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

 

 

 

  • Question : I have 2 cats both have always used Hartz colars and it worked but the collars are now different and now both cats have fleas and I was wondering if their sleeping spots and maybe our carpet has eggs is it worth getting front line plus. or am I looking at an infestation?
    Linda, Delmar, NY
  • Answer : You should start to use something or else the flea numbers will build up quickly and then they will be a lot more difficult to clear up. I’d recommend using one of the better topical flea treatments such as as Advantage, Frontline Plus or Revolution.  I have had a number of customers who tell me that they are finding that Frontline Plus is not working as well as it once was.
     
  • Question : I have a female long haired daschound. She is one year old. She eats royal canine dog food once a day. We treat her fleas and worms with advantage multi topical solution monthly. I bathe her every 10 days with a soapless shampoo. My concern is that she has developed 4 bald spots on her back along her spine. No redness at all.....just no hair. These spots all showed up within a time period of a month.?
    Pat, Nth Port, FL
  • Answer : There are a numerous causes for hair loss in spots like this on dogs. It may be as simple  as  her just  rubbing the hair off to numerous other causes such as fungal infections, hormonal causes, allergies etc. There is a disease that occurs in dachshunds, which causes patches of hair loss – usually with darkening of the skin called Acanthosis nigricans. It is a heritable disease and usually occurs in young dogs about a year old. Your vet should be able to determine the exact cause. I’d recommend that you do take her in for a check over.
     
  • Question : which is the best flea remedy for cats? revolution, advantage, or frontline?
    William S, USA
  • Answer :I tend to prefer the Revolution as it controls fleas very well but also treats other conditions such as heartworm, intestinal worms and ear mites in cats. Advantage for cats works well for flea control but does not treat these other disease. I have had a number of customers who tell me that the Frontline Plus is not working as well as it once was.

     
  • Question : My kitten had diarrhea this evening and there seemed to be a large quantity of blood in it. Any ideas?
    Dana G, Nipomo, CA
  • Answer : The most common reason for blood in the diarrhea in young kittens is parasite (worm) infestation. All kittens should be regularly wormed with an allwormer such as Drontal or Popantel to treat the intestinal worms. Worm kittens every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks, monthly from 3 months until 6 months then every 3 months as an adult cat.
     
  • Question : I have a 6 year old female yorkie the problem is that she wont eat I have tried everything I feed her the science diet food and I mix it with boil chicken and rice and I tried the dry food and nothing the food can stay in the bowl all day. I worried that she might get sick . Please give some advice thank you
    Lourdes , Brentwood, NY
  • Answer: It is very unlikely that a dog will starve themselves, but some dogs can be very fussy eaters. Most adult dogs only need to eat once a day and some breeds seem to only need to eat every second day or so. A yorkie is only a small breed so does not need much food. If she is well, playful and doesn’t appear unwell I would not be too concerned. Of course if she is unwell, you should have her checked by a vet. Something to try at home is have the food down for her  for only a limited time. You should not leave food out for her, but place down her food at meal times. If she doesn’t eat in ten minutes remove the food until the next meal time. She will learn then to eat at these times.
     
  • Question : I was told it is useless putting frontline on a dog that swims in the ocean. The medication is carried in the oli on a dogs skin which is dried up when it comes in contact with the salt water.
    Gary B, Revere, NA
  • Answer : Frontline is absorbed into the body and sits in the oil glands of the coat, slowly being released back onto the coat through the normal skin oils. Because of this it is more effective than some other products when dogs swim a lot such as Advantage for dogs which attaches onto the dogs coat and can be washed off with water. Washing a dog frequently in a shampoo can strip the coat of the oils and make the product less effective but salt water is not usually enough to remove the oil from the coat.
     
