Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Vet

Why is my feverish kitten twitching?

wo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:19:17 -0800

Why is my feverish kitten twitching? My 9 month old kitten has had a fever since Sunday. I took her to the emergency vet when she didn't seem to get better on Sunday, and he gave her some antibiotics and an antiinflammatory, and a subcutaneous fluid injection t okeep her hydrated.

Today (Monday) I brought her to my regular vet because she wasn't any better-- still not eating or drinking. She still had a fever, and my regular vet took blood and gave her another fluid injection-- she thinks it might be a virus. She gave me a syringe and suggested I try force-feeding her some high-nutrient wet food if she doesn't start eating on her own. Since she refused food when I got home, I followed the vet's orders and have given her three syringes full of food (mixed with a bit of water)-- 30mL each-- over two sittings.

Now she's doing this weird twitching thing. Her skin and paws twitch, then she starts frantically licking it. Her ears twitch wildly and she starts shaking her head. It comes and goes in little fits... is it just from the stress of the last two days?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Am I being gullible for considering cat insurance?

Tarumba — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:25:06 -0800

Am I being gullible for considering cat insurance? My cat-girl is about to be 6 months old. We pretty much found her on the streets when a baby. She had a funky eye, flatworms, a crazy flea infestation and was insanely underfed. we took care of her and now we want to take her to the vet so she gets spayed. They will spay her as long as she has all her vaccines and other thingies in order (she has none of these), and at the local pet supermarket they advised me to get her cat insurance. The prices are as follows:

First payment: 69.99
monthly payment: 21.00

This insurance covers vaccines, spaying and other basics for no extra cost, plus free vet visits with/without calling in advance, and a 10% discount on anything else.

I thought it was a good deal, but then, how big is the probability that my cat will need to go to the vet in at least 7 years?

Prices without insurance: The spaying alone is about 400.00 dollars, and the vaccines are about 50.00.

How do I care for a cat with diabetes?

dbgrady — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:17:38 -0800

How do I best care for a cat with diabetes? A few specific questions:

1. Is it really difficult to inject a cat with insulin?

2. Is insulin necessary if the diabetes isn't severe?

3. Has anyone given their cat metformin pills instead of insulin? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

4. Is there anything practical I should know or expect with regard to the cat's behavior, side-effects, etc?

(I am aware of this previous question.)

(Posted for a friend)

Thank you.

How much did it cost to treat your dog for canine influenza or shelter cough when you adopted?

itsonreserve — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:49:57 -0800

How much did it cost to treat your dog for canine influenza or shelter cough when you adopted? We are currently looking to adopt a dog, and one with either canine influenza or shelter cough (the vet will have the answer by Thursday next week) has fallen into our laps. Essentially, it needs a foster home immediately so as not to infect other dogs, and we would intend to adopt the dog after fostering it when it was better. I'm just wondering what the treatment entailed and how much it cost for you, since Googling has had answers ranging from warm baths and baby aspirin to antibiotics, and seems to be of little help.

Please help us help a dog.

prefpara — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:14:41 -0800

A question about a dog. (posting for a friend) My sister is the proud owner of a purebred Newfoundland dog. The dog is now a year old, and has had all its vaccinations, shots, etc. He is walked, brushed, well-cared for, etc. My sister is beginning student teaching, and is recently unemployed.

It turns out that the dog, which she cares for deeply, has a serious hip problem. Dysplasia. His hip bone, basically, doesn't fit in the socket. He's gone lame and is in a lot of pain. The surgery and therapy are expected to cost roughly 10,000 dollars. She does not have this kind of money, and with her student loans, won't for a long time.

The less sensitive members of my family have proposed that this presents an opportunity to put the dog down, since though the dog is very well-behaved, most other members of the family have no love for this pony-sized fluffy monster. For obvious reasons, my sister and I would like to avoid this. Does anyone know of any solutions? A rescue service, a way to fundraise for pets, something?

What chance does our cat have of recovery after seizures and coma?

geekgirl397 — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:37:06 -0800

Cat in recovery from suspected poisoning. Came out of post-seizure coma, now has suspected blindness, partial paralysis. What do we do next? We found our otherwise healthy 7-year-old cat unconscious on our (5th floor) back deck yesterday at 6.30am. Got her to the emergency room within a half hour. She was limp, unresponsive, pupils constricted almost to vanishing. Tests & X-rays showed no trauma, but hypothermia (low body temp) & hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as well as shock. She had seizures, both before and after we found her.

