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Flea & Tick
Do you carry a topical insecticide that is proven to deter ticks?
The topical such as Bayer Advantix is my choice this years, applied every 30 days. Collars such as Scalibor (6 month) from Merck or Virbac Preventic (3 month) collars also help repel.
*Mow the area around the kennel and yard - ticks don't like short grass and push brush back from yard. Spray around the yard with 10% Permethrin with 30 day residual to build a barrier the ticks won't cross. Repeat in 30 days.
*When going out where you know your dogs will get exposed - jogging, hiking, etc - Spray topical to repel. Just spray down back and tummy/legs. My choice is Mycodex All-in-One Flea & Tick. It is water base so it won't string their eyes if you get it in them. This only lasts 24 hours, so it's great when you need to repel ticks for a day trip. If we can repel ticks in high exposure areas (parks) your other prevention has less ticks to deal with and will function more effectively.
*Don't forget to vaccinate for Lyme Disease if you are in an area when you see Lyme Disease often. Ticks carry it, so vaccinate your dog before the season is in full swing for ticks.
It is a bad year for ticks. Glad you are getting a game plan to stay ahead of them now rather than deal with them later.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I order the Probios gel for one of my cats and he loves it (eats if off my finger). My other cat does not like it. I received a sample of the new Probios soft chews when I got my last order. I gave a couple to the cat that does not like the gel and she ate them. The package indicates they are for dogs, but is it safe to give them to a cat (she weighs about 10 lbs)?
I understand the cat that refuses the gel! I had a Himalayan fire point that I was sure refused to eat what the other two housemates were eating just because he liked to aggravate me. Not only that - if I had to medicate him he was smart enough to learn what cabinet the meds were in and would hide if you opened it!
The probiotic product you speak of comes in a cat product also. They are basically the same, just a little smaller size bite. If she likes the larger size though, it is just find to use what she likes. They just have more probiotic bacteria in them - no issue in using a few extra. I am comfortable with either one.
For those that don't know - the Probios is used for tummy health and to aid digestion. I also find some stop the chewing on my plants if I use Probios. Good bacteria aid digestion of our foods - humans have 2 lbs of bacteria in our gut to digest our food. When cats are eating grass and plants and vomiting, they often respond to Probios daily and the new soft chews are a good way to get it in them. I don't mind the grazing on grass, but hate it when they throw up on my floor!
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I have had great luck using Oxy-Mate Prenatal and Oxy-Momma vitamins on my queens. The Oxy-Momma has greatly increased the milk production and the kittens grow well. My question is how do people give it? I break them up on their food and they eat them, but don't want to eat the meat treat if whole.
Good tip -- I have told catteries to break them up as well. The queens don't seem to like the soft chew whole, but prefer small bites at a time. They are eating them without issue if broken up. Thanks for the feedback -- I think the Oxy Momma is great in getting moms to come into milk quicker or to increase milk production.
FYI - We just gave a mom orphan kittens and weaned her 4 week olds to a bowl. We put her on Oxy Momma and brought her back into milk. Queens are amazing mothers - she is doing a great job.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I am looking for something to heal my dogs scabby ears? I have tried several things and nothing worked - I was considering Vetericyn wound spray - what is your thought?
As ear heal, they do itch and we need to address that itch as well as the original cause. You did not give a cause, but when they are scratching the ears and shaking, ear infection inside is usually why they traumatize outside or on the ear margin.
What to do: I am assuming the inside eat infection is under control!
Clean the ear with
Doc Roy's
Ear Cleanser
daily and wipe inside ear with soft paper towel for 1 week - very mild. (If still infected inside, use
Medicated Ear Flush
). Clean the ear (with the ear cleaner) where the issue is, usually the edge of the ear. You can use hydrogen peroxide the first day. Spray that area, plus the inside of the ear with
Vetericyn Wound & Infection Treatment
. Coat well the first few days. You have to take the itch away to get this to heal. As long as it itches, they will traumatize it and keep it open.
Flies will be attracted to the wounds. Use spray over top Vetericyn if it's an outside dog to keep flies from irritating the ear. Clear fly ointment or
Mycodex All-in-One
Flea & Tick Spray
is what I use.
I would start there to get the issue under control. Your goal is to have this healed in 2 weeks.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, Can I use calcium supplements before giving birth. I see them recommended on internet then breeder sites say no -- why?
There is plenty of calcium during pregnancy in the diet. Babies do not need much to develop bones and mom will regulate the calcium/phosphorus levels by pulling from the bone. This is important so mom's body regulates the calcium when demand is very high -- giving birth and milking. If we supplement before birth, mom's body will not "gear up" for regulating calcium and they get into shortage at or after birth. Milk Fever results!
Supplement them at whelping or queening with calcium gels (
Breeders' Edge
Oral Cal Plus
) absorbed through membranes without swallowing. Moms won't want to swallow while cramping from labor. Then use your oral supplement during milking as the demand is very high -
Doc Roy's
Healthy Bones
- to prevent issues and milk fever (eclampsia).
If you need more info, look at the article I wrote on
Careful with Calcium
on the website.
Great Question!! Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I have some barn cats that have respiratory issues and my friend suggested it is Rhinotracheitis. They're sneezing all the time and they have really runny, swollen, red eyes. One cat has just had kittens. What can I realistically do to help these cats (bearing in mind that they're barn cats and I can't disinfect everything) and also wondering if the Rhino can be transferred to humans or to my dogs?
First the Rhinotracheitis virus (a herpes) is not transferable to humans or dogs. Specific for cats and humans have their own species of Herpes virus.
Your diagnosis is likely correct -- Rhino is a Herpes and some will be carriers - meaning they shed when stressed. That keeps the virus high in moms with kittens. Breeders use
to prevent it in kittens until fully vaccinated. Also vaccinate the moms so they shed less virus (or none) when they queen (give birth).
You can also treat milk with antibiotic (Oxytet), to get a handle on this so we get everyone treated at the same time. Cats get a lot of secondary bacterial pneumonia with respiratory virus infection. The bacteria often is the issue they can not solve without antibiotic. Treating in milk is especially helpful with feral cats or cats we can't possible catch. You will strain the baby teeth with the tetracycline, but the benefit is likely worth the risk.
Treat bad eyes with ointment - Terramycin is good, if you have it! - It's currently on back order, as it often is this time of year!!
Vetericyn Ophthalmic Gel
is a great substitute.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, Does Marquis get Giardia?
No! We were all hoping it would when it came out, but it is great on Coccidia. Unfortunately, no effect on Giardia. If you have not used it on puppies for Coccidia prevention, give it a try - it works great. One dose lasts a week and it's so easy to use.
dose is 1cc/10# in puppies every 7 days to treat or every two weeks to prevent.
By the way, we are using a lot of Marguis on weaned goats for Coccidia, 1cc/15#, two doses, 14 days apart with good success.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, What can I do after whelping to get my mom's to eat?? I am cooking for them and still it's days before they take off eating and milk.
Brewer's Dried Yeast Formula with Garlic Flavoring
is excellent for this. Just sprinkle on the food and it's cheap. If you are looking for a home recipe use garlic powder and parmesan cheese and sprinkle on the food. Our moms love garlic and our girls usually take off by the second day.
Lets address the milking separately. This concerns me as we lose puppies the first week if milk does not come in quickly!
You want to put these moms on prenatal vitamins and carry through to weaning - just as we do human moms. Use the
Breeders' Edge
Oxy Momma
after whelping - prenatal with Fenugreek increases milk production and the motherworts and chaste tree fruit help with the hormonal transformation form gestation to milking. The prenatal vitamins keep appetite up so using the combination may solve the milking issue. Not eating will stop the female that is milking well or slow milking, but is seldom the reason they don't have milk after birth. Before I went to drugs, I would go the natural route and use herbal prenatal vitamins and try and prevent the milking issue altogether...
If it is pain from uterine cramping that is slowing the recovery from the birthing process, use
Red Raspberry Leaves Syrup
in the water one month before whelping. It eases whelping and post whelping crampiness and prevents tired moms. Raspberry leaf extract is in the
Breeders' Edge
Oxy Mate
used during gestation. We find raspberry extract a huge help with first and second time moms - if they are not so tired, they are better at nursing care and eating after whelping.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I want to know at what age can you give ponazuril to puppies? I treated the mother dog, which is a basset, when the puppies were 4 weeks old.
If I was treating Coccidia, I would use
. Bassets are more mature at 4 weeks than most breeds -- you could use it safely. On a prevention basis, we wait until 6 weeks and repeat at 8 weeks.
Marquis (Ponazuril) is related to the sulfa family and like sulfa's is very safe except it can cause dry eyes. Ponazuril has been an issue with pushed in face breeds that don't blink well and starting Marquis at 2 weeks and giving every 2 weeks. They end up with dry eye ulcers at 7-8 weeks of age.
It is an effective drug, but all have some side effects. Good luck with those Bassets!
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, Can you offer any help with eye staining on my Maltese? Angels' Eyes does not work on her - it did help for a while.
Eye staining is a tough one. Maltese and Poodles genetically have the tear duct blocked that drains tears to their nose. That causes tears to drain over the face where UV light and yeast turn it bronze red - not pretty! We are always looking for a better treatment.
Angels' Eyes has two versions --
Angels' Eyes Natural
is an herbal treatment and regular
Angels' Eyes
has Tylosin, which prevents the staining. If you are using the natural - try the regular Angel's Eyes product. You also need to control the yeast that strains the bronze red color to coat. Use
ChlorConazole Wipes
to clean the stain off the face and prevent the yeast that causes most of the color.
