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
Shop for: prozyme, 1800petmeds
WormsQ: I just saved a dog domestic animal services, (the pound). she had hook worm, and they gave her something for it. when i had brought her home she had ticks really bad. we gave her advantix and many baths. i even bombed my house. i just took another stool sample in and now she has tapeworms. i have a presciption for droncit 34, which was 4 pills all at once. my questions are, will heartguard prevent these worms, and is this normal to have 2 different worms within a month. also do you carry any medicines for the hookworm and tapeworms, without a presciption? A: Heartgard is for heartworm prevention only. heartgard plus will also protect against hookworm and roundworm. panacur-c is an over the counter, broad spectrum wormer, that will treat hookworm, roundworm, whipworm and tapeworm.
Shop for: heartgard, tick, heartgard plus, advantix
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.
Shop for: tick, frontline
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
Knee/ligaments pulled, she's my 12yr old wolfQ: Ihave 2 questions, my wolf's son started getting very angry towards his mother, about 6 months ago. he is a hy-brid. please do't get me wrong he is a good boy, but his attitude is scaring me. number one , why would he get angry at his mom? and 2 sasha the mom, got tackled by him, they both weigh 100pds. we took her to an alternate vet, and she said sasha'a knee was out , but this lady was really wrenching to make her cry. sasha won't cry in pain unles she really is . my ? the vet said she had torn and or strecthed ligaments, will she be okay, or will she need rimadyl for the rest of her life. these pills have calmed her a bit, but i don't want her life to cloudy. and she still has the spritit of the wolf in her. thank you tiger A: If ligaments are torn, best is surgical repair of cruciates. i dont think life long rimadyl necessary if underyling surgical issue. if not, then try supplements like super joint enhancer from 1800petmeds as well as extra antioxidant nutrients like vitamin e at 400iu or vitamin c in form of ester c at dose of 1000 mg twice daily
Shop for: rimadyl, vitamin, 1800petmeds, joint enhancer
Rockys vaccinesQ: I have a yorkie that is going to be 2 years old in october, he has been to the vet twice since he was a baby. what type of vaccines is he in need of right now in order for him to be up to date, and does he require heartworm pills or any other type of worm pills? thank you A: The latest theory is that dogs that have been properly immunized as puppies and have received their shots for parvo/distemper are likely to have adequate immunity and years of protection. as for heartworm preventative, your dog should be taking medication once a month to prevent this potentially fatal disease.
Loose bowels a lotQ: Dear vet, my dog buddy a black lab gets a upset stomach and loose bowels very often. i can hear his stomach making growling noises. his vet has given him some pills that stop the condition almost immediately but after a few days it seems to come back. i don't know what to do about this it worries me he is 7 years old. thanks, dodie A: I recommend further diagnostics to determine the cause of the problem. lab tests and x-rays along with a parasite check may be helpful. you might need to ask for a referral to a specialist in veterinary internal medicine.
Flea, tick, & bheart wormQ: Hi, i have two 6 year old male ( brothers) peekapoms. i've been using frontline for quite a while now, and also a heartworm, i hear that there is some combination drop i can give them instead. i can not give them pills, no way, no how. after this last treatment they are still scratching so, but i don't see any fleas! i bathe them about q2 weeks, sometimes more, sometimes less, dependson the heat and such. any suggestions to keep them healthy, yet less miserable would be appreciated! thanks lola A: Revolution is a product the helps prevent heartworm, fleas, ticks and ear mites. it also treats sarcoptic mange.
Shop for: tick, ear mites, revolution
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
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
