Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
How do you determine if your dog needs a dental exam? My dog is over 10 years old and has always had bad teeth. He is a Yorkshire terrier mix. I knew he would need several teeth extracted but we were not advised that he must have this done by x date. It’s been about 6 months. He has now had two teeth fall out and has another big tooth loose. I do not mind paying for a vet visit if necessary but I wasn’t sure if this was simply part of old age. Should we switch from dry food to wet food? He has a little redness in his mouth, no swelling, no signs of pain.
My 6 year old lab mix had TPLO surgery to repair a torn CCL on September 10. Prior to surgery, his liver enzymes were elevated but after 2 ultrasounds and bloodwork, they were unable to identify why. Because of this he cannot take anti inflammatory drugs to help with pain and took longer to be cleared after surgery. He was finally cleared on 12/11/19 and was doing really well. About a week and a half ago, he started limping again. We can’t pinpoint anything he did that would cause a limp. We haven’t let him fully run and don’t let him off his leash hardly at all. I do have another follow up appointment with the surgeon scheduled but wanted to see if anyone else experienced something like this. Thanks!
Hello,
Lots of things can cause a limp post op. The best advice I can give is to keep him calm and leash walk only and see the surgeon ASAP. If he is acting quiet, depressed, lethargic or not eating call your regular vet and have him seen immediately.
Thank you! He is sleepy, but not lethargic. I think that is because of the gabapentin. He has always been a picky eater but I believe he is eating and drinking normally. We have been keeping him on a leash and shortened walks. His appointment with the surgeon is Wednesday.
Am I house training properly? We adopted a 6 month old rat terrier/collie mix 2.5 weeks ago. Monday-Friday I come home during lunch for water and a walk. He’s left without water for 4hrs at a time (8:30-12:30 and 1-5:30). I’m being very patient with making sure he has as much pee time as we can give him. Are the options to either continue walking him myself or hire a walker? I’d like to end the midday walks, but can’t leave him without water for 9 hours, right? What are my options for keeping everyone happy, keeping him hydrated and also keeping his crate and my apartment as urine-free as possible? Dog walkers can be expensive. $15/day means ~$300/month. I’ve debated asking the older (seemingly) retired ladies in my apartment complex to walk him for a fee.
Hi Michael???? we have never withheld water, and have never had accidents inside the house (unless we were still working on training or one of the dogs was ill) Having said that, I can say that routine is your best friend. Dogs like to keep their area clean and once they learn where to go, will most likely stay with that routine. At 6 months old, your dog should be able to go quite some time without having to toilet. 9 hours is too long though. I’m not sure of your daily schedule, but if you get a good long walk in before work, it is very possible to get a 6 hour block of time where your new pup will not need to bathroom and for a majority of those 6 hours (depending on how much activity/exercise you’ve given them during the morning walk) will be spent napping and calm. However, a good long walk is necessary after such a large chunk of time alone. There are also a lot of training videos that you might want to look at…. some that give you a set time,one, like 5 or 7 days. Very best of luck to you and your pup????????
Hi I just recently became a mommy to a blue nosed pit bull. The person we got her from lied to us about her age. I came to find out she is only 4 weeks old. She was already weaned off of her mom’s milk for the most part when he got her. The “breeder” was feeding her an entire can of wet pedigree dog did with kibble mixed in. I knew right away that was horribly wrong. I went to pet smart and bought the ready made formula to start her back on. I went home and immediately tried to get her to drink it. She refused to drink any formula. She was starting to act lethargic and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the car ride home or her lack of eating so I added a small spoonful of wet puppy food and mixed it in with the formula. She immediately began to devour it. When I brought her home that same day her poop was normal and formed. The next night she began to have dark diarrhea. It was squirting out of her poor little butt. She’s been doing that for 2 days now. I called JV yesterday(Saturday) and spoke to a receptionist. She recommend continuing the formula and adding puppy kibble in and letting it soften for her to eat. I went out yesterday and bought Purina pro plan puppy food. She began that around 4 pm yesterday. She wasn’t drinking water up until yesterday but she is now. So de starting the kibble and formula mix her diarrhea is not so runny anymore but in 2 bathroom breaks back to back I did notice some blood spotting in her poop. It’s not a lot, it’s literally a few spots mixed in. Is that something I need to be concerned with? Do I need to bring her in to the walk in clinic today or should I wait longer to see if her poop begins to become normal again? She is sleeping a lot but I was told that she will do that for her age? When she isn’t sleeping she will run around and play, wag her little tail, she has 2 stuffed animals that she will playfully bite and drag around.
My question after giving you this info is should I bring her in to the vet? I know she can’t have any shots yet but I’m worried she is sick and don’t want her to die on me. ????
Hello,
I hope the receptionist told you to consider the ER. I cannot tell you if she is stable, or healthy enough to wait to come in at 1. I do always have to caution people with illness , any kind of change in behavior or fecal output and the tiny babies like you have are even more fragile. I think that if you are worried you are safest going to the ER.. I also know that in some cases I have to refer the patients I see on Sunday to the ER as we cannot provide the in patient care that we need to provide them,
Please keep me posted. I really hope that everything is ok. I would also hope that you call the appropriate authorities to report the breeder. Most people are not as kind and able as you are to care for a neonate.
krista
I am so lost in caring for my Chihuahua/dachshund mix. She was diagnosed with IVDD on Sunday December 15, 2019. Surgery was not an option financially so we opted for conservative treatment combined with acupuncture and the Assisi loop treatments. The one thing I can not get a definitive answer on if she needs to 24/7 cage rest of if letting her rest with us on the couch in the evenings okay. Some blogs says strict cage rest for 8 weeks and only out for potty time while many others suggest other treatment plans. I just want to know if I am hurting my fur baby by letting her rest on the couch with me or not. Since the start of her treatments she has gone from full paralysis in her hind legs and being in continent to being able to walk a little and has full control over her bladder/bowels in just a little over a week!
Good morning. Dr. Magnifico has a lot of videos posted on YouTube that may be helpful to you. She has a lot of experience with IVDD and has posted blogs about it as well. Don’t give up- especially since your pup is showing improvement. Best of luck to you guys!
In my opinion it is 24/7 cage rest unless they are in your arms ( while you are awake) or outside going potty. No expeditions. Ever. Because one accidental anything can result in reinjury and loss of any healing you have gained. I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck.
Hi there- I would call to make an appointment with the vet in the morning. Especially as teeth have already rotted out. There is a good chance that there may be some infection going on that could easily spread. Best to get things taken care of right now and not chance anything bad.
Thanks for the response. I’m glad I asked.
Yep! It’s time for a dental cleaning and extractions of all of the bad (diseased) teeth. Taking care of it now will spare your pup pain, infection and possible complicating diseases like heart disease. It’s never too late to do it! Best of luck!
I’ll call JVC in the morning to schedule!