After ~24 hours on a glucose drip, in an incubator, with supplemental oxygen, antibiotics (in case of undiagnosed infection), atropine (I think - some kind of antidote for an unknown poison), stomach pumping & ingestion of activated charcoal, she woke up and started eating, responding, moving.

HOWEVER, as of 3 hours post-coma, she still could not support herself on her back legs, and the vet suspected some neurological problems. We've taken her to a neurologist where she is awaiting a consult (while still on an IV). The intern who did see her thinks she may be blind, but i guess we'll know more when she's had a full workup.

This cat's recovery so far is just miraculous. We thought that she was a goner for sure, and I'm pretty certain so did the emergency vet practice, as there was a real sense of surprise & jubilation when we came to get her this morning.

I wonder if anybody else out there has had a cat go through seizures/unconsciousness and then had residual problems. Were they temporary, or permanent?

From the internet research I've done, it looks to me like neurological symptoms such as temporary blindness and paralysis are not uncommon post seizure. What I'd like to know is how soon we should be expecting a change.

We've been warned that the neurologist may want to do an MRI (at a cost of ~3K). We don't want to put our cat through anything unnecessary but we do want to give her the best chance. On the one hand, if, via the MRI, they found swelling putting pressure on nerves, spine or brain, that they could fairly simply surgically relieve, and therefore 'repair' - it might just be worth it. And I imagine we'd want to get this diagnosed & treated ASAP.

On the other hand, she was very, very, very ill and she's been making progress since waking up that you can literally measure by the hour, we strongly suspect is still in with a good chance of recovering on her own (or maybe with some anti inflammatories, steroids etc.). In the ~2 hours between leaving the first emergency vet office and being seen by the neurologist's intern, she had gone from being unable to use her back legs at all to being able to crawl a bit using them.

Anyone seen anything like this - an unidentified poison causing seizures and coma? What about recovery after seizures anyway - could we still be seeing "spontaneous" recovery days rather than minutes after the incident?

We don't want to put our cat through unnecessary pain & distress if it turns out she's unlikely to be able to be treated, or if treatment may not give her any quality of life. But we don't want to give up on her too early.

Any advice?

thanks!!

What's wrong with my cat?

exogenous — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:03:25 -0800

Anemic cat with poor appetite. Had symptoms of kidney (renal) issues but the numbers are now OK. Still no appetite. Diagnosis? The patient is a 11 year old spayed female. Lethargy and lack of interest in food and water slowly developed over a few days and the vet found high creatinine. Treated with fluids and antibiotics and the cat perked up a bit. Urine culture negative (no infection). Cat is hydrated again, creatinine back to normal, but very little interest in food and found to be anemic.

Is this just simple chronic kidney issues or something else? She's visiting an internist today for more testing.

How can we heal our cat's tail?

arnicae — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:19:37 -0800

Our cat has a wound on his tail. How can we help him heal it? Our cat has been losing weight (yay!) and recently lost enough weight that he could lick his butt for the first time in ages. To celebrate this, he has been licking his butt like crazy and has created a small raw rub mark approximately 1/4" by 1/2" at the base of his tail, about 1/2" from his anus.

Our vet says it is no big deal and will "heal on its own" but we think it hurts him when he pees. We've been regularly applying neosporin and vaseline, but he tries to lick it off and continues vigorously grooming his tail.

Any suggestions as to more effective ways to help his tail heal?

Why does my dog have no interest in any kind of food?

geeky — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:05:45 -0800

Why does my dog have no interest in any kind of food? I know YANAVet and YANMVet, but we are working with a vet we know and trust and at this point I'm just looking for additional suggestions.

We adopted our dog, a female beagle approximately 3 years old, from the SPCA in January. She had been a stray and needed a lot of TLC. She had bad ear infections in both ears and pretty severe worm infestations. The good news is that we've gotten both of those problems cleared up. However, throughout all of this she's had persistent periods of time where she just wouldn't eat.

