Your Dog's (Pet's?) Health

[InCali]

I have miniature poodles. They're pretty awesome. Really smart and love nothing more than to hang out with you....and walks....of course walks.

A couple of them have allergies and I've been giving them Apoquel to keep them comfortable. I was reading about Bovine Colostrum and came across some chews that contain it, salmon oil and probiotics. Does anyone have any experience with this? I bought some on Amazon and am getting them tomorrow and will start giving them to my dogs immediately. I plan on continuing the Apoquel for a week and then taper off. I'm thinking that after a week, it might kick in but don't know for sure.

I'm hoping to do something that will help build their immune system rather than just masking the problem.

What kind of stuff do you do for your pet's health?

 

[Hobgoblin]

I don’t know if this helps but my wife’s dog has eye allergies. It gets mucous and nasty. She treats it with local honey and the pollen in the honey somehow counters the pollen causing the allergy.

 

[InCali]

I don’t know if this helps but my wife’s dog has eye allergies. It gets mucous and nasty. She treats it with local honey and the pollen in the honey somehow counters the pollen causing the allergy.

How does she "treat" it? My dogs don't have much of a problem with this. They get a tiny bit of black yuk that I clean with a tissue about once a week. One of my dogs does get more and I'd like to find out exactly how this is done.

 

[Hobgoblin]

She uses a spoonful of honey mixed with peanut butter. The dog is crazy for it.

 

[InCali]

She uses a spoonful of honey mixed with peanut butter. The dog is crazy for it.

I thought maybe you mixed it with water and cleaned the eye with it. Glad I waited. LOL

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Mine are on heartworm and tick medication. That's about it.

The older one has a knee issue that pops up every once in awhile. The best thing for him is just to walk it off.

 

[InCali]

Mine are on heartworm and tick medication. That's about it.

The older one has a knee issue that pops up every once in awhile. The best thing for him is just to walk it off.

Yeah. Depending on where you live, that's a pretty good idea. Living the the wilds of West Los Angeles, gives me some flexibility in terms of what I give them. They don't really even get fleas. Being poodles, they are extremely high maintenance dogs. I cut them (takes about an hour and a half each) about once a month and they get washed before cutting. When I do see a flea, I give them a chewable tablet, but that's only about twice a year. That Frontline stuff doesn't really work anymore so I got some other stuff recommended by the vet.

My oldest one (the father of my other dogs) is going to be 15 on August 9th. Sometimes in the morning his hips would hurt until they loosen up. At first I thought arthritis, but it ended up not being that. He'd get a little strain and after a couple of weeks, he'd be fine.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I thought maybe you mixed it with water and cleaned the eye with it. Glad I waited. LOL

Wait, you thought it got fed to the dog?


Just a teaspoon of honey and teaspoon of pb.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Yeah. Depending on where you live, that's a pretty good idea. Living the the wilds of West Los Angeles, gives me some flexibility in terms of what I give them. They don't really even get fleas. Being poodles, they are extremely high maintenance dogs. I cut them (takes about an hour and a half each) about once a month and they get washed before cutting. When I do see a flea, I give them a chewable tablet, but that's only about twice a year. That Frontline stuff doesn't really work anymore so I got some other stuff recommended by the vet.

My oldest one (the father of my other dogs) is going to be 15 on August 9th. Sometimes in the morning his hips would hurt until they loosen up. At first I thought arthritis, but it ended up not being that. He'd get a little strain and after a couple of weeks, he'd be fine.

Fleas are a major nuisance in Florida. I have two Shih-Tzus. One is 9, the other 1. I take them to the groomers once every couple of months, and get them cut short. They are happier with the shorter hair than the classic Shih-Tzu show cut.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Oh, I forgot to mention. I use Simparica and Interceptor+. That's what the vet recommended.

 

[Hobgoblin]

We have three cats and three litter boxes. Lately they have been only using one box, totally ignoring the other two. One of them, we don’t know who, has been peeing outside of the box that they all use. I don’t think there is anything medically wrong with them, it feels more like they are fighting amongst themselves. We never see them fight so I don’t understand what is going on.

