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Any heartworm medicine i can give
Q: 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
Shop for: interceptor
Runy sore eyes
Q: I have been treating my 17 yrs old poodle (otherwise excellent health) for a chronic open sores under his eye. as long as he is on 1 cephalexin 500mg caps a day for a month the sores go away. and after a month he off they come back. it on and off the cephalexin. i would like to know if i can gave him one 250mg of the cephalexin everyday of him life. any suggestions?
A: Some dogs can be kept on chronic antibiotic therapy due to tendency to recurrent infection because of lowered immune function, and at this age i don't see a problem with this if it keeps him comfortable.
Vomiting
Q: I was using advantage but i noticed my bichon getting sick afterwards. are all these medications going to cause vomiting? should i take a homeopathic approach? (it was applied on shoulder blades...dog did not ingest medicine)
A: Some pets are sensitive to topical insecticides. you could consult holistic vet www.theavh.org or see dr. |pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard |pitcairn, dvm, phd which has some natural approaches in book
Shop for: advantage, homeo
Chiggers
Q: We do a lot of camping and a few people we camp with got the chiggers. can my dogs get them? if so what can i do to prevent them and get rid of them? we use a preventic collar and frontline plus. thanks, ellen
A: What you are using should be fine
Shop for: preventic collar, frontline plus, frontline
Maggots
Q: Can i give my dog an otc diarreaha med? i have a 10+ yr old german shepherd i've been fostering for a few weeks and his bowl movement is almost liquid in its loosement. he has a maggot problem in that the flies are attracted by the feces and lay their eggs in his coat, i can't let him in because of the maggots and feces so its a catch 22.
A: He needs immediate vet attention as maggots can lead to progressive worsening infection and skin ulceration, etc. need to be treated professionally. i dont recommend any at home treatment here
Diarehhea
Q: 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
Severe scratching
Q: My little doggie, a jack russell/daschund mix, is scratching himself non-stop. his vet recommended benadryl, however it does not seem to be helping. he has really dry skin, flaking, and very red spots. his hair is also thinning, and he has always had a beautiful coat. he does not have any fleas on him, nor have i seen any around. the itching is bothering him so much he can't sleep. i have been washing him in oatmeal shampoo, and even tried a spray the vet gave. what can i do to help my baby feel better???
A: Sounds like need stronger shampoo such as oxydex shampoo or chlorihexiderm shampoo used a few times weekly which you can get from 1800petmeds. also should have vet check skin for overgrowth of yeast of bacteria that might need oral antibiotics or antifungals. also might need to address underyling allergies with stronger prescription antihistamines, etc
Shop for: antihistamine, 1800petmeds
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
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