Here are a selection of the latest questions we've received from our readers:
Question from Glenn E. Knight
What can I give my dog for Muscle & Joint Pain and stiffness.
Our Vet Says:
Border Collies’ most common health problem are hip dysplasia, eye problems and epilepsy. I know that your dog is a mix with the above breed but still the risk of developing a joint disease is high. Hip dysplasia is a multifactorial disease caused by genetic inheritance, joint laxity and degenerative process.
The stage of the disease can be identified by radiografic techniques, although the clinical signs and the radiografic diagnosis are not always correlated. The owner usually observes lameness from moderate to severe, dog refusing to run or jump, going up the stairs at a snail’s pace (things that were done quite easily in the past).
I would like to advise you to take your dog for an examination and para-clinical tests (Rx) because the treatment, use of medicine and surgery (if required), can only be based on a proper diagnose. Surgically removing loose fragments of bone and osteochondrosis lesions, and restoring joint stability is often necessary to slow the progression of the disease and reduce pain.
In articular problems weight control or reduction and mild to moderate amounts of exercise may be beneficial. Excessive and strenuous exercise should be avoided as it may further strain the joints.Extra care to dogs bedding should be given; provide a warm place during cold and damp weather and extra bedding or padding to improve comfort.
The use of veterinary medicine has to be done under veterinary supervision. The reason is that the dose used is modified based on the response seen in the dog. This is different for each patient and can be set after consultations. The best way to go forward with pain relief medicines is to use the minimum dose effective. As you know all the medicine have side effect which can develop, especially in the long term use.
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for control of pain and inflammation. For dogs the most common used are: carprofen (Rimadyl), etodolac (Etodolac, EtoGessic), meloxicam (Metacam), deracoxib (Derramax),firocoxib(Previcox). All are available on prescription. The dose, as I said before, depends on the clinical finding and is modified during the treatment. If there is need for pain relief treatment usually it will go on for long period of time, sometimes for the rest of the dog’s life.
Question from Terry Walker
What could have caused my cat to have a bladder infection? How it is treated?
Our Vet Says:
Bladder infectious (cystitis) are usually caused by germs ascending from the urethra to the bladder and sometimes to the kidneys, and rarely caused by a generalised infection.
The urinary tract health in cats is closely linked with diet and in male cats with the fact if they are castrated or not.
Main contributing factors are:
The cat, as old cats or those with systemic diseases ( diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, chronic renal failure) are more susceptible to develop cystitis. Other causes depending on the pet organism are: urine retention, inadequate urine concentration, glucosuria or decreased systemic immune defense mechanism.
The microorganism involved, the most common bacterial organism involved are : Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus spp., Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp., Streptococcus spp., Enterobacter spp.
So I suggest asking you vet for a bacteriological urine exam (to find which bacterial organism is involved) and an antibiogram (to find which antibiotic works best on that particular germ) as the drug-resistance in this germs is more and more common these days.
After the end of treatment the bacteriological urine examination can be repeated.
Question from Michael D. Alper
We just took in Maxine who is an 11yr old female chocolate lab. Since we took her in her fur has been falling out and white flakes have been all over her fur. She also chews and licks herself to a point that it becomes an open sore. What do you think this could be? Thank you for your help.
Our Vet Says:
My first impression is that you have washed her with something which has not been rinsed out completely of her coat and now her skin has dried due to long contact with the chemical ingredients. That might be the reason for the white flakes and the itchiness. When there is a change in the dog’s environment and ambient temperature, it is natural to shed more. In this period of time she would have sheded anyway.
You can wash her with a medicated shampoo like flea shampoos. In most cases, the amount of insecticide in these products is not adequate to kill all of the fleas in a severe infestation. However, these products are excellent routine cleansing products and they have the advantage that they rinse very well.
My second thought is Flea allergy. What preventive medicines for fleas are you using? Have you applied any recently?
An examination of the skin and coat has to be done in order to be sure of the cause, and may be some additional tests depending on the findings.
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If you have a question that you'd like our in-house veterinarian to answer, please the Ask A Vet section on our website and fill out the form to ask your question.
What could have caused my cat to have a bladder infection? How it is treated?
Our Vet Says:
Bladder infectious (cystitis) are usually caused by germs ascending from the urethra to the bladder and sometimes to the kidneys, and rarely caused by a generalised infection.
The urinary tract health in cats is closely linked with diet and in male cats with the fact if they are castrated or not.
Main contributing factors are:
The cat, as old cats or those with systemic diseases ( diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, chronic renal failure) are more susceptible to develop cystitis. Other causes depending on the pet organism are: urine retention, inadequate urine concentration, glucosuria or decreased systemic immune defense mechanism.
The microorganism involved, the most common bacterial organism involved are : Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus spp., Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp., Streptococcus spp., Enterobacter spp.
Previous treatments, such as subtherapeutic (low) doses of antibiotics and inappropriate antibiotic selection.It can be treated with antibiotics but it is very important to choose the right one and that the dose and the length of the treatment to be adequate.
So I suggest asking you vet for a bacteriological urine exam (to find which bacterial organism is involved) and an antibiogram (to find which antibiotic works best on that particular germ) as the drug-resistance in this germs is more and more common these days.
After the end of treatment the bacteriological urine examination can be repeated.
Question from Michael D. Alper
We just took in Maxine who is an 11yr old female chocolate lab. Since we took her in her fur has been falling out and white flakes have been all over her fur. She also chews and licks herself to a point that it becomes an open sore. What do you think this could be? Thank you for your help.
Our Vet Says:
My first impression is that you have washed her with something which has not been rinsed out completely of her coat and now her skin has dried due to long contact with the chemical ingredients. That might be the reason for the white flakes and the itchiness. When there is a change in the dog’s environment and ambient temperature, it is natural to shed more. In this period of time she would have sheded anyway.
You can wash her with a medicated shampoo like flea shampoos. In most cases, the amount of insecticide in these products is not adequate to kill all of the fleas in a severe infestation. However, these products are excellent routine cleansing products and they have the advantage that they rinse very well.
My second thought is Flea allergy. What preventive medicines for fleas are you using? Have you applied any recently?
An examination of the skin and coat has to be done in order to be sure of the cause, and may be some additional tests depending on the findings.
###############################
If you have a question that you'd like our in-house veterinarian to answer, please the Ask A Vet section on our website and fill out the form to ask your question.
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