Hi Katie: I also have a disabled pitbull Jack who I got in 12/05. Jack was born with a congenital spinal deformity which caused partial paralysis of his hind legs. He was set to be euthanized but was rescued by a vet tech who was also in the military. She ended getting deployed to Iraq and I ended u...

Karen: Doesn't your vet have a number you can call in case of emergencies or is there 24/7 emergency hospital that you can call. If your doctor advised against increasing the pred I would check with a vet or vet tech first before doing that since the doctor is the one that examined your cat. I know ...

Karen:

I am really sorry---this is alot to handle. I think the course you outlined in your post is a good one and I don't have anything to add to that. Again I am very sorry. Diana

Karen: It sounds like right-sided heart failure to me, particularly with the ascites. Was the right side of the heart enlarged on the rads. They should be able to tell you that. If you notice him having any difficulty breathing I would get him in ASAP. They will typically prescribe medication, inclu...

Karen: I am sorry that you are going through this again. I would get your cat in there ASAP. Ascites is accumulation of fluid in the stomach while pleural effusion has to do with an accumulation of fluid in the air spaces of the lungs. Is your cat having problems breathing or breathing rapidly. It c...

Have you also considered getting her a wheelchair. You may want to take a look at the www.petswithdisabilities.org website. They got a dog Tuzik who needed a wheelchair to get around from Russia. While in Maryland at the pets with disabilities home the dog developed an infection and had to have his ...

I have flown in cats (one from New Jersey, Idaho and Kansas) and a dog from New Mexico all without a hitch. I had two other cats that the rescuers flew in with---one from California and the other from Texas. I live in Colorado. Diana

It is absurd for these vets to recommend that you just put your cat down. My cat Raven had the same condition with her hip and her knee and had surgery in 2004. The vet repaired her luxating patella just fine. She also had a FHO (femoral head ostectomy) which was OK but caused her hip to rotate out ...

Dianne: Of the 2 kidney values, I understand that the creatinine is more important in terms of renal function. The cat's creatinine is high normal--reference range is .6 - 2.4. His BUN is high at 67--reference range is typically 14 - 36. ALthough I have seen BUNs much higher. Thyroid is normal. Did ...

I took in a 5 year old kitty named Galaxy in the summer of 2007 who was a Katrina survivor and actually recovered months later by the owner who had moved to Colorado. Galaxy was diagnosed a year later in renal failure and the owner was leaving the country for a period of time and had no one who woul...

Melia: I think Mari and Christine pretty much covered it and gave you some great advice. Please do not put your little kitty down! He can lead a good quality life. I am not sure why you are saying (or is it the vet saying) that he is in pain or will develop kidney disease down the road? Sometimes ve...

I have a friend whose daughter and son-in-law had the same problem with their deaf dog who actually bit their toddler when he startled them. They contacted a behaviorist to come in and work with them and it helped. Would she even consider this? Diana

Having to manually express a cat's bladder absolutely does not decrease the quality of the cat's life. I have two Simon and Harley whose bladders I express 3 times a day. Simon was born with paralyzed back legs. He is now 7 1/2 years and that is all he has known. He has never had a UTI because I con...

What a trooper Bully is and how lucky he is to have pet guardians like you. I learned the hard way that animals do not suffer the same side effects that humans do with chemo. I have two right now on chemo---my two feleuk positive kitties. In 6/08 Junipurr had a tumor wrapped around her heart which t...

Jim: I had a 12 year old pit bull mix who also had a torn ACL and the vet was not recommending surgery. Quincy was placed on Rimadyl and Cosequin which is the glucosamine and chrondrotin. This did wonders for him although it does not happen overnite but he was able to go on walks again. Rimadyl can ...