Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
Hi good morning just had a quick question , my puppy saw her vet on Tuesday morning and she was fine she got her shots and everything was well , we usually feed her 1/4 cup puppy dry food and 1/4 cup plain rice and chicken , we had however run out of the rice and chicken and gave her a little extra dry food with some ham , she now had diarrhea and a little bit of water we thing blood , we have hence stopped the dry food and just given her the rice and chicken do you think that the ham may have made her sick ?? She is bouncy and normal and she only really started the dirrea last night , she’s 2 month old
My 5 year old bob tailed cat has a new Pomeranian roommate that he didn’t quite hit it off with. We tried a very gradual introduction. He’s a big cat and she’s a tiny dog and we’re afraid he thinks she’s a squirrel. He got along with my old roommates’ dogs fine after a time, so I’m hopeful this could be the case.
She’s very energetic and he’s friendly and playful for the most part but gets reserved around her. Any advice?
Hello,
Very gradual sometimes is waaay longer than we think it might be. Be patient. Provide lots of play and stinuli apart from each other and keep your cats nails trimmed and the dog supervised. I bet they will be ok soon. It doesn’t sound like outright aggression it sounds like tentative curiousity. What do you think?
Hi Dr. Mag,
My 12 week old puppy had vaccines DA2PPV & lepto 1 of 2; bordetella booster and strongid this evening at the clinic. He is now excessively urinating which is new behavior tonight. Is this normal or cause for concern?
Thank you,
Jessica
Hello!
Sorry. I was at the clinic until after 9. My advice is to always call the vet as soon as you can if you think that there has been an allergic reaction. Even if you aren’t sure you should check with them ASAP.
As far as tonight’s episode Imis concened I would say that as long as he is otherwise normal I think you are ok to wait through the night until the clinic is open in the morning. If anything else changes like attitude, behavior, or anything out of the ordinary please head to the closest ER. Just to be safe. If you need me you can call.
PS please notify us in the morning as to how he is doing.
Xoxo
Merry Christmas to you all!
I have a 6 month old, female border collie. We are having a hard time with food aggression, especially towards our two year old daughter. What can we do stop the food aggression?
I would involve a professional, someone who understands the breed quite well. If you’re in the US, I would go to the nearest chapter of the breed club: http://www.bordercolliesociety.com/affiliate-clubs/
I would also search Google for “Border collie club $YourState.” They’ll be able to refer you to a GOOD trainer for the breed.
Feed your dog in the crate, to prevent stress at meals. If you don’t have a crate, now’s the time to get one. Step up your obedience training, too – remember, you have THE smartest breed on the planet, and your dog needs a job or she will become a neurotic mess. If you haven’t worked on anything beyond basic obedience, start. BCs need to herd, or they need a sport that fulfills their need to work.
I agree with both dr. Magnifico and Laura. Please do not give up on your pup. Find a behaviorist/trainer that can help you in the right direction of what you need to be working on with your dog. Very best of luck to you.
Hello,
I’m sorry but these questions are often difficult to answer as they have a complicated and multifaceted evolution. Please ask your vet to guide you to a trainer who can come to your home and help understand the situation your dog lives in and the relationship they share with your family. In some cases this requires reestablishing boundaries and going back to basic obedience. Regardless always use positive reinforcement and understand that your dog is adapting to your family and there is a responsibility that you all have to helping her learn to be respectful and safe with your family.
How do I get my dog to use the doggy door properly? He will go outside on his own but he seems afraid to come back in unless he gets permission! How do I teach him it’s okay to go in and out on his own?
Hello,
Repitition! Repitition! Reward! And repeat. Over and over and over. And then one of these times he just sort of gets it. Use lots of rewarding and lots of looking a little foolish as you try to pass treats back and forth through the door. So that the door isn’t scary anymore and a treat always exists on the other side. And always (ALWAYS!!) be patient, kind and add more patience.
Good luck
my dogs has been poisoned, 3 weeks ago, 6 puppies died as well. 2 puppies survived and one of them started showing a lump on his back last night. they are 6 weeks old. the mother did scratch them – not sure if the scratching could have infected the little ones please help
Hi, I’m so so sorry! How dreadful that someone would do that. I assume you are certain they have been poisioned? They couldn’t have eaten a toxic plant or something? Whichever way your dogs have become you MUST take the ones that are still alive to a Vet URGENTLY. If you don’t you could well lose them all. They really should have gone to the Vet as soon as you saw symptoms and they died. Please please taken them all to a Vet NOW. I do hope they survive…but it is unlikely without professional treatment.
Is your dog’s stool always orange? Have you you recently changed foods? Could your dog have eaten something he/she shouldn’t have? I often see dogs who eat colorful dog food have equally colorful stool. If this is something new and there is no other explanation then I would contact my vet. Best of luck getting to the bottom of this mystery!
My 28lb dachshund mix ate one children’s vitamin. I will post the ingredients. Should I take him to the ER?
Hello,
I’m sorry I didn’t see this earlier. I was at Pets With Santa,, your dog should be fine if it is just an OTC multi-vitamin. If there are any gi signs I am at the clinic all day tomorrow.
It should be fine if it is only one. Just make sure he does not eat anymore.
I’d love to hear you opinion on the corporatizing ( making that word up) of veterinary clinics. Personally I’ve had mixed results with both small independent clinics and with one of the large corporate players.
I personally feel that whether your vet clinic large or small, it is imperative to have a good relationship with them. If you have a good, reciprocal relationship where you both have your pets best interest at heart, it is a win win for everyone, most importantly your pet, involved.
Hello,
I agree with Sarah! It is very important to know who your pets provider is and who the owner of the clinic that they work for is. It is also vitally important to be prepared for the inevitable bumps in the road of your pets life. Knowing what options are available for expensive conditions is also a way to be prepared. Many clinics don’t provide surgeries and rely on referrals. Others don’t offer any payment options outside of credit cards. And even fewer invest back in their community for shelters, rescues, or unhomed animals. It all depends on your financial abilities and personal perspective. It takes asking questions for real problems that exist and being prepared for those that might lie ahead.
My personal opinion is that in general corporations are heavily focused on profits and less invested in the small aspects of what makes each community special. The individuals they serve. (And no I am NOT talking about the clients here). Most Corp practices do not help rescues, do not offer discounts to rescues and do not offer every single option to save every single patient. Do I think that this is an unattainable dream? No. I don’t. And lots of other people don’t either. I just don’t know if those other people are corporate entities. Let’s hope a few are.
My dog tested Elisa test positive for Giardia with no cysts seen. She has no symptoms. Does she need to be treated and can she give it to us? Thanks.
I researched some and I do not believe that humans can catch from dogs… at least I haven’t found anywhere saying that it is possible. I would make sure to wash my hands thoroughly and you could always call your vets’ office to double check and make sure.
Hello,
Typically I only treat if this is causing diarrhea, or was found in an immunocompromised individual. I have never seen it be passed to humans from pets. Ask your vet to provide you better guidance for your pets test results. That is what they are there for.
Frankly…I wouldn’t supplement with anything. If the food you’re feeding is high quality, anything extra is just that – extra – and may cause food issues in the future.
My dog didn’t get any toppers until she was reliable with eating what I give when I give it.
I would also avoid pork products, as these tend to be very high in fat. Puppies really don’t need that in their diet.
Since her stomach is not used to the ham it is very likely that the ham is the culprit. my suggestion if you run out if rice and chicken again is just do the dry food.