Dr. B.
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Goodwinol shampoo does not seem to work as well on ringworm as it used to -- any thoughts?
You are correct -- Rotenone is removed and replaced by cedar oil. Still a good shampoo, especially for the repellent effect of cedar oil for mosquitoes and fleas, but I don't use it for Ringworm. Try
ChlorConazole Shampoo
for ringworm. It works well and is safe. I use it on queens before they give birth to prevent ringworm transfer to their babies. It also comes in sprays and wipes to spot treat. Goodwinol ointment still has Rotenone and works well on ringworm as always...
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I have gotten attached to an adopted cat. He only has one eye and the other makes a lot of tears and is not perfect. I don't want to lose it, can I use Terramycin to help him?
Yes...using the ointment
two times a day should help. The cause is usually Rhinotracheitis Virus (A Herpes Virus) and we use
to stop the virus. The vaccine will prevent it from reoccurring. Good luck with this little one - I'm glad you're there for him.
Dr. B.
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I have a backyard horse and want to deworm. I am totally confused about what to use -- what is Rotational deworming?
Rotational deworming is rotating dewormer families so you do not have parasites becoming resistant. When you give a dewormer parasites have two choices -- Learn to eat it or die. By rotating dewormers, they have no choice but to die as all three families Ivermectin, Fenbendazole, and Pyran work differently. If one becomes resistant to Ivomec and you follow the next time with Fenbendazole (Safeguard/Panacur) you will get them. They are not resistant to both.
This is spring and bots and tapeworms are your target worms. Use
with Prazaquantel (Equimax) to get both!
Here is a quick chart for backyard horses:
Spring -
Summer -
/Safeguard Paste
Fall -
Prontal Pyrantel Paste
or RX
Winter -
/Safeguard Paste
Manure management is important. Let me know if you want suggestions with anything else.
Dr. B.
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My outside cat vomited worms, so I put Profender on his back two days ago. I am seeing tiny dry worms around his rectum. Is it working? I have not used Profender before.
You are seeing a normal cycle of parasites dying and being passed with Profender. Therapeutic levels are reached in 48 hours and Profender keeps working for 10+ days after application. The worms your seeing on his fanny are dead tape worm packets. They may pass for 2 weeks if he has many.
Vomited worms are round worms and up to 18 inches long! Rounds are quickly killed and should be eliminated. These worms die off over several days and that is desirable! If you kill and pass these big worms too fast you can have blockage issues. Profender was a good choice for a cat with lots of parasites!
If you are uncomfortable that he is clear of worms -- retreat in one month then every 6 months to control. If this guy is a good hunger, the every 6 months will keep parasites from becoming an issue.
Dr. B.
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Why do some recommend deworming and repeating in 3-4 weeks? Is it enough to just deworm once or should I repeat?
I often talk about "Managing your Parasites". We can get rid of them, so manage them and this is the case here. Some parasites in horses (small strongyles) and dogs (hook worms) will encyst in scar tissue capsules and wait until there is less competition in the intestine. When you deworm a dog, cat, or horse, that has not been dewormed for a while or ever, you will kill the adults easily. As soon as the adults are gone, the immature encysted larvae pop out of their scar tissue egg and set up house in the vacated guy and start to mature and lay eggs again. This is sometimes the cause of what people think is dewormer failure, but it worked fine, we just did not get the encysted parasties. You have to out maneuver parasites to clear the animal...
If you do not know the deworming history or if you are behind the "twice a year" deworming for dogs and cats, you should repeat deworming in 3-4 weeks. The life cycle is 21-28 days for most parasites and that is why you repeat in 3-4 weeks. Rescue horses need care in deworming to avoid colic. Use a slow acting dewormer
and not a fast killing one like Ivomec, or you may end up with impaction colic! You should do follow up deworming of rescue horses with
Parasites are survivors, understand them and win at "Managing Your Parasites."
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, What are the side effects of Rabies vaccines?
There are no more side effects than other vaccines. In my hands, I have have rarely had issues. I have more reactions with the Lepto vaccine and do not expect an issue with Rabies.
Rabies is a killed vaccine so there is no chance of disease. Just watch as any vaccine reaction, swelling of face or slow sometimes, a bit of aches and sores.
Do vaccinate your pets for rabies! You won't have to quarantine if the neighbor kid chokes your pet and they bit. We don't have to get the health department involved if they have had the rabies vaccine. It is work vaccinating!
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I have a 1 year old Labrador and she keeps spitting up. For the most part, it is clear and whole chunks of food. I have changed dog foods very slowly 3 times. No real change. She is now on salmon and sweet potato, which she does better than the all natural expensive brand. Is there something I can try that is gently and would help calm her stomach?
Vomiting food has many causes, but at 1 year, eating fast is the main issue. Rarely - the opening to the stomach is too small or spasm of sphincter at the opening. Most issues solve be 2.5 yrs of age.
There are a couple of things I do. If she easts fast, "Wolf's food down", I slow them down. A
Flying Saucer Dish
is helpful and they have to chase the food around the central bowl to get it. I sometimes put 3 half bricks or large stones in the dish so they have to eat around them - if you use stones, make them big so they don't eat them. We want to slow the eating process so they get the food in the stomach. The Flying Saucer Dish usually does the trick by itself.
Feed them on a step so it is down hill to the tummy. This also seems to slow them a bit by easing the pressure on the esophagus to get the food into the stomach. This is a real benefit to large or giant dogs, but will help you as well.
The diet with sweet potato is easy to digest and the fiber is good for indigestion. The issue with protein sensitivity is real and usually it is pork that dogs are sensitive to. The diet allergy dogs usually lick their paws constantly. Be sure the treats and the food do not have pork fat or byproducts in them. I use lamb and turkey protein on my diet sensitive dog. I do not think this is the issue or you salmon, sweet potato would have solved it.
Doc Roy's
Absorb More
to the diet - the enzyme product will aid digestion and soothe the tummy. If we are not eating fast, this may be all you need. The latest fad is probiotics and they are good for infectious causes. Bacteria do promote digestion so that part is helpful -
is a favorite.
Chew toys - be sure we have plenty of chew toys so meal time becomes more about fuel and less about aggressive fun. The saliva they produce while chewing is helpful in buffering the tummy.
Dr. B.
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I dewormed my dog with Panacur and now I see tapeworms in the stool. Why?
is Fenbendazole and does have tapeworm activity. 100% on tania tapes from rabbits or mice and less active for dipylidium tapes from fleas. You did kill tapes, but remember where they live -- in the very last part of the intestinal track. You do not have time to digest them after they die so they will be passed in the stool.
If you are seeing them, you have a lot and should retreat the Panacur/Safeguard or go to Tapeworm specfic dewormers like
. You want to eliminate all tapeworms, not just knock them down.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I just had a frenchie have puppies and she only had 3 puppies on the left side and no puppies on the right side. what is your thought on why this would be. Is the ovary on that side not working?
The 3 puppies are on the left as that is as far as they needed to go. The left ovary ovulated. The embryos enter the uterus and spread out and implant around day 18 gestation. The right ovary may ovulate next time and rarely in any mammal do both ovaries ovulate at the same time - not needed. If you remove one ovary because of issues, we still have normal litters on the remaining ovary.
The issue is, why did we just ovulate 3 eggs! We have the genetics to have more and probably had more eggs available. We see this with bulldogs around 4 years of age. She did not ovulate all the eggs available.
Veterinarians use HCG to treat cystic ovaries on cattle and horses - it makes them ovulate the cyst. Breeder veterinarians are using HCG to make bulldogs ovulate all the eggs present. You won't ovulate more eggs than your female was genetically going to. You just ovulate all the eggs mom has ready on that ovary so they can be fertilized at the same time. This gives you an even litter all the same age - no premature tiny puppies who ovulated late. The even litter is easier on mom as the puppies do not get as big when litter size is normal.
By the way, we often use HCG on girls who breed, but do not come up pregnant. Females coming off the show circuit often do this and we feel they are hanging follicles and not ovulating. We see higher incidents of false pregnancy with these girls. Once pregnant, they cycle noraml the next time and do not need help.
What to do: Next breeding, when you know she is going to ovulate or when you do your last AI -- give HCG 1cc/33# and see if that does not solve the issue. Put this mom on prenatal vitamins (
Breeders' Edge
) to be sure she recovers quickly and go to
Doc Roy's
Daily Care
vitamins between breeding to maximize health. Vitamin issues are more common the last 6 years (wek or intermittant heats) and your girls are worth the extra care to maximize health.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I just wanted to know what is the best food for queen (newborn mother)?
I often get asked to endorse a food and I do not go there! These companies change too much and I just feed a name brand and let it go at that. The best food is adequate and balanced, besides that, I am not a raw diet fan, as I treat too many reproductive issues with them.
Queens should have kitten food the last two weeks before giving birth and while nursing. Then move them to a maintenance diet between litters. Digestibility should be high and watch their coats. I find shedding issues and quality hair coats very reliable on how my diet is doing in cats.
Supplements: I like the
Alaskan Salmon Oil
Grizzly's Salmon Oil
to keep weight up -- queens digest this well. It is also good for older cats and stud cats who are not good eaters. Stud cats benefit from the salmon oil as fewer grooming issues. Don't let Toms get too fat though, as that decreases semen count. On long hair breeds, Salmon Oil also controls the hair ball issue for me.
Good luck!
