea and vomiting. Is it possible that the medicines he’s been prescribed are making his GI issues worse? If so, what should I do? Does that mean the medicines should be stopped? Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Apr 25, 2023 |
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Apr 25, 2023 18:52
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Has your cat ever been in heart failure, or were the medications started after a heart scan?
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Apr 28, 2023 15:30
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The medications were started after a pre-operative ultrasound during a gut biopsy (for identifying either IBD or small cell lymphoma) revealed that his HCM had progressed and that there was some fluid around his heart. So the procedure was canceled, priority was given to treating the heart disease, and we got heart meds instead of gut meds. The hope was that the diarrhea, vomiting, and leaky gut were a symptom of poor perfusion in his intestines and that treating the heart disease would resolve the GI issues. But that hasn’t happened, and seems to have instead progressed independently of the heart disease. He went to the vet yesterday and was prescribed weekly B12 shots, an antiemetic, and a hypoallergenic diet (we’re trying Royal Canin Rabbit pr, dry, now). We’re hoping it’s IBD and treatable with those changes. But for at least a full 24 hours now, he has failed to pass any solid stool whatsoever. He’s using the litter box more frequently than usual today, and every time he goes #2 it looks more like #1.  He’s decently hungry and thirsty, probably dehydrated and malnourished too. I’ve been giving him some water via syringe-in-mouth too, just to be safe.He’s calm enough today, but hasn’t had a lot of energy either. It’s possible that this is the beginning of the end, so I’m prepping myself mentally for that. In the meantime, anything to alleviate (and possibly resolve?) diarrhea/liquid stool, and the dehydration and malnutrition from it, would be highly appreciated. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Apr 28, 2023 |
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Apr 28, 2023 18:37
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This is Kitty Pow, and he is a large boy, and he is food obsessed. We have a negative feedback loop going on with his food situation. We learned a while ago that he gets the urine crystals, so he is now on special urinary food. He’s not a huge fan of the choices of wet food, and he is a big fan of the dry kibble (never had a cat that liked dry over wet!). The challenge is that his weight can be challenging to manage as he will self-harm by over grooming (to the point he is bloody) if he doesn’t get what he thinks is a sufficient amount of food. So we tend to take the less-bad option and give him the food he wants, mostly. I’m wondering if this might be an anxiety disorder? Would there be some kind of treatment options for this sort of thing? He was a rescue, and we wonder if he had some food issues from long ago. 
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May 1, 2023 18:25
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I'm currently dogsitting for my sister. She has a 16 year old Husky. The dog can barely stand, can't walk on a hardwood floor because its back legs go out, has to go out every two hours or she poops herself, can't eat after 5pm because she'll poop herself in her sleep and is senile. How do I tell my sister it's probably time to put down her dog she loves so much?
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May 8, 2023 19:45
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samcarsten posted:I'm currently dogsitting for my sister. She has a 16 year old Husky. The dog can barely stand, can't walk on a hardwood floor because its back legs go out, has to go out every two hours or she poops herself, can't eat after 5pm because she'll poop herself in her sleep and is senile. How do I tell my sister it's probably time to put down her dog she loves so much? You can't go wrong with this kind of reality check quality of life list https://www.lapoflove.com/how-will-i-know-it-is-time/lap-of-love-quality-of-life-scale.pdf - it's been really valuable for me with my end-of-life weeks not months remaining cat. His tumor is huge but it doesn't hurt him and he is friendly and more functional than he appears at first glance. I don't have to rely on my gut feeling or lie to myself about where we are. It's going to be a tough conversation if she is not ready but maybe it will come across better from a third party than directly from you?
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May 8, 2023 20:15
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Stoca Zola posted:You can't go wrong with this kind of reality check quality of life list https://www.lapoflove.com/how-will-i-know-it-is-time/lap-of-love-quality-of-life-scale.pdf - it's been really valuable for me with my end-of-life weeks not months remaining cat. His tumor is huge but it doesn't hurt him and he is friendly and more functional than he appears at first glance. I don't have to rely on my gut feeling or lie to myself about where we are. It's going to be a tough conversation if she is not ready but maybe it will come across better from a third party than directly from you? Thanks for the link. I'll send it to her after she gets back from vacation.
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May 8, 2023 20:19
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Bone Crimes posted:This is Kitty Pow, and he is a large boy, and he is food obsessed. We have a negative feedback loop going on with his food situation. We learned a while ago that he gets the urine crystals, so he is now on special urinary food. He’s not a huge fan of the choices of wet food, and he is a big fan of the dry kibble (never had a cat that liked dry over wet!). Our rescue cat has similar overgrooming/anxiety issues and putting her on an anxiety med has really helped! Definitely worth asking a vet about.
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May 8, 2023 20:20
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mycelia posted:Our rescue cat has similar overgrooming/anxiety issues and putting her on an anxiety med has really helped! Definitely worth asking a vet about. Cool, will do. Now to get him to take pills....
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May 8, 2023 22:37
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