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Charlotte | 5 years ago
I Have A One Year Old Lab Basset Hound Mix And I Am A Diabetic And …

I have a one year old lab basset hound mix and I am a diabetic and I would like to train her to bark when ever my dexcom beeps Incase I don’t hear it but I’m just not sure how to train her to do that thank you

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning. There are a few ways to train your dog. Easiest way is with treats, if they are food driven. Decide on the signal you would like for your dog to give you and start there. Do you want your dog to come to you and put their paw on your lap, sit in front of you, etc? Then start working on that. While working on that, have the sound of the alarm from your monitor go off so that your dog associated the action with the sound and the reward. Start slow and small. Be sure to reward right away. Once you guys master sound/sit/reward, you can work on things from there. There are a lot of YouTube videos on training, and there are some very good dog trainers in our area- R Dogs and Polite Pooches our of 4 Paws in forest hill come to mind. Best of luck!!

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Nicholas P. Woodward | 5 years ago
So Stella Just Pooped A Red Gelatinous Blob And I Have No Idea What This Is. …

So Stella just pooped a red gelatinous blob and I have no idea what this is. Could it be anal glands or diarrhea from maybe finding our fruit snacks on the floor? She’s been pooping a bit more than usual.. Maybe 4-5 times per day. She seems totally fine otherwise except for wiping her butt on the floor (sorry so gross). Her poop just before this happened seemed like diarrhea.. PS Stella is a Morkie (yorkshire terrier mixed with maltese) and 3 years old.

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  1. Nicholas P. Woodward Post author

    So I just took her to the groomer and she confirmed it was not anal glands needing drained.. Also was confused by the picture… Could it have been renegade fruit snacks on the floor?? Lol..

  2. Krista Magnifico

    I have to say I have never heard fruit snacks come out just like they went in? Is there a human out there to confirm. And why is she eating fruit snacks?
    My bet is it is from the colon. Dogs with large bowel diarrhea often get red gelatinous feces (we call it “raspberry jam” because we relate everything to food (gross!)). My recommendation (as your vet which I am) is to check her gum color, make sure they are pink and not red or pale, check her gums for tackiness (indicating dehydration) and then stop feeding for about 12 hours if the above is normal. Then go to a bland boiled skinless chicken and rice meals for a few days. I also add a probiotic like fortiflora. If it persists, she is straining, or she seems dehydrated see a vet for fluids and a fecal exam. Let us know what happens.

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Seth | 5 years ago
My 6 Year Old Bijon Shih Tzu Has IVDD But I Know It Can’t Be The End

My 6 year old Bijon Shih Tzu is a very active dog and has been running, jumping, and using her long legs her whole life. Just a couple of days ago she was about to push off her hind legs to run up the stairs as she has done thousands of times before and immediately screeched and ran off limping and then ultimately losing control of her hind legs. After a few minutes of resting she was hobbling along but was able to stand on all four. However the morning after she could not stand any longer on all four and los control of her hind legs. The Vet says she has IVDD and gave us options of surgery, treatments or putting her down. I couldn’t fathom that idea since she isn’t in pain, still wags her tail, still drinks, eats, and goes to the bathroom. I’m in desperate need of some support and help. She is a trooper and I know this cannot be the end. She is currently on meds from the vet and going in today for acupuncture treatment. She is left in her cage and we try to keep her resting as much as we can. I have watched Krista Magnifico’a videos on this subject and hoping my dog can recover as the beagle she cared for did.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello.
    I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I have a lot of information on my YouTube channel and blog.
    Please go there, read everything,and explain to your vet how you feel and if they aren’t supportive find one who is. These cases take a lot of time and TLC but many can recover if given the chance.

    Heres the link to my blog; go to it and search “IVDD” https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/

    and use YouTube too,,, my channel has lots on Hank,

    Very best of luck!
    Krista

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Charlotte | 5 years ago
I Have A 5 Year Old Male Maltese And All He Does Is Bark We Have Tried …

I have a 5 year old male Maltese and all he does is bark we have tried everything I have done training with him I have tried anxiety meds for dogs I have tried bark collars thunder vest and even leaving a tv on with dog music a blanket with my scent toys bones and nothing at all works and my neighbors get really upset and complain about his barking and have even threatened to call animal control but I don’t know what to do any more please help

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I firmly believe that every dog barks for a very good reason. The challenge is spending enough time and effort to figure out what they are trying to tell you.
    Start at the vets office with an examination and diagnostics. Look for any signs of pain, infection, allergy, inflammation, discomfort, etc. I always (ALWAYS!) also do a rectal exam to check anal sacs. Then we talk about the home life environment. How much exercise and attention is your dog getting? Has anything changed in the household? A recent arrival or departure? Anything?
    If the barking is becoming obsessive and troublesome talk about seeing a behaviorist and starting anxiety medication. Medication should only be used after everything else is ruled out and a behavior modification plan is underway.
    please keep us posted on your progress.. good luck! I hope that everything works out ok

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Holly | 5 years ago
I Work At An Outdoor Kennel. We Use The Big 5 Gallon Buckets For Water. We Give …

I work at an outdoor kennel. We use the big 5 gallon buckets for water. We give the dogs fresh water daily but my coworker “Emily” believes that because she wipes the inside of bucket with her hand as she’s rinsing it out, it’s clean. I tried to explain if she ran a scrub brush around inside and outside of it than I wouldn’t have to disinfect them as much. Can u tell me where I can learn online about risks of not thoroughly cleaning ?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    hello Holly!
    I own a kennel/boarding facility and if she were my employee she would be instructed to dump the excess water and get a new clean bucket daily. We change out food and water dishes for everyone every day, and anytime it is dirty. This includes cleaning, scrubbing, disinfecting and drying. Every pet every day.

