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Question:
Hi, Dr. Melissa, I tried to post a question this afternoon, but I couldn see where to enter it and I think its in the wrong place (it showed up under the picture of the dog on the left side of the FB page). I have a 9 year old black DLH, Midnight, who has ceruminous cysts (first noticed June 2010) in both ears. The left ear is worse and hes had repeated infections, previously just cultured as Staph, although cytology showed both cocci and rods and some yeast. In October 2011 he had laser surgery to remove two of the large cysts in his left ear that were completely occluding the canal. Histopath dx on both of those cysts was well-differentiated ceruminous adenocarcinoma. I know he will need more surgery, but meanwhile he was doing fine, no regrowth of those cysts, but in March he started to get another infection, cytology only (lots of different cocci) and treated with one shot of Convenia and after that Clavamox, with little change. I requested a culture/sensitivity and the C/S showed Corynebacterium (no species given). No one has ever been able to see his eardrums, and the antibiotics that are listed (amikacin, gentamicin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol, at least the first two, I know are all ototoxic. I have been cleaning his ears daily with EpiOtic. Would it be better to use the EpiOtic Advanced? Im not sure what the difference is. Also, I wondered if Zymox might help to get rid of the Corynebacterium (I don really understand much about that bacteria) -- the exudate is whitish, if I gently use a swab it looks almost grey. There is no odor as there was in the past with Staph infections. BTW, Staph was treated with Clavamox and Baytril Otic infused in TRIS-EDTA. Also, since it may be relevant, hes always had dermatitis (little scabs all over, worst on his lower back) which clears up when I put Advantage on him, even though there are no fleas, nor evidence of fleas. Oddly, now, he has no dermatitis on his body, even though I haven put Advantage on him for two months. Sorry, this is so long. If you have any thoughts on what would be best to use for cleaning and for antibiotic that would have the least side effects/ototoxicity, I would appreciate it. I wish I knew the cause of the cysts, too, Ive never had a cat with this problem, or any ear problem! Thank you for any advice you might have. Marcia Munro Answer:
Hello Marcia. I am sorry it has taken me a little bit to get back to you. I wanted to do a little research to see if there are some other products that could be beneficial. It sounds like Midnight has been through a lot with his ears. The problem with treating Cornybacterium is that it is a gram positive bacteria and most otic products are better targeted against gram negative bacteria. There is a product called GentaVed Otic Solution which contains Gentamicin, but there is a risk for ototoxicity especially for cats (versus dogs). I think your best bet for now might be the Baytril Otic infused with TRIS-EDTA again, but you will need to talk it over with your vet. In his case, I don't think the Zymox would be a good choice for him. However, for a good ear cleanser, I would use the EpiOtic Advanced. It has a slightly stronger formulation to help keep inflammation down in his ear canals. Depending on how he does, you may also want to talk to your vet about referring him to a veterinary dermatologist specialist. They have extensive experience in more difficult cases and do a lot of work with ear disease as well. I hope that helps. Please let me know if I can help you more.
Question:
Hi Dr. Melissa, I have a 12 year old wheaten terrier who is over all healthy. Today though he was outside running around doing what we call "doggy dashes"(it is around 75 degrees out) when he came in he was panting very heavily and seemed weak. He was having trouble standing but it just seemed to be his back legs that he was having trouble with. We got him to lay down and tried to give him ice cubes and water but he didn really want either. He attempted to stand but couldn get his back legs to work. We turned the fan on him and within 10-15 minutes he was able to stand up and wanted to eat instead of drink. This happened a couple weeks ago during a thunderstorm(which he is terrified of). He started panting so bad that he couldn stand. He seems normal except that he is panting so hard and he can hold his back legs up. He is alert and seems to understand what you say to him, and is able to hold his head up. It is scary when it happens. Is there something I should have my vet check or could it just be his age? He has always been very hyper. I can afford to just have the vets run a bunch of tests. Thanks so much for your time. Meghan Answer:
Hi Meghan. What you are describing is definitely not normal if he really couldn't use his back legs for a time. If you tried to stand him up and he couldn't support his back end with them then it sounds like it is more than weakness from being tired from running or being scared from the storm (it doesn't sound like heat stress given the outside temperature unless it was a really prolonged time he was running). There really are a lot of possibilities to the cause. I think you should go ahead and bring him to your vet. There is a lot they can check over with a good physical examination. They can listen to his heart for abnormal valve closure or rhythm disturbances as well as do a neurological exam on him to see if it seems to be a problem with the disks in his back. If they feel it is more a metabolic or internal problem they may need to run some senior blood work on him. You should ask them before hand, but the blood work will probably cost a little over $100. You just need to be upfront and make sure they know you are on a budget. I am sorry I can't be more helpful, but your vet needs to narrow down the possible causes to make sure it doesn't require treatment.
