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.
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
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
My daughters dogQ: About 6 months ago my daughter brought home a mixed breed puppy that her friend gave her. about 3 months ago we noticed that the puppy had started scrathing all the time so we thought the puppy may have fleas so we gave her a bath with flea shampoo and put a flea collar on her. about a week or so after we noticed she started loosing her fur on either side of her stomach and there are little black dots on her skin and she still hasn't stopped scratching since. my daughter is convienced the puppy has cancer. what should we do for the poor thing, that wouldnt be to exspensive, money is an issue being a single mother of 4 but still wanting to give my kids the joy of having a puppy in our home. A: Have puppy checked for mange at your vet via skin scrape. if no mites then could be simply an allergy which would need allergy medicine to control
Cushing disease & deramaxxQ: My 15 yr. old lab/pitbull mix has cushings disease. i wanted to try deramaxx for his arthritis. is there anything in the deramaxx that will harm him? A: Not really. just need to make sure you have liver/kidneys monitored periodically by your vet especially if he is on a drug to treat cushings like lysodren. also have to watch more closely for digestive side effects as dogs with cushings are more prone to stomach ulcers to begin with.
Shop for: deramaxx
Pregnant dogQ: Is it ok to give heartworm meds if it's possible that my dog is pregnant A: Heartgard and iverhart(the generic equivalent) are safe to use on pregnant dogs.
Shop for: heartgard
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
