Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
My dog is vomiting, not eating (unless we give her canned dog food) and has stopped barking or even lifting her head when we come home… Please help 🙁
My husband and I adopted a 2 year old lab mix (we think possibly mixed with Newfoundland) in November 2015. He’s 94lbs and we are his 3rd owners (first two owners were within the same family).
Shortly after adopting him, he started developing sores on his belly near his penis. They didn’t seem to ooze, but were bright red, dry, and scabbing over. He also was scratching at his lips and frequently shaking his head.
We took him into the vet who suspected allergies and suggested we change his food, removing any sources of chicken and beef from his diet. She prescribed 3 weeks of cephalexin, and we switched him to a salmon and sweet potato, grain free food. This was in January 2016.
The sores did resolve with the antibiotics, but the shaking his head and scratching at his lips did not. Two weeks ago I noticed a small sore on his belly again, in the same spot as before, and today I noticed there are now two of them. I also noticed that the inside of his lips seem to be very red (unsure as to whether this is new, or I just didn’t notice beforehand).
We can’t afford to keep throwing hundreds of dollars every few months towards vet care, so I’m wondering if anyone has ideas as to what this could be. I have doubts about allergies since the lip scratching and shaking of his head never went away.
Any help or ideas greatly appreciated
My 10 year old chihuahua has developed a cough that’s been persisting for a little over a week. It sounds like there is something stuck in his throat. The cough is dry and sometimes sounds like honking. Could this just be kennel cough?
I’d take him to the vet as soon as possible. A cough can indicate many things other than kennel cough or something stuck in the throat. It can be an upper respritory infection, the start of a heart problem…some scary things. The best thing is to see a vet.
my dogs developed bad diahrea ive changed his kibble Friday what should I do
Dogs can get digestive upset from abrupt change in food, particularly kibble. The main question is whether that’s what did it or whether it’s a coincidence. It is likely that’s what did it, though. That’s why gradual change is recommended.
Another thing to consider whether your dog is dehydrated at this point, or in pain, or in more serious distress than the diarrhea itself. Still acting normally? Playful? No lethargy? I any additional signs of concern, I’d contact a vet.
If not, I’d let the system rest for a day with providing just water or potentially home made broth or bone broth. Then the question is whether bland diet (such as boiled chicken with rice or white potato) is a better idea or whether it’s best to return to the original kibble, let things settle down and if you still want to change do it very gradually.
She is indoor-only, not spayed, has all her claws, and has only been around other female cats.
first: spay her. this will PROBABLY help to cut down on aggression issues with the new cat.
second: go younger. older cats seem to accept younger/smaller cats better.
third: i would wait until after the move, just because bringing home a new cat prior to a move is a LOT of change for that cat to handle, and you’ll want introductions to be slow (at least a couple weeks of no-contact aside from sniffing under a shut door).
in the interim, research methods of bringing a second cat into the home. there’s a lot of info out there, and doing it right can mean the difference between getting along and wanting to kill each other.
My cat has dried blood at the edges of his nose. Why? He hand his sister were given to us as kittens and she does not have this. They have their first felvshot as well as one other shot, no boosters and no other shots as we became unable to afford the bills of the only vet in the area. Otherwise they are both eating and drinking well, playing and active. They are 1 and 1/2 years old. He has no other health issues we know of just this cake black stuff at the edges of his nose that looks like dried blood. What should I do? And we have no money for an expensive vet bill. We have asked about a payment plan but they will not do that for us, and they are the only vet clinic around. We do not have a car.
My cat has dried blood at the edges of his nose. Or what we think is dried blood. Why? He hand his sister were given to us as kittens and she does not have this. They have their first felv shot as well as one other shot, no boosters and no other shots as we became unable to afford the bills of the only vet in the area. Otherwise they are both eating and drinking well, playing and active. They are 1 and 1/2 years old. He has no other health issues we know of just this cake black stuff at the edges of his nose that looks like dried blood. They are both fixed. What should I do? And we have no money for an expensive vet bill. We have asked about a payment plan but they will not do that for us, and they are the only vet clinic around. We do not have a car.
is it possible this is just dust? my cat will end up with black gunk around his nose when we’ve kicked up dust in the house.
does he have any other symptoms that might indicate an issue?
