Heartworm treatmentQ: I have a dog, mattie, who has heart worms. i am sure they are quite advanced, what are my choices, what should i do and what needs to be done is their anything i can do for him i really can't afford a $600 vet bill which is what i'm told treatment would cost, is there some way i can treat him myself at home cheaper. please help me and mattie. thank you A: Only option to treat is with a drug called immiticide at your vet. some people will put these dogs on once monthly preventative pills like interceptor or heartguard to kill the baby heartworms, but will not kill the adults. check with your vet
Shop for: interceptor
Multiple dogsQ: I have three dogs. in the past, i have applied a topical and one of my boxers was intoxicated by it because he licked one of the other dogs. what should i do? the oral medication doesn't cover as much as the others. thank you, maria conley A: You should keep him separated from the other dogs after application. perhaps if you applied it at night and then kept them apart by the next day it should be dry.
Is heartworm medicine safe?Q: I have a 5 year old shih-tzu, and she is very sensitive, it seems, to everything. she in not overweight and we feed her california natural lamb and rice dry dog food. she has all her shots and is otherwise healthy. i think she is allergic to frontline for fleas, because she got very sick after i treated her with it. she had diarreah and vomiting. i took her to my vet and they did tests on her and gave her an injection on amoxicillin. she was allergic to the amoxicillin and her face and lips got very swolen, so we had to take her to the emergency vet and they gave her a shot to counter act the injection of amoxicillin. she was sick for a week. slowly she improved and she is back to her happy self. would the interceptor flavor tabs cause any kind of bad reaction? A: As we know every person or animal is an individual and can have untoward reactions to anything. we have not had reports of adverse reactions to interceptor, but again it is possible. as you saw with frontline on your pet, which is not supposed to have any systemic effect.
Shop for: interceptor, frontline
Cockerspainiel with skin problemsQ: I have a 17 year old cocker. he is deaf, and recently started loosing patches of his hair. i bath him weekly in medicated shampoo from my vet. he has a few sores from chewing and is on antibotics. i just wanted to know if this could be brought on by age. or if there is anything i can do to make him better? A: Sounds like he is in good shape given his breed and how long he has lived. likely some weakness of his immune system at his age. i like to put such dogs on extra fatty acids like flax seed oil at 1 tea per 20 pounds of body weight daily as well as digestive enzymes such as prozyme and antioxidants like st jon antioxidants from 1800petmeds Shop for: prozyme, 1800petmeds
HeartwormsQ: I have a dalmation that is coughing unusually rough. i called the vet. and she said that it is not recommended to give oral medication to prevent/rid heartworms unless the dog is first tested to see if he indeed has heartworms. she said that giving the dog a medication for heartworms when the dog has not been tested positive for heartworms could cause the animal to suffer a heart attack and die. question #1: is it truly necessary to give the dog a test(ie. a blood test, for example) to see if it tests positive for heartworms before before giving any heartworm medication? question #2: if it is true that the dog must first be tested for heartworms, does petmeds sell a test kit that can be ordered w/o a prescription? please list name and approx price. A: In answer to your first question, the answer is not clear-cut as some veterinarians do not test annually. it really depends on client compliance with the regular administration of heartworm prevention, and also the type of climate and incidence of heartworm disease in your area. we do not sell heartworm test kits in part because each veterinarian would want to do their own testing for assurance.
Rabies vaccinesQ: Are we still allowed to administer our rabies vaccines to our dogs, ourselves, and still be legal? A: No, rabies vaccinations need to be given by a licensed accredited veterinarian.
Indoor dogQ: My dog is forced to remain in our apartment for long periods of time due to my new work schedule (up to 9 hours) . how long can she be left without being taken out to go "potty" before to becomes dangerous to her health? (ie: kidneys, urinary tract , etc) A: I would think that adult dog could last up to 9 hours without any ill effect.
Heart problems and over weight - caughQ: My 12 year old pom has heart problems and takes meds. he also has a cough or sometimes a sqeekie sound which lasts until he gags. this happens when he has been sleeping or when i have been holding him and put him down. sometimes at night i hear him. he also seems to have a weekness on his left side at times. i took him to the vet about a month ago because he seemed to loose control and stiffen or maybe fainted for a second. my vet said just to watch him and keep him on the anaprilin (spelling). of course he did not cough while at the vet and seemed just fine and happy. he's always is a happy little guy. he weights 12 lbs. and should loose weight but he eats very little. i walk him twice a day for about 10 or 15 minutes each time. i hope you can understand my questions. A: Your pet's symptoms may not be due to heart disease but also could possibly be due to something called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease otherwise known as copd. some dogs have both conditions. if your vet is not aware of this, then maybe seek out a second opinion as both are treated with different meds.
Little white wormsQ: I just got a new dog... he was a rescue from an animal shelter. i noticed when he went to the bath room today that his stool was covered in little white worms. i thought they were maggots at first, but they look more smooth and flat... i am totally lost what to do. any advice would be appreciated. A: Sounds like harmless tapeworms which come from prior ingestion of fleas at some point in his life. easily treated with 1800petmeds tapeworm meds or droncit Shop for: 1800petmeds, droncit
American pitbull-biting,scrating, hair loss, skin bumpyQ: My dog chews and scratches her skin from her mid back to her tail. i have used medicated shampoos, oatmeal shampoos, and sulfadone shampoo but she still chews herself. her skin feels bumpy where she chews. she is raw and irratated. A: You need to have your veterinarian rule out disease or some type of infestation. after that consider allergy testing.
