Dog allergiesQ: I have a rednose pitt bull(male) in the 100 lb. range approximately 5 y.o.a. and he suffers from severe allergies. when he gets these allergies, he looks like he has been in a fifteen round boxing match and lost. eyes swollen and allmost shut, snout swollen, and welts all over his body along with excessive scratching of the side of his face and his underside... paws included. is this common with this breed of dog? also i give him 50mg.of benadryl 3x a day until allergies diminish which may take a couple of days. should i increase the dosage to 75mg.or will that be to much. any suggestion concerning this condition would be greatly appreciated. this occurs 1 to 2 times per year and it started about 3 y.o.a A: You could try increased dose of benadryl and if no help with that than you could try different anthistamines like chlortrimeton at dose of 8 mg twice daily in this sized dog or tavist at dose of 1.34 mg tablets--two tablets twice daily. of course if no help should see your vet for stronger meds. also consider supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids which can help allergies long term like brite coat es from 1800petmeds Shop for: 1800petmeds
Yearly vaccinationsQ: My vet sends a yearly reminder for an annual physical examination and vaccinations for distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, rabies, heartworm check, and stool check. i think the physical exam is very important for preventive health care. i have been reading about changing guidelines for vaccinations. are all the shots needed for my 5 yr old felmale dachshund? she has been taking soloxine .3 one half twice a day. your customer service does not have this prescription. do they have same medication with a different generic name? also should this be on going and how often should she have a blood test? A: Ask pharmacist about soloxine alternative. thyroid medication is usually lifelong with periodic blood checks at your vet to make sure dose is ok. i would not keep on vaccinating her every year for these viruses especiallly given her breed which are prone to vaccine reactions and fact she has an autoimmune thyroid disorder. most vet schools now recommend every 3 year vaccinations at a minimum for things you ask about in adult dogs
Limping and walking on three legsQ: My 50 # dog has been on deramaxx 1/2 of 100 mg a day for about 1 1/2 months and it seems not to been working as good as it did before. could he be getting immune to it? if he is what should i do? his left front leg is giving he troble and he is limping. x rays viewed by vet and gave him a shot of corazone. A: You may want to have neck x rayed as he may have cervical disc problem causing front leg lameness rather than the leg itself. in that case low doses of cortisone are more effective
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5 month pupp with roundwormsQ: Okay, i believe my puppy has roundworms in his stool. what treatment & care do you suggest? A: After a positive diagnosis for roundworms, you can use a product such as nemex-2 (pyrantel pamoate) for dogs and puppies
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Hip dysplasiaQ: My vet has recommended that my dog get a total hip replacement. she has had surgery on her knee. because of her hips she popped her knee out.that surgery alone was 1000.00 dollars. then not even a week later i checked her dressing and the nail or pin had come out. they had to go back in. she cried so much. a year later the pin was coming out again pushing on her skin i had to take her back in and they had to take it out. this time 250.oo. this total hip replacement is going to cost 3,000.00 per leg. she said hers is very severe she is only 3 years old. i cant afford such a surgery. we all love her dearly. she has recomened that i put her on deramaxx or rimadyl. rimadyl is 100.00 per bottle. i wonder if i can find a cheaper price online. please if you know of anything at all i should do please let me know. she is the most sweetest loving dog. and i dont want to see her sufer. but on the other hand how long can she live this way with out the surgery? thank-you mrs.denise allen A: You could also try a veterinary acupuncturist by finding one at altvetmed.com as sometimes gold bead implants in hips can help tremendously. check with 1800petmeds pharmacist for price on meds
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