OrbaxQ: My vet perscribed orbax along with otc pepcid for my dog. i just read that orbax should not be used in conjunction with antacids. should i be concerned? A: The plain pepcid(not the pepcid complete) will not interact with the orbax. the second pepcid product contains an antacid to neutralize any acid in the stomach. the pepcid portion stops the production of acid. it is the alkaline nature of the antacid that reacts with the orbax.
Choosing low cost alternativesQ: Hi, i'm on a fixed income and need to cut expenses. is it ok to switch from sentinel to iverhart for heartworm prevention? is it ok to switch from frontline to proticall for flea & tick prevention? also, my dog won't take the heartworm med without it being hidden in peanut butter or cream cheese but she swallows the heartworm tab whole. is it less effective when administered that way? should i crush tab first? thanks! A: Iverhart is an option. however, this medication is not equivalent to sentinel in that it will not protect against fleas or whipworm. you can use proticall instead of frontline. swallowing the tablet whole should not make any change in effectiveness.
Shop for: frontline, sentinel, tick
ParvoQ: What are the symptoms of parvo ? A: Vomit/diarrhea, loss of appetite, foul odor to vomit/diarrhea, which can be bloody, etc. not all present in every dog and usually mostly in puppies under one year.
Dog eating habitsQ: My dog has just recently started eating from the cats litter box an i don't know why. she is well fed but we have had no luck stopping this bad habit. is she missing something in her diet? A: Not necessarily. many dogs love to nibble on cat feces for unknown reasons
Using advantix & revolutionQ: Hi, i have a 6 month old basset hound who has been on ivomec, 1 shot every 2 weeks for the treatment of sarcoptic mange. she is doing much better; however, during her last visit, she had a tick attached under her neck. my husband had one also on his leg when he and the basset came home from a walk. my vet administered advantix for my basset. i also ordered revolution at her (my vet) recommendation. my question is, can i use both medications at the same time, or should i wait a month? my vet said its o.k., and if i start my dog on the revolution, she would not need one more shot of the ivomec. (the vet suggested 3 shots every 2 weeks) please advise. i have had a bad experience with one vet at banfield already and now i'm so paranoid that they don't know what they're doing. i had dachshund that i adopted from the local pound and had the sarcoptic mange. (although i did not know it at the time) even when my basset began to develop the same symptoms, the vet kept insisting it was allergies and just kept pumping us for money. finally, she said there was nothing else that could be done and my dachshund was put down. i took my basset to another banfield and was diagnosed with the mange. so as you can see, as a first time pet owner, i'm getting off to a bad start. thank you, araceli A: Since revolution will also protect against fleas and ticks, using k-9 advantix may be using too much medication. i would double check with the veterinarian to make sure he wanted you to use both. also, these products do not stop ticks from getting onto the pet. they prevent the tick from biting.
Shop for: tick, revolution, ivomec, advantix
DiarrheaQ: I have a 4-year old labrador. each spring (usually around the month of may) he develops severe diarrhea - often a reddish/brown jellylike substance is mixed in with the stool. i notice this change in stool when i started giving him heartgard medication. do you have any alternative suggestions or another medication to recommend? he has been diagnosed with inflamatory bowel syndrome. i have been succeussful giving him nature's recipe - vegetarian formula and dick van patton's duck & potato formula dog foods. any help would be appreciated. thanks, cynthia champa A: If your dog has ibd, then he indeed could react to actually any of the monthly heartworm preventtives. you could try the other known as interceptor. if that no help you could even consider herbal alternatives like black walnut added to his food daily at dose of 1000 mg daily
Shop for: heartgard, interceptor
PancreatitisQ: Dear dr., my 8 yr old vizsla suffered an attack of "pancreatitis" on mem day weekend. she was hospitalized and fasted, given iv, antibiotics and carafate. we gradually weaned her from hamburger/rice to dry dog food and she started to suffer again. her lab chemistry reports were all normal including lipase. amylase was 1538 and our vet suggested hamburger/rice and gradually wean to hills id this time. we are doing that but she seems so "depressed". could she be this way due to pain? how long does it take for the pancreas to heal so there is no more pain? should she be taking any other med or supplement to help the pancreas heal? A: Tough to say as each case of pancreatitis is different. despite sometimes even diet therapy some dogs can have relapses. usually most recover in a matter of days to a week. however i would make sure diagnosis is correct by having abdominal ultrasound done as many vets over diagnose this condition based on blood tests. also consider prozyme supplementation from 1800petmeds which can help long term as well as making home made diet as described in book dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard pitcairn, dvm
Shop for: prozyme, 1800petmeds
LobelleQ: I was wondering if you had ever heard of a drug called lobelle? a freind of mind told me that someone they new had a dog that tested positive for heartworms and she gave her dog lobelle , which is an herbal drug i believe and it got rid of the heart worms and now she gives this to her dog as a preventitive. have you ever heard of this. it is sold at health stores i think. A: I am not familiar with this preparation.