  • Question : I was given a lab retriever that has a positive heartworm test, The vet says it should cost anywhere between $600-$1000 to cure her and that might not even work. I don't have the money to spend on the dog. What should I do? Is there anything I could give the dog?
    Pat, IL
  • Answer : The only treatment available to eliminate heartworm quickly from your dog is that treatment administered by your vet. If your dog is showing signs of heartworm disease then she would definitely need this treatment. In dogs that are heartworm positive and do not show any signs of the disease, Ivermectin has been shown to slowly eliminate the worms over a long period of time. Monthly dosing with Ivermectin – the active ingredient in Heartgard Plus and in Nuheart generic Heartgard, when given at the correct dosage for a period of about 18 months will kill the worms. There is a risk in doing this though if the adult heartworms are already mature as your dog may develop signs of the disease before the Ivermectin is able to clear the worm infestation.
     
  • Question : I was just told of a table by the name of conforters (or something sounding like that) that you give your dog as a flea preventive. It sterilizes the fleas, so that they are not able to reproduce. Do you know of such a product? If so how long has it been in use? And has it been thoroughly tested to make sure it is not harmful to dogs? Can it be taking in conjunction with K9 Advantix.
    Glenda B, Ponder, TX
  • Answer : There is a tablet called Comfortis which is a tablet given once a month for flea control. It is only a relatively new product and I have not heard much about its use. The manufacturer reports that it can cause vomiting in some dogs. It cannot be used in dogs younger than 14 weeks. It kills the flea – not sterilizing the fleas. There is another flea tablet called Program which does not kill fleas but does stop the flea eggs from hatching.
     
  • Question : What is the differance between Cosequin and glucosamine 500mg Im looking for Coesquin or somehing with MSM does your company offer this for a large older dog
    Christin, US
  • Answer : Cosequin contains glucosamine as well as 2 other ingredients, chondroitin and manganese ascorbate. The glucosamine tablets on our site contain pure glucosamine. Glucosamine is one of the building blocks of cartilage. We are looking at adding other joint supplements to our site very soon, one in particular called Aristopet Hip & Joint tablets contains glucosamine, chondroitin and manganese ascorbate just like Cosequin as well as MSM. We should have this product on our site within the next few weeks.
     
  • Question : I have a great dane and dalmation the larger dogs seem prone to hematomas in their ears(blood pooling in ear) In the past my vet sliced open the hematoma to drain the blood, it healed to quickly, and we had to keep slicing, uhg...another time he sewed a patch into it to stop the pooling, this did not last either. This last time on diff dog i didnt want to go through all the slicing, i let the hematoma heal on its own and it is now a hardened piece of the ear. In the future would you reccommend just letting it heal or what alternative. I did give the dog benedryl short term and and some keflex 1 week.
    Lisa, Wellington, FL
  • Answer: There are a number of different ways to treat aural hematomas in dogs ranging from simple draining to more complex surgery. This is probably because there is no one perfect way! If any one way was perfect then all vets will treat it that way! The best treatment as far as outcome and cosmetics go is surgery utilizing a patch such as the Buster Hematoma patch. There are a number of problems with leaving them go. The heavy weight on the ear causes the dog a lot of discomfort and most times the ear will crinkle up and you are left with a think and crinkly ear that does not look very nice. If the ear crinkles up a lot it can block the ear canal and lead to chronic ear infections.
     
  • Question : We have a pit bull that breaks out bad with bumps and skin loss every year ~ We've been told it's from fleas... We never see a flea on her? The last Vet visit he said it wasn't fleas and wasn't sure what it could be but something like that! Well we found out this year that when she is outside the flies attack her! We've never seen this before but the flies are bad this year cause they even go after us! When we let her in the house they're all over her and we have to hit them hard to get them off of her. They grab on her hard. When we hit them they fall to the ground then fly away a few seconds later. Is there something we can do to keep them off of her? If we could keep them from eatting her up maybe she wouldn't have to go to the vet 5 or 6 times a year for shots and pills because of the bumps, itchy skin and loss of hair. I hope you can help somehow! Sincerely, Maryann.
    Maryann C, CA
  • Answer :Flies can cause very serious irritation to dogs. You need a product that has a repellant effect. You may want to try the Permoxin spray. Mix this product up in a spray bottle and spray her each day.  When you see any flies around just give her a quick spray. Advantix also has a repellant effect but if the flies are that bad I would recommend the daily Permoxin spray.

 

 

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