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I know you encourage everyone to vaccinate for kennel cough. I have not, but now have issues. I brought a dog in and it was coughing. I then got it into the puppies and had 2 coughing last week and 2 recovering. I vaccinated all puppies as your notes say and just one more puppy has started coughing, but not I have 3 adults coughing. I think I should vaccinate everyone in my kennel at the same time to get the same immunity and stop spread. What do you think? Also, what about pregnant and nursing moms and I am going to booster babies in 2 weeks. Is that ok?
Here's what to do: I would IN vaccinate everyone and get the immunity the same in all. Safe for pregnant and nursing moms and booster puppies in 2 weeks if still with you. The problem with coughing organisms is they do not build up enough immunity to prevent a 2nd round of coughing with natural infection -- you have to vaccinate.
If I vaccinate IN the immune system is triggered to look for any foreign organism - that helps my treatment. By vaccinating everyone at the same time, I can usually limit my issue to 3 weeks then resolving cases for 3 weeks. Remember how much they cough depends on how big a response the dog makes to the organism, not the amount of infection. I recommend vaccinating for kennel cough when we have not had issues. If we don't vaccinate and it gets in -- we have no immunity to help us shut it down and can be a real pain as you are finding out.
Hang in there - you will get ahead of it.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, We have a couple of questions for you: 1) We have a queen who had a C-section and she was unable to deliver the last 2 kittens. Our vet suggested she not get pregnant for 1 year, but unfortunately she had other plans and managed to get in with my stud and turned up pregnant. Our vet suggests she have another C-section because she is afraid of her uterus rupturing. A fellow breeder didn't think it was necessary. I would like to get your opinion. 2) we have another queen who's 1st litter is due and she is a blood type B and my stud is a blood type A. I understand we have to keep the kittens from nursing for 12 hours. My vet thinks we should hand feed them for that time and my fellow breeder things it is no necessary. What is your opinion on this? Thanks!
We used to do C-Sections if they had a previous one, but we don't find that is necessary and now humans do not follow that either. If it is just prevention, I doubt it is necessary. I am betting she would not be pregnant if the uterus was damaged. The uterus is always very thing when a queen has issues, but recovers quickly.
On the second question, the queen may build antibodies to the stud cats type A red blood cells. Mom then passes in colostrum type A antibodies to the kittens who are type A, the antibodies will damage the red blood cell's of the kittens and can cause death - Isoerythrolysis. Humans get RhoGAM shots for this condition. Best to breed type B queens to type B Toms to avoid.
Two issues here: A/B blood type pairing - Best to wait 24 hours before returning kittens to mom!
Feed colostrum substitute -
Breeders' Edge
. Kittens do well without colostrum antibodies, but get more diarrhea. NurtureMate helps with the diarrhea. It is made from cow colostrum -- common proteins in mammal's colostrum that is separated and put in a gel to help with colostrum deprived kittens and puppies. I use it on orphan kittens to help treat diarrhea. Use twice daily for 1 week, then if needed for loose stool after that.
Nutrition to babies - Hand feed with
Breeders' Edge
Foster Care Milk Replacer
. When we feed milk replacers, you will encourage gut closure to colostum antibodies. That is good in an A/B breeding so I do it. Foster Care would be my choice. It prevents sore bottoms. Bottle feed every 2 hours while off mom - 24 hours is best. Don't over feed - error on underfeed and be sure they are hungry when you return them to mom. I know of breeders that just don't feed and get away with doing that, but it is hard on the kittens. I agree with your vet - hand feed them Foster Care and get them started.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, Regarding your Article: Don't Let Ticks Overwhelm You! It sounds like it's okay to use more than one flea/tick product at the same time, since the monthly topical can't always work. Is that true? I was concerned about using more than one product at the same time. Even thought I don't see any ticks at this time, I can still use a spray at any time even while I'm using a topical? Do you agree? Thank you!
It is NOT ok to combine all products, but it is OK to use Pyrethrum products and I often do. My choice is Mycodex as it is water base, but alcohol based. The alcohol will cause issue's if you get them in the eye - with Mycodex, I don't have to worry.
We use Mycodex sprays when we know we will get high exposure and need to repeal the ticks, so our monthly prevention works better. Examples of that is jogging dogs, hiking dogs, or dogs going to dog parks or to visit family. We spray them before we go. The advantage to Pyrethrum is they do not last long - 24 hours at best - so toxicity from two products is not an issue.
As a rule - Pyrethrums are safe to stack onto monthly treatments. I hope that is clear and don't assume all products are safe to combine - Ask! Thanks for you input.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, My best friend is an old guy (dog) that is having issues with getting around - he is 11 and healthy, except for the hips. Rimadyl has helped, but can I use Aches Away and Rimadyl?
Yes - you can use
Doc Roy's
Aches Away Stage
- all 3 stages with
! Aches Away makes the Rimadyl work more effectively by increasing the lube and controlling inflammation in the joint. Less grinding so less pain.
I have my neighbors 16 year old Schipperke on Aches Away III and Rimadyl and we have kept her comfortable all winter. She can barely walk or do stairs without it. We usually get to a lower dose with the Rimadyl when the Aches Away takes effect - about 3 weeks. Work with your veterinarian, but I try a 1/2 dose after a month and see if we keep them comfortable. You can go to a higher dose if needed when they overdo it.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I had two pups around 4 months old that went out to a home and the lady was in an accident and had to return them. About a week and a half later the one started coughing. I took her to the vet and he said she had treacheitis. She's been on antibiotics and cough meds for about 3 weeks now. The first cough medicine he gave was Torbutrol...but shad had a wet cough so it never went away. Now she is on a cough expectorant that is only labeled "cough tablets". She no longer coughs with this medicine and I thought she was read to be without it (three days with no cough at all), but if I don't give it to her she starts coughing again. The vet told me the incubation period for kennel cough is short, about a week, so when it was a week and a half later, and no one else was coughing, I figured we were in the clear from someone else getting it. Now, three weeks later, I have another pup around the same age as her coughing. Would you recommend I take them to a different vet?
First off, thank you for taking these puppies back as they needed your care while mom recovers from the accident. No one ever gives breeders the credit for the kind things they often do and this one even caused you issues so hopefully we can shed light on it.
The veterinarian is correct -- the incubation period is short, 3-7 days, for most coughing bugs. He failed to tell you that they shed the cause for up to 90 days after they recover! That is why you are still seeing new cases. Keep the baby isolated until you move her back home. That eliminates the shedding issue.
Doxycycline is the #1 drug we put these babies on for antibiotics. Doxy gets most of the causes bacterial and especially Mycoplasma. Mycoplasma has been the #1 issue the past 10 years. Coughing is caused by irritated trachea (tracheitis) and it takes 3 weeks to heal a trachea. Often, they cough so much they keep themselves sore. Your cough tabs have Guaifenesin in them and that takes the "tickle" out of the throat and keeps that from happening. They are inexpensive and have few side effects so use if you need them and keep lowering the dose. I often use OTC cough liquid to do the same.
Ventilation is the key to preventing new cases. We are warm the next 7 days, so open the kennel up. Diluting the bugs that cause the issue so no puppies get overwhelmed by an infectious agent. Get his puppy into an outside area and/or turn the nursery ventilation on full time while the temperature allows. That will decrease the course and the new cases.
*Caution to treat the coughing puppy last. Most of use want to treat first and chance spreading this other puppies in room.
*Wear a smock you can remove after handling the puppy. Then if they cough on you - most bugs stay with the smock or shirt you wore as a cover up.
*IN vaccine by weaning for the next 6 months for kennel cough. Three weeks is the course and the vaccine is used to shorten tht to 7-10 days and stop shedding. That is what we use IN vaccine for kennel cough.
That should get you on your way to eliminating the issue.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, I would like to know specifically WHY the Breeders' Edge Oxy Momma cannot be given to a pregnant female?
It won't cause major issues, it is just prenatal vitamins, except the herbs in Oxy Momma can cause bitches to milk before birth and that can cause mastitis. Most will be milking before day 50 gestation. Bitches may whelp 1-2 days early, but that is still a normal range for gestation.
We had someone use on 3 females and they were milking before 50 days gestation and went early - 2 days from what was expected. All puppies were saved normally.
The only complaint we have had on Oxy Momms is that the puppies are getting too big as mom is milking too well! Just dose every other day if that happens to slow mom down. I would like that issue every time!
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, Can you mix these together for one dose, I want to mix Neopar Parvo with NeoVac Adeno Distemper. Do you need to give them in separate shots? I have used neopar before.
Do not mix vaccines if it's not on the label to mix! The reason it is not mixed to start with is they could not get an efficacy license for it mixed. It would be handy in combination, but we chance a break if we mix and that is not what we vaccinate for.
Most of us use Neopar Parvo for first vaccines and follow 2 weeks later with a 5-way (your choice). We get higher titers faster using two different Parvo strains rather than all one. The companies that make vaccines want only their vaccine all the way through, thats why they sell vaccines. The science says change strains at some point for a higher titer with Parvo earlier.
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, Do you recommend anything for females that have weak heats and then do not get pregnant. Do you have any strong fertility products? I have a nice bitch that is a little over 2 years. I bred her with my champion male and no pups. Her heat was weird. First, there was blood then none - then a little. I started breeding on her from standing heat every other day though she was not cooperative the 3rd breeding - but I did get a breeding. She was on a very good vitamin mineral supplement a few months before breeding and is still on it. I believe she did not have a strong heat.
Vitamins have been the biggest cause and is still likely your cause if you are happy with her diet. We have an imbalance somewhere. Your vitamins are not doing the trick! Either they are foreign made - some contain lead if make in India or China or lost too many in storage and shipping.
