My aged (but still quite lively!) kitty has had kidney disease as long as we've known him. We've switched him to K/D prescription cat food and we've done everything we can think of to convince the stubborn little dope to drink more water, but on our last vet visit the vet told us that unless he shows signs of improvement soon, we may need to start giving him regular fluid injections. I'm hoping for a little more info about the process, and our options...
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posted by Ursula Hitler
on May 3, 2013 -
35 answers
What is this thing my cat brought to my porch?
http://i.imgur.com/cejZcGe.jpg It appears to be something between an animal fetus and organ. When I turned it over it looked the same on the other side. There were no visible eyes/mouth/features. It was larger than a quarter and there was no blood present. A possum visits regularly, and the area has many moles, birds, and raccoons.
posted by Locative
on Mar 1, 2013 -
18 answers
What are the options DIY veterinary care in rural, overseas location? A relative of mine has moved to a remote island in the Philippines. There is absolutely no veterinary care available. He's trying to prevent dog overpopulation. Any DIY options for him?
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posted by quince
on Nov 6, 2012 -
8 answers
What are some alternative careers for a veterinary technician who doesn't want to work in a clinical setting and what are they like?
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posted by DanielleT
on Jul 2, 2012 -
15 answers
My dog (
obligatory pictures) has a mass in his lung. The vet specialist explains that it could be an abscess, tumor, or lung lobe torsion, but regardless of which it is, it'll have to come out. His usual vet agrees. I trust the veterinarians, and I'll schedule surgery soon. Two questions: any alternatives I should consider? And have you had experience with small dog thoracotomy?
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posted by moonmilk
on May 23, 2012 -
8 answers
Is it safe for my dog to get her core vaccines (rabies, distemper, adenovirus-2 (hepatitis) and parovirus) in one day? Or should we split it and get the rabies vaccine first?
posted by flowers103
on Apr 30, 2012 -
6 answers
My 3 year old female cat (DSH) is having urinary issues. We are on day 9 of antibiotics for a UTI (she had no crystals on her UA)and she is not improving. She will be going to the vet for a recheck soon, but I'd really like to hear other people's experiences with UTIs and bladder stones in cats. Does anyone recommend a particular supplement like cranberry? Should I ask the veterinarian to culture her urine for the right antibiotic? Money is in short supply, but I LOVE my cat and will do whatever it takes to get her better.
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posted by biograd08
on Mar 23, 2012 -
18 answers
Yesterday or the day before I noticed one of my cats was squinting a little in one eye. Then she started producing thick yellow goop. This morning there was a lot more thick yellow goop. This evening I noticed the nictating membrane of that eye is a little pinker and more swollen than the other one. She is having no trouble breathing and her appetite, thirst, and energy are normal. I don't have a lot of money. How urgent is this situation?
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posted by schroedinger
on Dec 2, 2011 -
19 answers
My next door neighbor's cat is seriously ill. Unfortunately, she has had her hours cut at work and cannot afford veterinary care. Does anyone know of any organizations, national or local, that provide financial assistance for emergency animal care?
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posted by IvoShandor
on Apr 8, 2011 -
10 answers
HELP! My elderly dog has a kidney stone that is ruining his life. Anyone have any advice on easing his pain?
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posted by evilcupcakes
on Jan 31, 2011 -
5 answers
My soon-to-be sister-in-law is a first-year vet student, going to school in the UK. I wanted to get her a relevant present for the holidays (something related to being a vet student, perhaps?), but am drawing a blank. There's just a little bit
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posted by mingodingo
on Dec 2, 2010 -
10 answers
Is there a "bible" of home pet diagnostics, treatment, and general health?
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posted by hayvac
on May 25, 2010 -
8 answers
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.
posted by crush-onastick
on Apr 20, 2009 -
3 answers
I took a year-old semi-feral cat from our small local colony to the feral sterilization clinic to be spayed on Thursday (3 days ago). She nearly died, but survived a second round of surgery that night. She's healing, per both her vets, although is still uninterested in food or water. Also, she likes the effect of her pain relief but won't let me give it to her. Suggestions?