We had been assuming the loss of appetite was a symptom of her various other problems over the past few months, but now that she's otherwise healthy, she's still not eating consistently. When this first started, she would stop eating for 2-3 days, then go back to eating normally for a couple of weeks. However, it seems to be getting progressively worse. Over the last 2 weeks she's been eating very little, just 1/2 cup of food every couple of days at best.

She's had bloodwork done twice, urinalysis done twice, and numerous fecal samples taken. All came back normal, with the exception of slightly elevated protein levels in the urine. She had one incidence of vomiting blood over a month ago, which caused the vet to assume the problem is an ulcer. We've been treating her accordingly, with doses of Pepcid every night (to control acid production) and doses of carafate (sucralfate) as needed to help sooth her stomach. At first the carafate made a dramatic difference and had her eating within 20 minutes of dosing. Now even the carafate doesn't help in getting her to eat.

We've tried a couple of different dog foods (Science Diet and a no-allergen version of Natural Balance). She gets NO people food, with the exception of a small amount of peanut butter once a day to give her the Pepcid and on occasion, when it gets really bad, I will make her boiled chicken and rice. Even that usually takes some serious cajoling and literally sticking it in her face before she will eat it. The only thing she will consistently eat is Milk Bones, and even then she sometimes saves them for a day before eating them.

She has no other symptoms, aside from maybe slight lethargy and sometimes we can hear her stomach rumbling. She'll eat grass when she really doesn't feel well. Everything is, ahem, coming out properly. She's not vomiting. She just won't eat!

Like I said earlier, we are working with a vet. We have another appointment on Friday. At this point, I'm just looking for suggestions. What else could I ask the vet about and what other tests we should look into? Have you ever had a dog do this before? Does this sound like an ulcer to you? Any idea what could be causing her to not want to eat at all? We love this stupid little dog to death and it's breaking our hearts to not be able to make her better.

Help me find the best vet in Southeastern VA!

srrh — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:51:51 -0800

My cat is very sick. We went to the vet and were incredibly unsatisfied. Please recommend an awesome vet in the South Hampton Roads (preferably Norfolk or Virginia Beach) area. (Also, if you have ANY idea what's wrong with my cat, please give me an idea, because I'm sick to my stomach with worry.) This is a long story, but if you're a cat lover, please bear with me because I desperately need help.

At the end of March, my fiance and I adopted a cat from the Virginia Beach SPCA. Her name is Fiona. She is 4 years old, spayed, up to dates on shots/wormers/flea treatments, and in good health. Well, she was at the time of adoption, anyway.

About three weeks after we got her, we noticed her getting symmetrical bald patches on her shoulders. We weren't too concerned, because she wasn't showing any other symptoms, and we got her an appointment at Pet Care Veterinary Hospital for May 1st. Between the time we made the appointment and May 1st (about 1 week), the bald patches on her shoulders started to bleed and crack. I was putting antibiotic ointment on the open wounds every day, but she did not seem to be in any pain, and we never saw her licking or scratching at them.

Finally, May 1st rolls around, and with it, the most upsetting, disappointing vet visit of my life. The vet I saw was Dr. Partlow, and I believe the vet assistant was named Nicole (I'm not positive about that part). When we got into the examination room, we let Fiona out of her carrier, and she walked around, acting totally normal. At this point her only symptom was the wounds on her shoulders. The vet assistant picked her up, put her on the exam table, took her rectal temperature, all that stuff. When she was done, Fiona jumped back on the floor, and at this point, had a very pronounced limp on one of her rear legs. She did not have the limp when we got to the vet's office.

Dr. Partlow came in and immediately noticed Fiona's limp. We told her she had not had the limp before we got there, and the vet assistant confirmed that when she first got out of her carrier, she was walking around like normal. Dr. Partlow palpated her limb and said she didn't feel anything wrong, but we could "pay for x-rays" if we felt like it. We deferred to her expertise and said no, it was probably nothing. She kept assuring us Fiona had probably just landed wrong when she jumped off the table and it was no big deal. She then examined Fiona's wounds. She shaved the hair around them, so she could look at them better, and she remarked that they looked like burns. They really do look as if she got burned, but we have no idea how she COULD have been burned, and symmetrically on both shoulders? Plus the fact that we saw the hair fall out and normal bald spots first, and then the open wounds formed later. The doctor then told us that maybe it was allergies to food, or perhaps to pollen, or maybe she was licking herself due to stress. She tested Fiona for mites and yeast and both tests came back negative.