Question:
My cat is on Doxy 50 mg QD for an eye issue. She has been on it for 1 week. I give it to her with food. This morning she vomited up all of her food. I checked the vomit but couldn see a pill piece. Should I give her another one today or should I just wait and give the regular dose tomorrow? Answer:
If she vomited within half an hour of receiving her pill then I would go ahead and give her another one today because she probably didn't absorb much of any of it. If it was more than half an hour than I would just give her next dose tomorrow.
Question:
Will a 81mg coated asperin be ok for my 13yr old soft coated terrier? She had her rr leg removed at one year old. Fed Ex. accident. Now her age and accident are giving her some discomfort each day I believe thank you, max ward Answer:
Hello Max. I am sorry to hear about her leg. It is understandable that she could be arthritic given her age and history. You can try the 81 mg of buffered aspirin by mouth up to twice a day and see how she does with it. If she weighs around 30 lbs, you could actually give her up to 2 tablets of the 81 mg (162 total mg) per dosage. Some dogs will have gastrointestinal upset with aspirin so it is better to try her with the lower dosage first and see if that helps. I would also start giving her some natural products to help her joints if you aren't already. I would start giving her Glucosamine with Chondroitin and MSM. The other product that is beneficial to the joints is Fish Oil. They can both be given daily. If those things aren't enough to help you may need to consult with your vet and get her started on a prescription NSAID like Rimadyl or Metacam, for example.
Question:
Hi Melissa, I have a little Yorkie thats 5lbs and cute as a button. I love him to death and want to keep him really healthy. I used to given him the Excel puppy multivitamins but just ran out. Because hes 12 months now, should I switch to adult ones? I used to give him fish oil for his coat too, but he hates the capsules and doesn like the smell of the liquid. Should I get him like the Derm-tabs to cover all my bases, or will he get better coverage by keeping them separate? If I did both, could I cause any harm by too many vitamins? Also, I know because Yorkies live longer should he be on like a heart supplement or something for his knees because he has slippy kneecaps? He doesn have any symptoms but Id rather prevent than treat. Also, he still has minor leaking issues when he gets too excited. I was told that should stop after he passed 6 months because he should have better bladder control by them. He has been neutered in case that matters. Any ideas on how to fix this? Answer:
I also like Yorkies. I bet he is cute. Derm-tabs is a good product. You could just give him that and save yourself from trying to give the fish oil separately. I think given that he is healthy and young that will likely be enough supplementation in addition to what's in his diet. For the sliding kneecaps (luxating patellas) you may need to give him a joint supplement down the road with Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM. It also really depends on how bad his knees are. If the knee cap routinely pops out of socket, it really may just require surgery to deepen the grove so it won't pop out. If it is very minor then it really may never cause him problems. In regards to the excited urination, it is a matter of training. Your goal will be to have various people come over and not make a big fuss of him when they first enter the house. They can come and go and come again after several minutes and just walk by and not give him attention. This will help him realize it is no big deal when people come inside, he won't get so worked up and will stop dribbling.
Question:
I hve a cocker-poo puppy 3mnths old, How old should she be before I hve her spayed. Thank you. Answer:
That is exciting to have a new puppy. I prefer to wait to have them spayed until they are a little older and then they will have had more of their vaccinations. The ideal age is around 5 months. When you bring her in for her puppy vaccinations they can get that scheduled for you.
