Help with constipated cat

I have a cat that is about 10 - 12 yrs old. She is in the early stages of kidney failure and has trouble with constipation. She currently takes a 5mg cisipride compound twice a day and 10cc of lactulose a day. She sometimes eats K-D cat food but some days she doesn't. I try to give her as much canned food as possible and milk to drink. She is still having constipation problems. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Cat with arthritis. Does not do well with drugs. Are there alternatives?

My 12 year old cat has been diagnosed with arthritis and she does not do well with drugs. Her vet wants to put her on a drug program, but I'd like to try something else first. I would like to know if there is an alternative to drugs, something I can give her and what dose....I have tried cod liver oil...but she is so finicky on her food if I alter it at all she stops eating. I don't like seeing her in pain but I would like to do this on a healthier plan. Any suggestions?

Thank You

Hyperthroid Cat. Looking for alternatives to Methimazole?

Hi, I have a 9 year old cat who is currently on methimazole for hyperthyroidism. I am concerned about side effects he is experiencing. His dosage is still being adjusted. His last blood work indicated high creatin levels. Tonight I am taking him for more blood work and they will take a urine sample. This puts him under a lot of stress as well and he is a very unhappy kitty. I am looking for alternatives that are not so hard on him.

Any suggestions?

Four year old Bullmastiff is showing signs of joint pain

My four year old Bullmastiff is showing signs of joint pain. Are you familiar with the needs of aging mastiffs ??

Thank you.

Two yorkies started wetting in their sleep. Could it be menopause?

I have two yorkies, 10 & 11 years old and they have started wetting in their sleep. I have read that they are going through menopause and need some specific herbs to stop this from happening, can you help with this?

Thank You

Tabby with large area under leg missing hair. Skin is red and raw. Help!

Lucille my 13 year old Tabby has suddenly a large area under her front right leg and the area is missing all its hair and is red red raw skin. She is an indoor cat so I don't know what caused it. What should I do? I put a bit of Neosporin on it but she is not human. I first noticed this two days ago.

Help!

Thanks

Are tapeworms contagious to my child?

My dog has tapeworms, is this contagious to my child?

Thanks

Questions about leukemia vaccine for cats

I have two indoor only kittens that I am going to have fixed and vaccinated. These cats will be strictly indoors, will not be around other cats, and I want to minimize the vaccines, etc. I give them.

My questions: Should I even vaccinate them at all? They have not been neutered yet so I wanted to get everything done at the same time. I've heard of the following and would like opinions on them: Nosodes, which I have heard as recommendations for vaccine replacement, and the feline leukemia vaccine.

What information can you tell me about this?

Thank you for your help.

Help for 3 y/o Papillion who's losing his hair

Our 3 year old neutered Papillon has 3 problems. Halitosis (we're working on that one), allergy (also working hard on that one), and hair loss. He has been losing hair for a couple of years but the past month has been a record-setter. He even loses hair directly after his weekly bath...it's evidenced by watching him 'shake' occasionally and I can actually see the fur fly off him.

He's been raw-fed for over a year with frozen beef/chicken mixtures and additives like Omega 3, Olive Oil, Diatomaceous Earth, apples, carrots, and some grain-free EVO Ancestral Diet all chopped up and mixed together for his once-a-day evening meal. Every other day he also gets a raw chicken wing at mid morning. Other than a few grain-free snacks during the day, that's his total intake...except for water. He also gets a 1/4 pill of Temaril-p morning and evening for his allergy...which is only moderately effective.

His weekly bath is with some hypo-allergenic shampoo with Vitamin E, Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil. Poor guy, he just throws fur everywhere...but he doesn't look like he's losing it...Papillon's have lotsa fur!

I don't know what else we can do for him to stop this excessive hair loss and I sure hope someone will have some new ideas for us to try.

Thanks!

