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
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
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
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 Lab mix/hair lossQ: 2 yr old male lab/mix scratching, chewing on fur. vet says allergy, skin test neg for parasites. giving fatty acid and a spray. scratching until the point of bleeding. please help! A: Likely will need short course of oral pred to help get initial itch under control. in future if recurs, could try antihistamines or allergy testing dog for best long term solution
Shop for: antihistamine
