Mirissa Duncil, DVM

Biography

I am a Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine graduate of 2014. Currently, I am a mixed animal practitioner with special interest in emergency medicine as well as surgery. I'm a Kentucky native with expansive travel history and love to see new places and help new animal friends. I have two kids, five dogs, and three cats - as well as a revolving door of rehabbing exotics and/or wildlife. Happy to help you and your best friend!

Hi. My cat sprain or strain his back leg after getting stuck from the rocking chair. He cried but he's fine now and resting to a quite bedroom. But when he walks, he can still feel the pain. Now,I compare his other foot from the injured foot to see if there's a different. I noticed that I cannot see his tarsus to his injured leg but I can feel it. What does it mean?

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach. It sounds like there is severe swelling of the soft tissues along the injured leg. If the swelling is great-often times it is harder to feel the specific structures below the skin. It would be best to have an x ray of the limb to make sure there are no fractures inducing more swelling. Hope this helps

Recently Rosie has become really bad with having her saddle put on and girth done up. Yesterday she was kicking out, trying to bite and being very aggressive...this is completely out of character! I think she may have ulcers, how can I treat these cheaply without getting a vet if possible? I’m also going to get a physio to check her back but I do think it’s ulcers and I don’t have a high budget to solve this

Hi there. First it’s important to make sure that your saddle fits properly-you aren’t pinching when you tighten your girth or tightening too quickly-both of which can cause discomfort in your mare. It really is best to have her scoped by a vet to check for ulcers, as well as an oral exam to make sure there is no pain in the mouth-sometimes they just associate pain with riding and it doesn’t matter the source of the pain (saddle, bit, etc) they just know it hurts them. Gastrogard is usually what I try first for ulcers. It is commercially available in many stores as well as online. If you suspect ulcers, you may also want to reevaluate how much grain you are feeding. If you have further questions, please feel free to ask. Hope this helps.

Hi, I have a 10 month old neutered main coon male kitten. I noticed a few days ago that he looks a lot thinner than he used to, yet when I weighed him he still exactly the same weight as he was 2 months ago ( 11 lbs ). Is it possible that he is still growing height and lenght wise at this age? Or is it normal that he did not gained anything since he was 8 months old? He is eating fine and also very active. He is dewormed, vet checked, vaccinated etc. Thank you

Hi there. I wouldn’t be terribly concerned at weight evening off at this stage-it may still be that he picks up weight as he ages, but right now I’m sure you still have an active kitten. He may well still be growing. It sounds like you take very good care of him, and if he is having no health issues-it sounds like everything is in order. I hope this helps.

Hi you might notice I just asked you a question but I was wondering if you could help me to be safe how many times must a dog mate and be tied to become pregnant because we want our dog to become pregnant

Hi there. Much as in any species reproduction, successful mating only requires one time to lead to the production of healthy offspring. I will, however, usually encourage my breeder clients to allow the pair to breed at least 2-3 times for maximal probability. There is never a 100% guarantee that any pair will mate successfully to produce offspring, as many factors (female egg count, hormone levels, male sperm count and viability, etc) also come into play here. I hope this helps!

My pup her her first season about 1/2 months ago recently iv notice her back 4 nipples are saggy like she’s had a litter what does this mean? She’s never been near male dog

Hi there. When your dog has experienced heat cycles, their bodies will react differently from dog to dog. Much like puberty in humans, with the beginnings of such hormonal fluxes, breast enlargement as well as vulvar are common and may be permanent. Certain types of infections, called pyometras, are also a possibility-if your pup is lethargic, not eating or drinking, or has purulent discharge she should see a vet immediately.