Question:
Hello again Doctor Melissa. I just wrote you about Konnor the famished black lab. Please...one more question for which you may or may not have answers to. This question is about Squeakers...one of my three cats. Shel be 18 years old in early spring. Over the last 9 - 12 months Squakers has been going down hill physically. I don know what to do -- or when "its time" to help Squeakers to heaven. Squeakers has arthritis and USED to walk with a very arthritic gait. She not longer walks this way at all. I believe at some time Squeakers may have had one or more strokes or TIAs. Although her gait cleared up --- over the last few months Squeakers has gone either totally blind or she may be able to see some light -- but nothing else I think. Squeakers still eats pretty darn well -- however I supplement her dry food with canned cat food (quality food designed for very mature cats). Squeakers has a hard time eating kitty kibble (Science Diet -- Vibrant Maturity) and even when she eats the canned wet cat food she sort of licks it like a lolly pop. What sticks to her tongue she eats....she doesn seem to over eat....doesn seemed hungry except during the twice a day feedings that all pets get. Squeakers will come out of the kitty room (where they all like to sleep and eat....and where litter boxes are but dogs cannot get into) and she had a path she followed that went from the kitty room directly into the kitchen where shed find me and Id feed her some wet/canned food. Sometimes shed stop for a drink of dog water (otherwise she drinks from the kitty water bowls in the cat room). Squeakers, now, sometimes seems confused after shes eaten the wet/canned food. This just developed. Its like she forgets shes eating....I tap the bowl for her and it seems like she thinks, "Oh Yeah...good, food. Yay". Im projeting though. ~~~ Again she eats whatever sticks to her tongue....otherwise food is pushed out of the bowl and onto the floor where she can find it. Also recently she sometimes deviates her path and gets lost --- under the table or in a bathroom. Usually she gently bumps into a wall or table leg and just turns to go another way....and finds her way back to the cat room. Sometimes we have to go help her find the cat room or the kitchen where Im at. Squeakers is easy to lose her footing but doesn totally fall down. She stumbles a little and recovers. While watching her carefully --- I notice her front feet. Her right foot seems totally normal when walking. However her front foot...its just not right. She seems to .... I don know. If I didn know better Id think that her leg has been broken at sometime...and she doesn walk on her foot exactly. Its more like the part that contacts the floor is further up her leg by 1/2 inch or so. Im not sure if this is painful for her. Ive held Squeakers and touched her legs and feet....she does not appear to be in pain and makes no attempts to pull back nor get away. Nothing like that. She accepts me touching her.....and just stares blankly (puples very big...they do not change at all anymore...they stay large and fixed), sometimes Squeakers is purring & tells me when she wishes to get down. I gently put her down in a place thats hopefully familiar to her. ~~~~ Squeakers sleeps most of the day and most of the night --- but usually is out in the evening for her licks of food. Squeakers does have areas on her body that are likely cancerous. I see her ears have dark patches on them --- she has more than one flesh/lighter than flesh bump that is about the size of a small pencil eraser. If I thought Squeakers was in pain... Id help her into heaven with a Vet. I don know that she is...or that she isn . No matter where I touch her...she doesn protest. As far as the litter box....Squeakers finds one to urinate in (thankfully) but often misses the box entirely when she has a bowel movement. Its usually one piece -- or one piece in a few places each day. She tries I think. Doc -- Squeakers quality of live --- well... shes not as she used to be. Then again at 52 years old...neither am I. Aside from the obvious --- what are your recommendations (aside from bringing her to a local vet who will simply tell me to CHOOSE for her)? I don know what to do....what not to do. When is it time to help Squeakers go to heaven? Im just looking for your opinion --- and don want you to feel badly no matter what you tell me or advise me. Ill go so far as to ask straight out...what would you do or advise your client to do? Thank you again Dr. Melissa!! Blessings, Donna Answer:
Gosh, I am sorry to hear about Squeakers. It sounds like there are several potential medical problems going on that may or may not be treatable. There may be a problem like a tumor in her mouth causing her swallowing problems or perhaps she has a neurological problem especially if she is not using her front leg correctly. It does also sound likely that she is blind. There are lots of animals that are blind that are able to adapt and get along fine. I wouldn't base my choice on her eyesight as much as her general quality of life and number of good days. You really know her best and should be the one to make the decision when you feel it is time.
