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
MedicationQ: Is there any flea, tick & mosquito medication i can give my dog orally? she is a border colie about 52lbs. A: Only oral med i know of is program which works only on fleas
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Preventing ticksQ: I have a six month old golden retriever. she has a dog door so she is free to go outside all day long. she only had 1 or 2 ticks all winter, but since it been warmer the past week, she's become infested with ticks. please recomend the most effective solution to my problem. thank you joel herrera A: You should consider k9 advantix applied monthly, and possibly a preventic collar.
Shop for: tick, preventic collar, advantix
Housebreaking horrorQ: I recently rescued a small puppy from a dumpster behind a shopping center. being so small i knew he wouldn't be housebroken in anyway. but since i brought him home my older dog who has been house broken for almost 6 months now has started to use the bathroom in the house which she never did before i got the puppy. do you have any suggestions how i could get ther to stop this? in addition do you have any housebreaking tips i could use for the puppy? thanks in advance kassandra canfield A: Use crate or pen to housebreak puppy. older dog may be stressed by new puppy or feel threatened so you could try a low dose of a mild sedative like acepromazine until he is used to the pup
Confused?Q: I have two kittens about 7 months old who just recently got neutered and declawed. they are both from indoor cats and from the same litter and are my only cats. one of the kitten's stool sample was tested during their recent vet visit and was negative. they said they only needed to test from one kitten because if it was positive it would show up in both kittens. then tonight, my kitten vomited (he ate dog food earlier so i'm not sure if thats what its from) and there were two (waht looked like) worms in the vomit. they looked like roundworms (long, whitish colored ones). if they were tested just a few weeks could it be possible they just recently got infected with the worms? if so, how? is it even worms at all? would it be too late if i called the vet on monday? today is sunday and they are closed. any help would be much appreciated! A: Some cats can have hidden round worms even though stool checks can be normal no worry or problem. simply worm both kittens with good wormer like pyrantel or nemex Shop for: nemex
Dry skinQ: Thank you for your assistance. my husband and i just purchased a female cocker spaniel before thanksgiving and she is now 5 months old and is scratching quite a bit. she is not bothered by fleas and we have already started her on frontline for puppies with our vet last month and she has received all her shots. q1. what could be causing her dry skin irritations and scratching? q2. what other nuturtional support or products can we use for dry skin? thank you. A: I suggest you have her checked by your veterinarian. there are many causes of itching in dogs. your veterinarian can determine the cause and recommend appropriate treatment.
Shop for: frontline