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
Is testing necessary?Q: Our dog takes heartworm meds during the mosquito months. when calling for a blood test appointment, the non-vet person on the phone assured me i could begin treatment prior to testing. when i said everything i have read states a test must precede the meds, she said that was with old meds. with "today's" newer meds, it's no longer necessary. she would not give me an appointment before june, and i think i need a new office! please help. A: Actually person you spoke with on phone is quite educated. there are virtually no risk to using once monthly heartworm pills even if dog has heartworms. risks were with old daily preventatives which are no longer available
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
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
Shop for: prednisone
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.
Shop for: proin
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
Lab earQ: Doc, i have fought with numerous vets about the yeast infections my lab gets from swimming all the time. i have a vet that gives me an atiboitic in pill form, but insists that i come in for an exam before he prescribes them to me. they charge me an arm and a leg for all of this....can you tell me what these pills usually are. i want to start ordering them online. they clear up my labs ears in less than a week and he's usually good for the rest of the summer. thanks, your old pal in arizona, shorty A: If you will call our order department and speak with one of our representative, they will be able to aid you.