Question:
Good Evening Dr. Melissa, Ive written a few times before and youve always given wonderful advice. Perhaps you remember me...my fiance and I moved from WI to east TX this summer and he made the long drive in my SUV along with Konnor (Black Lab), Bree (Shar Pei), and three mixed breed cats, Squeakers, Anni & Holi. I had Robert use Rescue Remedy to keep all pets calm and you suggested Feliway Spray which was the icing on the cake. Thank you once again for this advice. I have two questions today -- regarding two different pets. However Ill write another (shorter) email about the other pet). Konnor, 7.5 year old black lab w/ a little bit of hound dog mixed in is a good weight, about 80#s or so (rough guess), is current on all of his shots (all pets are current). Both dogs are given a monthly dose of Heartguard and monthly Frontline Plus is used to take care of any little critters that may want to climb aboard the dogs. This works well for the dogs. Twice a day each dog is given 1 scoop (a little more than a cup) of Natures Recipe Healthy Skin(Venison) with 2 squirts of Derma-Form Liquid (polyunsaturated fatty acid & vitamin supplement) & 1/2 tablet of Dasququin w/ MSM. Sometimes filtered tap water is added to the food.....sometimes not. Additionally each dog is given steamed green beans -- this is not measured -- but Id guess if tossed into a glass measuring cup, Konnor would be receiving about ?1/2 cup? or more per meal. ~~~ I do not feed any table scraps to either dog --- my mate, Robert sometimes does no matter how much I protest. As a side note -- we started with the steamed green beans (Wal Mart or Birds Eye brand, frozen then steamed) about 2 years ago because Konnor always seemed totally famished. I know Labs are known to often seem hungry -- however this was much more than seeming hungry. At that time hed also eat his food so fast that we were afraid he that hed get a twisted bowel....so I turned his food bowl upside down and this forces him eat slower because he must eat from the sides of his bowl. This has worked well up until now (by the way....one of those big, heavy balls in his dish thats designed to slow down eating didn work well as the other dog was so kind as to remove the ball from Konnors dish for him). Konnors health issues seem to be controlled pain from hip dysplasia. (the Dasququin w/ MSM works well). He may be getting a cataract in one/both eyes & well have him evaluated. Also...where Konnors dog halter used to be (its off now) has developed a couple of area that seem to be fatty tumors (so we e told). Otherwise he seems healthy and a VERY happy dog. Konnor once again is acting totally famished. If allowed...hell gobble his food as much as the side-of-the-bowl food spaces will allow him. He has taken food items off of the counter in the recent past...he will get into trash if given a chance. Hell even eat paper products such as tissue or paperplates if he thinks food may have been on them. Konnor will go and sit next to the container that holds the dry dog food.....and beg...hell talk/moan at us and lead us to the dog food or the fridge. Hes acting as if hes simply starving. If we are eating....I send Konnor (both dogs) to the doggie mat which is a nice area where they e away from us and don beg at us. Konnor literally drools and puddles drool....then checks the floors for crumbs or anything that may have fallen off of a counter/plate, etc. I suppose it is hard for me to describe Konnor and how I can tell the difference between "Konnor the begging for food black lab" and "Konnor -- the very, very, very hungry black lab dog. There is a difference and I can tell. Konnor is not over weight -- I don think hes underweight. Konnors skin has always been very loose...ever since puppyhood. It slides on his body so I can tell very well if his ribs can be felt in an abnormal way. Even when he was a little chunky a few years back (one of the reasons for the green beans -- as a filler & aides in weight loss which was achieved) I could slide my hands over his sides and feel ribs. At that time...when a bit over weight, he got a big butt and some tummy rolls. Not now. He looks healthy and his coat is ultra shiny --- as its always been. Last --- Konnors urine and stool output seems to be the same as it has always been. His stool us usually firm and the same size as usual. Occassionally he does get loose stool and once in a blue moon he will get diarrhea. This is not often though and usually a result of Konnor eating grass or something green from the yard. We do not use pesticides or poisons -- and the grass is new here....its an annual rye grass. ~~~ Konnor does have a taste for grass though and eats it often - or so it seems when Im out playing ball with him or both dogs. So doc..... what do you think? Do you have any suggestions? Maybe back off some of the green beans and add more actual dog food? Perhaps a regular doggie vitamin? I just don know WHY Konnor is acting as if hes never fed. (Ive looked at his stool...there are no noticable worms. I can have this checked though. ?Can worms make a dog feel hungry?) Thank you for any advice that you can give me. This is so unusual for Konnor -- and Im sure no fun for him to constantly feel this way. Happy Sunday and have a great week to come. Donna Answer:
