# Just Got Back from the Vet



## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

So about a month ago, Penny went a-chasin' those damn stray cats that are roaming around.  I let her out at least three times on Friday or Saturday chasing the damn things.  A few days after this her nose got swollen, on the top center (behind the black nostril part) and on her right side, up just a bit from her nostrils (next to the bump on the top of her nose).  It got swollen pretty good but we didnt' take her to the vet because she's done this before and it always resolved itself.  Two weeks later she was still sounding 'stuffy' so we took her.  He gave her antihistamine to dry things up, ointment for the outside part (there were two scabs, the bump on the side of her nose turned out to be scabbed over but we thought it was dark fur) and a shot of cortizone.  The shot lasted 4-5 days and during that time her nose sounded fine.  

Well here we are three weeks later and she is still sounding 'stuffy'.  Took her (along with the sick boy) to the vet.  After an extremely lengthy wait the doc finally saw her.  He examined her (although not nearly as thoroughly as the first vet, imo).  He looked up her nose with a flashlight and you can see on her right nostril the part that is a bump-out of nose (on the inside of her nose) is bigger than the same one on the right.  He said it could be 1) a localized infection; 2) a fungus infection 3) a bacterial infection or 4) a tumor.  His inclination is tumor (wtf?) and he was suggesting the $2,000 'anesthesia, scope, biopsy' procedure done by a specialist 45 minutes away that he would refer us to.  

I said 'you think it's a tumor, rather than the fact that she banged her nose'?  Yup.  'You don't think she just really traumatized it and that's more likely why it's swollen or it's a localized infection'.  No, he thinks perhaps a tumor in her nose and it 'popped' through to the outside of her nose.

   

I came home an googled.  This dog is portraying zero signs of a tumor and blood work is what I am reading as the first step in determining what further procedures are necessary, not the scope procedure he is for.

I asked him about several courses of treatment, including an antibiotic for a localized infection (which is what we are doing).  After it was obvious that I wasn't signing on for any expensive treatment (I wouldn't do that without talking it over with the family but didn't tell him that), he was fairly quick in getting me out of there.  

We're going to give the antibiotics a shot and see what happens.  I'm no vet but I can tell you that my gut says he is wrong about her nose, I believe she badly banged it (the air flow in her right nostril is restricted) and it's inflamed from that.  He says no, it was too long ago it would have resolved.  He thinks her banging it is just a coincidence but that there is 'something' there.

Suggestions/advice?


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## Nosmo King (Dec 6, 2010)

Sounds like one of those stray cats swatted Penny across the snoot!  Were there any other marks on her nose?  If it was a stray cat, I think it's a localized infection.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

Nosmo King said:


> Sounds like one of those stray cats swatted Penny across the snoot!  Were there any other marks on her nose?  If it was a stray cat, I think it's a localized infection.



Nosmo, that was my first thought when we first took her.  Her fur is white but underneath is black so what was some kind of scratch (the vet on the first visit removed the scab) we thought was just black fur.

Here's a pic taken awhile back . ..   







. . . and two I just took.  You can see the pink colored part . . . that is where something happened. 










There wasn't any blood to speak of when this happened, the swelling is what we noticed.  

I'm really perplexed to think that this vet's (he's not the one who saw her initially) first response leans towards some kind of tumor in her nose.  I mean, if he had said something in there like a splinter or like you said, a cat swatted her I'd agree with but . . . he's going to the extreme diagnosis and test first.


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## xotoxi (Dec 6, 2010)

My guess:  abscess infected with Bartonella from the cat scratch.


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## xotoxi (Dec 6, 2010)

You've got a cute motherfucking dog, BTW.


