Ear infectionQ: My dog will not let me put drops in his ear . is there an oral med available for ear infections. A: Sometimes oral meds can help but best to treat topically to get ideal drug levels at site of infection. ask your vet about an ear flush which sometimes helps
Changing foodQ: I have been feeding my cats ur formula cat food for many years. now that i have relocated, i am unable to find the food i used and vets charge so much for the food. i recently purchased purina's indoor food (they are strictly indoor cats )and gradually am adding to current ur food. is this going to create problems for them. only the one cat had crystals, no stones in the past and has been on the ur formulas ever since. thank you in advance for your attention on this matter and is greatly appreciated. these are my babies. A: I dont worry too much about issues you ask about as i am not big proponent of these types of diets as i dont feel they are proven and work in many cases. i prefer natural diets like pet guard as well as innova brands, and for cats with history of urinary issues i try to eliminate dry food from them and even have owners consider natural home made diets as described in dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard pitcairn
Lots of fleasQ: I have two large dogs that i found several fleas and flea dust on. i've given them both baths with the flea shampo, given them advantage and would like to do a flea dip but don't know how long i should wait. i also set off foggers in the house, put flea powder down on the carpets and sprayed the outside of the house. problem is i'm still finding live fleas! shouldn't i start seeing less and less of them? A: Sometimes takes a while for environmental treatments to kick in. eggs will be hatching and by second dose of advantage next month should have no fleas around. also consider oral capstar from 1800petmeds for quick kill of fleas. no need for dips
Shop for: advantage, 1800petmeds, capstar
8 yr old boxer - moist/diarhea and bloody stoolQ: Couple of weeks ago my 8-yr old male white boxer was treated for bloody stool. his stool was analyzed and came out negative. he was on medication for 7 days to treat his diarhhea. yesterday, he pooped and vomitted in his crate and when i took him out to do his bathroom, he has again blood in his stool. he's not sluggish, still eats, and drinks a lot of water. his diet consist of 1 cup of kibbles, 1/4 can food (natural choice), chicken meat, 1/2 cup ground carrots & broccoli, 1 cup rice. it's only recently that i started mixing in his food carrots and broccoli as i was told by other people that it's good for dogs. for his breakfast yesterday before he pooped in his crate, i gave him the same foods + treat (1 large mild bone). i'm also giving him msm for his arthritis. he's an adopted dog and not knowing his full health history, his stool is always moist. please help me understand what's wrong with him and what's the proper way of feeding him and with what? i love him dearly... thank you. nancy A: I find best diets are proper home made diets as described in book dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard pitcairn, dvm. some good natural diet alternatives are california natural lamb and rice by natura as well as wellness fish and potato which are good low allergy diet in such cases. boxers are indeed prone to colitis, inflammation of colon and he might need prescription meds like flagyl or sulfasalazine to control so really need vet visit. in meantime you could try slippery elm from health food store to soothe his bowels
