Mistletoe poisoningQ: Our 75# lab and 20# beagle ate a small amount of dry mistletoe ( a few leaves each), will this be harmful? A: Should not be a problem. watch for digestive upset but should be ok if only tiny bits
Proin dropsQ: I see you have chewable proin tablets. my almost 17 year old doxie has very few teeth and has always had trouble with pills and tablets. i'm currently using proin drops that i got from our vet before our moving. by any chance do you carry the drops? thank you, A: We do not carry proin drops.
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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.
Shop for: ringworm Excessive sheddingQ: I have a 4 yr. old yellow lab and a 2 yr. old golden. both shed terribly, which i guess comes with the breed. i have been told, however, there are supplements they can take to reduce shedding. is this so? my lab sheds way more than the golden and it's really out of control. would the fact that they're both on adult lite science diet or in the past adult lite eukanuba affect their coats as far as shedding? is there something missing from their diet? i see that brewer's yeast tablets indicate they help with shedding but the dosage is 1 pill per every 10 lbs. that would be 6 pills per day per dog. that seems a bit much. what do you suggest? A: I dont like these lite foods as i feel they do supplement nutrients as well as calories and therefore i find alot of dogs who eat these foods have poor quality coats. i would use supplements like prozyme from 1800petmeds as well as flax seed oil at 1 tea per 20 pounds of body weight daily, as well as lecithin and kelp from health food store. check out dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard pitcairn for more suggestions and dosages
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Yeast and bacteria infectionQ: Does pet pharmacy stock a non-prescription that has the same ingredants or works as well as otomax/ointment ? my sharpei has seen her veterinarian over 4 or 5 months ago. he prescribed some kind of cordisone pills and otomax / ointment (15g bottle). A: Otomax is a prescription product. there are over the counter products that are used to cleanse the ears that could prevent the problem
Unfinished tabletQ: My 13lb shi-tzu would not consume the heartgard plus tablet by itself so i broke it up in her food. unfortunately, she only ate about half of the tablet( can't be sure of exact dose taken) and would not complete that serving of food all day. the tablets are for dogs up to 25 lbs...will half a tablet protect her? should i give her another tablet? she is quite lethargic and slow moving since eating the heartgard plus but is in heat.... thanks for any advice you can offer... i just rescued this dog about two weeks ago and am already very attached! A: I would not use these pills when she is in heat. better off skipping a month as can have reactions to drugs, vaccines, etc when given during heat period. dont worry for now but if note lethargy, upset stomach again next month then i would consider switching heartworm preventative pills to interceptor Shop for: heartgard, heartgard plus, interceptor
Ear infectionsQ: My lab has a problem with her ears again. she has had several ear infections and always seems to get them back every few months. she has had drops, drops with prednisone, and prednisone pills at times. she usually starts with a very dark brown wax in her ears and then she starts shaking her head and her ears get all red under the flap. she had kennel cough several months ago and i have some doxycycline left from that. would it help to give her some of that to clear up the infection? A: I wouldn't without checking with your own veterinarian. antibiotics are prescribed based on the type of infection. what's going on in your pet's ear may require a different antibiotic. only an examination can tell.
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Cheaper rx food for 10 y/o male cat?Q: Hi, i've had to pay for high rx food for my 10 y/o fixed lhd cat for many yrs. is there any way to get equivalent uti rx cat food, such as eukanuba low ph/s and hill's c/d? over the yrs, it has cost literally several thousand $, and i'm by no means rich. in fact, i'm quite poor. can i buy powder or pills? thanks muchly, paul m. A: I am not a big believer in these urinary diets which create other problems. simply feed a good natural brand wet cat food (not dry) to your pet like pet guard or innova.