FleasQ: Help! i have two cats and a ferret. we have never had a flea problem until the little danny the ferret joined our home. do you have meds that can help him? can you use cat flea meds? thanks for you time and help. A: On ferrets i stick with pyethrin sprays or shampoos which you can ask about at 1800petmeds or local pet store
Shop for: 1800petmeds, tick
Itching, losing some hair, rough line on the skinQ: Our 3 year old beagle has two places on his coat near his left hind leg. he scratches and there are some rough places like little lines or bumps under the hair. his hair has thinned in those spaces, also. our local pet store gave us a shampoo to use, but a day or so after the bath, he begins scratching again. our vet just told us to use some cortisone, but that doesn't seem to clear up what this is. any suggestions? A: Topical treatment is only at best partially helpful. sounds like could be secondary bacterial infection on skin from underyling allergies. usually need oral antibiotics and oral antihistamines to help from your vet
Shop for: antihistamine
Staph infection yearlyQ: My 8 year old blenheim cavalier has staph infections all summer long, starting in early spring and lasting until late fall. it's never-ending. he has been on 500 mg. of cephalexin, hexdene shampoo, plus a bunch of other shots, etc., totaling over $200 a month ago. (vet price per pill of this is 67.5 cents.) is it possible to keep him on the anti-biotic cephalexin all summer? he has been on prednisone for long periods in the past, but that bothers me greatly. he seems to do well and the other complications don't occur, such as ear infections, eye problems, etc. when he is on the cephalexin. clavamox really doesn't do the trick. each year seems to get worse. our vet also has suggested changing his diet to venison and potato. any ideas on that? his half-brother, a tri-color cav has none of this, only dry skin. A: It is possible to keep an animal on long term cephalexin therapy as long as the drug is not discontinued before the infection is cleared. there is the issue of developing resistance to the antibiotic if therapy is started and stopped without completely clearing the infection.
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Itching continuesQ: Our 1 year old female is constatnly scratching herself. she looks so uncomfortable! she has been on frontline and heartguard sice she was old enough to get it and recently was spayed. the vet can not determine what is wrong. no fleas. is there a supplement i can give her or anti itch medications? A: I would supplement her with omega 3 fatty acids like derm caps from 1800petmeds or flax seed oil at dose of 1 tea per 20 pounds of body weight daily. also purchase prozyme as source of digestive enzymes which can help long term. also periodic bathing with oatmeal shampoon and daily condioner like episoothe is helpful as well. you could try antihistamines at same time like benadryl at 1 mg per pound twice daily or hydroxyzine at same dose. if these no help may need allergy testing or restricted low allergy diet. also make sure pet has been skin scraped by vet for skin parasites
Shop for: antihistamine, prozyme, 1800petmeds
RingwormQ: How do i tell if my dog has ringworm? she has these 4 raised red circles on her stomach, and they look irrated. i looked for picturs on the internet, but could not find any. we just got her, and her previous owner did not know about it, and did not notice it until i mentioned it when we picked her up. i plan on taking her to the vet when i get paid, later on this week. but should we tie her up outside, or not pet her until we know for sure? thanks for any information you can give us on this topic. -marlena mackie A: More likely these are known as collaretts which is dermatologic term for overgrowth of staph bacteria in stomach(not contagious to us) due to underyling allergies also. usually easily treated with antibiotics orally. can also try chlorihexiderm shampoo from 1800petmeds every few days. vet can rule out ringworm definitively with fungal culture but i dont suspect it
Shop for: ringworm, 1800petmeds
Scatching,lose oh hair,Q: My 9 year old cat started losing her hair on her back side. she is an inside cat. i have another cat that is inside outside. i had a flea collar on her but she became infested by fleas anyway. she started to get sores around her neck and head. i started to use a natural flea collar on her and bathing her with flea shampoo. the problem is getting worse. she is know sratching herself until she bleeds and i know she is in pain. i can not afford to take her to a vet right know. what can i do to relive her. A: I think you should use one of the topoical flea control products such as frontline plus or advantage. you should also check our website under "education" & "flea control" to get some ideas on how to control the fleas in your home.
Shop for: advantage, frontline plus, frontline
Rash on white side onlyQ: I have a pit half brown half white. he has nasty itchy rash in neck, armpit areas on the white side only. vet gave injection and prescribed prednisone twice a day for fourteen days but no better. anything else i can do? A: Have vet reevaluate for secondary infection which might need oral antibiotics or anti bacterial shampoo like chlorihexiderm shampoo from 1800petmeds. also consider food allergy and low allergy diet trial such as purina ha from vet
Shop for: prednisone, 1800petmeds
dog health symptom explanationTerms used in this page:
dog, domestic dog, Canis familiaris - a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds; "the dog barked all night"
health, wellness - a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease; "physicians should be held responsible for the health of their patients"
symptom - (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease
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