The Dr is In - Answers to your questions!

Welcome to my AskPetVet Blog.

I will use this blog to post your questions and to give you my suggested answers.

DrC on July 5th 2007 in Vet answers Your Pet Questions

12 Responses to “The Dr is In - Answers to your questions!”

  1. doggieproblems said on 26 Jul 2007 at 6:34 pm #

    i have a problem well its not me its actually my doggie he has a small cut in his ear im giving him medicine on the ear but he wont stop scratching which causes his ear to bleed just a little ……. WHAT SHOULD I DO……. please reply SOON

  2. DrC said on 26 Jul 2007 at 7:53 pm #

    Hello,

    The ear is difficult because it does bleed so easily. The best thing to do is to get an e-collar(satellite dish:)) so that he can not reach his ear when he scratches. If he can’t reach it then it may not bleed.

    Dr. C.

  3. lacey the lab said on 03 Aug 2007 at 12:55 am #

    Hi Dr.C.

    I have a 10month old black lab pup and about 5 days ago her left eye began seeping a yellowish/greenish ooze. I wipe it away and it comes back a few minutes later. should I take her ot the vet or what? It does not seem to be bothering her.

    Thanks, lacey the lab’s owner!

  4. DrC said on 03 Aug 2007 at 12:18 pm #

    Lacey,

    I would have her eye checked out by your veterinarian. If there is a yellowish/greenish ooze there is something infected. A scratch on her eye is the most likely cause. These can be painful and can cause other problems if left untreated. Your veterinarian can put her on an ointment to clear up the infection and make the eye feel better.
    Dr. C.

  5. Terri said on 15 Aug 2007 at 6:36 pm #

    Dr. C I need help, I have a nine year old kitty that is an indoor cat only goes out on a screened in Patio when she wants to go out. she has been hiding lately in small out of the way places, she did that once before when she had a hair ball, but whats weird about this is that she has no voice. she use to constantly cry to go out and now she opens her mouth and noting is coming out and when something does it sounds like she has a very sore throat. can you help

  6. DrC said on 15 Aug 2007 at 6:44 pm #

    Terri,

    When a cat hides then she is not feeling well. Also, if she has lost her voice it is very possible that she could have an upper respiratory infection or laryngitis. I recommend that you make an appointment to take her to your vet and have her checked out. They will be able to take her temperature and look down her throat to see if it is red.
    Dr.C

  7. Terri said on 26 Aug 2007 at 12:06 pm #

    Thanks for getting back with me, I took skippy to the vets and the Doctor said she didn’t have a temperature and that she might just have a hair ball and to give it some time, he didn’t seemed concerned about her voice. So is it is 11 days later and skippy is doing everything that she did before, grooming eating and kitty litter business, the only difference is that she still opens her mouth and nothing comes out ,and when she finally gets something it out its almost very horsed and just sounds bad. I voiced my concerns to the vet yet again and he said give it another week. What do you think?

  8. DrC said on 26 Aug 2007 at 4:26 pm #

    Terri,

    That is good that you took Skippy to the vet! It can be a perplexiing thing when a cat loses a voice. I have seen a couple cats like Skippy and although sometimes we can link it to something such as an upper respiratory virus and laryngitis sometimes we can not. As long as she is eating and drinking well without loosing weight, I am not too concerned. If her voice does not improve in the next week or so, you can have you veterinariain check her throat and mouth closer for any signs of a tumor(this may have to be done under anesthesia to get the best look) and have her tested for Feline Aids(FIV) which is an immunodeficiency virus. If all checks out ok I would just wait and see. Sometimes their voice never returns to normal but at least you will know it is less likely something more serious.
    Dr. C

  9. Terri said on 27 Aug 2007 at 7:05 pm #

    Thanks ever so much, you seem to give me more answers then my vet. I will give it a week and then take her in, can a cat get feline aids if its never been out doors?

    Thanks again and I will let you know what they said.

    Sincerely
    Terri

  10. DrC said on 27 Aug 2007 at 8:04 pm #

    Terri,

    Please let me know how it goes.

    Feline Aids or FIV is transmitted mainly through bite wounds so if your cat does not go outside it is highly unlikely that she will catch it. She should have been tested for Feline Aids(FIV) and Feline Leukemia(FeLV) when you first got her. If her test was negative and she has not gone outside since or if no new untested cats were brought into your house that could have given her the virus than it is highly unlikely that she has it. If she has never had a FeLV/FIV test then I would definitly have her tested especially if her voice does not return.

    Dr. C

  11. Courtney Jones said on 17 Dec 2007 at 7:06 pm #

    My cat is having urine obstructions. His kidneys are healthy, but, he is still straining. My Vet is having problems catheterizing because his penis is so small. She thinks he needs a PU or put down. I don’t like any of those options. Can you give any suggestions.He is urinating on his own some time. He is in their care now.

    Thanks You
    Courtney Jones

  12. DrC said on 17 Dec 2007 at 8:42 pm #

    Courtney,

    I am sorry to hear about your cat. Urinary problems can be common in cats. In male cats, urinary problems are more serious than females because their urethra is much more narrow. There is a syndrome called Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease.

    The jury is still out on why certain cats seem to be prone to cystitis(inflammation in the bladder). It is thought that diet can play a role as well as a decrease in water intake and other diseases.

    Blocked cats can be very difficult to unblock sometimes and if his penis is small that makes catherization even more difficult. How old is your cat? Does he have a lot of crystals or blood in his urine?

    Cats that have urinary obstructions often times block more than once and if his penis is anatomically small than he is at high risk for having continued problems. Therefore, the best option for him may be the PU. Surgery will help widen his urethra so that hopefully he will not continue to have serious problems.

    If you are not interested in surgery and he can’t be catherized than your options are limited. There is a medication called Phenoxybenzamine that helps with urethral spasms that could be tried but there are no guarantees that it will help him.

    Has he been xrayed or ultrasounded for stones in his bladder/urethra.

    Dr. C