I had a similar experience with show breeder of Rotts on the east coast last summer, they were on an expensive vitamin. Expensive as I remember, $200 a quart added to a dry feed as a concentrate. We were still getting weak heats and issues with empty females.
The only changed made was a simple Daily Care vitamin 2 times a day and we had much better heats after 3 months and we now have puppies on the ground from the female with the best genetics. Reported females are not acting normal and appea to be more predictable. We are on our second breeding, so the issue appears to be resolved.
The female you want - pups out:
Your next breeding cycle and at ovulation - use HCG to make her ovulate. I use on the last breeding or when progesterone says she is ready to ovulate. That makes her ovulate all the eggs she has at the same time (even litter size). With live sperm present that should do the trick. They ovulate at the end of standing heat as they go out so your last breeding should have covered. Natural breeding sperm is viable for 9 days in the female (Thelfel, Ohio State). My guess is she is just hanging follicles and not ovulating so the follicles regress - some will have false pregnancy. HCG makes them ovulate - no choice, if the egg is ready it ovulates. You won't get more eggs than she is genetically going to ovulate, we are doing nothing to create more eggs, just ovulating the ones there. I would give HCG (1 cc/33# SQ) at ovulation. Once we get her cycling normal and bred she will do well without help the next heat.
HCG is readily available, but it is script. It is used for cystic ovaries in cattle and horses, so there is plenty available. Corulon by merck is one of the brands I use, but there are others. It causes the ovarian cyst to rupture (ovulate) - we are using it the same way, causing the ovary to ovulate all follicles ready. Some of you may have used HCG to get the testile to drop on male puppies, works well to get it out of the abdomen and in the inguinal canal where it can easily be removed.
Bulldog breeders are using HCG to get all the eggs ovulated at once, avoiding the puppy or two that is smaller than the litter mates. If you check these puppies and they don't have whiskers they are early. Without whiskers and I figure they are 3-4 days premature. If they have little facial hair they are 5-7 days early. The issue with premature is they are ineffective nursers. They latch on the nipple, but just can't suck for several days. You have to tube until the nursing is strong enough to tkae over - usually 4 days to a week.
Dr. B.
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Any thoughts on a female that comes into heat strong and then at around day 9 or 10 she is no longer in heat at all...not swollen and no bleeding. I don't think it's split heat either because she does not come back into heat again for at least 6 months. Any ideas on what is causing that or what that is called?
Yes..my sister had the one of these girls and she was frustrated until we figured her out.
I would start teasing her early (you may have done this already) as the heat cycle can just be short. We had a female who stood for 3 days max! She would spot for 4 days and stand for three often with small amounts of blood spotting when we bred her. We covered her once only for her career, but she always bred and as females do - was always the same.
Two things:
Tease early and breed her the first time she stands. If she acts like she is standing and the next day refuses and is going out of heat - AI immediately. They ovulate as they quit standing or the day after - that's why they refuse the male. You can still cover ovulation with an AI if you feel you missed her.
Run serial Progesterone to find her ovulation point. Then you know her cycle and it will be the same every time.
Our female Shar Pei was missed the first time we wanted her to breed - we bred her AI the second as we were sure we missed her and she became pregnant. The third time we teased her daily and covered her one time - she raised a litter. She was always one you could not wait on as her normal heat cycle was very short - my guess is your female is the same.
Dr. B.
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Parvo - You don't have to have puppies to have Parvo!
Yes..my sister had the one of these girls and she was frustrated until we figured her out.
Too many litters are getting Parvo because vaccinating is too late to prevent. Five cases this month vaccinating genetically valuable dogs at 7 weeks and they break by 8 weeks. The puppy is not protected early enough! Remember Parvo is the number one killer of puppies under 6 months of age so get the vaccine correct for the first year and you have 90% of the Parvo losses solved.
Here is my answer for when to vaccinate.
When the puppy starts eating food it is time to start vaccinating. Vaccination time is not the same for a Rottweiler compared to a Chihuahua so starting vaccinations when puppies begin to eat food solves that.
Keep the vaccine simple -- use Parvo only vaccines with the first vaccine. We do not need the other antigens at that age. The single antigen (Parvo only) is easy on the puppy if small.
Booster every two weeks to 9 weeks old then in the new home, 12 and 16 weeks. Third vaccine for Parvo as soon as possible, but not closer than 2 weeks apart or you don't get a booster, just one long stressful vaccine. The immune system has to respond and settle between vaccine and that is 2 weeks.
First vaccine will protect 40%, the second 60%, and the third one 90+%. So when people ask me why I want to get to the third vaccine quickly - I tell them I like 90% protected!
So what does that schedule look like on medium sized dogs?
5 Weeks: Parvo Only
7 Weeks: 5-Way or DPV
9 Weeks: 5-Way
12 Weeks: 7-Way Done at Veterinarian in new home!
16 Weels: 7-Way Done at Veterinarian in new home!
Just move the schedule up for giant breeds a week and back a week for tiny breeds, but keep the interval!
Two Parvo vaccines - Two weeks apart - one week before sending to the puppy's new home. We can not save all the puppies, but we can save the ones that die of Parvo. That is your goal and is possible. Thanks!
Dr. B.
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I have kept a female from breeding that has a lump on her rear. They lanced it and there was no improvement. Now they want to biopsy. It is golf ball sized and she is 35# at 7 months. What direction would you go?
This could be a tumor, but at 7 months, I am leaning away from a cancerous tumor and think that something that was implanted is causing the lump. A metal splinter or thorn will cause this in a dog.
I agree with biopsy, but don't just take tissue -- take the whole thing off at the same time! One time anesthesia, and if it is something serious it is gone, if it's not serious it is gone! See my point. We often biopsy when removal and send it in is more economical, quicker, and easier on the dog.
I put a needle in fast growing lumps and look at them under a scope. This can be done with a local -- if you get pus, you lance and drain and use antibiotic. If not, its an abscess, I remove this quickly and be done with it. Good luck! I am not too concerned at 7 months, just get rid of it.
Dr. B.
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HELP--I have a 1 year old bulldog I purchased from a breeder. I started locking him in the bath when I went to work and after a few weeks he went crazy, digging in the carpet and trying to get out. He won't go into the bath now and starts panting when I leave! What did I do and what can I do to correct? I don't want to make this worse!
Remember a 1 year old is like a 12 year old child mentally. He panicked for some reason - loud noise, siren, or just something unusual. Now he is feeling trapped and panicked. He now associates you leaving with being trapped in the room and soon tears things up trying to escape. Stop the merry-go-round and change his thinking. I prefer you use a kennel, not a room -- kennels he was raised with are a comfort.
Doc Roy's
Docile Dog
herbal calming product to take the edge off. Be sure to use 2 weeks before July 4th and a week after as well. This guy will easily start being scared of fireworks, then thunder, and we don't want that. Use a Kong Toy and put cheese or peanut butter inside. He only gets this when you leave! The toy will keep him busy trying to get the canned cheese or peanut butter out for 2-3 hours, then he will nap and you are back home. He gets it any time you leave. We need to associate leaving with Kong, not leaving with trapped! Pick it up when you get home until you leave again. Take him for a walk in the evening - it makes him trust and listen to you as well as burns off excess energy.
Get a plan and you will change this panicked behavior
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, Is ChlorConazole safe for pregnant moms? I am interested in the wipes also for ringworm type issues.
All the
family is safe for pregnant moms and we use them often when fighting ringworm in kennels and catteries. The goal is to keep fungal spores off the puppies and kittens and work our way out of the fungal spores and resulting ringworm.
These two work well together! Chlorhexidine is very safe and antifungal/antiviral/antibacterial. Used a lot in mouthwash and around babies, both human and animal, because it is so safe. I use Chlorhexidine solution to disinfect around Queens and babies to eliminate fungal spores in the nursing area.
Ketoconazole is the least absorbed of this family, which makes it safe and a very effective topical antifungal. It does not work well as an antifungal orally! Itraconazole is more effective orally, but never use an antifungal treatment orally on pregnant females - birth defects may result. Topical ketoconazole has not affected the fetus.
Back to ChlorConazole, the Spray is used for spot treatments between shampoo and the wipes for faces. Wipse are often used to remove red face color from tears on white dogs and show cats. The red/bronze yeast is the culprit and the wipes remove that yeast. If you need to treat faces, the wipes are great.
Shampoo is mostly used before whelping or queening to eliminate spores on mom or to treat an outbreak in adults.
Get a game plan and you will eliminate ringworm!
Dr. B.
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Dr. B, What is a Polygenetic trait?
Polygenetic traits are a number of liability genes that must combine to cross a threshold and produce affected individuals. Sires and dams carry a genetic load of liability genes. Some are good, such as mothering, litter size, and milking. Some polygenetic genes that are difficult to select away from are hip dysplasia, PRA, bone joints, and hernias.
Search widely in pedigree to see if this condition exists with increase frequency in your line. Even if we do not know the inheritance, we can select away from the issues. Your goal is always to maintain the line and each generation to have fewer "bad genes" than the last. By selecting less affected offspring and replacing more affected parents, we remove the gene Phenotype and Genotype.
In the past, we tried not to breed the line affected, but that was wrong as we eliminated good genes. Maintain genetic diversity of your population is essential for progress. If you just outbreed without working to eliminate the genotype you will fail. Soon you deal with it again in the next generation. You just disseminate detrimental recessive genes in the line.
what to do: Ask about your dogs you have sold and know what issues have arose. It is true that environment plays a role, but will only show up if you have the genes for it. Poor nutrition can alter expression of musculoskeletal disorders (Hip, HOD, Legg Perthes, and Knees) especially in the growth phase. Knowing you have the gene and what they are is powerful.
