Toe-nailsQ: Why is my dog chewing and biting off her toe-nails; right rear paw? it's reminds me of when a person chews their finger nails! A: Could be allergy or nervous habit
Poodle developed cough october 2003Q: My poodle that is 12 years old developed a chronic cough this past october, it has become almost non-stop. the vet prescribe lasix for the rest of his life. he says he has congestive heart failure. my dog appears to have something stuck in his throat that he is trying dislodge. the vet he had in the past found nothing wrong with his heart, no murmur or anything. could he have developed congestive heart failure so soon? i want to know if there are other medicines to give him, or is there such a thing as a hair ball that could be lodged in his throat. i love this little fellow and he is such a good friend. the lasix is not helping the cough. please advise. thank you so much. whenever he is picked up and his chest is compressed even a small amount he starts coughing and gagging. he eats well, runs and plays around our yard that is quite steep and he does not seem to cough from exersion. he coughs at night and whenever he enters the house. coughs when he gets excited over something. he has a rattle in his chest or wheezing all the time and ever so often he coughs up white mucous. please advise. i am so worried about him. A: I would make sure vet has right diagnosis of congestive heart failure by getting another opinion. some poodles have chronic lung disease as well which they can have with or by itself. this is medicated with totally different medications like drugs to dilate airways as well as anti-inflammatories. lasix will not help these chronic lung diseases
DosageQ: We gave our polish lowland sheepdog his monthly dose of heartgard and about 6 hours later he vomited. (he had been taking an antibiotic for another reason, and this had been causing some gi distressl). should we consider redosing him in a few days or just skip this month? A: I would just skip this month. there is a safety factor in heartguard so dont worry
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Stool eatingQ: My puppy is aprox. 8 months old and eats his stools. i have never had a dog do this before. what is the cause of this. is it a lack of something in the diet? A: Most of time we dont know and some dogs outgrow this while others continue it at varying amounts throughout life. make sure on good natural diet as well as have on good multivitamin supplement like missing link from designing health as well as prozyme from 1800petmeds Shop for: vitamin, prozyme, 1800petmeds
Acidity in urineQ: I have a 2 year old maltese that had an urine analysis. his vet says his acidity is too high in his urine, but he has no crystals (which is good). we have been tring different foods to lower his acidity. he has become a picky eater, and he is holding his urine. he only potty once or twice a day, and it lasts a long time. i am worried he is suffering. is there anything to help him? thanks! A: I dont change dogs diets based on urine ph if no symptoms. i simply stress all natural diets such as pet guard or wellness brands and in this breed might want to consider home made diet as described in book dr. pitcairns guide to natural health for dogs and cats by richard pitcairn, dvm, phd, who knows much more about nutrition than most vets given above background