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## Big Black Dog (Dec 6, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> So about a month ago, Penny went a-chasin' those damn stray cats that are roaming around.  I let her out at least three times on Friday or Saturday chasing the damn things.  A few days after this her nose got swollen, on the top center (behind the black nostril part) and on her right side, up just a bit from her nostrils (next to the bump on the top of her nose).  It got swollen pretty good but we didnt' take her to the vet because she's done this before and it always resolved itself.  Two weeks later she was still sounding 'stuffy' so we took her.  He gave her antihistamine to dry things up, ointment for the outside part (there were two scabs, the bump on the side of her nose turned out to be scabbed over but we thought it was dark fur) and a shot of cortizone.  The shot lasted 4-5 days and during that time her nose sounded fine.
> 
> Well here we are three weeks later and she is still sounding 'stuffy'.  Took her (along with the sick boy) to the vet.  After an extremely lengthy wait the doc finally saw her.  He examined her (although not nearly as thoroughly as the first vet, imo).  He looked up her nose with a flashlight and you can see on her right nostril the part that is a bump-out of nose (on the inside of her nose) is bigger than the same one on the right.  He said it could be 1) a localized infection; 2) a fungus infection 3) a bacterial infection or 4) a tumor.  His inclination is tumor (wtf?) and he was suggesting the $2,000 'anesthesia, scope, biopsy' procedure done by a specialist 45 minutes away that he would refer us to.
> 
> ...



I'd get a second opinion from a different vet clinic.  Too bad you live so far away from my vet.  Both he and his wife are vets and they are both excellent.  Over the last 18 years they have managed my entire kennel which at one time consisted of 45 beagles.  I'm down to only 3 house pets now but they still manage these three dogs and do it perfectly.  I think a second opinion is the way to go.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

xotoxi said:


> You've got a cute motherfucking dog, BTW.



Correction, I've got the cutest motherfucking dog.  

(and they weren't even good pics of her)

This here one is excellent







and this here one is silly


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

Big Black Dog said:


> I'd get a second opinion from a different vet clinic.  Too bad you live so far away from my vet.  Both he and his wife are vets and they are both excellent.  Over the last 18 years they have managed my entire kennel which at one time consisted of 45 beagles.  I'm down to only 3 house pets now but they still manage these three dogs and do it perfectly.  I think a second opinion is the way to go.



I'm looking for another vet right now.  I've friends in the neighbor hood whose dog just had mouth surgery and am finding out where they took him.  I'd like some references for vets.  The vet we go to is close but they are pricey and my gut reaction to this particular vet's diagnosis is 'does he get $$$ for referrals to this specialist?'  

The first vet said that if it didn't clear up from the original meds he gave her, then to try the antibiotics.  The second vet didn't seem to think that was the course to take, that the specialist course was the way to go.  I'm hoping the antibiotics clear it up.  If her breathing quiets down in the next several days I'll know we're on the right track.  Fingers crossed!


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## Nosmo King (Dec 6, 2010)

My vet goes the expensive route first too!  I took Daisy in because she was scratching as if she was infested with fleas.  the dog does not have one flea on her.

The vet drew blood and sent it off to a lab (there's $250 right there!)  The analysis showed Daisy has a whole raft of allergies.  She's allergic to cotton and tobacco, so I can't sell her off as a slave.  She's allergic to pollen of all sorts too.

Then the vet had a custom allergy shot regimen prescribed for her.  But because she showed so many allergies, the shot was actually two shots!  One from vial A and one from vial B.

And that ain't the end of that, either!  She had three courses (a set of vials with green caps, one with blue caps and one with red caps).  Each course started out with a very small dose.  Then, 3 to four days later, a slightly larger dose.  And so on and so on until the green capped vials were done.  Then move on to the blue capped vials, and finally the red capped set.

Daisy had a bad reaction at the completion of the first (green capped vials) course.  So the vet diluted the red capped vials and put the concoction into a gold capped set of vials!  Then, we started all over with the gold, then the blue and finally the red.

Long story short, it wasn't until the first killing freeze when Daisy's scratching eased up some.  A killing freeze and a total of $750 in vet, pharmacy and lab work.

I'm a Type I Diabetic.  Insulin dependent since age 13.  Between my needles and the dog's, you'd think junkies lived in the house!


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## xotoxi (Dec 6, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> xotoxi said:
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> > You've got a cute motherfucking dog, BTW.
> ...