Dr. Partlow then left the room, and the vet assistant kept pressuring us to buy a product called Aler-G 3, without actually answering any of our questions about what it does. (I researched when I got home, and it turns out it is basically just fish oil...) It was a very high pressure sales environment and left both my fiance and me very uncomfortable. When Dr. Partlow returned, she prescribed metacam (to ease the pain she surmised Fiona was feeling due to her limp), silver sulfadiazene cream (an antibiotic cream specifically used to treat burns), and an oral antibiotic (I no longer have the name of, unfortunately). She asked that we return in a week.

We got home, and Fiona's limp was worse than ever. I felt her foot myself, and could clearly feel a bone chip or something grinding. My fiance and I were both incredibly angry that the vet could have dismissed this without a second thought. All in all, the trip was very frustrating. None of our questions were answered and we were just given medications to treat the symptoms instead of whatever the underlying problems were. We did change her food (the vet recommended Purina One, so that's what we have changed it to), and for what it's worth, she has not developed any more bald patches or wounds.

As the days creeped towards her next appointment the following week, Fiona's limp got better and better, and my fiance and I decided we did not want to give any more of our money to the clinic we were so dissatisfied with before, so we cancelled the appointment the day beforehand. She seemed to be improving day by day.

At this point, her limp is totally gone (although that leg seems to have a permanent knot in it now), and the wounds on her shoulders have almost fully healed. However, over the past week or so, she has become more and more lethargic. She just lays in the kitchen all of the time, unless she's eating, drinking, or using the litterbox. We can't get her to play or even acknowledge us when we pet her. She is still eating and drinking like normal. I started to get very nervous at her extreme lethargy. My fiance told me she drooled for a short time about three nights ago (less than a minute). Today, one of her eyes is swollen almost totally shut.

I don't understand what could be going on. I want to take her to the absolute best vet in the area, who will work hard to find out what is causing her problems, not just throw medication at the symptoms and let new problems crop up. We have been very very wary to take her to another vet after the poor experience we had last time, but now that I see her swollen eye, I won't wait another day. Today is Sunday and she needs to see somebody tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest. Please, mefi, please tell me who the best vet I can take her to is, and if you have any idea what is wrong, please let me know. I know this post was really long, so I will summarize the symptoms and timeline again:

- 5 weeks ago, bald patches appear on shoulders
- 4 weeks ago, patches start bleeding, breaks toe(?) at vet
- 3 weeks ago, limp heals but leg has a knot
- 1 week ago, scabs fall off shoulders, she starts acting extremely lethargic
- 3 days ago, drools briefly (maybe unrelated to anything else?) after waking up from a nap
- today, still extremely lethargic, one eye swollen

Thank you so much in advance for any help you can offer. Fiona thanks you too.

I just want him back.

notquitemaryann — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:35:17 -0800

Oh joy, it's another cat piss question! Sort of. Please share your experiences with cat perineal urethrostomy (PU) surgery, or other advanced treatments for urinary blockages. I'm probably going to make a decision in the next few days about whether to have this performed on my 13-year-old boy, and really need to hear about costs, complications, and how your cat is doing now. I even answered this question, which has some of what I'm looking for, but please hit me with anything else you have.

Background, if you want it:

My cat has been on a prescription diet of Royal Canin Urinary SO (dry) for the past 3-4 years, ever since an apparent bladder infection that cleared up with antibiotics. I eventually stopped giving him most treats/scraps, and the condition seemed to be under control.

And then there was a period a couple of months ago where I could, quite literally, barely afford to feed myself, much less him. So I was living off eggs, he was living off $4 Meow Mix or whatever*, and things seemed fine. As soon as I had the money, I went and bought him a big bag of his prescription food. Over my birthday at the beginning of May, I went to stay with my parents for a few days, took him along, and he received a fair number of table scraps.* A day after I brought him home, he very quickly became very sick- straining to pee, vomiting from the straining, bloody urine, extreme lethargy, and trembling from pain. I rushed him to the vet where they cathed him, put him on pain meds, an antibiotic, and a smooth muscle dilator. Labs were still good, and vet didn't believe he was suffering from kidney disease. He passed several bladder stones while at the vet's, stayed three days, and came home peeing fine. All was well for about two weeks.

