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
AntihistiminesQ: Is loratadine a safe antihistimine to give to dogs? A: I have no experience with it. try tavist if having problems with allergies or amitryptylline
ScratchingQ: Can constant scratching indicate fleas or ticks and what do they look like? where do they come from? A: Constant scratching can be sign of flea bite allergy, other types of allergies or possibly skin parasites or mange. take to vet to sort out
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Bee stingQ: My 20 pound, 1 year-old dog was stung on the foot by a bee; shortly afterwards, he had diarrhea and vomiting, but seems to be himself. his foot doesn't seem swolen, he hasn't developed any rashes, and is not experiencing any trouble breathing. i may give him benadryl as a precaution. do you think he'll pull through? A: I think benadryl is fine at dose of one children's 12.5 mg tablet up to twice daily as needed
VomitingQ: Our 8 year old dog, gretchen, has been vomiting on and off for over 24 hrs now. she is a mixed breed (dachshund and terrier). she usually eats on schedule, daily about 5 pm. she's never had any digestive problems before. i have not changed her dog food. during the last 24+ hours she has been vomiting on and off every hour or so. her stool seemed normal enough earlier today. she has drank a little water but will not eat. she doesn't seem herself. she head is down, ears and tail down. she seems very tired and listless. she didn't even bark at the squirrels today. definitely not her usual perky self. is it possible that she has contracted a bad stomach virus from my 11-year old daughter who was sick earlier this week? i know it sounds crazy, but gretchen is never sick. if this is so, is there anything i can do for her at home until i can get her to the vet. her only visits to the vet have been for annual shots and checkups because she has never been sick. our family vet is out of town for the weekend. he doesn't have an answering service. A: Remotely possible that viruses can be transmitted between people and pets but hard to prove/disprove. until you get her to vet best to take off all food, only offer small amounts of fluids or electrolytes like pediolyte and can try natural remedy slippery elm which can sometimes help soothe stomach.
RabiesQ: My sister had to have a dog put down yesterday who we loved very much. he was an inside/outside dog. we got him from a shelter about 6 monthes ago. he recieved his rabies vaccine at that time. yesterday she noticed he was acting strange and had 2 puncture marks on him. she took him to the vet and his blood work showed that he had rabies. they put him down. how could an animal that had had a rabies vaccine have wound up with rabies? how effective are the vaccines? this is very difficult for all of us. we thought he was protected! thank you. A: I dont know how they told with a blood test that the dog had rabies. only way to diagnose rabies is by examining brain tissue under microscope. sounds like iffy diagnosis to me
