Dog with swelling on right front thigh
My 8yo male neutered Labrador mix has a swelling of the right front thigh –inside muscle—- for approx. 1 week. We thought it was a sprain initially but it seems to still be there? I’ve been treating it with aleeve and itseems to reduce the swelling, but not completely. He gets light to moderate walking exercise daily and is on a good diet. He was in obvious pain last night, again I treated him with aleeve and he eventually fell asleep. What do you think is wrong with him?
Note : Dog health question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet health questions.
Cat with chronic ear infection and polyp in ear
My male 12yo neutered cat has chronic ear infections.A vet wants to put him under anesthesia, clean out his ears and take a polyp out. He will be putting in ear drops post surgery which are called Tresaderm (thiabendazole, dexamethasome, necomycin sulfate solution). My initial concern was the anesthesia at age 12 but now I am really concerned about the risk of hearing loss. Do you think there is a risk of hearing loss for this type of surgery?
Note : Cat health question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet health questions.
Cat with FeLV
My kitten (female neutered DSH who is now 7 months old) tested positive for FeLV at 3 months of age. It was a weak positive and she will be retested again this weekend. I have a number of questions of a second opinion variety, some regarding what to expect/ask during our vet visit this weekend, and one regarding her current health:
1.)I also have a dog. Does my kitten’s exposure to him increase her chances of infection with a secondary illness? My vet was dismissive of and refused to accurately understand this question, insisting only that my dog could not get FeLV (no kidding). It seems to me that dogs, who are not known for their cleanliness, carry a number of infectious agents on their bodies at any time. If he is a threat to her health, is there anything I can do to minimize the threat?
2.)I have read that households containing uninfected cats should “separate” them from infected ones. Currently, we only live with dogs, but may have to relocate to a house with an uninfected and vaccinated cat. If these cats do not share eating/drinking facilities or a litter box and have no face-to-face contact, can they live in the same house safely?
3.)If, upon testing, it is discovered that my cat’s immune system has conquered the virus, what does this mean? Is there no longer any chance of developing illnesses secondary to FeLV, and is she still infectious to other cats?
4.)If she comes into contact with other infected cats in differing states of infection, do they pose a risk to one another? i.e., if my cat’s infection is in the primary stage and another cat’s is secondary, can hers become secondary? Can she live with other infected cats?
5.)I have noticed for the past few days that she seems to be breathing hard for no apparent reason, like when resting. Her sides heave. Her mouth remains closed and she appears to be in no visible distress. Her activity level/eating habits/behavior/elimination are all normal. What sort of infection could this be indicative of, and what should I expect to hear from my vet?
Thank you for your help.
Note : Cat health question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet health questions.
Betta fish with shrivelled fins
My betta has been fine until the last week. Now he lays at the bottom of the bowl most of the time and its tail fins seem to look shriveled up at the end. Any suggestions?
Note : Betta fish question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet health questions.
Cat with hyperthyroidism
My 15yo DSH female neutered cat has episodes of vomiting that last 1/2 a day. She will typically vomit 2-5 times in that time span, sometimes the food is digested, other times it’s not. This happens about once a week but not every week. She had hyperthyroidism last year but had radioactive idodine treatment. Her last T4 check was normal. She has no other symptoms and is eating and drinking normally. Should I be concerned?
Note : Cat health question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet health questions.