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
Hot spotsQ: My boy, noah, is eight years old. it seems that, every two to three years, only during the summer, he gets "hot spots". we have taken him to our vet. the vet, who has been his doc. since day one, gives him an injection of "o/c first?", some cephalexin 500 caps, and sends us home. now, this dog already has a thyroid issue. has been diagnosed for about a year with an underactive thyroid. he takes thyrozine, .8 mgs, twice a day. we are going on three weeks now, with this bout of "hot spots", an no results. he still bothers himself. it is starting to bother me. is there anything other than cortizone, to help relieve and heal my boy? we're very close, yet i find myself scolding him for irritating himself, so he gets more sensitive to my voice tones, well, he hides from me sometimes. i know it's just to chew on himself. this is going nowhere. please help comfort us! thank you for your time deb felts A: Try topical sprays to area such as gentacin topical sprays to hot spots. can also use antihistamines at same time as low dose cortisone including benadryl at dose of 1/2 to 1 mg per pound orally twice daily. also consider fatty acid supplement long term for allergies such as brite coat xs from 1800petmeds. if persists, then consider blood or skin allergy test to find out what allergic to so vaccine can be made for best long term relief
Shop for: antihistamine, 1800petmeds
Still has fleasQ: I have a cat that is 2 years old and he doesn't go outside at all. i also have 2 dogs. all of the animals are on frontline plus. the dogs do not have any fleas but my cat still gets them even though i have him on frontline plus. he is a large cat, about 15 lbs. please let me know if i should give my cat a different flea medicine because frontline plus doesn't seem to be working and these fleas are driving me crazy!! A: For the immediate problem i would recommend your using capstar tablets for your cat for about 3 days or so. that will kill all the adult fleas on him. the problem is probably that there are fleas in his area in the house. you have to vacuum the area every day for a few days and perhaps use a spray to clean the area. you can get information on flea control on our website but this should work.
Shop for: frontline, frontline plus, capstar
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
Ear infection and fur lossQ: My 13 year old dog always has ear infections, hair loss and flakes where there is the hair. the hair comes away easily. the ears produce a dark and smelly discharge that is slimey. he gets it in both ears, but the right one is the worst. i clean his ears and put antibiotic drops, but he keeps getting infections. the vet removed one of his testicles, because he had a tumor and that was causing the ear infections. the joint to his front paw is swollen, lost hair and is purplish with some discharge. the vet states that it could be flebitis and i was giving him antibiotics, it still is a little swollen with hair loss. he also had vestibular disease a couple months back. could the ear infections be caused by a skin allergy or are the ear infections causing him to be unstable (vestibular disease)(i know it has something to do with the brain) or is it a thyroid problem causing ear infections a the skin disorder? thank you. A: Ear problems are most commonly due to inhalent and/or food allergies but also possibly low thyroid which you should check. unless address underyling causes, then recurs. also in such a long standing case might want to culture ears to see what is growing in them and consider x rays of inner/middle ear which has tob e done under sedation as sometimes surgical drainage and flushing is needed. might need surgical specialist here
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.
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
Infected mouthQ: My dog has an infection in his mouth. it is pussy and bloody. i need to know which antibiotic is best for him. he is a 13 year old dauchaund/cocker spaniel mix with a heart murmer. A: 20;35;2
