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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My 3 Yr Old White German Sheperd Has Suddenly Become Itchy, Mostly Around His Hind…

my 3 yr old white german sheperd has suddenly become itchy, mostly around his hind quarters. no known alergies. no evidence of fleas. no dietary changes. what could cause the sudden nusiance itchiness?

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  1. Dawn Ferara, DVM

    Even if you have no known allergies this sudden itchiness could be the result of allergies.  I would recommend a visit to your vet before your dog does some damage to his skin by itching.

    Good Luck

    Dr Dawn

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Hello I Have An 8 Week Old Male Puppy Named Diesel. He Had Been Dewormed…

Hello I have an 8 week old male puppy named diesel. He had been dewormed and had his first two sets of shots. I’ve noticed he had a quarter size spot near his tail. It’s crusty and has hair loss. I’m very worried

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Suzanne Cannon | 10 years ago
The Availability Of Items Has Changed So Much Since I Last Had A Puppy Over…

The availability of items has changed so much since I last had a puppy over 10 years ago. I never give any of my dogs rawhide, so I’m looking for safe alternatives that satisfy the need to chew, especially for a 10 week old pup. Nylabone, nylabone edibles, what else is appropriate? I’m looking for safe, and hopefully not extremely expensive. And what about giving things like carrots, quartered apples, pears, etc? Thank you~!

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  1. Diedra Cardamone

    Hi Suzanne. My family gave our puppy many different toys when he was a puppy: squeaky ones, crinkly sounding toys, rope toys, etc. We always stayed in the same room when she played so we could make sure she was safe, didn’t ingest pieces and took the toy away when it came apart. We loved the Kong toys where you can hide a treat inside. It is good for your pet to work for and think about getting to the treat and to keep him busy. We didn’t use many treats but if we did we would only use those made in USA, dog food pieces for training treats, or other treats that are recommended by our vet (healthier quality treats), natural and with very few ingredients. Like people treats, many have low quality, unhealthy ingredients. I hope this helps and have fun with your puppy!!!

  2. Kelly Furgason

    Hi Suzanne,
    Great question, I like Diedra’s suggestions too. Here are a few more….

    To answer your question, yes you can certainly give chunks of veggies or fruits as treats. You are wise to not do rawhides or rawhide chews as they are really easy to get stuck inside the mouth. Kong makes awesome toys and they last forever so although they may be an investment, they pay off in the long run.

    You can also buy marrow bones (they look like smooth bones about 6+ inches long, sometimes they are hollow sometimes they are filled. They are really hard and basically impossible to break. If they are hollow you can stuff them with peanut butter or other treats. You can also freeze ice (empty cool whip containers work great) put some treats inside the water before you freeze it…hours of fun esp in the summer.

    Enjoy your new pup!!
    ~kelly

  3. Jennifer Bae

    Hello Suzanne. I recommend antlers. Dogs/puppies love them and they’re good for their teeth. They are sold at any pet shops. I have 2 dogs and they both love to chew on antlers for hours. 

    Another great option is to make your own frozen treats at home and fill KONGs with them. One recipe that I make for my dogs often is really easy. Cook oatmeal, add pureed pumpkin and small amount of peanut butter and mix. Fill kongs with them and freeze. Oatmeal and pumpkin is really good for dogs and the peanut butter adds some sweetness that dogs love.

    Hope this helped!

  4. Guy Styles

    What? Are these people Kong representatives? My dog will chews up kong toys in about 10 minutes unless it’s their thick rubber cone looking toy, she just sniffs at that.

    More economical, and almost more fun are plastic water bottles. Want it to last longer, braid some rope around it, put a treat in it, throw it out when done. They don’t leave many plastic pieces everywhere, plastic bottles will just get flat.

    As for treats, every dog is different. Meat always works, but it’s messy.

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
I Have A 15 Year Old Pug. In May He Started Losing Patches Of…

I have a 15 year old Pug. In May he started losing patches of hair, no bigger than the size of a quarter. There were a couple on his legs, one or two on his stomach and the last one has been on the under part of his neck. My vet has done all the blood work as well as skin scrapings and everything is normal. He gets better with meds, but as soon as we stop them, he gets another patch. These spots are not itchy. He is not bothered by them at all. I have an appointment with a dermatologist next week. However, I follow the life of an elderly pug on Facebook and I have noticed that he has several places on his underside with no hair. I was wondering if this could all be due to my pug’s age.

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  1. Jana

    Hi Beth,

    there is a number of conditions that can cause hair loss. Little patches would make me think infection but you say your vet ruled that out? (both bacterial and fungal?) Gland/hormonal disorders can also cause hair loss but typically not in this type of pattern.

    http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=421

    Age by itself is not a disease, but with age things might not be working as well as they used to. There still should be a discernible cause, though, IMO.

    Is this issue in any way seasonal?

    Makes me think of Jasmine, though. Twice she developed a bald patch in different areas, which didn’t seem to have any reason for it. For lack of any better explanation, her vet put her on Melatonin and the fur grew right back.

    http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.com