This is Luna


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

Nosmo King said:


> My vet goes the expensive route first too!  I took Daisy in because she was scratching as if she was infested with fleas.  the dog does not have one flea on her.
> 
> The vet drew blood and sent it off to a lab (there's $250 right there!)  The analysis showed Daisy has a whole raft of allergies.  *She's allergic to cotton and tobacco, so I can't sell her off as a slave.*  She's allergic to pollen of all sorts too.
> 
> ...




  


Why do they always go the most expensive route?  Yeah, yeah the almighty dollar.  But _still_ . . . . 

I just can't justify $2,000 (that we don't have to spare) on a procedure when the dog isn't even exhibiting any signs of a tumor!

Do you have  pet insurance?  I'm wondering if that's worth getting, seeing as she's 7.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

xotoxi said:


> Zoom-boing said:
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She is tooo cute!  What kind is she?  Fox Terrier maybe?


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## Midnight Marauder (Dec 6, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> So about a month ago, Penny went a-chasin' those damn stray cats that are roaming around.  I let her out at least three times on Friday or Saturday chasing the damn things


It always breaks my heart to see a dog get hurt/killed because its owner let it run loose. They deserve better.


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## xotoxi (Dec 6, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> xotoxi said:
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She's just a crazy bitch.

Nice inside..._way_ instain outside.

Mix of beagle and something else.


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## Nosmo King (Dec 6, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Nosmo King said:
> 
> 
> > My vet goes the expensive route first too!  I took Daisy in because she was scratching as if she was infested with fleas.  the dog does not have one flea on her.
> ...


Pet insurance would not be a bad investment for me as Daisy will turn two in January.  I wonder what the premiums are like?


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## Sallow (Dec 6, 2010)

She's a beauty.

Plop down the moula..let the vets do their work.

She's worth every "penny".


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

Midnight Marauder said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > So about a month ago, Penny went a-chasin' those damn stray cats that are roaming around.  I let her out at least three times on Friday or Saturday chasing the damn things
> ...



Um, my dog wasn't running loose, she was in our fenced-in yard.  The stray cats are running loose all over the everyone's yard and were in mine.  The reason there are even any stray cats at all is because of the crazy cat lady a few doors down.  She keeps feeding and they keep breeding.  I let the dog out to chase them out of our yard.  I'm tired of smelling tom-cat all over the place.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 6, 2010)

xotoxi said:


> My guess:  abscess infected with Bartonella from the cat scratch.



Could the inside of her nose be infected without showing any signs outwardly?  

He gave her a two week course of Cephalexin.  Will that do anything if she has Bartonella?


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## Midnight Marauder (Dec 6, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Midnight Marauder said:
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> > Zoom-boing said:
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Trap 'em. Buy a critter trap, they're not expensive, and trap the cats, giving them over to the animal control every morning.

I am glad you have a fenced in yard. You might be able to see where I drew my inaccurate conclusion based on the information given.


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## RadiomanATL (Dec 6, 2010)

Ginger:






Ginger being attacked by the Big White Beast (aka Dakota):


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## strollingbones (Dec 7, 2010)

you need to take some weight off ginger....dachies have a horrible back problem and weight will cause the spine to have problems......expensive ....so get the weight off her...and dont let her jump down from anything.....she shouldnt be jumping at all...


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## Si modo (Dec 7, 2010)

I'd get a second opinion, too.  Infection sounds like the proverbial horse and tumor sounds like the zebra, IMO.  I'd do what you're doing - the antibiotic course.  See what results you have, then go to another vet.

By the way, Penny is such a sweet looking dog, even in the pics you originally posted.






Meet Watson (in a rare moment when he is clean):


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## Samson (Dec 7, 2010)

Doctors,

Vets

Dentists.....


