Six monthly heartgard shotQ: I wonder if i could get some advice. i have three dogs and they have been on heartgard all their lives. however, last time i went to the vet they suggested the six montly shot, which i went with. however a colleague told me that the shot was not safe and that they are trying to ban its use. do you know anything about this. many thanks in advance for any advice. A: We can only tell you that there have been some negative reports on the internet. in addition, if you use heartgard plus, you also gain protection against intestinal worms.
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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.
Ringworm treatment.Q: My vet diagnosed my rat terrier with ringworm over his entire body. i bought this dog from a suppossed breeder and can tell that he has been in a kennel, on wire his entire life. he is outside on grass now away from my other dogs. i want to use the lymdip combined with an oral medication. what is the name of the oral med. that he has to have? how infectious is ringworm? i also would like to have you comment on some of the old wives tales that i have heard concerning ringworm, such as, "the sun will make ringworm go away". i want to use this dog as a breeder. any help? thanks. A: Never heard of wives tails you ask. also oral drug is either newer preferred one known as itraconazole which is safer and more effective than older drug known as griseofulvin which has more side effects. ringworm is of course infectious and how would depend upon susceptiblity of person or other pet. for example i have never had lesion on my skin even though have been exposed to it many times while others are very sensitive
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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
Riding in carQ: Lola is an adopted dog from animal rescue. she is about 5 years old and a mixed terrier. she is absolutely wonderful except for one problem. when you tell her she's going "bye bye" in the car, she gets so excited. yet, before we get out of the parking lot, she is crying and carrying on terribly. we have tried putting her in a crate and feeding her treats until we get to our destination (which is never more than 20 minutes away, usually to visit her grandfather). we have tried to hold her up front but she scratches us and cries and jumps all over the place. i see other dogs with their heads out the window loving riding in a car but she is horrible. the only part that is strange is that on the ride home, she is like a little angel, sitting in my arms in the passenger seat wrapped in a blanket like a baby. she only starts to act up when we get to the intersection near our home. can you offer some suggestions for lola as we would love to take her with us but it's a terrible experience for all of us. thank you very much. A: There is a product called vita treat pet calm tablets that can be used in situations such as this.