Look widely in the pedigree. Knowing the siblings are free of issues is more important than the depth of pedigree! Genetic test where appropriate. It is once in a lifetime and is the only way to know your breeding program is on the right track.
Our goal is always to maintain the line and each generation, to have fewer "bad genes" than the last. Look for an article in the near future on Genetics
Dr. B.
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Dr B can you weigh in on the colostrum substitutes for dogs and cats. We often get orphans of both.
Good for you. Orphans are difficult to raise -- it takes much skill! I worked as a consultant on the Nurture Mate but the
Immune milk Colostrum
is similar technology. They take common proteins (antibodies) that are found in all colostrum and bring them to the dog and kitten product. Obviously we can't collect Bitch and Queen colostrum so Cow colostrum is used to manufacture them.
Kittens and puppies that are orphaned suffer from lots of GI upset and susceptibility. That is where the colostrum replacements are best at preventing. I use at feeding the first 24 hours (I like the
Nurture Mate Gel
-- easy use) then twice a day for first week. You can also use after that if you get a GI upset and need to straighten them out. Remember that babies are born with sterile guts and mom gives them "good bacteria." The orphan also benefits from
early to seed bacteria and yeast that help in digesting milk.
The other place I use with my own dogs is the tiny puppy. If a puppy or kitten is 25% smaller than the rest of the litter they have a 50% chance of problems in the first week of life. The Nurture Mate has helped me solve this issue by using on the tiny guy. I do not use on all normal puppies or kittens as that won't have much effect - they already have mom's colostrum and a lot of it!
Use on Orphans and small litter mates the first week and you will keep them healthy.
Dr. Bramlage
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Dr B, I just got a Siberian husky from the human society and she needs to be fattened up. She is under weight, has been fixed, is 7 years old and has been seen by the vet. Any ideas on some supplements or food to help her gain weight? Thanks.
I have a lot experience with huskies and love them . They're wonderful dogs, but you should give them some chew toys as they love to chew. Some running blood line Huskies are quite hard to get weight on and we have a few more tricks to use if you have one of these guys.
Weight gain:
Rescue dogs we use Deworming with
and repeat in 3 weeks. Your Veterinarian may have taken care of the first one. We don't want to feed parasites!
You want a heavy multi vitamin while trying to put weight on. I find it also helps increase appetite.
Doc Roy's Daily Care-Extra
I use for weight gain. This is much like Prenatal vitamins so packed with vitamins and minerals for tissue building. After we get to weight the regular
Daily Care
is enough and both are made in USA.
If you only need a few pounds – stop there and use a quality diet around 24% protein.
If we need to gain 10# I use the
Forti-Cal Soft chews
as a high calorie treat that will give her energy and allow more of diet to go toward weight gain. I give them as training treats and use them as a treats several times a day just to kick calories up. You can't give too many but 4-5 a day should be enough to gain. As an aside – mushers use these on their huskies when they run to keep their energy up, giving them at the check points to replace calories. The dogs love them!
***People often recommend adding fat to add calories and it does, but it does not work well in rescue dogs. Fat added usually causes Pancreatitis if not extremely careful. Pancreatitis is painful and difficult and expensive to treat.
That should get the weight back on. We are usually successful at recovering these rescue dogs in about 6 weeks to normal weight, hair coat and muscle. Walking is good so do not hesitate to go on short walks as it will help the muscle building and appetite. Let me know how you do and send me pictures if you do not mind sharing!
Glad this Husky found you.
Dr. Bramlage
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I want to use Eucalyptus Oil with URI in Kittens. Any Tips?
Yes –
Use ½ cc of
Eucalyptus Oil
in the nebulizer to open the airway.
Put 1 cc on a cloth and put it in with the kittens or puppies – they will lay on it or play with it, but the effect is to open the upper airway.
Think about the Vicks our moms used on us. Eucalyptus Oil is the main effect we got.
I like it a lot and have a pet shop owner who uses it in nebulizer with saline and nothing else. You will be happy with this one.
Dr. Bramlage
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Dr. B, Can you use Cocci Guard in cats?
No! We do not have any studies showing Decoquinate is safe in cats, so we avoid it. I am assuming you have a cattery and we need to treat the group. For control of coccidia use Amprolium at 7.5 cc of the 9.6% solution in one gal. of water for 10 days. Be sure this is the only water source. You will be happy with Amprolium and it is safe. The other choice is the sulfa drugs, but cats hate them so they're not easy to give.
Dr. Bramlage
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Dr. B, Do I need to separate puppies that have just had a 5 way shot from dogs and puppies that have not had a shot recently.
Puppies vaccinated with Modified live vaccine do shed small amounts of virus but it is tame virus (won't cause disease) and not enough to cause issues. No need to separate for vaccination but there is for size. We don't want large dominant puppies bullying the food bowl and backing small ones off food. We often separate large litters at weaning by size.
Dr. Bramlage
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Dr. B, I need information so badly. My female is a non bleeder or cleans herself so well that we never see it. She stopped coming in hard when I spayed my other female. She came in this June but the breeder I chose will only breed 3 times from the 10th-12th of seeing blood. My female didn't catch. Does she ovulate late? With only one bitch, is it possible to get her cycling better?
This female may wait until the day length gets longer to cycle – January or February. Dogs don't commonly cycle in cold dark months of November/December unless under lights.
Being the only cycling female is not an issue – wild dogs only have one female cycle. I would put her on Doc Roy's daily care vitamins as that is one cause we are seeing for mild heats. She needs 3 weeks of Vitamins to get the most help but any is helpful if this is the cause.
Some females are so clean we see little blood. You can blot her vulva with a white paper towel daily when she is coming in. It is helpful to follow the blood.
You can also do serial Progesterone levels and see when she is in. That does mean multiple trips to the Vet and blood draw.
We have a female who is similar – we missed the first time as she is only in for 3 days. The second time we missed natural but AI'd her going out and got her bred. Now we know when she is coming in we tease her daily – she only stands for one breeding and that is all it takes. If you miss this female - AI as they ovulate as they go out and stop standing.
Remember, Dams are variable from female to female but not from time to time. Once we figure her out she will do the same thing every time. Good luck!
Dr. Bramlage
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I have a 7 month puppy and he is crazy! He is an ADD Terrier we love but he never stops! Any suggestions?
Yes -- I have dealt with this over the years - you can be successful. Terriers are high strung and that is why we love them but hyper gets old in the evening.
Be careful of the protein. Keep it under 24% in his food and do not give him high protein treats. Protein does to puppies what candy does to kids - hypes them up.
Put him to work -- walks every day not just to wear him out but to get him to understand you are the leader and to listen to you. It makes life easier when you are training him with something he likes - walks on a leash. If he is 20# buy him a back pack and put water bottles in it to wear him out quicker than you do.
Do not sleep with him -- You have a 4 wheel drive guy who is probable strong willed. He will think he is an equal if allowed to sleep with you -- Get him a bed and put him on the floor or better yet kennel him for the night. He sleeps anyway.
If we change his diet and you still need help in settling down use
Docile Dog
. This natural herbal supplement will help him calm down when you are calm in the evenings. It takes two weeks for these herbal supplements to take effect so be patient.
Enjoy this guy as he will leave you with many memories -- we just want them to be happy ones!
Dr. Bramlage
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Dr. B: I mixed vaccine in 10 dose tank and used 8 doses. How long can I keep? I want to use it in two weeks for these puppies' boosters. I was told they are good for two weeks.
Your puppies are worth too much and are too much work to risk them on marginal vaccine worth a few $$.
Virus in Modified Live vaccine begin to die as soon as we rehydrate the cake. It is best to rehydrate and use within the hour but do not keep beyond that day and keep cool. Never keep and use on the puppies - our highest risk group deserves the best we have!
Use the extra vaccine on Males that need it or young replacement stock that need a booster.
Dr. Bramlage
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Dr. B, I have a female Shih Tzu that gave birth three weeks ago. She has vaginal discharge that is yellowish. Is she infected? She is eating and nursing fine.
This discharge is normal if there is no smell. Appetite is a good indicator she is OK.
Dams will discharge for 6 weeks after giving birth and the Shih Tzu Uterus goes from 12 inches long to a few inches and the size of a pencil. As long as she has no odor she is OK. This discharge usually happens after nursing and mom gets up -- Oxytocin from nursing causes contraction. I am happy you noticed! Most of these females are quite clean and difficult to monitor.
Dr. Bramlage
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I have a female with 9 puppies. This morning, she delivered another dead. What do I do and do we need an X-Ray? What Oxytocin does do you use? I was told Oxytocin does no good this late, but will I hurt anything?
Wow that is a lot to consider, but I think I understand:
Every time the puppies nurse Oxytocin is released. That lets milk down but also helps with Uterus involution (shrinking). God knew what he was doing when he made mammals that way. Be sure you are using
for a reason and why and you will be OK. Always use when we think mom is done and again if another pup is born - usually this will deliver the last puppy alive and not dead later as you experienced. Calcium can be a big help with large litters if used correctly. Look up the article I wrote on
"Careful with Calcium"
on our website for an explanation on Calcium management. Normal moms need no further stimulation once puppies are out except nursing release of Oxytocin by the body.
