Pet Animals - A Vet's perspective » Pets – general

Dog eating a popsicle stick

admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:00:18 +0000

My dog (9yo Lab cross male neutered) ate a popsicle stick. What do I do?

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Cats not getting along

admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:55:58 +0000

Frazier, who is almost 14, is a lovely, big-sized indoor tabby. He has moved with me to various apartments, graduate school, jobs…and along the way, has lived with other cats and the occasional dog. For the past 5 years, it has been just “him & Me.”

Recently (two weeks ago today), I adopted a nine-month-old neutered male. I followed all the “steps” I knew to follow in introducing the two. Silas (the new guy) was kept in a downstairs living room for the first few days. They were able to “see” each other once, and had their first “face-to-face” on the fourth day for a few minutes. Days five-to-seven they spent ten to twenty minutes together. By day ten they were at 40 minutes! (there was hissing, mind you, but overall Silas would lie down and ignore Frazier).

This weekend (days 13 & 14)has been horrible, however. Silas has run up to Frazier & they have exchanged “blows” with their paws. I am not sure what may have caused this change (I have a houseguest who has taken Silas to her room to sleep for the past few days…Silas’ room has the computer in it, so I have spent more time in there to work on a project)…But I am so sad to see this difference! They are such sweet boys separately, but together they are a mess!

So—here’s my question…Do I go back to the ‘drawing board’ and start over at step one? Because of Frazier’s age, I do not want to create excessive stress for him, and am especially concerned that he may have difficulty adjusting. I know this will take time, and I am not considering a return to a one-cat household at this point, but wonder what are the ‘deal-breakers’ when you are introducing cats? (I should also mention that Frazier does not have front claws, and Silas has all of his).

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.

kitten snoring

admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:47:42 +0000

I have noticed that the kitten (3mo persian mix female desexed) snores and seems to cough a bit in the mornings. No discharge from eyes or nose and all behavior is normal. The kitten is a little heavy and has slightly persian type features (which I have read can cause beathing problems). She is under regular vet care and had last check up and 2nd round of shots 2 weeks ago. How worried should I be? I can’t get her to the vet for several days due to work schedule and vet appointment availability.

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.

Cat with possible purple tumor

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:33:50 +0000

Are purple masses/tumors generally cancerous? Or are all tumors generally purple in cats? They were found above the knee of my cat (. Any chance they are hemangomias( or however you spell it)? There’s this purple mass above her knee – she’s a 6yo Domestic Short Haired neutered female.

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.

Dog licking paint

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:30:24 +0000

My dog (2yo male neutered Corgi) knocked over a can of paint and it fell over and spilled, i think she might have licked some up and she threw up twice, will she be ok or will i have to take her to the vet to have her checked out?

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.

Dog with swollen gland near anus

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:28:28 +0000

I just noticed that one of my dog’s (3yo female neutered black Labrador) glands on the outside of her anus is swollen a bit and a little red.

she scraped her bottom along the carpet and is licking it a bit more.

we have been swimming in the lake a lot and was wondering what she has and what i can do.

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.

Catching a feral cat

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:25:54 +0000

This is a feral cat (3yo female) that lives in my garage. She hangs around but will not let me touch her. Her hair is starting to get matted and she has fleas. I need to get her to a vet but can not get her into a cat carrier. I have tried food and catnip. No luck. She had kittens a little over a year ago and they are great. She let me pet her for awhile after they were born. That was the last time she was at the vets. Is there anyway I can help her? She is darting around the yard like a crazy cat. Because of the fleas. She needs help. Thank you in advance.

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.

Cat pulling out clumps of hair

admin — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:02:30 +0000

My cat (10yo female neutered Domestic short hair) has suddenly started pulling massive clumps of fur from her back and sides. She doesn’t have fleas as we treat her regularly. She doesn’t seem to be in pain but her skin where she is pulling the fur out feels warm to the touch. We called a vet and he said she is allergic to fleas. She has no fleas! What else could be causing her to do this? Please help! Thank you.

Note : Cat question from Ask A Vet. 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.

Dog with heart and hip problem

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:58:51 +0000

My dog (6yo Rottweiler/Shepherd mix male neutered) has a hip problem and what my vet thinks is a torn ligament. He doesn’t seem to be in pain but I took him for x-rays and while he was under for the x-rays, the doctor noticed an irregular heartbeat. So she took an X-ray of his chest as well. She said he might have an enlarged heart or cardiomyopthy. So the next step was an EKG. The results came back with some gaps in the heartbeat and the doctor has now recommended an ultrasound. She says that we need to worry about the heart problem before we even worry about doing surgery to help his hip and knee. I want some kind of second opinion on what I should do. I guess my question is, is it true that we should get the heart problem looked at before we worry about his hip problems? He is the happiest dog ever and doesn’t seem to be in pain. I have researched the heart problems in dogs and he doesn’t have the symptoms that they suggest come along with heart problems like loss of appetite and heavy breathing or panting when there is no physical activity. But if there is no guarantee for hip surgery when he has a heart problem, then I guess I don’t want to take the chance. I am very confused and very broke from the cost of everything. I need 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.

Dog chasing wild turkeys

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:54:37 +0000

Our Setter (6yo male neutered) chases birds, ground hogs, squirrels, etc. We now have wild turkeys visit on our lawn. The Setter just looks at them. We want him to chase the turkeys away but he is not interested. I think he is afraid. He will chase wild geese. What’s wrong with him?

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.