Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
My 7-year lab mix tore her chest apart on a hose bib earlier this year. She developed a large seroma on her chest after her vet closed up the massive gash. We drained it once after the port holes naturally closed. She does not want to reopen the holes because of infection risk. To help the seroma shrink, she suggested a compression vest which I immediately ordered since I couldn’t find one locally. It will get here tomorrow. I hadn’t seen any comments regarding compression vests for seroma. Thoughts? My girl is happy aside from being a little dopey from drugs – she had an allergic reaction to who-knows-what and is on Benadryl. She’s been through so much over the last couple of weeks and we just want our Casey back to normal.
I had run out my house leaving butter on my counter to thaw. I arrived home to find 2 large piles of what I assumed was bile. While cleaning it up I realized it was in fact butter, to my horror my dog had consumed 3 sticks of butter. I have a call in to my vet but would love to know how bad this is to ease my mind. My boy is a Border Collie/GSD mix, 80lbs, 4 years and in good overall health, aside from vomiting he seems to be his normal self. (And yes, I know better than to leave anything on the counter.) Thank you!
Well, it may or may not be bad; depending on how strong his system is. Butter is not toxic but it is, clearly, very high in fat. So the biggest danger from consumption of so much of it would be pancreatitis. I imagine some dogs might eat all that and just get a mild stomach upset. Others might get in a lot of trouble. Pancreatitis is painful and can be dangerous. If he’s still vomiting and/or looking ill, do see a vet asap.
10 lb chihuahua mix dog ate 1 Hershey Kiss. Do I need to induce vomiting?
Hello,
Without knowing more about the health status of your dog and the size and type of chocolate eaten I cannot answer this completely. The pet poison helpline can calculate the answer based on a series of answers to questions they will ask. This is the best place to find the answer to this question.
In general a healthy normal pup with a small milk chococolate is unlikely to cause an issue.
There are also several “choc tox” apps available for free online. They may help provide some guidance.
If on homemade diet how much calcium for 17lb dog. Are human supp okay? If mix comm food and homemade still same req? Was on homemade for 11 mnths wthout supplements will this be bad for her? Home diet green beans ground beef pumpkin and cabbage.
Hello
There are veterinary nutritionists who can help you formulate a diet that is balanced and safe. Without knowing a whole lot more about your dog and your available food resources I am always petrified to recommend a homemade diet. I have seen far too many well intentioned pet parents miss giving key nutritional dietary components to advise homemade diets. Please contact a licensed veterinary nutritionist for specific dietary guidance to insure you are providing all of your dogs dietary needs.
I hope this helps. And I wish you the best of luck
My beagle wiener mix dog has a bad rash under his belly leading to his back legs. He is getting sores now from nibbiling and licking himself by his legs, tail, and genital area. Is this something i can take care of or should i be really concerned and take him to a vet?
Hello
If the itching and chewing is resulting in open wounds you need to seek veterinary help. In most cases something to stop the irch is needed along with antibiotics and an ecollar. They can have him felling better very soon.
My dogs had that aswell, my vet put them on antibiotics to fight any infections and to help healing and also gave them steroids to stop them scratching so much
Hello,
Recently (today) we had brought our 2 year old pit mix to the vet. He currently has ear infections in both ears. We were prescribed pills for the swelling, ear drops and ear wash. The pills are the easy part… the hard part is cleaning his ears. I know I am doing it right because of another animal we have that had ear infections. We have tried treats, sitting with him and going slow. But there is just no stopping the biting and the whining. I know it must suck for him and I’m going easy with him. Is there any more suggestions to help calm him down so I can wash his ears? Thanks..
Hello,
For some dogs this is very difficult because the ears are painful. For others it is fraught with anxiety due to associated fear and for some they were just never conditioned to not be afraid of ear (also applies to nail trimming). For the immediate care you could ask about a product like Osurnia. A long lasting topical. But you have to get him used to having his ears cleaned as he is predisposed to other ear infections. Ask your vet for tips on how to hold and clean the ears and try to always make it a quick easy and stress free task. Good luck
Update: thank you for the advice. I asked the vet today and she gave us a topical. Also the swelling of his ears has gone down significantly. Which definitly helps with the process of cleaning… I have washed his ears before and I do with the other dogs because I knew if one had ear infections it’s possible for the others to be prone (they are siblings). I think it was just because of the pain factor. We still go super slow with him and try to keep him as calm as possible. But so far so good! Thank you again!
