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
Hepatitis in catsQ: Thanks you for being so prompt in answering my question about giving my dog cassie benadryl. i now have another question. i hope you can help. my daughter's cat has just been diagnosed w/hepatitis. it is not contagious, her liver enzymes are elevated, but not dangerous at this time. x-rays also show her gall bladder does not look right. her x-rays from last summer should it looked abnormal, but the vet assumed it was because she had swallowed a leather shoe lace, had to have surgery to remove it. they are going to to a sonogram on her gall bladder tomorrow. do you have any idea what the problem might be? of course, my daughter is frantic. thanks for any information you can give me. A: I would wait on comments until ultrasound done and interpreted. you could use some nice liver supplements like denosyl(ask at pet meds).
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.
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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.
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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.
What product should i useQ: I have 3 dogs weighing about 25, 60, 75 lbs. i live in a highly wooded area and my dogs run the property. other then commercial sprays to spray the property what products do you recommend for fleas and ticks? i need something that is waterproof. A: Use frontline plus as a monthly, topical, flea and tick preventative.
Shop for: tick, frontline plus, frontline
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
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