Using Oxytocin is only a big issue with live puppies in the Uterus. Oxytocin causes contraction and decrease in blood flow to placenta. That decreases Oxygen to puppies so do not overuse in females. I use 1cc/40#, much lower than I started 27 years ago. Some use less and that is OK if it works for them. On this female if she is eating I would give Oxytocin 12 hours apart just to help her uterus involute. Dose normal and let puppies nurse. I would also put on antibiotic as she is infected - SulfaTrimeth is my choice because it is once a day.
An X-Ray will confirm no puppies in the uterus, but it is doubtful an 11th one is there if mom is eating at 48+ hours. I would have your Veterinarian feel the tummy for a puppy. If they are comfortable examining females post whelping they should pick up any issues.
Dr. Bramlage
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I have 22 barn cats and I want to vaccinate, but have no idea what to use? Can you advise me?
We can advise you and vaccinating will allow control of the diseases on your farm. Cat vaccines are so effective all you need is to get it in them! Cat vaccines rarely have issues. We need to think manage the group or herd.
Diseases we vaccinate Cats for:
-- upper respiratory and eye infection. Kittens to non-vaccinated moms often loose an eye to this virus.
-- respiratory.
-- feline distemper.
-- is an immune system suppressant and issue long term.
The minimum is the 3 way but I use the
3 way plus FeLv
. You will eliminate FeLv eventually by vaccinating. It is best to test everyone but not practical.
3 way plus FeLv yearly -- if never vaccinated booster in 30 days otherwise once a year is good.
8-12 weeks of age then yearly. Same vaccine as adults is used, 3 way plus FeLv.
De-worm and ear mite, lice, and manage control:
milk replacer
for a few days to get them all drinking. Count the cats and average cat is 8 lbs so get a total weight. Use Injectable
1% Ivomec
and put 1 cc/40# of cats in the milk daily for 3 days. This will get ear mites and de-worm those you can not catch. If you have never de-wormed everyone at the same time repeat in 30 days then twice a year to keep them healthy. We only need one dose, but use 3 days to be sure we miss no one -- if we miss someone they will re-infect the rest. You do not want to feed parasites just the cats! This is good for your herd and that is how we need to manage them - as a herd.
Good luck and let me know how Revival can help.
Dr. Bramlage
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Do you have suggestions for puppies with diarrhea - post weaning?
The key is to keep them on food and
Kaolin-Pectin (Kao)
is the best at that. This is especially helpful for high strung German Sheppards, Huskys, Boxers, and other high strung breeds. We often prevent by treating once a day when the first one in the litter starts to back off food and use for 7 days.
Prevent Dehydration: Electrolytes - you choose Electramene is good.
Prevent Bacteria over growth:
Spectinomycin (Spectam Scour-Halt)
oral or
oral mixed with Kao 50/50 and dose twice daily. I use 1 cc/5#/ daily. Twice a day for first few days then daily. Put in a pump bottle for easy administration.
Coat the tummy to keep on food and get back to normal: Kao -- mix it or use straight 2 cc per # by itself several times a day. Coats tummy and stops intestinal spasms. Very inexpensive and useful anytime a dog is off food for GI upset!
I love Kao for nursing puppies that over eat and get tummy upset diarrhea. One or two doses of 1/4 cc in tiny puppies twice a day usually resets the tummy while allowing them to nurse. Probiotic is also helpful but antibiotic is rarely needed.
Dr. Bramlage
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My female poodle just gave birth today and her temp is 102.8, mom is milking and acting just fine. Is that OK or should I start on antibiotic?
It is normal and caused by birth and tissue changes in the uterus and birth canal.
The body temperature of the dam may be mildly elevated (Up to 103.0 degrees F) in the immediate postpartum period, but should return to normal levels within 48 hours.
Be careful of milk let down in this mom.
These moms have increased epinephrine levels. Epinephrine induces vasoconstriction, blocking the entry of oxytocin into the mammary gland and preventing milk ejection. As long as your nursing babies are full, you are OK. Rubbing the mammary glands to cause and increase in milk let down will counter. It is rarely an issue after 24 hours.
Great to see you are watching your females this close!
Dr. Bramlage
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My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has been on Mometamax for ears that smell. What can I do to prevent having to use prescription products? I am afraid the ears will be damaged from the infection.
You are thinking correctly.
Don't get me wrong, I love Mometamax but I do not want your dog's ears to get to the point of needing treatment. Spaniels with ears that flop down are very prone to issues with yeast – that is the smell.
What to do with ears for Prevention:
Clean with
Doc Roy's ear cleaner
. Often once a week will be enough to keep the issue away and control the yeast. This is all that is needed for non-spaniels. Doc Roy's has worked the best in my Shar Pei's.
Since you have a Spaniel – after you wipe the ear with a soft cloth or tissue, follow with
Vet Basics ear Flush with Tris
. This will kill the yeast and control the bacteria that lives in the spaniel ears. A few drops will do but if you start to get an odor to them – use daily after cleaning to get ahead of the issue.
Prevention is the key with your breed – Clean them weekly and after swimming or before a bath and you will get rid of the stinky dog ear.
Dr. Bramlage
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I had a Parvo break in my puppies. What is the best disinfectant to kill Parvo?
There are many good ones but I have my preference for handling Parvo outbreaks.
Cleaning is never the issue. Disinfection is.
Clorox is good but it does not penetrate fat or stool. It just disinfects the surface, so Parvo can hide under fat or feces. So you can see the issue with shutting down the contamination with Clorox.
When dealing with outbreak I always use
. It is very safe and penetrates organic matter well, so it will get the corners even if diarrhea feces are present. I put it in a hose end yard sprayer and mist at 30:1 setting. I like to have it dry before dogs are let back on (10 minutes) but it is safe for them if not possible.
That is my tip for you, as well as starting them on
early when they start eating food.
Dr. Bramlage
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I looked briefly online for a parvo vaccine for cats. It appears that you don't carry anything. Is this correct? If not, could you recommend a product?
The vaccine you are looking for is Panleukopenia -- A Parvo virus and the source of the original Parvo in dogs.
Work in Europe has shown cats vaccinated with Panleukopenia vaccine can not be given Canine Parvo virus. They are immune to all strains. Cats get Canine Parvo and vomit and have a transient diarrhea. They usually recover quickly but can spread the virus to other dogs where it causes issues.
My preference is
(30150-415) as it has the least reactions and solid immunity.
3 way FvRCP
is the minimal vaccine and add
(30159-415) 2 year vaccine if you have an outside cat. For a combo of all
(30153-415) with all antigens (viruses) in one injection.
Ft. Dodge Fel-O-Guard
vaccine is also an excellent choice.
I hope that answers the question. Let me know if you need more assistance.
Dr. Bramlage
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What do you think of the Dr. Roy's Docile Dog? Do you recommend it? I have a very hyper toy poodle, and someone recommended this product. I am not one to drug my pets, but he is bouncing off the walls.
I have a dog that is sensitive to thunder and with that fireworks. I use
Docile Dog
for that and it takes the edge off naturally without having to drug her. Normally Veterinarians use Valium, I do not unless it is dangerous for the dog. With drugs the dog does not learn the behavior that we want them to express.
For your poodle there are a couple of things I use.
Be sure to feed a maintenance diet if over 5 months. Protein does to dogs what candy does to kids -- hypes them up. Use vegetable treats for them instead of meat -- My dog loves baby carrots.
Doc Roy's Docile Dog to take the edge off of the hyperness. It needs to be on board for two weeks to get the effect you want.
I have a friend who uses the
Comfort Zone
for her terrier and feels it greatly helps in the evening when they want her to quiet down. The plug in diffuser makes that easy. Our goal is quiet when you are quiet.
Get his kennel out and use time out for behavior modification. If he is being hyper stay calm and let him know he needs to settle down. If he does not, calmly pick him up, put him in his kennel, and let him calm. Time out should be long enough they lay down and nap (30 minutes does it).
When company arrives put him in the kennel and then let them in -- set them up to succeed! Having someone new come over is exciting -- we allow entrance and then once hello's are said and the situation settles, let your poodle interact. He will stay much calmer and be rewarded for it.
Don't reward hyper! Make sure the front feet are on the ground when we pet him. If you pet and reward him because he is being crazy he will associate crazy with attention. Unwanted behavior should get time out. You may feel like time out is often the first two weeks but after that you will use it only occasionally as they get the idea to stay calm or you will calm them with time out.
Walk him around the block. He can burn off energy but the important thing with your time out behavior modification and walk is he is learning to listen to you. Walking is a great time. He enjoys learning to listen it is fun and He gets rewarded.
Remember you are the pack leader! You need to let him know you are leading or he will lead! These hyper guys want to be good, they just have issues learning what that is. I was an active child and understand excitement issues all too well. Lead and succeed!
I have had great success with this approach. After a month the time out is rarely needed and the walks take over as the time you bring them into compliance.
Best of luck --
Dr. B
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I am a pigeon fancier and was interested in your product Oxine AH for my birds. Can vitamins, probiotics or medications be added to the the water with Oxine AH or must it only be used in the drinking water by itself?
is a great product for your application. We put it in the water and use it in birds and livestock. It is great for contamination prevention in pigeon water. In nipple waters it keeps the slime from forming in the lines and blocking the water flow. Basically it keeps the water fresh!
It is ok to put Vitamins and Probiotics or meds in the water if you use at the labeled rate of 5 ppm (1:4000). The product by itself promotes good bacteria and inhibits bad so we get the effect we want with Oxine in the gut. It is used often and I am very comfortable with it at that rate.
Dr. B
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What do you know about Fading puppy syndrome? Should the mom be bred again? Is there antibotics that mom or pups can go on? I lost a whole litter of 3 pups. Mom has never had problems before, but this time they went one by one. Very heartbreaking for mom and me......any idea/tips would be very helpful.
