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Week 1 - July 08, Weekly Ask a Vet Q&A

  • Question: Hi, I have a one year old Pomeranian and he has recently dislocated both his knees (at different times) so I took him to the vets and he told me that he needs expensive surgery, and said he wasn't in any pain. Well I disagree with my vet as far as my baby not being in any pain and I'm not sure what to give him? Also, is there anything else I can do to help him? He has little strength in his back legs and is always falling over. This just breaks my heart and I would like to find something that will make him comfortable until surgery. Thank you.
    Sandy, Maryland
  • Answer: This condition is called luxating patella and occurs when the patella or knee cap pops out of the groove that it normally sits in causing the leg to ‘lock up’. Often it pops in and out. When it is in most dogs don’t show much sign of discomfort however some dogs can show considerable discomfort. Surgery is the only treatment that works. If your fellow is in a lot of discomfort he will require medication. I would go back and talk to your vet again and tell him of your concern. Failing that sometimes you can massage the leg and pop the knee cap back into place. You should massage from inside the knee to the outside.
  • Question: I had the same problem with my 4 yr old bishon-poodle we had only had him for a couple of weeks the owner prior to us kept him in a crate for 13 hours a day 5 & six days a week he was so tramatized at the time we adopted him, anyway he was chewing on one front leg & his upper back legs he chewed so bad leaving bright red sores I bought medicated shampoo & spary which in a few days worked great and finally the rash went away but since then which has now been a month he has got bad bruses where the red was on his back upper leg, the hair has been growing back but with a white dog you can see the brusing through the hair. is there anything that can get rid of the brusing faster ? Also too I'd like to share a tip about staining red eye and runny eyes with bishons or puddles. I read to use 1/4 cup sea salt to 1 cup distilled water swab the eyes (with a cotton ball ) 2 times a day, make sure you get it in the eyes it doesn't hurt them infact I sware my little guy was thanking me LOL! oh my gosh it worked instantly this was last Sunday he has no runny eyes any more or gunk in his eyes, I clipped away all the red stain around his eyes before I started this treatment he has no red staining now, I am now (after a week) treating his eyes once a day (morning). I also changed his water to distilled water because I read that your home water has a lot of iron in it which will show in there tearing too. all seems to be working perfectly.
    Jacque, WA
  • Answer: Thanks for that tip on getting rid of the tear staining. I don’t think there is much that you will be able to do to get rid of the red staining any faster. That will improve in time unless he starts chewing again. It could be that stress was also causing him to do that. He should be a lot happier now in his new home.
     
  • Question : I am out of eye drops for my dog "Trixie". Can I get these drops from you? Here is the name> "Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates and Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Suspension Eye Drops" 5ml. Please let me know her eye is getting worse.
    Roger R, West Chester, PA
  • Answer: Unfortunately we don’t stock this medication. This medication is a prescription medication so you will only be able to purchase this product online if you have a prescription from your vet.
     
  • Question: If my dog was on a Heartworm Prevention medication and I need Flee medication. If I use Revolution, will I have to use a Heart prevention too? Or can I just use Revolution for both flee and heartworm prevention?
    Tammy O, Austin, TX
  • Answer: Revolution has active an ingredient called Selamectin that not only effectively treating fleas, it also treats heartworms, ticks and ear mites. So generally there will be no need for you to purchase a separate heartworm meds for your dog if you start on this product.
     
  • Question: I have a 21/2 year old black lab, who has been battling ear infections and itching of the feet, the vet has diagnosed it as allergies blood work has showed no environmental allergies so we tried the prescription food, it lessened the problem, but has not eliminated it, so we have put him on a holistic food which seems to be working . We love to camp and when we go camping his feet seem to break out again, there is not much grass at our site mostly dirt, could he be allergic to dirt???
    Todd D , Cayuhoga Falls, Ohio
  • Answer: I think it very unlikely to be allergic to dirt. The most common allergens are grass seeds, pollens, dust mites, funguses etc. Dirt would be fairly inert unless. I suppose it is possible that it could be something in the dirt such as fungus etc. Maybe you could try different areas/places and see if that makes a difference?
     