Hello Donna. It is good to hear back from you. You made me laugh with your story about Konner. I am sure it isn't funny for you, but your description was so good and I can just picture him looking so desperate for food. It doesn't sound like it is likely a medical problem given that his weight sounds like it has been stable. Dogs also rarely get problems like an over functioning thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) and there would probably be other signs like weight loss if that was going on. I think Konner is being hopeful that Robert will get weak and sneak him something. You may actually be better off to let Robert give one designated treat at their meal waiting place before you sit down to eat. It just has to be very clear to him that he won't get any more and one is always what he is getting. After a couple of weeks of just getting the one treat then he will know that is the expected thing and not anticipate anything more. Then he may give up additional begging especially if you don't give it from the table. You can also add additional veggies to his diet. The green beans are good but you can also add all kinds of other veggies. Since they have a low caloric density, you can double the amount of veggies you are giving in his food to see if that helps fill him up.
Question:
Hi! Because of on-going stomach issues, I recently switched my 30-pound 9-year old rat terrier (Decker Giant -- shes supposed to weigh about 30-pounds) to a home cooked diet which shes thriving on. Her meals consist of shredded chicken, cottage cheese, yogurt, ground egg shell, blueberries, a pinch of salt, and either sweet potatoes, carrots and/or green beans (all cooked and mashed). Ive been adding a packet of Purina Forti-Flora each morning, but I want to switch to a more affordable everyday probiotic. I also want to add in a vitamin/mineral supplement because Im sure shes not getting everything she needs, and I also want to ditch the ground egg shell. Which products would you suggest? Also, what other foods could I add to her diet? Thank you! Andrea Murphy Answer:
Hi Andrea. That is great you are able to cook a homemade diet for her. Instead of the egg shells you can get bone meal powder for her and give her 3.5 grams per day in her food. It sounds like you are doing a good job with her food, but you do need to give her more carbs. Her diet should be around 58% carbohydrates. You can use potatoes or sweet potatoes for this or rice, pasta, infant cereals, or oatmeal or combinations of above. The protein component should be around 29% (chicken, fish, etc). In regards to the multivitamin/multimineral, I would try her with Vetri-Science Canine Plus Chews (available through the website under dog supplements and then click on Probiotics and Digestion). It will help fill in any gaps in her diet and also contains digestive enzymes to improve its absorption and her digestion. For the Probiotics, Forti-Flora is a great product and the most popular product for dogs. Iams also makes Prostora, but it is expensive as well. I would definitely continue with a tablespoon of yogurt over her food and maybe see if you can decrease her to every-other-day Forti-Flora. Now that her digestive system has improved you may also be able to give her a digestive supplement instead like ProZyme (a Pet Nutrition Products formulation). It works a little differently than a Probiotic, but it will also help improve her digestion. I hope that helps and she continues to do well on her new diet.
Question:
My dog Dusty (Lab/Border Collie Mix) started having siezures about 2 years ago. (He is currently 9 years old.) He only had about 1 per month, so our vet said to just leave him alone. Recently he has started having them a couple times a week. Is it now time to start medications? The siezures last from 10 to 20 minutes. They are painful for me to watch. I pet him until they are over. Are they hurting him in any way? Is there anything I can do to shorten the duration? I want to keep him around as long as I can. He is such a sweet, gentle dog. Thank you. Answer:
It sounds like now he definitely needs to go on medication. It is always good to wait to put dogs on medication until they are having seizures more often than once a month or if the seizures are severe in nature. I would make an appointment with your vet. They will probably want to do some senior blood work on him first and then get him started on a medication like Phenobarbital. The Phenobarbital will not stop all the seizures but it will help them be much less often and also shorter in duration.
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