Danger of too strong medicationQ: Hi doctor, i am very glad to see this catagory added. i got my 15 lb. cat from a petsmart and plan to keep him indoors. the ladies there told me that advantage and frontline was way too strong in their opinion and could cause seizures or worse. they said applying a topical once every 3 months (a dab) behind the neck is sufficient. all of the meds i see seem to require the entire tube, as often as once a month! what product are they recommending that is milder that only has to be applied every 3 months? also, the prices here seem to be higher than the stores' brands. A: I dont think products over the counter are safer than front line or advantage. i would stick with those. either is fine. frontline can be applied every 3 months in indoor cats for flea prevention
Shop for: frontline, advantage, tick
What product is betterQ: What product is better; ivermectin or heartguard? what is pyrantel pamoate? A: Ivermectin is the generic name for heartgard. this product is used to prevent heartworm infection. pyrantel pamoate is a medication used to prevent intestinal parasites such as hookworm and roundworm. it is included along with ivermectin in products such as heartgard plus or iverhart plus.
Shop for: heartgard, heartgard plus
Moist/hot/oily/itching/allergic dogQ: I have tried all kinds of shampoos for my shih tzu. she has severe allergies to both food and the environment, and getting old. i just want to keep her comfortable in between her steroid treatments that we try to keep to a minimum. her skin is is moist, oily, hot, scaley, and she has a burnt corn chip type smell to her. i have tried your coal tar, and other brands with the same ingredients; it doesn't help much. chlorehexiderm seems to be the freshest smelling although it doesn't quite do the trick. tea tree products (melaleuca) have not worked, neither has oatmeal. is there another suggestion. i have searched your shampoos and see there are other possibilities. i just don't which one to choose. please help me. sincerely....heather A: I would try ketachlor shampoo used every few days; make sure let sit on skin for 10 minutes and lather up before rinsing off. sounds like your pet has overgrowth of yeast on skin. ask your vet about this as well as possiblity of oral med known as ketaconazole if yeast is diagnosed
One of my animals has tapewormsQ: Hi i have two cats and three dogs. recently i saw a pile of feces in the floor from one of my two insude dogs. i looked at it because it was very loose and saw a butter colored live worm in it. after doing some research i realized that it was a tapeworm. i know that tapeworm seperate from the scolex and then the body passes through the feces. my question is, is it too late to cure it after the body has passed and what should i do? is it possible that my other animals could have got it? how do i prevent them from getting it? how can i tell if they have it ? i just need all the info. i can get please help these animals are very close to my one and three year old sons and i dont want them to die. i have seen first hand the suffering that worms can put dogs through i nthe final days. please help! A: I will simply state treat all pets in house for tapeworms with product like 1800petmeds tapeworm meds or droncit as other ideal choice. usually gotten from prior ingestion of fleas
Shop for: 1800petmeds, droncit
Hair lossQ: Our choc. lab has minor hair loss around his eyes with a small spot of scabbing/abrasions. he also exhibits a small amount of hair loss on the knuckles, not sure if this is in relation to the eyes. he is an indoor dog that does not dig or rub on concrete. i know cats can exhibit the hairloss around the eyes due to parasite's. would this be the same with dogs? or can dogs have allergies? he seems to sneeze a good bit at times, nothing continually, rub at his face and have a very wet nose. thanks for your time and consideration. A: Sounds more like allergies to me. i would try oral benadryl at dose of 1/2 to 1 mg per pound twice daily as well as add brite coat xs and prozyme to each meal from 1800petmeds which can help skin long term. but should have allergy workup at vet
Shop for: prozyme, 1800petmeds
Household cleaning productsQ: I recently received an e-mail warning that swiffer wet jet used "anti-freeze" in their cleaning solution and that dogs and cats could develop necropsy of the liver by just licking their paws. is there any truth to this? A: According to the manufacturer this is a false rumor. they claim there is no antifreeze in their product. they do caution, however, that pets stay off the newly mopped floor until the floor is dry.
Front lineQ: I just moved back to the us from belgium. the vet there sells frontline in a mutlidose spray bottle. the directions are all in dutch. i have a 25 lb. dog. how many what is the correct doseage for her? thanks A: We are not familiar with the belgian product. check with company for proper info.
Shop for: frontline