  • Question: I have kittens and I almost positive that one of them if not both of them now have worms. I would take them to the vet but they are going to charge 100$ per cat just to be seen. Not including the medication. I unfortunately cannot afford that and feel like I have had so many cats in my life that I know what worms look like. Is there a worm med you like best. So I can just by it without having to spend such a ridiculous amount of money for them to confirm what I already know.
    Sian H, Santa Barbara

  • Answer: I think that all kittens should be wormed regardless. The regime I recommend is worming kittens every two weeks until they are 12 weeks of age, then monthly until 6 months of age and then every 3 months as adult cats. All of the wormers we have on our site are very effective and safe. The Drontal or the more economical Popantel for cats are very good and effective. Just make sure to give the correct amount per weight of kitten.
     
  • Question :  My cat just had 2 kittens two weeks ago and they have already gotten a few fleas on them and i was wondering if there is anything i can use on kittens thats age.
    Jamie, TN
  • Answer: Most of the popular range of spot on flea meds like Frontline Plus, Revolution and Advantage are recommend for kitten 6 to 8 weeks of age or older. You can though use Advantage on the mother and as the kittens lactate, crystals of the active ingredient drop off the mother and onto the kittens, where it kills the fleas there also. 
     
  • Question: Hi Dr. Mark, I have a 3-year-old male Samoyed. Everything is great with him except that his hind legs tremble quite often when he is standing. Seems like whenver he's excited, he'd tremble. (It looks like he's cold, but he's not, of course.) That problem occured since when he was about 1 or older. I used to think that he lacked calcium, but taking tablets didn't help. So what could possibly be the cause? I usually walk him for an hour each day. Is that amount of exercise not enough? Plus, he's not desexed and has never made any close contact with female dogs. It might sould silly, but could that be the cause? I'm really stuck. Please HELP me out! Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a million in advance!
    Xiao Hui, Shanghai, China
  • Answer: That is a very great looking fellow you have there! I’m not sure what could be causing that. Is he particularly timid? Or do you think he is at all sore in his hind legs? Some dogs will tremble just because they are very excited or the back legs may tremble if there is some pain there, however if this was the case I am sure that he would also limp at times or have trouble getting to his feet when he is lying down. One hour walk each day is fine for a Samoyed and not being with a female wouldn’t cause this.
  • Question: Having a terrible time with my long haired dachunds itching, scratching and miserable with skin. This seemed to get worse after Front-line plus. Not sure this is the problem or if it is the time of year for problems. We have used everything from oatmeal shampoos, anti itch cream, change of diet, etc. HELP.........what to do????
    Wanda Sanford, NC
  • Answer : The most common reasons that dogs itch, scratch and have irritated skin is because of an allergy, however there are very many other possible causes. You should have you dogs checked and thoroughly investigated to find the exact cause, otherwise you can spend lots of money without ever finding the exact cause. If the shampoos, creams and diet change don’t work your dog may need appropriate medication to treat this condition.
     
  • Question: Our house dog (yorkie/Pekingnese) 3 yr. old.is experiencing fleas. We bought "Nutri-Vet Flea and Tick Shampoo and bath and brush well. (Sunday 6/29) BUT shes still scratching and biteing and pulling out gobs of hair. We're wanting to apply Frontline but dont know how long we have to wait in between doing so! Do we have to wait so many days or will it be safe to apply fronline?????
    Steve D, IL
  • Answer: Nutri Vet Flea and Tick Shampoo is a pyethrin based shampoo that may kill the fleas on the pet when first applied but it has minimal residual protection against fleas. It is safe to apply Frontline Plus immediately and this product will give longer and better protection against fleas.  However Frontline Plus will last longer on the coat if you apply it 48 hours after shampooing.
     
  • Question : My chocolate lab gets stressed out by thunderstorms & loud noises. Our vet is out of town so I was looking into some of the over the counter stress relievers for dogs. 1 Do they work? 2 Are the safe for dogs. I know most contain herbs as chamomille; ginger & so on. With July 4th coming up I am worried. Thank you
    Joanne, PA
  • Answer: Most over the counter products will only help in mild cases but they are safe. Even medication only masks the symptoms. Most animal behavior experts agree that the most effective treatment is a desensitization program. You should consider the Dogs & Loud Noises CD available on our site. It has recordings of thunder, fireworks etc to be used in a desensitization program.

 

 

 

 

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