This is a serious question, I’m curious. I feel that pet food these days isn’t that nutritious, and dogs and cats should be hunting for their own food instead of being given this crappy foul tasting “wet food”. In the future, I wanted to buy rabbits, mice, and rats and put them in an enclosure with my dogs to teach them to hunt. Would this be legal? Because I don’t see anything wrong or inhumane about this seeing as people buy live mice for their snakes to eat. So why don’t we do this with dogs and cats? Surely wet food isn’t as good for them?
instead of buying them from pet stores, look into reptile supply. they will sell frozen/thawed. i also cannot say this would be a nutritionally complete diet. better to fully research raw feeding and put meals together that ARE nutritionally complete. besides, your house pet does not need to learn to hunt…and depending on the breed of your dog(s), they may fail miserably in this task. feed a high quality kibble or feed raw, do not feed live rodents.
and yes, this is considered inhumane, especially considering how it’s basically one step away from animal fighting. can’t you see how that is problematic?
it’s inhumane to feed live to reptiles, too…inhumane and irresponsible, as the rats are just as likely to do serious damage to the animals they were intended to feed.
i cannot fathom why you would only give wet food to your dog. does your dog have a lot of missing teeth? or is there a medical reason you’re feeding wet?
oh, and another thing: cats are an invasive species, especially in the UK. they already kill too many animals for sport. they do not need to be encouraged to kill for food.
A domestic dog is not a wolf even though they may have ancestry in common. A domestic dog does not have the digestive tract of wolves. Raw fed dogs are fed raw meat but they are not expected to kill their own. Personally my dogs eat what I eat as I feel that pet food is sadly lacking. This includes meat, fish, vegetables and a small amount of pasta and rice. I do not eat rats or mice and I wouldn’t give it to them either. Of my seven dogs only two have a small amount of prey drive. I can’t imagine any of them would know what to do with a raw kill. As for snakes….they are a wild animal. I did have snakes many years ago and they ate live rats and mice because they wouldn’t eat anything else. Dogs are not wild animals.
I’m sorry, Laura, I don’t understand where you’re coming from with the whole “inhumane” thing. It wouldn’t be animal fighting purely for entertainment, no. I wanted a hound or working dog to help me to hunt rabbits. Animals are subjected to awful, cruel torture in the meat industry, so I wanted to kill the animal myself. God knows what the chickens in the supermarket experience before they end their miserable lives. Hunting isn’t “inhumane”, it’s natural and incredibly humane compared to the torture that humans put animals through. I feed my dog wet and dry food, but it just seems so nonsensical to me. Hunting would be entertaining for me and the dog.
It wouldn’t be for entertainment but it would be for entertainment.
Your ethics are in question. Be glad I lack ban powers. People who justify allowing their animals fight for their personal amusement disgust me.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying hunting, is there? It’s nature, we’re omnivores. So cats disgust you because they hunt birds? I’m not saying I would go out and maim an animal for no reason. That’s sick. Why would I get banned just because we have different opinions? I really don’t see what’s wrong with it, honestly.
cats should not be outside. they are an invasive species and have hunted many native rodent and bird species to the point where they are endangered. letting cats outside is irresponsible, plain and simple.
you said you wanted to do this for your entertainment as well as that of your dog. THAT IS PROBLEMATIC. how can you not see this?
I’m sorry, I don’t understand. As a person with aspergers, I find it hard to understand other people’s points of view. Stopping a cat from acting out its natural behaviours is cruel. Hindering it from going outside would be like keeping a dog inside. It seems ludicrous to me. Whereas it’s instinct that cannot be stopped for cats, humans are more of an invasive species that hunt thousands of animals to extinction.
