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Changing heartworm medications
Q: Hello, my question is... my two dogs are currently recieving the six month heartworm shot, although this is much more convienent than remembering a tablet every month i am concerned about the effectiveness. if i cont... to go with the shot can i get this thru petmeds? if i choose to change how will this effect the dogs and which is the best medicine to go with? thank you, cherri
A: You can change to another product six months after your dog was given the shot. we recommend interceptor.
Shop for: interceptor
Gasping for air
Q: I have a 6 month old min-pin alot of times wether he is playing with his younger brother or not he starts what looks like gasping for air his chest gose in and out very quickly i dont know if dogs get ahsma but thats what it looks like he also get like this with perfume any strong odor.please help me hes my life : )
A: Could be allergic respiratory issue or perhaps reverse sneeze syndrome of dogs, which is common and harmless. |only your vet and exam can sort these out for you
Mange
Q: Hi my brother found a dog on the side of the road and it is maybe a month or so old and it scratches alot and has spots of missing hair and i was wondering if that is the mange and also if it is contagious to where humans can get it and if so how to treat the animal?i was told if a dog has the mange you can dip and for a couple of days in motor oil and it will get rid of it?can you plz email me back and let me know.thank you so much.
A: I would not use motor oil. to diagnose mange which is possible you will have to take pup to vet for exam and skin scrape. very treatable but need appropriate diagnosis
Rabies
Q: I have a 11 year old dog and i was wondering if a rabies vaccination is necassary every 3 years, he had his last one 3 years ago. thank you for your time.
A: That would depend upon your local and state ordinances which you must follow. in actuality most rabies vaccinations are good immunologically for much longer than 3 years in most cases.
Ear infection
Q: My dog has had an ear infection in her left ear now for quite some time. she has been to the vet twice for the same ear. the vet has done swabs and has diagnosed 500mg of cephlaxin (one cycle) and 10 mg of prednisone. her ear did get better for a little while, but the infection returned. i was wondering if two cycles might do the trick this time. please let me know. thanks, coy heath
A: Two cycles might help but often vets do not addressunderyling causes which are main reasons problems keep coming back. you should ask about allergy workup including low allergy diet witih diet like purina ha or californai natural lamb and rice diet by natura brand. also if keeps returning consider thyroid testing as well as blood allergy testing for inhalent allergies to molds, grasses, dander, pollens, etc
Shop for: prednisone
Ear mites
Q: We have a 6-cat inside, 1 inside/outside cat population. and many cats outside permantly. the initial 7 are my concern. i've been told they have ear mites and revolution was recommended. no flea or tick problem, just ear mites. what do you recommend and why?
A: I am not big fan of revolution as i have heard about some side effects. i dont like products that supposedly work on everything. in fact, i have heard of many dogs becoming heartworm positive on revolution, which it is supposed to prevent. i prefer selective action of my medications; if ear mites the problem, then treat ear mites directly through one of many ways including topical tresaderm; topical one time application of acarexx or milbemite or perhaps use of ivermectin.
Shop for: ear mites, revolution, tick
My chow chow's eye
Q: Once i was washing my 6 mo. old chow chow he got soap in his left eye but it was tear free so i didn't think it would bother him. after he got out he started closing his eye and leaving the other one open. when he gets excited he opens it but other times he walks around like that. he get greenish-yellow discharge from it and his eyes stay wet. i put water in his eye and it works little by little. he still paws at his eye though. this has been going on for about 2 days. i can't tell if he's blind or not. i'm thinking to give him eye drops but i don't have any for dogs so is human eye drops suitable?
A: No. you need vet visit to assess eye and proper medication. see article on this website on eye care on education part of site for additional suggestions
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