YeastQ: We have a 7 yr old sheltywhom we adopted when she was five. she has been itching and pulling her hair out chewing her nails etc. we attributed this to grass/flea allergy. we have been giving her benedryl. i was only giving her 2 pills a day and then read in your web site that she could have 4 a day. the vet said she could go as high as six per day. she developed a strong oder about her and i wondered as to whether her anal glands needed to be cleaned after reading articals on your web site. i took her to the vet and the vet said she had yeast really bad. we are now using a medicated antifungal shampoo three times per week, and ear wash every 12 hours and we are switching to a natural dog food of lamb and rice. i really can't afford the ketoconazole from the vet at $65. my question is can i give her fluconazole (150 mg) i also want to know if there is an antofungal spray i can use on her to give her more comfort. i know there are otc antifungal creams for yeast which could be messy with what little hair she has left. could a liquid spray such as tinactin be used on her under belly and hind legs? A: Tinactin would be fine to try. also consider ketachlor shampoo from 1800petmeds every few days. in case like this you need to address underlying causes of yeast overgrowth such as allergies or low thyroid or problem will recur and never resolve
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RingwormQ: We adopted two rescue dogs recently. one was obtained dec. 26 and the other jan. 10. my youngest child showed up with ringworm about a week after getting the second dog. after a doctor's visit and fungal cream, a patch showed up in his hair. i had the dogs checked but the vet saw no evidence of ringworm. the second dog developed patches on his two front feet that looked like my child cut them with sissors. i had the vet do a culture from these spots and only two small colonies grew. she wasn't concerned. ringworm has now spread to my other two children and myself. we are all using a cream prescribed by a doctor and my son with the patch in his hair is now on grifulvin for 4 weeks. in desperation, i asked the vet to medicate the dogs. she reluctantly gave me fulvicin (6 per day/dog). told me to mix with food and corn oil. why the corn oil? i put the pills down their throats to make sure they get them. is that ok or should they be chewed? i do have one house cat who is strictly indoors and has never been out, but the ring worm showed up after we got the dogs. how long does it take for a person to show up with symptoms? which dog would you suspect? how is this being spread? what do i need to do to end it? i have spent about $800 so far in meds, vet bills, doctor appointments. i appreciate all the advice you can offer. thanks A: Corn oil is meant to help increase absorption of griseofulvin which is not well absorbed on empty stomach and is best absorbed with fatty meal. i would treat all pets in house including cat(but must check for fiv first in cat before starting a drug like griseofulvin), and some pets need to have hair clipped and additional topical therapy as well. you may want to see a vet dermatologist to end problem once and for all as there are other drugs besides griseofulvin which are more effective in some cases. as for person showing up with symptoms you have to ask your human doctors for that answer.
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Alaskan malamuteQ: We have a malamute that has trouble getting up. he is 10 yrs old (125 lbs.) and we got a perscription of rymidl and he wouldnot take it, we also got glyco-flex and he will not take them either. right now he is on eucanuba veteranry diet dog food. we also have a 10 yr old sheltie that is over weight that is why they are on diet dog food. what do you recomend that we try for him. he does eat treats, but he will not eat a pill and i can't force him too, he is too strong, he will not open his mouth. if i do get it in there he just spits it out. i tried stuffing some in a hot dog (they normally don't get people food) but he ate the hot dog and spit out the pills. if you have any ideas please let me know. thanks A: You may want to try cosequin ds. these are capsules that you can open and sprinkle the contents on the dogs food.
Heart wormsQ: Our dog tested positive for a moderate case of heartworms. we took him to a teaching hospital for treatment, where he received 2 injections and stayed 3 nights. they said he did very well, and he could have his last injection in a month at a regular vet. when i called to find a vet, they didn't give a third injection. we can't afford to have him return to the vet school again. should we just begin heart worm pills or is there an injection i can buy and give? A: The two injections might be enough. but i would ask for letter from teaching hospital stating what injection isneeded likely immiticide, which most vets carry. but might be able to get away with just starting monthly heartworm pills as usually the two injections is enough in most cases if you cant find vet who will give 3rd injection
Reliable pill flea treatmentQ: We live in a rural community where my dogs have an acre or so to roam in, and the fleas can be a problem, treating the fenced in yard, the house and even the in door cats is taken care of, but the topical treatments, such as frontline, etc don't seem to work well on my dogs, beagle and mixed breed, is there a reliable pill for flea control that i could give? i looked on the petmeds.com flea & tick chart and the two pills that are offered don't offer anything else in the way of protection. thanks. A: You might want to consider using program orally, and adding a good flea collar like zema.
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Use of vetalogQ: My dog has seasonal allergies. it only happens late summer and into fall. our vet gives us vetalog 1.5mg to use, and starts her off with an injection of the same, stating the pills will not be as affective without it. is this true, and after what i have read of the recommendations give to others in the same situation, is this treatment safe? i was not made aware of the risks or longterm affests of vetalog. this is used only during the summertime when the symptoms occur (which seem to be early this year). A: I am not fan of long acting steroids like vetalog and much prefer with similar results tapering dose of short acting prednisone over a few weeks to alternate day therapy as best way of using cortisone in practice. no need for injections. oral way is less toxic and stressful on immune system and adrenal glands and way most vet dermatologists use cortisone
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Stool eatingQ: I also have a beagle that eats other dog and rabbits stool. how soon will i see the difference after i start giving my pet the deter pills? thanks A: This product is usually effective within 2 weeks. however, if the product is not working, the manufacturer recommends using double the dose for an additional 2 weeks.
