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My only guess is that it is because they want to stress the transdermal administration and Vet Jet device for the FeLV. Or, maybe because Rabies must be given by vets, so there is no need to put info on it on the public part of their site? I don't know and have had the same frustration of looking for info and not finding it.
StephanieView Thread
LOL! I bought Dr Hodgkins' book right after it was published in 2007. I'm not ready to go to a raw food diet (and appreciate that she doesn't try to force it on people) but there is a lot of good info in her book ... general care as well as diet. I know I have been influenced by her views on protein in a cat's diet. As you know, she worked for one of the big manufacturers (Hills?) for a number of years and developed the high protein/low carb diet for diabetic cats.
I admit that I haven't checked her book in quite a while and forgot she gave info on calculating the protein amount in canned food on a dry matter basis. I suppose I should do it so that I can be aware of how much protein my kitty is getting.
Thanks for the info and reminder.
Stephanie in MontrealView Thread
We plan on going back what we were using prior to this (K-9 Advantix) but are wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what did you do to help calm your dog down?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.View Thread
My 12 year old Beagle can't get on and off the bed anymore so he has his own "cot" (yep a regular human cot) it sits at the end of my bed so when he gets up to fuss around or rub his back like a crazy boy..it shakes my entire bed...again I find this a comfort....View Thread
It is hard to let any pet go, but having had to do so on more than one occasion, let me say that I too have experienced a bladder release after I was sure that my pet had died. I also saw my friend's cat shudder after he passed. My friend, of course, was shocked and devastated, but I was enough in my right mind that I was able to ask the vet attendant if it was normal. It was. You could think of it as a natural reaction to the body's release of its soul. It happens in humans as well. I am very sorry for your loss of Jesse. Jesse is no longer suffering, and time will ease your pain.
-- DebbieView Thread
My best guess would be she passed right around the time she urinated and took a deep breath. It is very common after dogs pass away that they will urinate. This happens because the muscles in their body relax and allow the urine inside the bladder to leak out. I do NOT think she urinated because she was scared.
Same with the breathing. Many dogs will take those deep types of breaths after they have already all but passed, and it is simply the body's nervous system trying to still do what it thinks it needs to do. However, dogs are always unconscious at that stage and usually don't have a heart beat. It is not something we consider painful, but it can be upsetting to watch because it looks so different and will happen in dogs that are essentially already passed.
Seizures in people often cause loss of consciousness, and people "wake up" with no memory of what happened during a seizure. They don't describe seizures as a painful process. We can't ask dogs how they feel during a seizure, but chances are good that once little Jesse started to seizure she was probably unaware of anything beyond that point and did not suffer or experience any pain. She probably just slipped away at some point after the seizure happened.
It's hard to know if Jesse knew it was "her time" and passed away because she was surrounded by her loved ones, but I think we know that can happen in people, so it makes sense to me that dogs might certainly "let go" when they feel ready and are comfortable in their surroundings. I'd like to hope that is true.
I'm sure her loss will be hard to deal with for many months or even years to come. But I would encourage you to take comfort knowing that she passed away surrounded by her loved ones, and try to focus on the good memories and happier times you shared together.
Best wishes.View Thread
It could be a variety of things. It might be a skin infection caused by bacteria, he might have traumatized or burned that area and the "scabs" you were pulling off is actually dead skin, or it could be due to something more serious like a severe infection or even cancer. Sometimes dogs will have pigmentation changes of their skin associated with endocrine problems as they age, but you shouldn't see scabs with those conditions.
Regardless, the pink skin and discharge underneath the scabs might benefit from antibiotics, so I'd recommend visiting your veterinarian and seeing what they think is going on. They may prescribe some medications or recommend doing further testing to determine why these scabs developed in the first place.
Good luck!View Thread
I'm sorry your dog isn't feeling well. If those spots ARE bug bites, he might be having an allergic reaction to the bites. As you know, the best thing to do is to take him to your vet as soon as you can. If he's vomiting persistently or does not seem to be feeling relatively normal, I'd recommend finding an emergency clinic in your area that is open on the weekends and NOT waiting until tomorrow for your regular veterinarian to be back in the office. They can verify the spots are actually bug bites or not and treat him most appropriately.
Also, if it's an allergic reaction your dog may respond to benadryl therapy. A 12 pound dog can safely receive a 12.5mg dose, which you can give by either splitting a 25mg tablet in 1/2, or buying the liquid benadryl with a 12.5mg/5ml concentration and giving him about 1 tsp. If you are going to use over the counter benadryl, make sure the drug says "diphenhydramine", make sure there aren't other drugs added in for cough, headache, etc, and make sure you stick to a 12.5mg dose.
