Parvo-in pit bullQ: My pit bull was diagnosed with the parvo virus the other day when we took him to the vet and they told us to give him pedialite and gatorade he kept it doown and last night he pooped a little bit of blood and i was wanting to know if he will be alright and what that means A: Usually dogs with parvo virus are hospitilized and put on iv fluids and injectable antibiotics to prevent secondary infections. but there are different strains of parvo, etc in terms of severity of illness. very common with viral infections of intestines to have loose stool with someblood at times
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
Heartworm/regular wormsQ: I have a 140# great dane, and she just started licking around her anus/rear end area. i am suspecting worms. i have heartguard, however, i didn't keep up on the monthly schedule, it has been approx 4 months since i gave her a dose, is it ok to give to her now, or do i need to have her tested again? i live in western oregon. also, from reading other e-mails, you suggest that heartguard helps control intestinal worms, do i need to buy a different wormer, or will heartguard take care of all of them. A: Anal gland disease is a common problem in dogs and cats. the anal glands, also called 'anal sacs,' can become impacted, infected, and abscessed. affected pets may lick the anal area, 'scoot' along the floor, or have problems with defecation.|dogs with recurrent anal gland impactions are often placed on a high fiber diet. the high fiber makes the animal's stool more bulky. the stool will put more pressure on the anal glands and hopefully the glands will express themselves when the animal defecates. there are several commercial brands of high fiber dog food available. animals may also be supplemented with bran or medications such as metamucil which will increase the bulk of the stool.|i would also recommend your using the heartworm prevention throughout the summer months.
Black lab with scaling skin and hair loss/extremeQ: Can you recommend a treatement for my dog. he is about 18 months old , and has scaling flaking skin, and extreme hair loss on his back, rear area, and thigh area. i have treated him for mange, and that did not help. his skin seems similar to a human if they had sorioas? i did not spell that correctly, but sometimes he also has sores. i can not afford to spend hundreds of dollars for vet treatments. what do you think would treat him? thanks, tess A: He needs diagnosis for best treatment so really needs vet visit to examine skin and determine if overgrowth of yeast, bacteria or skin parasite, etc as well as underyling allergies that can predispose to these issues. you could try chlorihexiderm shampoo from 1800petmeds and use every few days as wella s 1800petmeds aloe vera conditioner after shampoo.
Shop for: 1800petmeds
ItchingQ: Both of my dogs take an oral anti flea agent as well as topical....but they are still itching and biting....no signs of fleas, using anti itch shampoo once every two weeks.....but still itching and pulling out hair, no rash, lumps, bumps or dry skin that i can see. any suggestions? A: Sounds like inhalent or food allergies. you could try low dose anthistamines like benadryl or hydroxyzine as well as essential fatty acids like flax seed oil added to food at 1 tea per 20 pounds of body weight daily
DogQ: My shepard rukus is an outside dog,she shakes her head quite often and will put one of her ears down some times and scratches it, it doesn't seem to hurt her or have an odor,could u please offer me some ideas on what this could be.and how i could treat this without spending a forturn at the vet.........thanx lynn A: Sounds like could be allergy which is most common cause of head shaking. you could try oral benadryl at dose of 1/2 to 1 mg per pound orally twice daily. also consider topical synotic which is prescription item to be applied down ear canals
Heartworm medoicationQ: I have no doubt my dogs don't have heartworm, they were in the house throughtout the winter. how come my vet won't give my the heartworm tablets without testing and do i absolutely need my dogs to be tested. it's a monetary issue for me, since i can't really affoird both the tablets and testing. A: If you question your vet i am sure it all boils down to being assured of compliance in administration of the heartworm medication over the last year. there may be additional reasons, but only your veterinarian can disclose those to you.
