How do i know if my dog has worms?
Q: I have 2 aussie puppies, almost a year old. when they were getting their shots last fall, every time i brought them to the vet, they told me that they had worms and they gave me a very expensive medicine. i really don't want to bring them back there since it will probably cost me over $150.00 i would like to know if i can tell if the puppies have worms myself. i have been thinking that they might because their bowel movements are very loose, almost mush, like mashed potatoes. is it supposed to be like this or should it be a lot firmer? they eat 2 meals of dry food a day with a little scoop of canned added in the morning. thanks for any help. margie
A: Loose stools can be due to many things besides worms. you can't tell if your pups have worms in many cases without a microscopic exam at your vet looking for eggs. i would drop a stool sample off at your vet which should not cost an arm and leg. if negative you could try change in diet to all natural diet like california natural lamb and rice diet by natura pet foods as well as adding digestive enzymes like prozyme to diet. if problem persists, then need more of a workup at your vet.
Shop for: prozyme
Kennel cough?
Q: My 11 month old boston terrier has been to the vet two weeks ago and treated for kennel cough (though they said it could be virus) she was put on antibiotics and cough medicine...syptoms went away in 3 days although now it seems that the symptoms have returned is this possible. i did screw up and forgot the antibiotic on the 6 and 7 the day but gave them to her when i returned home..did i cause it to come back? does she need to go back to the vet or can i wait out this bout of cough?
A: It is possible that by not giving the full course of antibiotic that the condition did come back. the best recourse is to have the veterinarian re-examine the pet.
Nailbed infection
Q: I have a 7 year old male beagle who has developed a problem with his nails cracking at the base and bleeding heavily while still attached to the nailbed. his nails have started getting thicker and are no longer smooth to the touch. they are also extremely brittle and almost seem to explode when i trim them and crumble into small pieces. he has had three nails crack and bleed in the last five weeks. they eventually fall off but cause him much pain in the meantime. he has been on antibiotics for infection but i suspect there is something more to this problem. what do you think this could be and what is the prognosis for treatment?
A: Many of these kinds of problems in dogs are enigmas in conventional medicine but make sure vet rules out any underyling autoimmune diseases, fungal diseases of nail beds and thyroid problems. if all normal i actually would consult homeopathic vet, who in my opinion can more effectively treat these kind of odd things in my opinion www.theavh.org
Shop for: homeo
Sick cat
Q: My tabby has an infection....the vet didn't say what type of infection when we took her into him the other night....she had a fever so the vet gave her a shot to reduce that....and....we brought home some cefa-drops to give her 1ml a day for 14 days.......tabby seems fine in the mornings.....she gets up to eat and drink water and use the litter box.....after the med is given to her.....she gets lethargic and just sleeps all day...doesn't want water...so i give her water with a medicine dropper so she doesn't get dehydrated......could these cefa-drops be causing the lethargy? our vet says no but i read on the insert that it can occasionally cause lethargy.....if i check her temp. here at home and find that she's running a temp. could i give her some baby liquid tylenol to reduce the fever instead of having to run to the vet to get a shot and costing us an office visit and the price of the shot? thank you
A: Do not give your cat tylenol. it is potentially fatal. while i am not aware of cefa-drops causing lethargy, it does not mean that your cat may not be reacting this way to the medicine. they call this an idiosyncratic reaction.
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