AllergiesQ: My 4 year old maltese has had allergies since birth. i have tried several medications to no avail. steroids seem to help the most, but due to side affects, i would rather not use them. should i now seek a dog dermatolagist? A: That would be great idea as he could address problem through allergy testing or restricted protein diets like purina ha. also you could consider new allergy drug known as atopica which is highly effective alternative to steroids
Eye discharge or cat coldQ: I have approximately 9 week old kittens with eye discharge or cat colds. please advise medication. A: Need vet visit for diagnosis. see article on education part of this website for supportive eye care until vet visit
16yr old cat very illQ: Hi, my 16 year old cat is very ill right now. i noticed her walking unsteady yesterday and now she won't even get up. she has tinted blood in her urine which leads me to believe she has a very bad urinary tract infection. i've contacted my vet, but he is out of town. he told me to give her some honey because she hasn't been eating or drinking at all and is very weak. after i spoke with him, i realized that i have antibiotics from last month that were for my dog. i can't stand to see her suffer, here is the name that is on the bottle it is abbreviated smztmp i also have a bottle of rimadyl 100mg. right now anything to help, can i give my cat a very small amount of either one of these to help ease her discomfort? thank-you A: Don't give rimadyl to cats. you could try 120 mg of the smz once daily but this antibiotic can occasionally cause side effects in cats as well as cause excessive drooling so i would stay away from unless at direction of your vet. really needs exam and blood work as could have other issues going on causing blood in urine like kidney failure.
Shop for: rimadyl
Oral rabies vaccineQ: Is there a oral version of the rabies vaccine that can be given to my dog(rottweiler) although he is a great dog and has been trained he has a great fear of needles and becomes very aggressive when i need to muzzle him for this.. its to the point now that i need to have him sedated completely to accomplish this(which makes me feel terrible for days that i have to do this) although this only happpens once a year it would be nice if this type of vaccine is available for dogs as it is for wild/zoo animals. thanks jim A: There is no oral form of the vaccine. you might also ask your veterinarian about the new once every 3 year rabies vaccine that certainly be helpful in your situation.
BreedingQ: I need to know how many times a day you can use one male dog for breeding. A: I only would do it once to twice
Dog(doberman pinsher)Q: My dog chews on both his front paws and i dont know why! at first i thought it was because of rawhide bones getting there and him biting the little pieces off but now it seems to be a habit. i have bandaged them up only for him to chew them off. he doesnt have a flea or tick problem and that is the only area he chews on so i dont think its allergies. do you have anu suggestions? thank you very much. A: Front paw chewing is often a sign of inhalent or less likely food allergies. and it can be the only area involved. you could start by trying antihistamines like benadryl at dose of 75 mg twice daily to see if helps or other anthistamines
Shop for: antihistamine, tick
Expiration datesQ: Does hearguard have a shelf life beyond the expiration date? after giving my dog his monthly dose of heartguard, i noticed the expiration date was 3 months ago! is he protected or should i re-medicate? A: Expiration dates are the point at which the manufacturer can no longer guarantee effectiveness of theproduct. you should not use any medication beyond it's expiration date. i would not re-medicate since there is a lingering effect if you have been giving heartgard each month. however, i would suggest you give in-date medication for the next dose.
Shop for: heartgard
Perfect teeth but falling outQ: My 9 year old dog has perfect teeth. no gum problems and no tarter. recently i have discovered that his front top two teeth are missing. is there something in his diet that i can change to prevent him from losing more teeth? A: Some dogs do have tendency to lose teeth as they get older. just make sure on good natural diet like pet guard or innova or canidae. i feel that reason why these problems are so common is that we have gotten away from what dogs evolved to eat and that is meat and bone based diets. i would check out barf diet info at barf.com to learn more