90% are rip-off artists


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## Truthmatters (Dec 7, 2010)

ahhh a westy , they are such little corkers


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## Si modo (Dec 7, 2010)

Truthmatters said:


> ahhh a westy , they are such little corkers


I adopted him.  He has 'issues'.    I never had a terrier before - it's a unique experience.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 7, 2010)

Midnight Marauder said:


> Zoom-boing said:
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You've been around long enough that I would assume you remembered I've said many times that we have a fenced in yard.  But thanks for the reminder that I didn't include that info in my original post, so . . . .yeah.  Letting your dog just run loose is a) just asking for trouble and b) inconsiderate of everyone else.  

As for the cats?  I've trapped well over 30 and have taken them to the spca.  All were feral.  I stopped early this summer because I'm tired of no one else doing anything about the problem.   Two separate neighbors (one who lives right next door to the cat lady) made it a point to tell me that there's a trap-spay-release program.  When I asked 'hey, did you call them to get them out here?' the reply was 'uh, er no . . I work all day . . . ummmm'.  Yeah.  Everyone is all happy that _someone else_ is doing something about the problem so they figured they didn't have to put forth any effort.  

I might start trapping again seeing as they are hanging in my yard.


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## Truthmatters (Dec 7, 2010)

be consistant and he will come arround, they are fine little fellas


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## Si modo (Dec 7, 2010)

Truthmatters said:


> be consistant and he will come arround, they are fine little fellas


Yes.  Cesar Milan is a genius, IMO.  He has helped me quite a bit with the Westie.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 7, 2010)

Si modo said:


> I'd get a second opinion, too.  Infection sounds like the proverbial horse and tumor sounds like the zebra, IMO.  I'd do what you're doing - the antibiotic course.  See what results you have, then go to another vet.
> 
> By the way, Penny is such a sweet looking dog, even in the pics you originally posted.
> 
> ...




He is very cute.  Is he a 'digger'?  I thought terriers like to dig up the yard.  He's darn cute!

I agree with you too.  Waiting to see how things go with the antibiotics.  Her nose sounds 'juicy' when she breathes (at least when she's walking around), which says to me that there is fluid of some sort trapped in there?  The boo-boo on the outside of her nose . . . I think it should look much better by now and it doesn't, which makes me think infection.  

I've already decided to a) go to another vet altogether if this doesn't clear up by the time the meds are done and b) likely switch vets anyway, especially if this clears up.


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## uscitizen (Dec 7, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Si modo said:
> 
> 
> > I'd get a second opinion, too.  Infection sounds like the proverbial horse and tumor sounds like the zebra, IMO.  I'd do what you're doing - the antibiotic course.  See what results you have, then go to another vet.
> ...



ZB, 
Find an older established vet if you can.  The young ones have more overhead and are eager to pay off their student loans quickly.  Plus they really do not have the necessary experience yet to be the best they can be.
Schoolin is great but without experience you are only 2/3 there.


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## strollingbones (Dec 7, 2010)

i hate when you lose confidence in your vet....i had that problem...changed vets....i would not do the tests till the meds are over....and then i would look into the cheapest and easiest on the dog to go...o look into a vet school if you decide or have to have the tumor removed....


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## editec (Dec 7, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> So about a month ago, Penny went a-chasin' those damn stray cats that are roaming around. I let her out at least three times on Friday or Saturday chasing the damn things. A few days after this her nose got swollen, on the top center (behind the black nostril part) and on her right side, up just a bit from her nostrils (next to the bump on the top of her nose). It got swollen pretty good but we didnt' take her to the vet because she's done this before and it always resolved itself. Two weeks later she was still sounding 'stuffy' so we took her. He gave her antihistamine to dry things up, ointment for the outside part (there were two scabs, the bump on the side of her nose turned out to be scabbed over but we thought it was dark fur) and a shot of cortizone. The shot lasted 4-5 days and during that time her nose sounded fine.
> 
> Well here we are three weeks later and she is still sounding 'stuffy'. Took her (along with the sick boy) to the vet. After an extremely lengthy wait the doc finally saw her. He examined her (although not nearly as thoroughly as the first vet, imo). He looked up her nose with a flashlight and you can see on her right nostril the part that is a bump-out of nose (on the inside of her nose) is bigger than the same one on the right. He said it could be 1) a localized infection; 2) a fungus infection 3) a bacterial infection or 4) a tumor. His inclination is tumor (wtf?) and he was suggesting the $2,000 'anesthesia, scope, biopsy' procedure done by a specialist 45 minutes away that he would refer us to.
> 
> ...