Then I discovered him straining and grunting again. After he vomited once, he stopped eating. No blood in the urine, no lethargy, just pain and inability to pee. Went back to the vet's yesterday for another catheter, which they removed this morning. There was a big "sandy" plug of mucus and crystals blocking him, which they got out. But he still hasn't peed on his own, so he's spending another night. The vet will be calling me tomorrow morning. I get the feeling that because she knows I'm not well-off, she's not pushing the idea of surgery, but instead would prescribe some combination of ongoing medication.

While I was in the waiting room yesterday, a woman tried to "comfort" me by describing how her cat had the surgery for $3000. I'm willing to travel if there's a chance of getting it done for less. This is an animal that is otherwise very healthy- good bloodwork, good teeth, a little arthritis in the hips that showed up on his x-rays, but doesn't prevent him from jumping, and he is happy and friendly and playful. His quality of life, when this condition is managed, is great. So even though the expense is likely to hurt me pretty badly, it seems worth it to both of us. What can you tell me?

*Correct: on top of everything, I fully blame myself for possibly killing my cat.

Gift Stethoscope for pets.

crush-onastick — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:33:01 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good animal stethoscope? I'd like to get a nice one for a friend who is graduating from a veterinary tech program, so a nice, high-end one, not a typical office one. Something under a couple hundred dollars preferably. Mail order, or a shop in Chicago would be best.

How to fill up a cat's bladder

Ruby Tuesday — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:17:24 -0800

How can I make sure my cat has a full bladder? I have to take my cat to the vet to test for urinary tract disease. This requires her to have a full bladder. I have already had one failed attempt at this. Is there anything I can do to ensure success next time? The vet's recommendation was to give the cat some tuna in spring water a few hours before the appointment? Can anyone please give me some further ideas?

TIA

When to let go?

amicamentis — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:35:02 -0800

When should we consider euthanasia if our cat is not (visibly) in pain? Our cat, Kitty, is 16 and a half. She lives with my parents and I've been hearing updates for the last few months about how little she has been eating. Occasionally, she will hide under my dad's work desk and only come out a few hours later.

Now, my mom says that Kitty has eaten even less recently, and is 'skin and bones'. However, she says that Kitty has been doing normal things (sleeping, mainly) is acting generally as she would otherwise. Several questions:

1) Even if Kitty isn't showing any signs of disease or ailment, is she still hurting? How can you tell?
2) Please, without being too graphic, how would a decline like this normally end? Would she die in her sleep, peacefully, or would things get much worse?
3) She hates the vet and my mother doesn't want her last moments to be an anxiety and stress-filled car ride. Do you have any recommendations for a veterinarian in the southern Pittsburgh area that will do euthanasia house calls if this should become necessary?

I appreciate any and all comments. I'm going home to see her in a week.

Kitty teeth

greta simone — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:40:54 -0800

Cat filter: Do I really need to get her teeth cleaned? I just got back from my yearly vet check-up, and they recommended a teeth cleaning for my cat, stating that she has some gum disease. They showed me what indeed looked a little nasty, and then told me that a cleaning would cost from $250-350. I am very broke, getting ready to finish grad school, look for employment, and move to a large city. I cannot feasibly afford this, and probably won't be able to for quite some time.

I spoke with my mother shortly thereafter, and she said that I didn't need to get a cleaning, with her rationale being "they are animals. Their teeth get dirty. The cleaning is a vet racket". Now, I tend to be one of those cat-mamas that leans toward over-care and protection of my dear feline.

My questions are these: Have you, Mr. or Ms. Cat owner, gotten this recommendation from a vet and not gone ahead with the cleaning? Did you have negative consequences because of your decision? Is this neglect if I don't do it? Should I just bite the bullet and put this expense on my credit card?

Any and all experiences are welcome.

Thanks.

how much will a large dog cost per year

sponge — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:13:32 -0800

How much does it cost annually to keep a large-ish (50 - 80lb) dog? I'll be looking for a dog of a breed that is not known for health issues

I plan to feed it a healthy diet (but not steak).

