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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Muscle spasms and lamenessQ: My mini dachshund is 5 years old. she recently had severe muscle spasms in her back left leg. after several spasms she began having problems walking. she is very stiff in the morning & after napping. she doesn't seem to be in constant pain, but if my other dog bumps into her she howls & cries. she is normally very active & happy, but now is lethargic. she can't even step down a 2 inch ledge, i have to pick her up. vet diagnosed pulled muscle & gave pain pills/muscle relaxers, which helped a little but she is still not acting normal. what else could be causing her problems? i know dachshunds have issues with their backs-could she have a disc problem? thank you. A: Sounds like a disc problem to me which actually is not always seen on routine x rays but you should have complete spinal x rays done. if continues may need mri for accurate diagnosis. some need low dose prednisone to help. you also may want to check out altvetmed.com for alternative ways of treatment including chiropractic and acupuncture
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Heartworm pillsQ: My 1yr. old cat ate my dogs heartworm chewable pill. what if anything should i do. will this be life threatening? A: Should not a problem at all. dont worry