    There is a lot of information on this on multiple sites;
    heres a good overview to use as a basic guideline. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/downloads/breeders/dogs/9-Housing-Part-2-3-2016-SpeakerNotes.pdf

    please remember that these are minimum acceptable standards.. they aren’t even close to adequate for my kennel.
    If you own a pet facility your primary obligation is to provide a safe, disease free place for peoples family members. I don’t know where you are but yours sounds like it needs some oversight, supervision, and better leadership to establish safer working protocols for the health of everyone.. you and your pets included.

    Your local health department, animal control, State veterinarian can all provide assistance. I recommend having your boss seek their input ASAP, before a contagious disease shuts them down, ot sickens your dogs.

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Amanda | 5 years ago
My Almost 6 Month Old Puppy Is Having Diarrhea. We Changed His Food About 2 Weeks From Purina …

My almost 6 month old puppy is having diarrhea. We changed his food about 2 weeks from Purina pro plan puppy to the purina pro plan large breed food. He is a lab/mastiff mix. Do you think it’s the food causing the diarrhea? Should I switched him back to the old stuff? Or give him more time? He is acting fine other then the diarrhea. Thanks!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    At that age I would be most worried about intestinal parasites. Has your vet done a fecal exam for parasites? This is done by sending a fresh fecal sample to lab to be examined under the microscope for parasites eggs. Please ask your vet.

    1. Amanda Post author

      Dr.Magnifco he sees Dr.Graf. I will call and see what I need to do.

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Erin | 5 years ago
My 6 Yr Old Female Spaniel Mix Has A Growth In Her Foot Pad. It Has Gotten …

My 6 yr old female Spaniel mix has a growth in her foot pad. It has gotten bigger recently but she has no issues running, it doesn’t seem to hurt her when I touch it, and she does not lick it. I have taken her to two vets, both have never seen anything like it and do not know what it is. They both suggested surgery for removal.
Do you know what this is? Are there any natural remedies I can do before considering surgery? Will it potentially come back after removal?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    If this were a cat I would inquire about pododermatitis. I would be worried about allergies. So I would find a dermatologist ASAP and start investigating both a diagnosis and treatment plan. I hope this helps. Please don’t give up. And please keep digging. Let us know what happens.

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Ashleigh | 5 years ago
My 9 Month Old Puppy Keeps On Chewing His Tail Relentlessly And Chewing His Feet. He Also …

My 9 month old puppy keeps on chewing his tail relentlessly and chewing his feet. He also sticks both his tail and feet down his throat as far as they will go. When he is playing with toys he keeps squashing them and trying to swallow them whole. He seems frustrated when doing this but he will be playing and then will break away to chew tail or feet. He won’t stop trying to eat EVERYTHING. Three trips previously to the vet to remove large things he has swallowed. He has so much energy and not just normal pup energy.. he does not nap at all through the day. He can go on hours of massive runs through the day and does not even lie down once through the day. Constantly on the go, no off button at all. Becoming quite dominant with other dogs and has started barking at me for attention when he’s not getting any. He has started mouthing people when he meets them, not aggressively but more for attention. He isn’t neutered but people have told me that may be a good start. The behavioural issues are a new thing, he’s been perfect up until the past couple of weeks. Chewing his tail and feet has been going on months. Have been to the vets about it but they don’t seem interested and basically said to think about having his tail docked, he will still attempt to chew what is left so it would never heal!

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Wow. This is a lot of worrisome issues. At this point I think that I would say to: Please seek a second opinion from a different vet who will actually help you both. I also strongly advocate a trainer and loads of exercise to help keep him from developing other abnormal behaviors. Training, exercise and an understanding of what is going on in your pups head and environment are all crucial to long term success and safety.

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Jessica Terzigni | 6 years ago
100lb Female Rottweiler Ate 2 Doses Of Interceptor Plus For Dogs 50.1 To 100lb. Will This Cause A …

100lb female Rottweiler ate 2 doses of Interceptor Plus for dogs 50.1 to 100lb. Will this cause a problem?

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!
    I am
    Answering this as her vet. Nope. You should be fine. Call me at the clinic or pm me of theres any vomiting or diarrhea.

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Madeline | 6 years ago
I Have A 12 Year Old Cat Who Vomits Almost Every Day Since I Adopted Her 5 Months …

I have a 12 year old cat who vomits almost every day since I adopted her 5 months ago. She has been to the vet several times and a sonogram revealed she has chronic pancreatitis. They didn’t see any other issues. She was eating canned Fancy Feast with water, but now I have her on NomNomNow because I thought fresh food would help her. But she is still vomiting. It’s usually food at first but then she moves spots and vomits bile or saliva/foam. Once or twice the saliva looked bloody (took her to the vet right after). The vet had her on vitamin E, pepcid, and a round of antibiotics. Nothing helped. She has never been very playful but she is behaving relatively normally, eats, grooms, poops, etc. I don’t know what else to do! Thanks for any advice!

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  1. Sarah

    Hi-
    I’m so sorry you’re having such a time trying to help this cat. Has your vet ruled out everything else as far as a diagnosis? Perhaps there is something else that is worsening her initial issue? Have you tried feeding more meals throughout the day, but smaller portions? (A little at a time)

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I would suggest you talk about a few things with your vet like a sensitive stomach diet like i/d or even try a stomach protectant like sulcralfate or even maripotent or metoclopramide. I often try medications with a diet change. Ideally a wet food diet fed in small amounts with increased frequency. Or ask about an ultrasound or even upper gi endoscopy. My point is that there are lots of options to discuss and try. I would first start with a fecal exam for intestinal parasites. Hope this helps. Let us know what happens.