And I am sorry, but I still don’t see how it’s problematic at all. Being out in nature and killing and sharing a meal with my dog is better than eating processed meats is all I’m saying. Sorry if I seem blunt or rude, I’m really not good with communicating. I don’t want to offend anyone c:
Hi there. I am wondering if you might be able to help me. I have a shih poo who is nearly a year old. I inherited her so know nothing about the breeder my mother bought her from. From the time she was a baby she has been eating her own poop. I understand this is common in puppies however as I mentioned she is nearly a year old and I am very confused and concerned about why she is still doing this and how to stop it. Even when she has food in her bowl she will choose to do this. When I take her out to potty I have to be ready to quickly pull her away from any poop because she will try to rush to eat it before I can stop her. Why is she still doing this??? Why is she so actively determined to do it??? What can I do to stop this behavior??? Although her check ups are always positive I am really concerned about her and her health! Please please please help me if you can! I will be forever grateful for any help at all! ?
some dogs will always eat poop. it’s just a thing some folks have to contend with. i think, in your case, i’d keep her on leash until she poops, clean it immediately (and with the leash, you can pull her away from it), and then let her off lead to run around and play.
i came across this article, and i think it may be of use to you as it offers a training suggestion.
There is some stuff you can sprinkle on her food that stops them from doing it. It’s available in large pet stores and feed stores. At least then she won’t eat her own. It’s a discusting habit but will not do her any harm.
it’s iffy on whether that works, though.
Yes, it’s iffy, but inexpensive and worth a try. BTW, that was a good article.
HI, I stopped my dog from doing this when she was a pup, simply by training her to “go” in the same spot every time and then my grandpa took over. My dog is huge. A Great Dane who used to take my 6foot tall 225 pound uncle for a walk. Anyways my grandfather walks with a cane and taught him not to eat poop and to walk nicely on the leash at the SAME TIME by simply walking him around near the pop and away from the poop. When he walked by the poop without noticing it and walked nicely he got a pigs ear (his favourite treat) and a simple, “good boy t.j.” when he’d try to sniff at or eat the poop or when he’d pull on the leash he’d get a light rap on the bridge of the nose with my grandpas cane (not hard but enough to make him understand) and a firm, not loud or shrill but quiet and firm. “T.J. NO.” Sometimes with all this new stuff we forget that sometimes we need to change with the times (I.e. Not letting two consenting adults in a relationship share a bed in your house unless their married: Aka Disrespecting the couple and being a jerk) and sometimes we need to remember that the old ways are sometimes the most effective.
Oh and in case I didn’t mention, two or three day of being rapped on the nose, a dogs nose is very sensitive, he quit mis behaving and never ate poop or pulled on the leash again. May sound harsh but it worked.
This is a quick way to causing your dog to become very reactive to hands anywhere near the dog’s face. Why advocate hitting when there is always a better option?
My puppy has a boil type bump at the 12 o clock position above her anus. She just went into heat also. Its tiny and doesnt seem to be getting larger. Ideas on what it is or if its related to her being in heat. It didnt show up until then.
It is still allergies, just less likely to be a food allergy. I would contact your vet by phone and inquire if they want to start him on an anti-histamine etc.
Good Luck
Dr Dawn
Just wondering…..Did your vet say what is causing the head shaking? Head shaking usually indicates an ear infection, but it could also be from a rash inside his ears or fluid in his ears like otitis media in children. This very likely is allergy related. Probally not a food allergy but rather something airborne like pollens or grass or dust or maybe something like a brand of carpet cleaner which is a contact allergy. I had a Chihuahua once that was allergic to the brand of laundry soap I was using. Maybe you can call your vet and see if he’ll be ok with you giving him benedryl and get the correct dosage from him.