DiarehheaQ: I've recently adopted a pet. she has all of her shots and is spade. she was examined and determined not to have worms or heartworms. but she has very loose bowel movements quite often. i have not noticed any blood in the stool. is there anything i can give her to stop the diarehhea? i bought the pedigree digestive care dog food but she will not eat it. thank you A: If diarrhea persists, then you should have complete workup done at vet for chronic diarrhea to include stool giardia elisa test sent out by your vet to outside lab to check for this parasite as well as cbc/chem blood work to start. sometimes a trial with a medicine like flagyl as well as high fiber diet like hills w/d from your vet also worth a try
Hip pain for older german shepardQ: I have a 12 year old german shepard who over the last year has started to really slow down and is appearing to have problems with hip pain and difficulty getting up and laying down and has a limp in its gait when it walks...a couple of things - i am noticing the signs of hip displacia with him but i also noticed that he started having an immediate problem after roughhousing with my other large dog....could the two be related? - my dog is overweight....i have been giving him leaner dog food to try to fix the situation but he doesnt want to run around like he did...he has a lot of backyard room to do so..... - he appears to have problems more in cold weather then warm - i have bought the glousetomine (spelling?) for joints from the pet store...but it doesn't seem to work nearly as well as putting aspirin in his dog food? why would that be? A: Aspirin is a direct anti-inflammatory while the glucosamine works more slowly in building up joints over weeks to months. you may want to try one of antiinflammatories at 1800petmeds like dermaxx or rimadyl. i also like their cosequin supplement as well. also add extra vitamin e to her diet at 400iu daily and vitamin c in form of ester c at dose of 1000 mg twice daily
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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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Reactions?Q: I see you told an owner about continueing to give heartgard to a pet that is positive for heartworm disease. aren't you concerned about the anaphylactic shock that is going to occur and potentially kill her dog? i mean, isn't that the reason we test for heartworm disease prior to tprevention, so we can rule out being positive? A: In actuality there are many vet cardiologists who actually recommend monthly heartworm preventative to heartworm positive dogs if patient too big a risk for treatment i.e too old or too large a worm burden or severe lung disease present, etc; in these cases monthly heartworm preventative can actually prevent further reproduction and larvae development while of course not doing anything for adults present. ||anaphylactic reactions are extremely rare with monthly heartworm preventatives in positive dogs and only used to occur when old daily preventatives were used where dog had to be negative for heartworms as anaphalaxis more likely.||these are the medical facts. of course always best to know status of all dogs but your statements are not true
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PrednisoloneQ: My 17 yr old cat was diagnosed with a type of inflamatory bowel disease after i got her at age 1.shes been on prednisone for years, and the last 3 yrs on prednisolone 2.5mg gel caps,1 cap per week. she's easily stressed,last vet visit she didnt eat for 4 days,lost 3 of her 9 lb.! had to force feed. now my vet wants to work her up before giving any more pills for her! i dont agree at her age to put her thru that, and to find out only that she aging,with signs of kidney disease again. can i stop this medication, or try something else thru petmeds? i am at my wits end about this. thank you A: I cannot recommend you just blanketly stop medicine unless cat has no signs of inflammatory bowel disease i.e. vomit diarrhea or weight loss. explain to vet your concern about visits and ask him for prescriptions to address ibd, and other alternatives like flagyl as well. you could also try slippery elm from health food store for bowel flareups(see book dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard pitcairn, or book the new natural cat by anitra frazier for dosings of this and diet suggestions) also add prozyme from 1800petmeds to his diet as well. if vet not willing you could look up holistic vet on www.theavh.org many who work by phone with clients
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RimadylQ: I am aware that rimadyl can affect dogs liver and kidneys. is rimadyl used for occasional pain or should it be used or a continual basis? my 9 yr old shepherd is on the super joint enhance and the vet has her on l00 mg of rimadyl..daily..and she has been on it for quite some time. i am concerned about the long term effects of the rimadyl. A: With regular testing it should be o.k. to continue with the rimadyl. your veterinarian may at some point reduce the dosage.
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We need helpQ: We have an aprox. 11 yr old jack russel male dog who is constantly itching his belly on the floor. he is extremely red and irratated almost constantly, unless he is laying in the sun. he is given benadryl but it doesn't seem to help at all. he is washed with an oatmeal and aloe shampoo and has used advantage for flea control but w/o checking with companion pet clinic we cannot be sure of the last administration date or whether it is still active or not. however, even after having been given the flea control he still was constantly itching w/in a short amount of time. he has very short hair (obviously due to his breed) so you can see fleas and their eggs but he doesn't really appear to be infested at this time. he had been prescribed gentocin spray 2x p/day for 7 days at a time for no more than 14 days. he has long since been out of this but it really did not seem to make a difference either. he also takes phenylpropanolamine 50 mg. 1/4 tab 2x p/day for bladder issues. we seriously need some advice. we are a group home with 4 clients who love their dog but the itching is driving everyone crazy, please help. thank you. A: Cheapest solution is low dose alternative day prednisone therapy if dont want more extensive workup at vet for allergies. need to totally get rid of fleas in allergic dogs as even a few fleas can cause problems. also consider low allergy diet like california natural lamb and rice diet by natura brand. also consider brite coat xs as well as prozyme from 1800petmeds added to food long term.
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Pregnant dogQ: Is is ok to give my pregnant rott advantage? she is due within one week. A: Products such as advanatage should not be used on pregnant or nursing animals.
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