 
Yes, her sinuses might have scar tissue (rather than tumor) thus causing diviation in her nasal septum.

If that's the case then no treatment is likely necessary unless it's so bad that she's having trouble breathing.

How's her health other than this stuffiness?

Is she happy and active or is she listless and lethargic?

Is she eating normally?

Does she appear to be in pain of any kind?


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## Si modo (Dec 7, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Si modo said:
> 
> 
> > I'd get a second opinion, too.  Infection sounds like the proverbial horse and tumor sounds like the zebra, IMO.  I'd do what you're doing - the antibiotic course.  See what results you have, then go to another vet.
> ...


Not a digger, amazingly.  He really does have issues.  And, he is now waaaaaaaaay too attached/dependent on me.  Poor thing has had too much instability in his life...I adopt him from some family he had been with for eight years - such a new thing for him.  The woman who had him did nothing to train him - he was a brat.  Her grown son smacked him around...makes me mad.  But, within a month or two with me, he was over the brattiness with me.  Plus, my English Setter tolerated no brattiness at all.  He became attached to the Setter and me pretty well.  Then, I had to put down my setter this summer and he went crazy.  He would actually bloody his face pushing through the back fence to try to find my setter.  He became frantic whenever I left...so much so that he ripped a whole in the carpet.

So, I crate-trained him.  He is less frantic, so that's good, but he is now overly dependent on me.  Hates having me out of his sight.  Last week, I spent a day in the hospital and my BF couldn't even get him to come out of his crate to go potty.  He had to entice him out with a piece of steak, then grab him and toss him in the backyard so that he would go potty.

When I got back home the next day, he was even more frantic and now won't leave my side...ever.

Gotta figure out what to do about that.  





Anyway, not about me and my dog...you have a good plan, Zoom.  Don't know what to say about the cats, though.  Man.  What a problem.


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## uscitizen (Dec 7, 2010)

Paintball gun for the cats?

Naah would get in trouble for that I suppose.
I just shoot the strays, the pound won't accept adult cats and I will not become a cat haven.
All mine (4) are fixed and I will accept no more.
I can get away with shooting them because the nearest house is at least 1/4 mile away.

I regret shooting each and every one of them and curse whomever dumped them in my area.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 7, 2010)

editec said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > So about a month ago, Penny went a-chasin' those damn stray cats that are roaming around. I let her out at least three times on Friday or Saturday chasing the damn things. A few days after this her nose got swollen, on the top center (behind the black nostril part) and on her right side, up just a bit from her nostrils (next to the bump on the top of her nose). It got swollen pretty good but we didnt' take her to the vet because she's done this before and it always resolved itself. Two weeks later she was still sounding 'stuffy' so we took her. He gave her antihistamine to dry things up, ointment for the outside part (there were two scabs, the bump on the side of her nose turned out to be scabbed over but we thought it was dark fur) and a shot of cortizone. The shot lasted 4-5 days and during that time her nose sounded fine.
> ...



.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 7, 2010)

Si modo said:


> Zoom-boing said:
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Would another dog be the answer to Watson's dependency problem?  Could be!


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 7, 2010)

uscitizen said:


> Paintball gun for the cats?
> 
> Naah would get in trouble for that I suppose.
> I just shoot the strays, the pound won't accept adult cats and I will not become a cat haven.
> ...



Paintball guns!    The neighbors would be greatly displeased.


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## Si modo (Dec 7, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Si modo said:
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  Likely so.  But, it would not be a good idea at this point.  I'm going to be traveling for extended periods of time in a bit (up to four months on end), and a new dog would not work.

Watson's going to lose it when that happens.

It's a problem I have to figure out.  Yikes.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 7, 2010)

Si modo said:


> Zoom-boing said:
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Ah, poor Watson is going to have a huge confusion when you go.  