Good luck!View Thread
thanks,View Thread
I would speak with your vet before attempting this method at all just to be on the safe side.View Thread
I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. I know what it is like to be at the vet's and get unexpected news ... and then one's mind tends to shut down and you don't know what to ask, and when you do ask, you can't remember the answers. After you catch your breath, you may want to try talking to your vet again.
I wish vets would throw out the "CRF" (Chronic Renal Failure) terminology. The veterinary kidney experts have gotten rid of it and now prefer to use the term "Chronic Kidney Disease" (CKD). It is a disease where the kidneys are not functioning well and is usually progressive ... but only in the very last stages is it "failure". Cats are amazing critters and have an amazing ability to compensate for reduced kidney function. With supportive care, many cats with CKD live for years. My own cat was diagnosed with CKD at age 15 and lived over three years before dying of pancreatic cancer ... not CKD which was stable.
I don't know how advanced your cat's disease is, but try not to panic until you get more info. Your cat is very young at 5 yrs old to have CKD ... it is more common in older cats. I would wonder if there is something else that caused it (could she have gotten into something toxic?). Is she a Persian? There is a kidney disease found commonly in Persians called PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) in which there are cysts in the kidney ... and PKD can effect cats at a younger age. It doesn't really matter because the treatment and course of the disease is the same.
There is a group of veterinary kidney specialists from around the world called IRIS (International Renal Interest Society). They have a website that you might want to look at:
http://www.iris-kidney.com/
On that site, under the IRIS Guidelines tab is a page on "IRIS Staging of CKD" with links to cards, posters and general info on the staging. Here is a direct link to the Cards info on staging, look first at the last page which summarizes the Staging for cats:
http://www.iris-kidney.com/pdf/IRIS%20A5%20Cards.pdf
IRIS bases their staging system on the Creatinine value, which is an item on the blood test. Be sure that the blood is drawn after she is fully rehydrated (i.e. not when she is dehydrated which will artificially elevate the value) ... and they recommend fasting before, though my vet never worried about that. IRIS uses a 4 Stage system and it can give you an idea how advanced her CKD is.
IRIS then does a "sub-staging" by looking at the ratio of Creatinine to Urine Protein (UP/C). Your vet needs to get a urine sample at the same time as the blood sample. It is best when the UP/C is below .4. There are medications that can be given that will help bring it down (e.g. an ACE inhibitor like Benazepril/Fortekor).
The other factor that IRIS looks at which is very important is blood pressure. It is felt that high blood pressure can be a factor in advancing CKD, so checking it and bringing it back down can help slow the progression of CKD. Cats respond very well (better than humans) to a blood pressure medication called Amlodipine (= Norvasc). It is a small pill and works very well.
Giving fluids at home is one of the best ways to help your cat feel better. You can talk to your vet about her weakness. It is common for cats with CKD to have low potassium, which can cause weakness (you can give potassium supplements) ... or she might be anemic and the vet can help with that, too.
As for food, there are various opinions, but all agree that, if possible, giving canned food with added water is best. If she will eat a kidney diet (low protein) that's good, if not, just getting her to eat is best. I found my cat did best on small frequent meals, if possible.
Only you can make a decision about when to let her go. But many cats get through an acute episode and become stable for long periods of time and enjoy life. I wouldn't make any quick decisions until you see how she responds. The fact that she is eating is encouraging.
Hang in there!
Stephanie in MontrealView Thread
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I need the Dr. House of Vets to help figure this one out.
I have posted the entire history as well as lab results, ct-scans and xrays on a website . See http://www.angelmailer.com
Can anybody figure out what he has or give me any suggestions on what to do next?View Thread
Thanks so much for giving me the information to make some good decisions and ask some intelligent questions. Thanks for taking the time to answer me as well.View Thread
Will we have to start crating her at night to get her to stop this behavior? If so, should she be able to sleep free from the crate in our room after some length of time? If yes, how soon should that happen.
We need help. We don't want her sleeping in the bed and want her to sleep on her own bed like our last dog (Shih Tzu) did.View Thread
I am so sorry for your loss...I am going thru the same thing with my 12 year old beagle...and my heart is broken...
I do know, when people pass away they pass anything that is in their bladder and sometimes bowels,,,they also take a few breaths at the end..
I also had a cocker spaniel that had cancer she bled out...she lived a very normal life until the time I had her put down...
My Beagle was just dx'ed yesterday and has been sleeping most of the day...he also had hardly eaten for the last 2 days...
I know from experience how heart broken you are...and there is nothing anyone can say to you to make you feel better...But in time you will.....I promise...
God Bless
ColleenView Thread
Thank you for the advice, I was thinking I should take him in tonight...of course I was trying to make him comfortable in his own home so that he would not stress...
Yesterday was a sad day but I am sure Mikey would not be happy sleeping his day away...
Thank You again
ColleenView Thread
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