Cetyl myristoleateQ: Do you carry the supplement cetyl myristoleate? have there been any clinical studies that show this to be helpful for dogs? thanks jeff A: We do not. i've seen reference to studies in human patients, but none in dogs.
Lymes diseaseQ: 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
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Any heartworm medicine i can giveQ: I took my dog to the vet the other day and was told my dog had heartworms, and the treatment cost would be $1,000 i am not working and i am unable to pay that much. is there anything else i can do?is there any medicine i can administer and buy myself? help please, i love my dog, but my finances will not permit me to pay for this costly treatment. A: I would ask for retest of heartworm test and have it sent to outside lab. i have occasionally seen in office heartworm tests be false positives. that being said if true positive, then i woudl call around as this sounds very high to me for two injections of immiticide over 24 hours which is how we treat heartworms now. if still not affordable, then you could consider putting dog on monthly heartguard or interceptor which will prevent further reproduction of existing adult heartworms but will not kill adults
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Is neutering good to do?Q: I have an 8 month old dog, and i would like to get him neutered, but my husband thinks that it's mean to do. what is your opinion on the benefits of neutering, or on the other hand, what are some bad things about it? will it calm him down and prevent him from running off if he were to get loose? A: It can have some behavioral benefits on some dogs like decreasing wondering as well as calming some down. neutering does prevent unwanted pregnancies as well as some types of prostate problems
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
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Flea & tickQ: I have a terrier dog under 30lbs and would like to know the best flea and tick medicine to buy? he scratches a lot but i do not see any fleas or ticks on him. the vet said some flea medicine u can buy can harm your pet and get in their blood stream.the last time i applied tick medicine for him on 08/11/2003 and never applied any more. A: Frontline plus is an effective flea and tick preventative. when applied as directed on the manufacturers label, this product is safe to use.
Shop for: tick, frontline plus, frontline
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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Sores and hairlossQ: My dog has sores all over his body and he is losing his hair. it started on his chest, i thought it was from him tryin to get his coller off, but now its all over his body. i noticed today that he has a rash all over him. is there anything over the counter a can treat him with? A: Not really other than getting good antibacterial shampoo from 1800petmeds such as oxydex or chlorihexiderm which you can use every few days. also can use oral benadryl at dose of 1/2 to 1 mg per pound orally twice daily which might ease itching but he likely needs vet visit and antibiotics, anti inflammatories, etc
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