Kitten with big tummy
We live remotely and were handed a very young kitten found in a parking lot at 4-5 weeks of age. The day after, we had our travelling vet (who is has since left her parctice and was not noted to be very good anyway), examine the kitten and gave him rabies and other needed shots and a worm pill that handles all parasites. We noted the kitten's stomach was swollen and she said it could be worms or overeating, but that it was fine. If it was worms the pill should take care of it she said. The kitten is doing great, full of energy, eating, and very happy, but its swollen stomach is still huge and shiny and just feels so large for the size kitten and odd. We have four other cats and I do not remember them being like this as a kitten. I can not find anything on teh Internet indicating any problems this could be other than parasites and overeating. Overeating certainly is a possibility as it seems like it is always eating. So my question is: is it normal for a kitten's stomach to feel like a small squishy apple that is very obvious and if not, is it likely overeating? The nearest vet is hours away by boat and then car (we live on an island) so I don't want to overreact or underreact - it has been like this since we got the kitten. |
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Dog with problems walking
When I came home from work yesterday, Sparrow(6yo female neutered mix breed), who stays in my basement with access to the crawl space under the house, was having trouble going up the stairs. She seemed sick - hot nose & depressed. She has a knot midway up her tail about the size of a quarter. Her hindquarters are slightly swollen and tender. Her behind was dirty with dust, some fecal matter, and little black dots that looked like flea eggs (she doesn't have fleas - she's on med from the vet.) It seemed she had been dragging her bottom on the ground. My gut feeling is that she may have been bitten by a spider or god forbid a snake (in my basement?!!) but I'm also worried that she's hurt her back. She can still walk - even jump on the bed - but she is not moving correctly. She is still eating and drinking. She's not any worse this morning, but no better. She's not limping, but she acts stiff - is not moving her hind legs with ease, but I don't see where they look out of whack. For example, when she goes up steps, she just goes one step at a time, very slowly and carefully when she usually bounds & skips steps. It doesn't look like she's knuckling over, and her feet and legs look normal. Another thought after babying her this morning - she has had trouble in the past with her anal glands being blocked. Usually I try to massage & expel them when I bathe her. I haven't noticed her dragging her butt, which usually happens when her glands are filled and need expelling, but is it possible this could be the problem? Or constipation?
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