Guess there's no way you can bring him with you?


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## Si modo (Dec 7, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Si modo said:
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No.  That is just impossible.


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## uscitizen (Dec 7, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> uscitizen said:
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I had a problem with wild turkeys in my garden.  The laws are such here that I can shoot a deer for eating my garden but not a wild turkey.  So I used a paintball gun and then started hearing tales of turkeys with chartruse splotches on them 
I just let it stay one of those unsolved mysteries.


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## syrenn (Dec 7, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> So about a month ago, Penny went a-chasin' those damn stray cats that are roaming around.  I let her out at least three times on Friday or Saturday chasing the damn things.  A few days after this her nose got swollen, on the top center (behind the black nostril part) and on her right side, up just a bit from her nostrils (next to the bump on the top of her nose).  It got swollen pretty good but we didnt' take her to the vet because she's done this before and it always resolved itself.  Two weeks later she was still sounding 'stuffy' so we took her.  He gave her antihistamine to dry things up, ointment for the outside part (there were two scabs, the bump on the side of her nose turned out to be scabbed over but we thought it was dark fur) and a shot of cortizone.  The shot lasted 4-5 days and during that time her nose sounded fine.
> 
> Well here we are three weeks later and she is still sounding 'stuffy'.  Took her (along with the sick boy) to the vet.  After an extremely lengthy wait the doc finally saw her.  He examined her (although not nearly as thoroughly as the first vet, imo).  He looked up her nose with a flashlight and you can see on her right nostril the part that is a bump-out of nose (on the inside of her nose) is bigger than the same one on the right.  He said it could be 1) a localized infection; 2) a fungus infection 3) a bacterial infection or 4) a tumor.  His inclination is tumor (wtf?) and he was suggesting the $2,000 'anesthesia, scope, biopsy' procedure done by a specialist 45 minutes away that he would refer us to.
> 
> ...





I would think that it is an abscess from a cat scratch. If the antibiotics don't clear the problem i would suggest a biopsy.

Good luck with your baby.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 8, 2010)

Ok, she's been on the anti-biotic for 2 1/2 days, five pills into her.  She's still breathing loudly but . . . she is getting snot bubbles coming out of the right side of her nose.  That's the side that is swollen.  I'm thinking this is a good thing?  Also, I'm concerned about the swelling and we had leftover Deramaxx, an anti-inflammatory, that was prescribed for her.  I just gave her a dose of that to see if it eases the swelling any,  thus making her breathing less loud.  Yes, I'm playing doctor because  . . . grrrr, I'm still freakin' annoyed at the vet because I don't think he did his job well enough . . . I don't know.  I don't understand why I take my dog to the vet and he goes from step one to step five, skipping steps 2, 3 and 4 in trying to figure out what the problem is and why can't _he_ scope her well enough to tell me what might be wrong; he suggests a 'specialist' to do that.  Isn't being able to scope a dog's nose part of what being a vet is (rather than having to go to a specialist)??


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## syrenn (Dec 8, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Ok, she's been on the anti-biotic for 2 1/2 days, five pills into her.  She's still breathing loudly but . . . she is getting snot bubbles coming out of the right side of her nose.  That's the side that is swollen.  I'm thinking this is a good thing?  Also, I'm concerned about the swelling and we had leftover Deramaxx, an anti-inflammatory, that was prescribed for her.  I just gave her a dose of that to see if it eases the swelling any,  thus making her breathing less loud.  Yes, I'm playing doctor because  . . . grrrr, I'm still freakin' annoyed at the vet because I don't think he did his job well enough . . . I don't know.  I don't understand why I take my dog to the vet and he goes from step one to step five, skipping steps 2, 3 and 4 in trying to figure out what the problem is and why can't _he_ scope her well enough to tell me what might be wrong; he suggests a 'specialist' to do that.  Isn't being able to scope a dog's nose part of what being a vet is (rather than having to go to a specialist)??



it is rather standard now to send pets to specialists. Most regular vets wont have the right specialized equipment AND they don't want to be sued for malpractice. And yes that happens quite often.