I feel your pain! I hate to lose puppies and do not like the diagnosis "Fading Puppy Syndrome".
Fading puppy syndrome is used when as Veterinarians we do not find the cause of the issue. There is a cause, we just did not find it.
In respect for your Vet I must add I get 30% diagnosis from a post mortem exam and 70% if we send tissue's to the lab. The rest we do not get a diagnosis. The problem is that whatever kills the puppy is often gone by the time the puppy dies. Breeders do excellent puppy care, so that keeps them going a few days longer allowing the virus to leave the puppy before death. You can see it is often difficult at best to diagnose but here are my rule outs.
Herpes virus
- #1 cause of whole litters. If mom is exposed in the 3 weeks before or after birth the puppies will die, "fade out". Mom will build immunity and the next litter will be fine. Puppies have no appetite don't eat, have abdominal pain and little else.
- If mom is vaccinated this is not the issue. Puppies will become lethargic and die usually within 2 weeks of age. They do look like above but without the abdominal pain. Liver and kidney is affected and spots on the kidneys sometimes direct you to a diagnosis. New mothers have the most issues but any age can have issues after first case. Late term abortions are happening as we have not vaccinated for years and some mothers have never seen lepto vaccine. Rodents are usually the culprit to get lepto into kennel and Vaccination will shut the issue down.
- Uncommon but occasional Strep and we always look at Brucellosis. Brucellosis is brought in with new stock so be sure they are negative twice before breeding anything you purchase for outside genetics. Either way Mom usually shows some signs of illness or not feeling well.
- Uncommon in kennel as we deworm after day 50 gestation with fenbendazole and that eliminates the parasite stress on the puppies. Moms give round and hooks to puppies before and after birth in milk. We do not loose whole litters here but it is possible.
I gave you much to think about. What to do without a diagnosis.
Be sure your
Lepto vaccine
is current. I have had two kennels with lepto this summer and the losses can be big if we are not quick to catch up vaccine. Two way Lepto is good.
Deworm mom before she whelps after day 50 gestation.
is labeled for pregnant moms. No chance of parasitic and good puppy health prevention.
This mom will not have issues next time. She should be immune to what ever caused the issue.
Be careful of new moms and watch for open females that did not get bred and late abortions. All clues that something is in the kennel especially Lepto.
Get any new puppies lost to the State Diagnostic Lab and get the diagnosis. I would drive them on ice to the lab and your Vet can help you with that. Once we have a diagnosis we can set out a game plan to prevent future issues.
Don't wait for the next one - do something to prevent a recurrence!
Call if we can help -- It is not this mom's fault. The cause is there and that is the scary thing as we are not sure what we are dealing with. We can work out of it if we are careful.
Dr. B
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Dr. B. Does Revival sell the calcium gluconate injectable? If so, what is the dosage? And is it SQ or IV? Thanks for all your tips.
With fast-acting
Oral Cal Plus
I use a little injectable. Oral Cal is accessible through the mucus membranes of the oral cavity. The bitch does not even need to swallow, which they often do not want to do when in labor.
Calcium Gluconate comes in two concentrations: 10% (Rx), and 23% for cattle and food animals (not Rx, but it can be irritating SQ). I use the 23% as it is much less expensive and readily available.
Do not use IV unless life threatening and a Veterinarian is present. You can kill them by giving it too fast or by pushing more after the dog is recovering - if you give you too much you can stop the heart. It takes some skill to recognize when enough is enough!
The SQ dose depends on what you are treating. Calcium issues such as slow whelping or crooked legs in puppies need a lower dose, while eclampsia or milk fever are emergency situations that need a higher dose. I only give 2cc per site in small breeds and around 5cc (roughly 1cc/20 lbs) in giant breeds. Again, you will see very wide doses depending on condition.
What to do -- I use calcium before I need it to help avoid emergency use:
In slow whelpers, I give 1-2 cc SQ with Oxytocin (but never mix these together!) Repeat in 30 min if needed.
If you had issues once, don't wait to see issues again. Give 1cc/20lb at the start of whelping and repeat in 12 hours - if they are not eating, 24 hours. Put them on
oral Healthy Bones formula
to supplement (TUMs wont work!). As soon as the bitch will eat, stop the injectable supplement.
To treat milk fever, dose it as high as 1cc/1-2 pounds. I never want to get into this dangerous category.
Once you understand calcium, it is quite easy to manage when you need it - check out the
Careful with Calcium article
for more information.
Revival does not carry calcium gluconate, but any large animal veterinarian will have this -- it is used to treat milk fever in cattle.
Dr. B
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I always get the Frontline spray but I bought it a couple of weeks ago and this time it didn't work. I even sprayed them twice. They are indoor pets too.
These parasites have been around since dinosaurs and are survivors. They eventually learn to eat the products if we do not switch them up occasionally.
We have had some resistance show up to Frontline type products from Indiana east but it can happen anywhere. We have had to switch treatment types.
I like the
Mycodex flea spray
as it is water base and will not sting if I happen to get into the eye. It only lasts 24 hours but will kill all the adults on your pet. Great preventative before a walk or going to a friends so we don't bring fleas home!
If you want a once a month move to the
for one year, the second year
should work again. You can find on our website or phone in and they will help you.
I hope this helps. These fleas are survivors, we just have to stay ahead of them by switching products occasionally and that should give you good control.
Dr. B
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I have a Yorkie momma that won't dry up. My mother said the natural treatment is Camphorated oil on the breast tissue – Dr. B what do you think?
Your mom is wise and correct! What she is referring to is Mustard Plaster and was made with Camphorated oil. We substitute Tincture of Camphor at the same dose as the oil is no longer available and it is the Camphor not the oil that is important. I included the recipe from an article I wrote. It is posted on the Revival Website
"Won't milk/Won't dry up"
if you need.
Glands that won't stop producing become painful and if we are not careful, mastitis sets in.
In severe cases, prescription drug therapy (Cabergoline 1.5-5.0 µg/kg/day divided BID) may be indicated to reduce lactation. Cabergoline will block prolactin in order to stop milk production.
A topical mustard plaster has always been successful for me. Mustard plaster is an old remedy used in humans, and it works well for dogs too.
Mustard plaster:
1 T. flour
2 tsp. oil
T. dry mustard
Cover the area with a thin coat of Vaseline jelly before applying the mustard plaster. Mix the ingredients with lukewarm water to form a paste. Spread on a thin clean cloth and cover the mammary glands. Place on the area for 20 minutes, or a shorter time if needed. Be careful not to burn the skin - check the application every 5 minutes. Remove the plaster and cover the area with camphorated oil. Then cover with warm fabric such as flannel or a towel. Repeat in 4 hours.
At the same time that you're using the mustard plaster, take the bitch off food and limit her water for the first 24 hours. Then give her 1/2 amount of her regular food for the next 2 days before returning to a full diet. You may need to milk her out by hand, but only when it's needed to prevent infection from setting in. It's also wise to put them on an antibiotic, such as
sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim
, to prevent mastitis during this process. Three treatments should dry them up, but I have gone as many as five since it is soothing to the bitch.
Dr. B
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I am 8 months pregnant and my dog is crazy nervous and she has diarrhea. What is happening?
Stress Colitis is common and your dog is not understanding the changes but is trying to belong to the family. Nervous tummy is the diarrhea cause – "She's Worried".
Bland diet for a few days -- a little cottage cheese on food or yogurt, Mac and cheese. Feed her 25% less dry than normal.
What to do to help your dog through this transition:
Your dog knows you're pregnant, and has picked up something is changing - your tummy - and she does not know what. Train her to put her head on your lap instead of sitting there. She wants the touch and your lap will be taken for the next few years so the change in her interaction with you now will pay off later.
Include her as much as possible, let her go in the baby room and get use to the smells and furniture.
Walk her so she knows she is still a part of the family. Your daughter/son if this is the second child will pick up the lack of interaction with her and all will be well.
When baby comes home, let your husband bring her/him in the house so you can greet your Dobie without any negative effects. She will have missed you as you will be gone a few days.
Pet and talk softly to her when baby is around. She will sniff when she is comfortable and the baby is quiet (nursing or sleeping). That is a good as she is bonding. Most will give the baby a small lick on the leg and then you know she just bonded and it will be her baby too. All good behavior but I have had mother in-laws near pass out when the dog does this.
Dogs are very attached to their families and this one is no different. You guys have done a good job of raising her to be family now she needs to accept another one into her pack.
Never is she allowed to do anything that might hurt the baby or make you uncomfortable. This is rarely an issue as most stay away from the head and prefer the feet until they figure this little one out. When dogs see everyone else is OK with the baby they quickly adopt them as well.
I included a picture of a 7 year old Golden that a friend of mine had concerns about as she was the only child for 7 years. She would not let the baby wake or cry without getting mom or dad to pick him up. The baby is 11 weeks and the golden mothers him as much as mom does. Success is common and issues uncommon. Good luck with the new arrival!
Dr. B
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In your opinion, what is the best product for flea control on Persian cats?
If they are going to have an issue – Persians will!
The safest is the
Program oral
(19210) liquid or tablet. I think of it as Flea Birth control. They will now lay fertile eggs. Will not get the adults, but will prevents fertile eggs from infesting home.
Program also is used for Ringworm treatment so you will prevent that as well – just a side benefit.
Topical Pyrethrins --
water based topical (19281-275) is my choice for topicals. It won't cause issues if it gets in the eye as alcohol bases will. I use this when going to a show or bringing a new cat in.
