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
Shop for: antihistamine, 1800petmeds, advantage
Rash around eye of dogQ: My minipin has suddenly developed a gray sort of circular rash around one eye. can this be an allergy? what do you think it could be, and what can i do for it. thank you for reply A: Answered this previously. likely allergy or secondary infection but needs vet visit to make sure not skin parasite
MedicineQ: We have a dog with ongoing ear infections. she has been givin baytil otic and otomax. she is doing alot better now,but i know in the future the infection will return. the vet says he will not write out a perscription because he makes money off his medicine. do you have to have a perscription? thank you for your time. doris cook A: Both of those products require a prescription from a veterinarian. the american veterinary medical association and many state regulations support the consumer's right to fill prescriptions at a pharmacy of their choice.
Pregnant dogQ: I have an 18 mo. old black lab who is pregnant for the first time. we don't have a lot of money right now and i'm wondering what/if the right vitamin supplements would be for her and can we get them over the counter. also, can you recommend a good healthy food for her that might provide these vitamins? she is approx. a month along. thank you for your help. A: I like natural pet foods like pet guard or wellness brand. however supplement her with good vitamin like vitachews from 1800petmeds in addition to prozyme added to every meal
Shop for: vitamin, prozyme, 1800petmeds, vitachews
Expired filaribitsQ: A behavior client of mine on a very limited income gave her dog filaribits (diethylcarbamazine citrate) last year at half the recommended dosage. she asked me if the remaining bottle (she'd started out w/two) with an exp. date of 02/04 would still be okay to give this year - the bottle is sealed and she told me she'd kept it away from heat and light. i told her i'd ask around for her. i feel it likely that she'll give it no matter what i say, but i'm concerned esp. that it might actually "go bad" and become hazardous, rather than merely losing potency. the dog is 13 years old. thank you. A: I cannot recommend using any prescription medication past the manufacturer's expiration date. that is the date after which the medicine begins to lose potency. the concern is if the medicine loses potency and the dog develops heartworm then this particular medication can be deadly if given to a dog with heartworm disease.
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