Lame Boston Terrier pup. Want opinion

My 9 month old Boston Terrier has been lame on his right hind leg for a few weeks now and has noticeable muscle atrophy. He has been to the vet and had x-rays taken that were sent out for evaluation. The diagnosis is a presence of small lucent changes over the proximal aspects of the R and L femoral trochlea, with minimal right stifle joint capsule distension which is consistent with patellar luxation, which he does not seem to have. He also has a congenital abnormality of the S1-L7 vertebral segment. A partial lumbaration of the first sacral vertebral segment was noted as a transverse process seen on the right side. Asymetry of the last vertebrea was also noted and partial fusion to S1 was suspected, especially on the left side. Congenital abnormality of the coccygeal spine was noted. What are your thoughts and recommendations of these findings? I will be going for a consult on Monday, but am very worried and curious of what is going on. Any thoughts on what it could be?

Thank you for your time.

Rescue cat with a litany of problems. I need suggestions

I got my cat from the humane society 6 weeks ago. I brought him home with severe coughing, chronic sneezing, Chlymadia in the eyes, ear infections and ear mites. In the last 6 weeks, the Vet has given him 4 shots 3 rounds of antibiotics ear drops and eye ointment (twice a day)...and he is still sick. I need help!!! My cat and myself are getting very weary!!!

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks

Chihuahua with elevated ALT enzymes and high bile acids. Vet stumped. Alternative help?

My chihuahua has elevated ALT enzymes and high bile acids. There have been numerous tests, no answers, and now are referring me to the UofMN for more tests (she is 4 yrs old) presenting healthy except for these raised levels....I need some direction and suggestions on what to do next!

If possible, I want alternative care options.

Thank You

Older Yorkie diagnosed w/chronic bronchitis but no changes. Need help!

My 10 y.o. male yorkie was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis and was prescribed meds that did not do anything! His symptoms are gagging, after picking him up or when he gets really excited. When he his gagging, it sounds like honking like a duck sound, then he seems like he is going to spit something up. A couple of times there was a white foamy substance, and a couple of times I have found clear liquid, sort of flemy, but most of the times there is nothing.

I know this breed has a collapsed trachea problem. Could it be that?

He was diagnosed with a slightly enlarged heart. Maybe he has congestive heart failure. He is overweight and I have increased his walking and cut back on treats. He has been on a raw food diet for 2 months now.

Help!

Dog, bug, diarrhea that won't end. Help!

I picked up a bug at a dog show about 3 wks. ago. It went through a few of my dogs with diarrhea with a mucus membrance but subsided with some meds over the next few days except for one of my dogs. She has had chronic diarrhea for about 3 wks. She has only lost 2 lbs and has a huge appetite. My vet has checked her fecals that are negative, checked by tests for giardia, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, tumors, etc. Nothing shows up in the blood work but an elevated white cell count. We have had her on various antibiotics including tylan, sulfa and cephalexin. She has also been on Flagyl and Predisone. She is on the id diet and is generally in good, happy spirits except for this explosive diarrhea and an elevated white cell count.

Do you think we have destroyed the flora in her intestinal track and the antibiotics have kept her going on the diarrhea? She has been in cephalexin for three days now and will have another blood count done tomorrow.

If her white cell count is still elevated, what should we do and what medications would you recommend to control the diarrhea and get her system back to normal?

Thanks!

15 y/o Chow with spondylitis having problems

My Chow/Samoyed mix, 15 years old, was diagnosed with spondylitis about a year ago and seems to experience a lot of pain. (FYI, his hearing is gone in case you need that info). He is currently on Tramadol and another pill which I can't remember right now (I believe one of them is a steroid). He doesn't sleep at night, he walks from room to room, scratches the carpet and goes in and out of the house.

He sleeps during the day but when he's awake, he keeps his back end and tail down and has trouble rising from a lying position. He seems to be in a lot of pain a lot of the time and the meds don't seem to help.

I was wondering if there are any other things that can be done to help handle this condition?

Thanks

Dog had parvo shot this afternoon and is lethargic. Is this normal?

My dog who is 1 1/2 years old had a parvo shot this afternoon and is acting very lethargic. Could he have had a reaction to the shot?

Thanks.