I'd be grateful for any level of information about your experiences, and all types of costs.

Help an ailing bunny rabbit & his owner.

Salmonberry — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:21:06 -0800

Can you help me keep my bunny fed? He has head tilt and has trouble getting food. Head tilt is just what it says - instead of a normal position, his head is turned so it is at an angle to the floor. He isn't in pain but is really disoriented. The Vet has him on antibiotics and there is a plan B in place if that treatment doesn't work, but this never clears up quickly.

The li'l guy really hates being fed by hand, he wants to nibble & chew on his schedule like he used to. But how? We need the food to sit at a proper angle in order for him to reach it and once he grabs the food it begins to move out of position.

We feed him lettuce, carrots and he has access to pellets (really hard for him to get at) and blocks of pressed timothy hay which he eats as he can. I'm going to throw in parsley as a treat, as well as other assorted green things to keep him interested in his food. We also try to get some pineapple in him now and then (good for digestion).

What I'm hoping for is some engineering options that will help keep food at the proper angle. So far we've come up with skewering food (not easy with lettuce in terms of keeping it standing up) and hanging carrots (then they move around).

His head is tilted to the left as you're facing him - it's a pretty severe angle, I'd say if normal position has his mouth at 90 degrees to the floor, right now it is at 150-160 degrees.

Any feats of engineering marvel you can think of? I will try anything I can make out of untreated wood, cardboard and hempish-string types of things. Untreated wickers are fine too, I just need to avoid rubber & plastics (don't want bunny chewing toxins).

How do we make web-based scheduling available to patients?

blueberry — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:31:48 -0800

Looking for a way to allow people to schedule their vet appointments via the web. My friend is setting up an animal acupressure business out of her home. While she is like Dr. Doolittle when it comes to animals, she's like John McCain when it comes to HTML.

We want to set up a pretty basic web site for her: main page, FAQs page, maybe a page with how-to-get-here directions... however,

here's the gist of the question:

She would like to have a page with a calendar so that people can see appointment availability and also make appointments via that same page (that is, say a client sees there's an opening from 2pm to 6pm on Tuesday, so they click on something and then are able to make an appointment from 2–3pm). The calendar could show a month or a week at a time, but would need to have a "next week/month" and "previous week/month" so people could schedule weeks/months in advance.

Once clients filled out the "schedule appointment" form
(which would ask for [day/time], name, phone number, email address)
and clicked submit, the schedule calendar would be updated so that that block of time would no longer be shown as available for other people to make appointments.

If it matters. there are only two durations of appointments that would be needed: 90 minutes for new clients, and 60 minutes for previous clients. It would be nice if she could somehow tell the scheduling software that after a 90-minute session, she'll need 30 minutes to take care of all of her notes (so she would be unavailable for other appointments), but maybe that's too intricate and she'll just have to book 2-hour slots and then tell the people that it'll actually only be 90 minutes in-office.

Finally, there are two forms that new clients need to fax in before their appointment (an intake form about their animals various info, and a form that just needs the signature of their veterinarian). I was thinking that it would be good to have an automatic confirmation email go out right after the person makes their appointment—the email would say hello, list their appointment date and time, and include a reminder about the need to fax in the two documents.

Is there some sort of web plug-in or something out there that can do this calendar-scheduling this for her?

Right now she has no web page, so if your suggestion requires something specific ("...Such-And-Such requires that your web host be running Apache v4.3 with the retro-encabulator and prefamulated ammulite..."), please let me know so we can choose the proper hosting place.

Also, she's on a Mac, so if you happen to know of any WYSIWYG web page builders out there that would allow her to easily set up something like this on her own, please throw those suggestions my way too.

So just to recap: web-based calendar/scheduling program that she can embed in a page and doesn't need to touch or fiddle with—just look at to see her schedule.

Thanks in advance!

Daisy attacked & damaged 3 dogs, has heartworm, severe separation anxiety: is it time to put her down?

