Ear problems/droolingQ: My 1yr. 8 mo. old yorkie has been scratching her ears and shaking her head for the past few weeks. it happens mostly at night and it doesn't happen at all when we're outside. these past couple of nights i've been playing with her until she falls asleep so that she doesn't scratch ( i don't want her to pop any blood vessels) i tried changing her dog food and i tried the hartz ear mite treatment. neither seems to work. last night i noticed that she's drooling a lot. the vet. can be very expensive, they even charge when they cannot find a problem. do you have any home remedy solutions that i can try before i go to the vet. i will definitely go to the vet. but only as a last alternative. thanks A: She likely has underling allergies. you can try oral benadryl at dose of 1/2 mg per pound orally twice daily. likely needing to split a childrens dose depending upon weight. also might want to try 1800petmedsear cleaning solution. also excellent home remedy you can make from ingredients at store called blue ear ointment www.itsfortheanimals.com will give you more info. if persists, see vet for allergy workup
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DeramaxxQ: My dog is taking deramaxx, does this medicine have any effect on her appetite? she seems very hungry lately. A: Not really. if anything could cause a lower appetite
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Ticks in my houseQ: Is there a product that will not harm my children to use in my home to get rid of and prevent ticks? A: Most tick prevention products are insecticides but are fairly safe around children if you follow packaging inserts.
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Cushings diseaseQ: My setter is 9 years old and has cushings disease. i'm sure she has been ill for about 9 months to a year now. she has been leaving wet spots when she sits every now and again and yesterday on her way down the steps she wet all the waydown. she never had an accident in the house before. now when she eats she has to go out side right away because it goes right through her. she doesn't want to be bothered. she has been sitting in my car for the last 3 months for hours at a time. at first i thought she just wanted to ride (i take her everywhere with me), but now she just sits in the car and when i try to get her out she'll growl at me. does she feel that poorly? i can't afford the meds that the vet suggested. the exam was $550 by the time it was over. i love the dog but don't want her to suffer, it's not easy watching her go through this. has the time come to let her go and if so is there something i can give her at home? the vet wants $125 to put her down. i'd just like her to slip away during the night. it would be much easier on all of us this way. she weighs about 60 lbs. thanks for your help john A: There is nothing i can tell you which will let her slip away at home. if you decide putting her to sleep is best for all, then best done at vets office. you may want second opinion as the symptoms you describe are not those of cushings disease which many vets overdiagnose based on blood tests which can have false positive results
Cushings disease/shakingQ: My vet just told us that our eight year chow could have a form of cushings disease. she was tested for everything, xrays, blood, etc and she has tremors, not all the time, usually in the mornings. we thought she was just cold as we had her shaved. the doc. told us she needed to lose weight. he did a test on friday and now he says she has a form of cushings and that the medicine will be $17.00 dollars a day. first of all, we can't afford that and secondly how serious is this for my dog. can she die from this disease? what is the cause? it just started about 2 weeks ago. thanks for your information. A: First i would make sure your dog truly has cushings disease which is an overactive adrenal gland. many times under stress or because of other stress induced disorders, dogs can have false positive test results for this disease. i always like to combine blood tests with ultrasound of adrenal glands looking at their size in making diagnosis as well. most dogs with cushings have big increased thirst/urination and /or appetite as well as sometimes pot bellied appearance. if your dog has none of these i would question diagnosis. if truly cushings then should have treatment due to secondary infections, hypertension and diabetes which can occur if untreated
Hair lossQ: I have a 2 yr old shihtzu who looses patches of hair in warm months and the vet gives him a steroid shot for this about once a month.i do not like the idea of him getting these shots but it seems to help temporaly.he is on the advantage flea protection and goes to the groomer regular.there are no open places on his skin and it mostly falls out from his chest area.any solutions?? A: I hate these long acting steroid shots as they do in my opinion lead to long term health problems when used chronically. if your dog needs cortisone safest route is low dose oral therapy which can usually be tapered to every other day to every third day during allergy seasons. also could try antihistamines as well as fatty acids like derm caps from 1800petmeds. also new drug out called atopica which is alternative to cortisone
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