Biting catQ: I have a 6 month old siamese male who bites. he'll let me pet him only when he is about to fall asleep or sleeping. when he's awake he'll lick my hand and then turn around and bite me. do you have any advise to curb the biting. i'm worried about small children coming into the house and petting him. A: This is a form of dominance. i suggest you work with a behaviorist to try to correct it. your library should have some books on cat behavior that might also help you. i would not let children near him until this is resolved.
CatQ: I have a 6 year old cat that was given to us because the owner couldn't keep her any longer. we have recently noticed that the cat has sores like scabs around her neck. after bathing her they seemed to get worse. also she is loosing hair on top of her back near her tail. it dosen't apear to cause pain but when handled she seems to like to be scratched around the neck where the scabs are. could this be some type of mange? if so can it be spread to other pets in the home? A: Mange is always possible but i would suspect inhalent and /or food allergies. take to vet as might need prescription for antibiotic orally as well as allergy meds likely not a risk to others
Dog's backQ: Within the past few weeks, my dog (he's a mix) has been extra sensitive on his lower back. he is constantly scratching and is slowly wearing bald spots in his skin. i have looked for fleas and found none, and i have not noticed any dry skin in that region either. we just moved to florida a year ago so could this change in climate have anything to do with this? thanks. A: Could be inhalent allergies to environmental allergens in florida. try oral benadryl at dose of 1/2 to 1mg per pound orally twice daily as well as corticare shampoo from 1800petmeds every few days. also try prozyme and brite coat xs added to food which can help skin long term
Shop for: prozyme, 1800petmeds
Odor/itching on cocker spanialQ: Hi our 3 year old cocker spanial has a horrid itching problem and now has developed, this funny smell, sort of a sweet sickening smell it seems to come from her eyes/ ears /pads of her feet/ if you sniff the skin or her coat ,it is't coming from there.i noticed it seemed to be in her breath when i laid by her on the floor. i have gone the whole gambit. food changes vet visits (before she had the smell , trying to figure out the itching problem) she gets hives and red rashes in areas that come and go we have tried everything it seems right now she is on nzmes. they said her flora was distroyed and it is a yeast problem she has been on the nzmes for almost 3 weeks now she is eating natural balance dog food. she scratches till the cows come home!i feel so sorry for her. we are not rich and cannot keep putting $26.00 lotions on her that last only minites to relieve the itch. we bath her in anti itch shampoos she is a wonderful dog we love her to peices but we need help here. any ideas? what is demal yeast? i noticed one dog had it . and wondered what exactly it is? thank you so much for your time. A: Yeast overgrow on a pets skin or ears due mostly to underlying immune problems like allergies or thyroid conditions which are both common in this breed. for best long term relief and to get to bottom of it you may want to see a vet dermatologist, who can look at these underlying causes. although initially expensive, will save you money longterm as problems otherwise will keep coming back
Frontline plusQ: Is this product available for a dog weighing 8 lbs? A: Unfortunately the current packaging on the frontline plus recommends using using on animals from 11 lbs up. however the frontline(plain) can be used for pets 2 lbs and over.
Shop for: frontline, frontline plus
My golden retriever itches constantly, loses hair till bleeding, etc.Q: To whom it may concern, i have a golden retriever who constantly gnaws at herself; she loses her hair and is to the point of bleeding the majority of the time. her ears swell often as well. i have taken her to 3 vets in which two of them have said she has a severe allergy problem and another vet said she has a skin disease common in goldens. i've been recommended steroids, allergy foods, antibiotics, the works. do you have any additional recommendations that i can try out? she is in continual discomfort; thank you in advance for any help you are able to provide. A: I suggest a veterinary dermatologist to sort out all of these distinct possiblities. you could start with a low allergy diet like california natural lamb and rice diet by natura pet foods. eventually though may need allergy testing via blood or skin for ultimate relief
AnesthesiaQ: Would you recommend using anesthesia on an older cat 15+, with possible heart murmur, in order to clean teeth? the cat has bad breath and does not chew his dry food, but has good appetite, can i clean his teeth to protect him from infection? A: Is always a tough question to answer and involves indepth discusssion between you and your vet who knows your pet best. other option would be periodic antibiotic therapy to cut down on bacterial load in mouth with meds like flagyl or amoxicillin. some vets use protocol of first 5 days of every month to dose with antibiotics if dental not done
MangeQ: Ok i can't quite remember the name of it now, just know it starts with a "d" and resembles the word demonic. anywho, my min-pin was diagnosed with this yesterday after his nuetering surgery. my vet wants to give me this creme to use and considering it is only two very small spots on him, should i still consider doing the dips? the two spots are located one above his right eye and the other under his right side jaw. i've heard that many treatments done at one time can assure a more hasty and better recovery for dogs with this kind of mange. i was also wondering, even after the cure it is said not to breed the dogs, does that mean it can still flare up again? A: Usually once demodex is treated and controlled it does not recur in most cases unless pet is immune suppressed. since 50 percent of local demodex cases clear up on their own, i would start with the local cream first, and then go to more aggressive dips or ivermectin if they spread
Cat utiQ: Our 3 year old male cat appears to have a uti. the symptoms seemed to begin friday pm and is now sunday pm. the mgr. at petco recommended catfood specifically for uti. do you think is is sufficient or should we take to the vet in the am? A: I dont think these prescription foods are worth it in my opinion whether from pet store or vet. i would get cat off dry food and put on good natural wet diet such as pet guard or wellness or innova and only offer food two to three times daily. also consider cosequin for cats from 18i00petmeds for long term bladder health and can try extra vitamin c in form of ester c at dose of 250 mg twice daily as well as cranberry tablets from health food store. if persists, see vet for urine analysis etc. most cases are not due to bacterial infections
Shop for: vitamin
U.t.i. infection in female 8-year-old dogQ: To clear up a rec urring uti and bacterial infection, i was given s/d prescription diet (hills) along with antibiotics. dog has very high ph, which is causing crystals. problem is, she will not eat the s/d and went for 7 days without eating a thing. i was told not to give her anything else, but after a wk. i mixed in some baby food and she ate a bit. will this set her back, as the vet claims? she is repulsed by this food and will not eat it. period. is there a substitute diet i can give her? i'm willing to cook for her, or buy commercial food, but not this stuff. A: Get book called dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats for at home recipes and info on how dogs should eat. other prescription diet ou could try is hills c/d, but since never had stones i dont think these are really necessary and as i have answered before i dont think these prescription foods are the answer to any of these things. i prefer good natural either home made diets or natural brands like pet guard or innova
