Sick dogQ: My shitszu went next door and ate some greens and becon. she is sick and vomiting blood what can i do for her? A: Take her to vet for exam, etc. if not possible, then you coudl try 1/2 pepcid ac once daily. fast her for 24 hours, and then only offer small amounts of water during this time. then bland diet of boiled hamburger and rice and continue pepcid but really needs vet visit
Irratable bowelQ: My cat just turned 10 years old she has had blood and mucus in her stool off and on since she was 5 years old. the vet puts her on metronidaz 50 mg. liquid form to control it. i would like to know if there is a diet that could help control her condition? she has been on select care neutral formular for 8 years. also can you tell me more about this condition and if it will get worse with age and if this medication is good to take as she gets older? A: This medicine is fine and safe for long term or intermittent use in cats. might want to consider low allergy natural diet like wellness brand low allergy diets that exist for cats or possibly california natural lamb and rice diet by natura brand as choices. also could consider home made diet as described in book the new natural cat by anitra frazier. inflammatory bowel disease is very common in cats and dogs. make sure complete cbc/chem and thyroid done as well as ultrasound done to make sure no other problems. many often eventually need oral prednisone if diet and metronidazole does not control
Shop for: prednisone
Heartgard plusQ: My dog uses the heartgard brown but i noticed you have a heartgard plus what is the difference? A: "brown" refers to the strength of the product. heartgard and heartgard plus have the same ingredient to prevent heartworms but the "plus" adds on protection against intestinal worms, the round & hookworms.|you can get information on these products on our website.
Shop for: heartgard, heartgard plus
Ear mitesQ: I have a 5 year old 75 ld male dog, his right ear has a lot of dark brown build up and it has a very pungent odor, in the past my other dog had the same symptom. the vet diagnosed as ear mites. what can i use and can i order it thru petmed. A: I would not be so quick to call 5 year old dog with dark brown wax in ear as ear mites as more common in this age to have overgrowth of yeast or bacteria. if you want, you coudl try mitaclear from 1800petmeds but i would certainly recommend vet exam of ear for best treatment. also see article i wrote on ear care on education part of this website
Shop for: ear mites, 1800petmeds
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
SafetyQ: We have a 5 year old chocolate lab and are considering giving her frontline plus for her fleas however, we also have a 21 month old son who is constantly crawling all over her. what side effects, if any can occur to my son should he come in contact with the medication that has been applied topically? A: Keep your dog apart from your child for about 24 hours after application. once it is dry there is no problem. it would only be a problem if your child came in contact with a lot of the product while wet on the lab.
Shop for: frontline plus, frontline
Sick puppyQ: I have a 8 month old, 3 lb chihuahua that has been sick since yesterday. she was administered with once a month wormer and squeeze on flea control. the flea control was (unknowingly at the time) for dogs over 33 pounds. we bathed the dog after about 1/2 hour.but she will not eat, drink, and just lies around.she had a very wet, somewhat hard bowel movement lastnight with a trace of blood in it.she has also vomited whenever she drinks water and it looks like human spit. she also gags, and you can hear her stomach gurgling, and she acts like her stomach is sore. she is also running a little fever. i do not have the money to take her to the vet, but i don't want her to die either. do you have any suggestions as to what may be wrong with my little doggie? thank you very much for any help you may give. A: You need to bring her to a veterinarian or veterinary emergency room immediately.