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:40:57 -0800

My dog has damaged (bitten through the skin) 3 other dogs and was just diagnosed with heartworm. I know it's a bit impersonal to ask online, but can help me figure out when it is time to consider putting down my pet? Daisy was adopted 3 years ago as a rescue dog, she was 1-2 years old and basically an adolescent, now an adult. She has attacked 3 dogs who were allowed in our house and damaged two of them. She has also attacked a family member's dog in that dog's house after they had spent much time there together over the past 3 years. In each case the damage was 1-2 lacerations caused by Daisy's teeth and on the area around the other dogs' shoulders.

We were concerned after her most recent episode that she may be ill as friends told us a sick dog can change it's behavior ... so we took her to the vet and found out that she is heartworm positive. We're waiting for the results of a confirmation test and an x-ray, possibly to follow up with a sonogram then the relatively costly (estimated at $650-1300) treatment which cannot guarantee a positive outcome.

Beyond these issues, Daisy has a severe case of "separation anxiety" which has improved over time, but is still classified as severe. She no longer damages herself while waiting for us to return home, but she has destroyed plenty of carpet, a door frame, and damaged some other items around the house. She is now able to eat a small amount while we're away, but still refuses to drink to the point that she will vomit bile if left alone for more than 8 hours. This makes her potential for adoption limited especially in light of her inability to be trusted in a home with another dog.

Given that (1) Daisy cannot live in a home with another dog or where interaction with other dogs must be closely monitored, (2) her separation anxiety makes her a poor candidate for adoption because of the damage she will likely cause to a new owner's home if left alone, (3) her dog-aggressive behavior, and (4) the risks and costs of heartworm treatment, is it time to put her down?

For now our plan is to contact a behaviorist and have her evaluated for dog and person aggression then continue her heartworm treatment if they think she can be rehabilitated to a reasonable degree.

My wife and I are very attached to Daisy, this makes decisions about her very hard to separate from our feelings. Our family (who also love Daisy) have let us know that they think it is time to let her go and find another rescue dog who otherwise would be facing death. As much as I can detach myself from the situation, I think they are right, but when I consider actually following through on that I fall apart and rationalize nearly any expense or problems.

I've contacted several Bay Area shelters and foundations regarding adoption possibilities and they are inclined to not accepting her because of the temperament and health issues.

Please help with identifying resources for dealing with these questions and let me know your thoughts on our situation. Thanks for your detached wisdom and thoughts.

Follow up emails can be sent to daisydogquestion@yahoo.com

Vet near Providence?

miriam — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:53:43 -0800

A good vet in or around Providence, RI? I'm looking for a vet for my dog. We've been taking her to the Warwick Animal Hospital, but we haven't been that happy with them. Any suggestions?

Pet vet on the 'net yet?

pseudostrabismus — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:17:43 -0800

For minor pet health questions: suggest websites that are comprehensive & user-friendly? I'd like to avoid unnecessary vet visits. Last week my cat had runny eyes for no apparent reason, and googling common search terms (cat+eye+discharge, etc) led me to a lot of annoying sites jam-packed with ads, poor user design, and sketchy-sounding information. (He's fine, now, by the way. I imagine his cat allergies were acting up or something.)

I'd like a pet health website with comprehensive, searchable entries offering detailed and specific information about animal health issues. Everything should be explained in terms geared to the literate layman- in other words, use of Latin terminology is fine if it's explained plainly and intelligently, rather than cut & pasted from a vet textbook in indigestible hunks, or dumbed down into single syllable hyperbole in the vein of POOR KITTEH OH NOES! VET TIME HURRY! Levelheadedness would be a plus, as not every sneeze needs a visit to a vet. I'd love to see stuff like "If your cat is breathing fine, it's ok to wait out the sneezes or a week or so. After 10 days, if it's not better- or if the cat is gasping- it could be problem X or Y, so take him to the vet."

Can anyone recommend such a site?
Thanks in advance!

PS, Personally, I'm most interested in cats, but I'm sure other users would appreciate sites relevant to their pets too. So if you know the #1 health resource for the spiny echidna or whatever, well, shoot!

What will my kitten need at the vet?

neuron — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:40:38 -0800

Found a kitten. How do I avoid spending $700 billion at the vet? I picked up an apparently abandoned kitten a few days ago. It's a male, a few months old. Appears to be healthy.

I'm taking it to the vet this afternoon as my wife will be away. I've never owned a cat before and I have no idea what a kitten's health needs are. Some vaccinations, of course, and checking for various parasites. Mainly, I don't want to be sold anything unnecessary (teeth cleaning, labs). What is essential or otherwise important?