Hugs, I know you love your dog.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 8, 2010)

syrenn said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > Ok, she's been on the anti-biotic for 2 1/2 days, five pills into her.  She's still breathing loudly but . . . she is getting snot bubbles coming out of the right side of her nose.  That's the side that is swollen.  I'm thinking this is a good thing?  Also, I'm concerned about the swelling and we had leftover Deramaxx, an anti-inflammatory, that was prescribed for her.  I just gave her a dose of that to see if it eases the swelling any,  thus making her breathing less loud.  Yes, I'm playing doctor because  . . . grrrr, I'm still freakin' annoyed at the vet because I don't think he did his job well enough . . . I don't know.  I don't understand why I take my dog to the vet and he goes from step one to step five, skipping steps 2, 3 and 4 in trying to figure out what the problem is and why can't _he_ scope her well enough to tell me what might be wrong; he suggests a 'specialist' to do that.  Isn't being able to scope a dog's nose part of what being a vet is (rather than having to go to a specialist)??
> ...





What did they do before 'specialists' were the norm?  Didn't the vet take care of all aspects of the dog/pet?   <sigh>  I'm just frustrated is all.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 10, 2010)

So, Penny has been on the antibiotic for 4 1/2 (out of 14) days now and I'm not noticing much change. I don't know if it's too soon and I'm just being impatient or if infection isn't the problem or what.  Last night she got those boogie bubbles out of both sides of her nose for bit and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  She seems almost fine behavior-wise, except I don't think she's drinking as much water as usual and she isn't sleeping real well.  Her nose gets worse when she lays down (unless it's with her head on her paws, then it's just loud).  Any other way and she ends up waking up and having to move.  I was slicing the cooked chicken last night for dinner and she just laid on the kitchen floor . . . she didn't even come over and stare at me with her big brown eyes hoping for a piece of chicken.  

I did notice that she has some gagging-like sounds now.  Not all the time but it's there off and on.  I am now at a point where I'm worried . . . there's that knotty feeling in my stomach.  That wasn't there before.

So I just called another vet and have an appointment today at 4:30.  Cripes I hope they can figure out what the hell is going on.


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## Nosmo King (Dec 10, 2010)

Has the vet drawn blood for analysis?  Is Penny running a temperature?  Surely, they can determine an infection with some simple diagnosis.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 10, 2010)

Nosmo King said:


> Has the vet drawn blood for analysis?  Is Penny running a temperature?  Surely, they can determine an infection with some simple diagnosis.



No, which is why I'm going to another vet.

The vet service I've been going to for years has many different docs and you get who you get.  Her second visit (this past Monday) was by a different doc.  Imagine my suspicions when he spends 5 minutes with the dog and suggested a $2,000 scope/biopsy test from a specialist.  Um . . . really?  No blood work, no needle aspiration?  The dog isn't displaying symptoms of a tumor and yet that's what he thinks it the problem?  Even after I tell him she was fine until she did _something_ to her nose?  It's like we tried step one and then he went to step five . . . without trying steps two, three or four.  First appointment they didn't take her temp, second appointment they did.  She didn't have a fever.  

The vet service she's going to this afternoon only has one vet.  Our neighbors go there and have had very good experiences with him.


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## Si modo (Dec 10, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Nosmo King said:
> 
> 
> > Has the vet drawn blood for analysis?  Is Penny running a temperature?  Surely, they can determine an infection with some simple diagnosis.
> ...



Is that that vet service through one of those big pet store chains?


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 10, 2010)

Si modo said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > Nosmo King said:
> ...



No, neither are.  The vet I've been going to for years has been here forever, local business.  The one I'm going to in a few hours isn't any type of chain either, as far as I know.

Penny isn't drinking as much as she normally does, which is concerning.  Her water dish hold 3 cups of water and we fill it, on average, three times a day or so.  It's 1pm and the dish is about 1/2 full after the first filling.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 10, 2010)

Just got back from the new vet.  He spent a good 1/2 hour examining her and talking to me.  

