Heartworm in a golden retrieverQ: My 12 year old golden retriever, "sunshine," has been diagnosed with heartworm disease. the recommended treatment (injections, rest for one month each time, etc) seems very harsh as my dog is outwardly extremely healthy. i realize that she is quite old for a golden retriever and most likely only has about two more years with a good quality of life. thus, my inclination is to not give her the more drastic treatments that may impair the quality of what life she has left. we keep her at a healthy weight, she runs a great deal, has little or no arthritis and is a happy, (seemingly) healthy member of the family. what is your opinion? is it possible that preventatvie medicines such as heartworm pills would keep the disease at the same level it is now? our veterinarian seemed to only recommend the most involved of treatment. it is not the cost that is stopping me from nor treatment. also, as a physician's daughter, i do use and believe in modern medicine. however, i just believe that dogs (and humans) are often treated late in life with prodecures and medications to cure diseases and they would be better off just living their last days or years on their own. any information would be helpful. thank you in advance. A: A tough decision to make as you are right about wondering about side effects of treatment in older dogs. some vet cardiologists have no problem putting such pets on monthly heartworm pills if decide not to treat to cut down on heartworm larvae and baby heartworms, but of course does nothing for existatn adults but at least stops reproduction
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
Liquid pain reliefQ: Our dog suzie is a poodle mix. she is diebetic and partially blind. suzie has some problems with her back hips. her hips were injured several years ago and never healed properly. she has now developed a large tumor like lump that my hand can fit around on her right shoulder. suzie fights me so if i try to give her pills and will walk away from food if she senses any kind of medication. is there any kind of liquid pain medication i can inject as i do her insulin. our vet will not give her steriods because of the insulin. A: I am not aware of any injections i would reocmmend for home use. you could try metacam which dogs usually readily take in their food
Getting cat to take pillsQ: How do you do this? A: It's difficult. i know because i have had to do it. we currently have on order a gadget that will aid in the administration of pills to cats. until that time, i have found the best procedure is to hold the pill between thumb and forefinger, and then opening the cat's mouth with the other available fingers, try to pop in towards the back of the mouth using the side of the face as an entry point. good luck!
Female dogQ: My female dog thatwas fixed wehn she was young and is now 12 years old all of a sudden started leaking while laying down and leaving wet spots and sometimes a big big wet spot not even knowing it. i saw her lay down and in minutes there was a big wet spot. i took her to the vet and she said sometimes it happens early in there life or later. she gave me phenylpropanolamine and said to give it to her every 12 hours. she said if this worked she wouldn't have to come back for blood work ect. seems to be doing the trick so far and she said if it does she would have to take it the rest of her life. is this true that she has to stay on it or can i take her off of it after the pills are finished? thank you so much for you time. a concerned pet owner A: In most cases, pets that are placed on phenylpropanolamine therapy for urinary leakage will need to be on this medication for life.
AbscessQ: My dog had a lump just below his eye. the lump broke and drained. it has been draining for 3 weeks. in that time i have used antibiotic pills and triple antibiotic ointment. i am currently using baytril. as soon as the wound heels shut it swells up and then breaks open and starts draining. i wash it off several times daily with a wash cloth. and have used three different antibiotics and there doesn't seem to be an end to this problem. my dog is under a veterinarians care. is there more first aid that i can do to end this. as will i consult the veterinarian too. A: Make sure vet has ruled out underyling foreign body or tumor under eye which needs to be addressed. also might want to culture discharge to make sure right antibiotic has been used for long enough time