How worried should I be about a cat with an enlarged heart?

PhoBWanKenobi — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:30:06 -0800

An emergency vet said that my cat has an enlarged heart (discovered via chest x-rays). How worried should I be? I came home after work yesterday to find my usually very-friendly 3 year old cat Sammy in apparent pain--unusually quiet (usually you can't shut him up) except when I touched him, when he freaked out completely. I took him to the emergency vet and they decided it was probably an abscess, as his side was swollen and he'd been fighting lately with the neighborhood bully cat. I was given antibiotics and pain medication for him, and he seems to be feeling a lot better today, aside from the fact that he's ticked at me for not letting him outside.

While checking him up, the vet was worried about his heart murmur--previously acknowledged by our vet (who said it might be something I should get looked at "eventually") at the last check-up; she said it seemed loud for a 3-year-old cat and asked for my permission to to take x-rays, which I agreed to. She said that the x-rays revealed that his heart was "a little enlarged" and recommended that I see a vet. cardiologist in the next month or two. There was no fluid in the lungs or anything like that, so it's not congestive heart failure. YANAV and YANMV--in fact, Sammy will be seeing our vet, who I plan to give a copy of the x-rays to and discuss this with further, tomorrow morning. However, google has me a bit of a confused, panicked mess over the whole thing. Other than last night's apparently unrelated illness, he's completely asymptomatic. I'm looking for answers from those who might have been in the same boat, especially with a young cat. I get the idea that treating an enlarged heart might be expensive, but how expensive? What kind of quality of life can he be expected to enjoy? Is this the death sentence that the internet makes it out to be?

Even though YANAV, feel free to take a gander at his adorable little bones and big ol' heart here and here.

Hungry Cat makes me INSANE

batcrazy — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:24:42 -0800

Why is my cat always hungry? I have an 11 year old indoor Maine Coon cat who is currently driving me to drink. He has always been a needy cat who begs for food and attention, but the last few months have ratcheted his behavior up to insanity.

I can't cook food in the house without him climbing onto the counters, meowing incessantly. I can't open the fridge without him trying to climb in and get something. I can't leave the trash can unsupervised in the kitchen or he'll tip it over to get food out raccoon style. I am constantly hiding my food--I even ate a sandwich in the bathroom the other day to get away from his whining.

He has Iams cat food available to him all day and night long, he has water always available to him, and I feed him a can of fancy feast wet food a day (1/2 in morning, 1/2 at night). When I relent and give him table scraps (deli meat or chicken), he scarfs it down as fast as he can so he can beg for more.

He's an indoor cat, so he hasn't been exposed to anything outside. I've checked his stool for worms and so far, nothing. I've googled and some folks suggest thyroid conditions while others say it could be diabetes.

He's not overweight--if anything, he's lost weight in the last year or two. He's about 10 pounds now. I have another cat in the house who is 10, eats the same foods, and doesn't drive me crazy, so I don't think it's the food (either type or quantity). The other cat doesn't eat all of the food for both either--if anything, I have to protect the wet food of normal cat from crazy cat or crazy cat will eat both dinners.

1) Any ideas what could be wrong with my cat? (YANAV, I know).

2) Any home/OTC remedies I can try prior to an expensive vet visit?

3) Any suggestions on DC area vets that offer cheap labs/visits? I cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars for anything these days, including, unfortunately, my cat.

Will this drug kill my cat?

Braeog — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:20:22 -0800

Will the drug that my vet prescribed kill my cat? It's unapproved for use in the US. I have a cat that was prescribed Metacam 1.5 mg/mL oral suspension for post surgery pain after three tooth extractions. I've been reading online that Metacam in oral suspension is not approved for use in cats. I've read a lot of horror stories, and some studies saying it might not be safe for cats, notably in this dosage. Does anyone have any experience with this drug with their cats, or any evidence to support or alleviate these concerns?

There has been no blood work done to determine if there are any preexisting kidney issues, which the manufacturer's website warns against. The cats were adopted a year ago when they were about 6, so there's a fair bit of history unknown, though there have been no visible symptoms of kidney issues apparent.