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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 cat is 4 years old . I am a student. Cat is a female nudered domestic cat.
Im a student cannot afford to go to vet now.
she started eating from litter.. not the poop or pee, just the litter sand. I dont know why. Can you tell me a natural remedy that might help? I really cant afford a vet right now.
Thanks
I have a 8 year old min pin that is 6 pounds and has been coughing off and on can I give her cough medicine
13 yr old cocker spaniel male, dry and cracking muzzle and around eyes, infected ear, awful smell, possible scent gland infection? Please help
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?
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.