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dog with white cauliflower bumps at the back of mouth

In his mouth on his (16 wk old male German Shepherd dog) lips toward the back of his mouth I am seeing round white bumps. 2 of these bumps are kind of looking like califlower. They do not bother him. Just look weird. Can you give me some insight. Thank you.

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dog with chronic sinus problems

Last fall my 12yo Miniature Schnauzer started having sinus blockage, snot, drainage etc.. In November she had teeth cleaned, as every year. At that time it was determined she had a “slight” heart murmur. The Vet. was not overly concerned about it and was more concerned about the sinus infection. He put her on steroids to fight the infection. In February she collapsed and we rushed her to a 24hr vet., not her regular one. They found fluid on her lungs and the heart problem was worse. They said the steroids increased the heart problems. A heart specialist put her on med’s for the heart, and fluid on the lungs and they have improved, but she feels if we can not find the sinus infection problem and get it under control we/she will NOT have a fighting chance of living a better and fuller life. With the heart problem increased we can not give her a local to do a bi-opp. We are using a inhaler for the sinus infection. The inhaler clears the sinuses out for a few hours, then she’s back to heavy breathing, snot and discharge. We have done everything but removed the carpet in our 2yo home. When she’s “out of” the house she is better by half so we are sure the problem is at home. Her brother has NO sinus or heart issues and is the same age.
HELP, PLEASE HELP for her sake.

Note : Dog question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet questions.

Crating dogs and introducing puppies to crates

Polly is a toy poodle puppy (14wks old now) that I have had for only 2 months. My last dog, Prissy, died of cancer one year ago. So, it has been about 12 years since I have had a puppy. Prissy was very easy to train, quiet, docile, and had been in a crate since she was born. Polly was the dominant pup in her litter, is very vocal (i.e., whines a LOT), and seems to hate the crate. Polly is very smart. She is already completely house broken, and is almost leash trained. She already knows her name and has picked up several more words.

However, I have two main issues that are concerning me. The first is about the crate. I am single and work. Polly will need to be comfortable being in her crate. I am a school teacher and am home now most of the time since it’s summer. So, she’s not been alone much. However, I have been putting her in the crate a little every day even if I am home. I have tried to praise her when she finally quiets down. The problem is she NEVER quiets down. She will whine for 2-3 hours straight. I eventually get her out when the time is up, but I’m afraid she is connecting “freedom” with whining. HELP!

My second question is kind of related and has to do with sleeping. What is a reasonable time period for a puppy her age to sleep through the night? She weighs about 4 pounds. Again, she whines to wake me up. I am a late night, late sleeper person. I teach night classes and have adopted a night owl routine. I am trying to get her on my schedule and it is not working. She can go to bed at 9 or midnight and she still wants to get up between 7 and 8 in the morning. I hate to compare, but Prissy slept through the night from day one and easily slipped into my routine. I feel like I am the one doing something wrong or that maybe I was just lucky before and this type of transition is more normal. Are my expectations too great for a puppy her age and will this just come in time? If I knew that, I would be able to relax more and just enjoy her now. As it is, I am stressed to the max because I feel like I am screwing this up. Thanks for your help.

Note : Dog question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet questions.

Kitten not eating cat food

We had the kitten shortly after birth. He is now 5 weeks old. We received feeding and care advice from a vet, and the kitten is doing very well.

Eyes have changed from blue to greenish cat-like structure. He runs, plays, and is mostly litterbox trained.

The question I have is related to making the switch to solid food. His teeth are in and are sharp, and he ravages the bottle’s nipple. However all attempts to feed him oceanfish kitten food (wet) are futile. He has no desire whatsoever. I tried mixing it with KMR, tried it alone, and again, to no avail. After a week of this with no luck, we accidentaly found out after a barbeque, that he loves hamburger. As a subsequent experiment, we found out that he also loves turkey. I mixed a very tiny bit into some wet kitten food, and he loves it, but usually eats the meat and only the surrounding kitten food, and then leaves it alone.

I don’t want the kitten hooked on human food, as I am sure it isn’t healthy. Any suggestions as far as accomplishing this weaning process using recommended pet food?

Note : Cat question from Ask A Vet. Click here for answer (answer available FREE for 24 hours after posting afterwhich you will need to pay $3.95 to view the answer). See other pet questions.

Thank you!