He said the most likely problem is also the most obvious, in that she suffered some trauma to the nose and that is what is causing the loud breathing/low air flow in her right nostril.  He said that yes, tumor is always likely but that is last on his list, as it's obvious she did _something_ to her nose and then the problem started.  He thoroughly examined her nose, pushing all over the place, really looking at her teeth to make sure it wasn't an abscess or something.  Penny didn't mind and it's obvious that she's in no pain.

He doesn't think it's infected (but we're going to finish the meds just to be on the safe side).  His thoughts are that either something got stuck in there . . . but that would more than likely set off an infection which she doesn't appear to have or, more likely, that she fractured or broke some of the turbinate bones.  A cat scan is the best way to determine what's going on in there.  He said she isn't in any pain, it is causing some air flow restriction but other than that she seems absolutely fine.  He said that the test is in the $1,500 to $2,000 range and that was just for the test.  If surgery was an option to fix something that would be another $2,500 or so.  He said if it was his dog he wouldn't know what to do because it's so costly and she appears totally fine, other than the air flow.  If we don't do anything she will likely just be a louder breather but he said she will  not suffer from it at all.  They could scope her but that wouldn't necessarily reveal a broken bone.  Same with an x-ray.  Oh, he also said that it is possible that her nasal passage may shift some and open up more.  Probably unlikely though.

We don't have an extra $2,000-$4,500 laying around.  I do feel totally reassured that she's basically ok.  She sounds snorty now.  Fuckin' damn stray cats.


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## California Girl (Dec 10, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Just got back from the new vet.  He spent a good 1/2 hour examining her and talking to me.
> 
> He said the most likely problem is also the most obvious, in that she suffered some trauma to the nose and that is what is causing the loud breathing/low air flow in her right nostril.  He said that yes, tumor is always likely but that is last on his list, as it's obvious she did _something_ to her nose and then the problem started.  He thoroughly examined her nose, pushing all over the place, really looking at her teeth to make sure it wasn't an abscess or something.  Penny didn't mind and it's obvious that she's in no pain.
> 
> ...



I'm relieved to hear she's ok. YAY!


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## syrenn (Dec 10, 2010)

Whew! Good to know that its not cancer and that she is just fine.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 10, 2010)

syrenn said:


> Whew! Good to know that its not cancer and that she is just fine.



Indeed!  

I'm truly frustrated that the cost of a more conclusive test is out of our range right now, but at least I know she's basically ok.


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## syrenn (Dec 10, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> syrenn said:
> 
> 
> > Whew! Good to know that its not cancer and that she is just fine.
> ...



Oh i understand fully, it was a bad kitty month for me a few back. 

I always wonder if i should claim them on our health insurance as they are my sons.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 10, 2010)

Do you have pet insurance? I assume it's expensive but have no clue.


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## Mr.Fitnah (Dec 11, 2010)

Zoom-boing said:


> Nosmo King said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds like one of those stray cats swatted Penny across the snoot!  Were there any other marks on her nose?  If it was a stray cat, I think it's a localized infection.
> ...



wash it with h2o2
and relax


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## RadiomanATL (Dec 11, 2010)

strollingbones said:


> you need to take some weight off ginger....dachies have a horrible back problem and weight will cause the spine to have problems......expensive ....so get the weight off her...and dont let her jump down from anything.....she shouldnt be jumping at all...



She's really not fat. I think it was just the angle in that top pic. Look at the bottom one and you can kinda tell.


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## Zoom-boing (Dec 11, 2010)

Ah, good old peroxide.  Yup.  She is seeming more herself today.  She was eyeing my dinner and she chased the cat .  I think all is well.  And?  We got a new vet to go too.


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## RadiomanATL (Dec 11, 2010)

RadiomanATL said:


> strollingbones said:
> 
> 
> > you need to take some weight off ginger....dachies have a horrible back problem and weight will cause the spine to have problems......expensive ....so get the weight off her...and dont let her jump down from anything.....she shouldnt be jumping at all...
> ...



Here's some better pics:


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