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posted by catlet
on Mar 29, 2009 -
9 answers
For minor pet health questions: suggest websites that are comprehensive & user-friendly? I'd like to avoid unnecessary vet visits.
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posted by pseudostrabismus
on Oct 30, 2008 -
10 answers
Next year, I will likely purchase some meat goats for raising, breeding and eating. My plan currently is for 4-8 Boer goats, which gain weight quickly and allegedly pretty even-tempered. I'm looking for hints and tips for what I should know.
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posted by Kickstart70
on Aug 23, 2007 -
19 answers
How much money should we allow for cat veterinary emergencies? This is for our cat sitter or vet to spend to fix up our cat, without contacting us, if we're incommunicado. We're putting together a letter of consent for the cat sitter and vet.
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posted by amtho
on Jan 22, 2006 -
15 answers
Has anyone ever known a cat who liked to eat wool? Was it a medical or a behavioral issue? Was it ever possible to discourage this behavior?
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posted by matildaben
on Jan 5, 2006 -
16 answers
My dog cut his leg last night and had to have surgery on it. My vet was closing at noon today but he and his staff are staying open late to fix the leg. I'd like to get them something to show my appreciation. Please help me think of something really great. This is the friendliest most caring veterinary clinic I've ever seen.
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posted by BoscosMom
on Dec 31, 2005 -
18 answers
Last week my wife put one of those toilet cleaning puck things - 2 discs, one blue and one white (a type of chlorine bleach, I think) in the toilet tank. Apparently one of us or our houseguest left the toilet open and one of our two cats - the stupid one - drank a quantity of the water, even though he had a big bowl of fresh water by his food (yes, we're now being very careful to leave it closed). My questions: 1) did he drink it because it tasted good, the way some animals will eat antifreeze, and 2) is he gonna be OK? He's acting a little odd - staring at his own shadow and attacking invisible things, growling at nothing, but then again he's kind of brain-damaged anyway (flea anemia as a feral kitten). He's 9 yrs old and otherwise in good health.
posted by luriete
on Oct 25, 2005 -
15 answers
Someone at work has just asked me a bizarre question that I can't find an answer to - can horses (and in fact any other animal) actually throw up? (+)
posted by longbaugh
on Jan 11, 2005 -
30 answers
Kitty has diarrhea, and has had it for about four days. It it is now abating, but not completely gone. We (forcibly) gave her bismuth, but not for two days and it seems to be drying up on its own (from great pools of near-liquid to soft stools that probably wouldn't seem suspicious without the forerunners). She's otherwise
completely normal and we seem more concerned about it than she.
Getting her to the vet is a PITA. Is there anything else OTC we can give her to speed up the correction before one of us takes time off, schedules an appointment and pays the vet for the priveledge of giving advice that I might get here?
posted by Mayor Curley
on Dec 6, 2004 -
20 answers
Cats and Cataracts. Does anyone have any experience or expertise in regards to cats with cataracts?
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posted by y2karl
on Sep 7, 2004 -
5 answers
Yet another dog question. My wife's dog is a shepherd-dobermann cross and so old that she's technically dead - about 16 years old. She's mostly incontinent, and scooping up turds and mopping up pee is a daily and sometimes hourly chore now - I've taken up all the rugs, and she sleeps at night on a foam cushion protected by a vinyl shower curtain. I think her kidneys are failing, but very very slowly. So she drinks a fantastic amount of water and voids it randomly about the house. My wife and I take turns letting her out out night, but she's excessively nocturnal (she's a dog) and this, combined with the incontinence and her tendency to get jammed into odd spots and whine until rescued is degrading our sleep. My wife's very attached to the dog - who otherwise isn't really suffering and is even happy - but our lives are slowly coming to be dominated by the dog. Yet....neither I nor my wife believe in killing pets or other creatures for mere reasons of convenience. Any technical advice on managing this situation until the creature dies a natural death?
posted by troutfishing
on Dec 29, 2003 -
13 answers
