Arthritis
Q: My 7 year old lab has arthritis. he weights about 100 pounds. what would you remend? thank you.
A: We often prescribe many effective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents for arthritis. many of these are quite expensive for a dog your pet's size. you should first see your veterinarian for a proper diagnosis as we often will check blood work to make sure that your pet can handle these medications. some of the better ones include rimadyl and |deramaxx, which all may be available somewhat cheaper through pet meds.|you can also add vitamin c in the form|of ester c to your pet's diet at a dose|of 1 to 2 grams a day in addition to|vitamin e at 400 iu a day, which have no side effects. there are also some|excellent glucosamine supplements including cosequin, and i often use a group of nutrients known as bioflavenoids in helping pets with arthritis. proanthocyanidins are such examples and can be harmlessly added|to a 100 pound dog's diet at 100 mg once to twice daily. hope this helps.
Shop for: vitamin, rimadyl, deramaxx
Do i need to let go?
Q: My 13 year old male shetland sheepdog has arthritis, which i use etogesic for. he has developed tumors on his belly near his penis and behind his front paw which have grown to be very large. the one on the stomach is a fatty tumor, but the other i was told is most likely cancer. two more tumors are now growing, one on the side of his face and the other at the base of his neck. he still eats well, follows me around when he hears me leave the room and doesn't pant or shiver. he has a hard time getting up, and today his legs slid straight out on him, he was gagging like he was going to vomit and when i tried to help him up, i noticed he had wet the floor. i love this dog more than anything and he loves me. i don't want him to suffer and yet i don't want to put him down before his time. he has been fine now since he did this. i guess i need to know when is the time right for him, to put him down? i am taking him to the vet tomorrow for an evaluation, but i would like a second opinion.
A: If the gagging and urine wetting get worse or continue then i would consider euthanizing him given his other problems. keep in mind that older dogs like older people will have good and badk days. i use quality of life over time as my indication of recommending euthanasia
Shop for: etogesic
Heart murmur/mitral valve disease
Q: I lost my cavalier king charles spaniel toby 3 weeks ago today. we don't know what exactly he died from, but we suspect he'd had a stroke. he was 8 years/8 months old. his half-brother skyler, also a cav., was diagnosed a week ago with mytral valve disease and a heart murmer between 3 and 4. he had an echocardiogram. our vet put him on 5 mg. enalapril and science diet h/r dry food. he will be 9 in november. my fondest wish is that skyler will be around a long time, but i am almost afraid to leave him. he is in mourning for toby, sleeps most of the day, is very reluctant to go outside to relieve himself, and i have to encourage him to eat. our vet said before the echocardiogram that he wasn't to have any exercise, so i won't even take him for a walk, and she's delaying any dental work because that requires sedation. we are planning a short vacation and we will need to board him for a few days. i guess i just want to know if we are doing everything we can. is there anything else we can do? my vets are wonderful, but a second opinion might help relieve some of my fears. cavs have a strong history of mitral valve prolapse or disease. what else can you tell me so i might relax and live a reasonably normal life and let skyler live his!?
A: I would try making him as healthy as possible with all natural diets such as pet guard or california natural by natura or more ideally a home made diet as described in book dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard pitcairn. also consider supplements for heart such as coenzyme q-10 at dose of 50 mg daily as well as vitamin e at same time at dose of 400iu daily. also consider supplement known as formula cv from company known as rx vitamins for pets centered in scarsdale, new york. this excellent supplement has supportive nutrients for heart such as hawthorne berry and trace minerals for heart
Shop for: vitamin
Lymes disease
Q: Yesterday i took my dog to the vet because it looked like he wasn't eating, because he barely had a bowel movement and was distended, the vet did x-rays took blood and said that my dog had lymes and it was in his kidney causing high amounts of protein in his urine. my first question is, is it possible for a dog to have such a high extreme of lymes without ever showing joint pain. and second, is there hope? please respond asap because today is the day. thank you dona wester
A: There are small percentage of dogs esp certain family of labradors who are genetically prone to kidney form of lyme disease. sometimes can be no warning. best prevention is good tick control i dont recommend lyme vaccination as has not been proven safe or effective in my opinion and not recommended by top vet schools like penn or cornell, two leading research institutions on this disease
Shop for: tick
Glocosamine and rimadyl
Q: Both have been prescribed for rambo (86# mixed breed). he will not take glocosamine. how can i disguise it so get him to take it? he might take the rimadyl and he might not. he has only been on it for a month. is it ok for him to miss a dose or two?
A: Check out our super joint enhancer tablets that are in chewable liver-flavored tablets that dogs seem to love. use these in conjunction with the rimadyl.
Shop for: rimadyl, joint enhancer
Scratched by a ground hog
Q: My dog got in a fight with a ground hog. the ground hog lost but my dog got scratches which bled on her snout and under her chin. other than cleaning the wounds, is there anything we should do considering this was a wild animal.? also, i'm concerned because she got the ground hogs blood in her mouth.
A: You might want to take to vet for exam and updated rabies shot if not already current. also might need antibiotics
Behavior
Q: We have two large dogs, each 6 yrs old. during the day they are in a pen adjacent to the house, when we are home they are in the house. they (not for sure which one) are getting very destructive when left alone outside while we are at work - like chewing up the door frame and even the door knob. i have used chew-stop, but has not stopped the problem. what would you suggest?
A: Sounds like separation anxiety and you coudl ask your vet about meds like amitryptylline or clomicalm
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