 

[DKDetective]

We have three cats and three litter boxes. Lately they have been only using one box, totally ignoring the other two. One of them, we don’t know who, has been peeing outside of the box that they all use. I don’t think there is anything medically wrong with them, it feels more like they are fighting amongst themselves. We never see them fight so I don’t understand what is going on.

It can just be passive aggressive, territorial screwing with each - a literal pissing contest. It could also be an issue with the boxes. I would add one more litter box. The rule from my vet is one for each cat plus one. The other thing is double check the locations of the boxes. Maybe move the other ones to more private locations farther from food and water?

If it's not the box locations and seems to be passive aggressive social hijinks, there is a great product called Feliway. Feliway makes cat pheromone dispensers that look like those old Glade Plug-In air fresheners. The pheromones help soothe the cats and prevent antisocial behaviour. There are two versions - one is for aberrant behaviour like scratching furniture and bathroom "Feliway Classic", there is also "Feliway and Friends", which helps with intercat relationships. I use the later to keep my two boys on each other's good side.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Sounds good. I did move the other boxes last night to see what would happen. I like the plug in idea. Peeing outside the box is a fairly new behavior so I’m guessing it’s not the number of boxes.
Thanks for the info.

 

[MissMarvelous]

I really don't know which term to use: spay or castrate.

I decided that I wanted my cat to be castrated (? - they removed his balls) for many reasons: to avoid future health problems (like cancer), my cat is a male and they literally SPRAY their pee and I wanted nothing to do with stinky walls or curtains -or anything, for that matter!- and the vet also mentioned that when they are in heat some of them tend to get a little bit aggressive.

@Hobgoblin have you considered this option?

I had the chance to have the surgery done for free, thanks to the Gov, do you have something like that in the US?

 

[Hobgoblin]

I really don't know which term to use: spay or castrate.

I decided that I wanted my cat to be castrated (? - they removed his balls) for many reasons: to avoid future health problems (like cancer), my cat is a male and they literally SPRAY their pee and I wanted nothing to do with stinky walls or curtains -or anything, for that matter!- and the vet also mentioned that when they are in heat some of them tend to get a little bit aggressive.

@Hobgoblin have you considered this option?

I had the chance to have the surgery done for free, thanks to the Gov, do you have something like that in the US?

They were already neutered.

Fyi, we say neuter for males, spay for females.

 

[MissMarvelous]

They were already neutered.

Fyi, we say neuter for males, spay for females.

Thanks!

 

[MiddleK]

I have two cats and a dog. They all periodically get heartworms treatment. Also, I give joint supplements to my dog on a regular basis. I buy them from Pet Meds Online. And, fleas, I forgot. They get fleas from time to time. I hate that. Another problem that occured to my dog was ticks. So there are always some issues we need to cope with.

 

[InCali]

I have to put my oldest dog (he's going to be 16 on Monday) on a special diet because he gets constipated easily. Special wet food recommended by the vet. I cook a little meat and make a broth to add water content and taste and top that with chopped honeydew and cantaloupe. I also give him stool softener and some medication that helps him pass stool in his colon. I also give him a little bit of olive oil.

Neutering will help your dog avoid prostate problems.

 

[InCali]

Even though my dog is 16, we decided on surgery to repair a diverticulum in his rectum. The stool was pooling and hardening in it and made it very difficult for him to poop. That was a couple of weeks ago and he just got out the stitches yesterday. The vet said to mix olive oil in with his food and give him a teaspoon after he eats. The vet said he's doing very well and he doesn't strain like he used to. He also said his blood tests came out what you would expect from a 2 year old dog. Heart, liver, and kidneys are all well within normal parameters. I was scared to death that he wouldn't be okay because of his age.

I think I posted something like this elsewhere, but decided to put it in here anyway.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Got an (inherited) cat, not sure of his age, I'd say about 7 or 8, he's well perky. Been with me about 3.5 years now and love him to bits, he's very happy having arrived on our doorstep all those years ago. Took him to vet and found he belonged to an old gent who could no longer look after him, spoke with said gent and he was happy someone had taken him in.