Three weeks ago we adopted a 4 year old female dachshund/beagle mix. She’s very sweet and loving toward everyone in the family except my younger son. He is 17, a gentle animal lover, and has never done anything to this dog. She barks at him, growls at him, or just runs away from him. It makes him very sad. Can we get her to warm up to him?
I usually tell my client in this situation to try to shift all pet care activities to your son. Walking, feeding and anything your dog sees as fun. No talking or coaxing just let him become the silent pet care provider. Everyone else in the family has to help out by not talking or reaffirming the dogs fear by intervening. If it is hard to get a leash on the dog have a trusted family member do it and then have your son take the leash (as quietly and inconspicuously as possible) to go for the walks. Also try to use treats and attention to build the result gap. Your dog needs to learn to trust your son which is hard to do if she already has family members who love and take care of her. Your dog doesn’t need your son, nor does she have a reason to trust him. To build the trust your son needs to start being the fun and food person. He also needs to understand how your dog sees the relationship. If your son is determined to make this relationship change he had to be patient and dedicated or just let her be. Some
Dogs never decide to open their hearts to others when their caregivers are already in place. Never ever scold her. Or force her to like anyone or may make things worse. She is who she is and it takes time and patience for her to change. Good luck
My Amish friend down the street has a working dog that tends to her other animals (herding sheep, horses, etc.) so he is an outdoor farm dog. (a sheltie/aussie mix). The dog is well loved and cared for but even after giving him a bath today, the poor animal still has little bugs (like fruit flies but a little bigger) swarming and flying all over him, especially his face area. I mean, like about 50-75 or so of them! It’s crazy. She just thought he needed a bath and that’s why they were there, but even after the bath they were there. I have never encountered anything like that before. Anyone help explain and give some ideas on how to get rid of them for this poor pup 🙁
This is normal in PA to a degree. The dog’s diet contributes to its attractiveness to flies more than any thing. I would check for ear infection(s) or bad teeth. Other than that all that can be done is to apply a repellant to the dog – and I would use a natural one that can be found at an Agway or other farm store. These repellents contain a mix of essential oils like cedar or peppermint, etc.
Thank you. I agree – unfortunately with their culture it will fall on deaf ears, I am just trying to do my best to help the pup. I was the one that gave him the bath, etc. Perhaps I can have her make a mask and meanwhile I will play around with some of my essential oils to create a repellant blend that will work and that the dog would be tolerant with. Thanks so much Krista and PK
PK….I normally use water in my essential oil blends for animals but seeing as the bugs are attracted to water, do you think I should use a carrier oil instead?
my dog is a year old, and a Maltese mix that we got from the pound.
It sounds like your dog is in pain and needs to see a vet to determine where the pain is and treat it.
we have seen the vet, but they could not pinpoint a certain thing that was wrong w him. I was just hoping someone would have a more specific answer. thank you for your input!!
Sounds like she’s having pain needs vet
I try to feed my cats tuna/seafood flavored wet foods as sparingly as possible, but Sebastian is becoming picky to the point where he will only eat his dry food (Nutro high-protein) or tuna (Blue Buffalo gourmet) or a now discontinued shrimp/chicken/duck combo (Wellness). He will eat some chicken canned foods from those brands, but not always and not much of it. Is it unhealthy for him to have tuna about 4 times a week? He gets 1 3oz can a day, split into 2 servings and about 1/4c of dry food.
I’ve tried mixing a small amount of other food in with the tuna but then he refuses to eat any of it.
I was taught, too many years ago, that a seafood heavy diet it not good for male cats. Can cause kidney problems. I have four male cats and I take it very easy on the seafood. Asher is very picky, but when he gets hungry enough he will eat. We’ve had several stand-off’s over canned food. I give him 20 minutes to start eating a new food. Then I take it away and put it out again at the next feeding time. I leave dry food out all the time. Canned is once a day at 8 p.m. He constantly tries to convince me that he’s starving at 7 p.m. and the new food is no good. He’ll even knock the dish on the floor. So far he’s letting me win.
Hello,
If your dog is under the care and observation of your vet I think it is best to follow their advice and try it. They will be there to help if it either isn’t working/helping or causes other issues. Your vet always has the best advice for your pet.
let us know how it works?