If I am fighting adult fleas I have used Advantage,
, and
effectively though the topicals have seen incidence of behavior changes, not liking the product on the skin. Rare but still can happen.
My choice –
Advantage or
Advantage II
if I am fighting fleas. I never have issues with it and it is considered non toxic.
In Europe there was a study done in Pregnant dogs and cats and they saw no adverse effects at 3 times the dose so that re-assures me it is safe.
Dr. B
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Which brand of vaccines are best for Persian cats, when should the first one be given and how often should they be given?
Normally I do this in a presentation, but I will be brief.
The majority of the viral infection issues come when under 1 years of age and once they get Herpes (Rhino) they always have it. You need to protect these babies.
We need Modified Live and to contain Panleukopenia, Herpes, and Calici. Most are FeLv free but if they are at risk get FeLv vaccine also.
Modified live to eliminate the adjuvant and the response is fast.
Merck has the best FeLv in
line – 2 year label.
There are Continuum 3 year vaccine for FvRCP
One year FvRCP –
is the least reactive but all ML vaccines are excellent. Much research went into the 1990 when Fibro-sarcoma was being investigated. Huge improvements in feline vaccine resulted from that research.
Kittens start at 7 weeks. Cannot give Panleukopenia before 7 weeks or you may inhibit the Cerebellum of brain from developing. These are the rescue kittens that duck walk and are awkward.
You can do killed vaccine before 7 weeks but it is questionable how much good it does and killed is slow. The immune system kills virus with antibodies – it does not know what to do with a killed virus so we put adjuvant in it to make the immune system respond. I don't like adjuvant in young kittens – we have to use in some vaccine (Rabies) but don't have to in kittens.
Breeder 7-9 week vaccine and require 12 week at the new home and if the Vet feels it is needed - 16 week booster.
FeLv for all kittens at 12 – 16 weeks. If they are an inside cat booster at 1 year and then stop FeLv vaccine. Young cats get out and get exposed so I error on the side of protection.
Adults no more than once a year FvRCP and No FeLv if we are a FeLv free cattery. Most Catteries that do not show I do every other year or if using Continuum every 3rd year.
I hope I did not confuse. With the new vaccines since 1990's I do not treat Persians differently but am aware they have more reactions than other breeds. New vaccines are 97+% reaction free so protect them and vaccinate.
Reactions do follow family lines so if Mom had an issue with vaccine be cautious with babies.
I'll stop there – You got to love kittens they make you smile every day!
Dr. B
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My dog has a habbit of getting into our ant poison. I can not take her to the vet once a week. Is there anything I can do to avoid all those trips to the vet when she gets into the traps?
I am assuming you cannot put the traps where we limit access.
This has become the new toy! They usually get into them when we are not home and they are bored. Two suggestions:
Take an empty trap and put it where she/he is sure to get into it. Mix Hot Pepper (Cayenne) and Vaseline and put it on top of the trap so she/he will get it. She will get her new toy (Trap) and then lick her lips for the next two hours. Now get her onto a new toy.
Use a Kong Toy and put
peanut butter
in it the next time you leave – she will quickly stop with the ant traps.
You may want to start hiding the traps as well as it is not one exposure that is the issue it is repeated exposure to insecticide that is the issue. Most are not very toxic to mammals.
I hope that helps with your Juvenile delinquent. I do think it is just fun – get a new fun (toy) and you will control.
By the way –Separation anxiety dogs – try the Kong toy and only give it to them when you leave. Put peanut butter or squeeze cheese in the center and they will spend 2 hours getting it out. After a few times they look forward to you leaving as they get a Kong!
Dr. B
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Four years ago, we lost 10 out of 14 puppy litter. Then Two years ago we lost a whole litter of 12, from a different mother. They seem to go one at a time. We now have mother of second litter pregnant (accidentally) again. What shots would you update, and what if any precautions would you take to help these guys? She is on day 29 of gestation. Thanks in advance.
The good thing is you have the genetics for big litters. The bad thing is litters of 10 or more are difficult to save. The goal is under 10% loss and we need to help you get there!
Look at the protein level of your maintenance diet. I don't want over 24% and never over 26%.
High protein encourages large litters we don't want.
What is the recipe for success?
Deworm Mom three days in a row with
Fenbendazole (Safeguard/ Panacure)
after day 50 gestation. Prevents the transfer of parasites across the placenta (Round worms) and in the milk (Hooks and Rounds).
Put mom on puppy food the last week and while nursing.
Cocci Guard
in the puppy food to prevent coccidia at 2 cups per 40# bag of food. Mom gets it just before birth and puppies get it at weaning to 8 weeks.
After whelping I use
Long acting Penicillin
1cc/20# (5 cc max) and
normal dose. Long pen will helps mom clean up and get her on food. Oxytocin will deliver a puppy alive if mom is just tired and puppy is retained. Oxytocin also causes milk let down and makes them motherly.
If she is slow to whelp use calcium on her. There is a calcium article
"Careful with Calcium"
on our website that will help you. I also use post whelping on these ex large litters.
At 30 days gestation I do not vaccinate if she has been vaccinated the past 2 years – too stressful.
If I am vaccinating use 5 way only.
Nothing in a pregnant bitch that does not help the pregnancy.
Let's get these puppies to market if they are born alive.
If you have a large litter split them in two groups in kids swimming pool and helping her bottle feed. Remember it is the big ones we want to feed – the little ones need mom. We saved 14 Dalmatians this way last year and all made it.
Best of luck - I have a lot of Rott experience researching Parvo in the 1990's. They milk like dairy cows if we help them out a bit.
Call if you need direction -
Dr. B
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Dogs get a lot of tick bites over their lifetime. Do dogs get Lyme disease. Should dogs be treated with doxycycline after a tick bite?
Great Question just before hunting season!
Yes – dogs get Lyme Disease just as humans do. In fact, that is one way they study Lyme disease – studying dogs who have Lyme.
Here is the issue, Ticks carry Borrelia (Lyme Dz organism). Deer and turkeys carry the tick (who is the best carrier). Dogs get ticks from being in Deer areas. Dogs bring ticks home. Since ticks have been around since dinosaurs, it is safe to say they are not going away! We need to attack on several fronts to protect our pet and us.
is twofold. It protects our pets if the organism gets "downloaded" to the dog. If the tick takes a blood meal, Dog antibodies to Borrelia should sterilize the tick of Lyme. That decreases the risk if the tick jumps off in our home and finds us.
Keep the ticks off the dog. Tick collars (
6 mo,
3 mo), or Monthly topicals work well if not overwhelmed by large numbers of ticks!
If we are going into tick areas hunting, jogging or camping, spray your dog with Pyrethrin spray down back and tummy. One container last the season! You will repel the number of ticks/fleas your other protection has to deal with. (My preference is
- water base won't burn eyes like alcohol base will.)
If you have a suspicious tick bite – Red Ring around it. You can use
one dose to prevent the disease. This work was done with one dose of 250 mg Tetracycline in humans after exposure preventing Lyme disease and we have extrapolated to dogs. No formal work is done in dogs but I have recommended it when clients have a suspicious bite. It has always cured the issue. Doxycycline at 5 mg per pound is the dose I use.
If you live in a Lyme Disease area, don't settle for one approach to tick control or you will fail! Remember topic sprays only last 24 hours but they will repel the number of ticks your monthly prevention have to deal with.
Dr. B
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I have a hunting dog that sees other hunting dogs every weekend. I want to give him kennel cough vaccine. Do I need to worry about my two labs that never leave home? I do raise puppies out of them. Will the vaccinated dog shed the modified live vaccine to the other dogs and make them cough?
Your concern for the dogs at home are correct.
will prevent most clinical signs but does not prevent the organisms from getting on board and coming home with your hunting dog. Most vaccinated dogs exposed to kennel cough will cough for 3 days softly. Unvaccinated dogs exposed to kennel cough organism cough 2-3 weeks and shed organism another 7 to 30 days.
The vaccine does not cause cough but will cause sneezing and clear nasal discharge. They do shed some live virus and bacteria (Bordetella) after vaccination but not in appreciable amounts. If they would shed lots of virus we could vaccinate one and that dog would vaccinate the rest. That does not happen. With today's PCR testing and genetic typing of virus we have been able to prove the vaccine does not cause the disease.
What to do:
Your unvaccinated dogs at home will be at the greatest risk, as they have no immunity, if the organism comes home. It is difficult to isolate totally when returning, it's best to vaccinate the dogs at home and protect them.
Vaccinate all dogs - kennel and house dogs.
If you are concerned about coughing remember these organisms are "wimpy" vaccine strains for lack of a better term. They can not cause major issues and are easy to kill.
When they get kennel cough they do not hunt for 8 weeks! Your hunting dog should be vaccinated within 8 weeks of first event so we prevent any issues and every 6 months during the season. Everyone else at home once a year vaccine will do it.
Hunting season is a few months and hunting dogs don't hunt when they can't smell. Vaccinate them and solve the issue.
Good luck
Dr. B
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Help! Our dogs have not had fleas at all for several years. Recently a friend's dog came to visit but he was carrying fleas that apparently decided to stay at our home. I am getting tired of flea bites! We are expecting a litter of puppies around Thanksgiving – the litter will be raised in the house. Can you suggest the safest flea product for the dam while she is pregnant, and after the pups are born as well?
The fleas are already in the house so lets get them out! Once the puppies arrive use caution as puppies have issues with the Alcohol carrier in sprays until 8 weeks. People often think the puppies are toxic on the insecticide when often the alcohol has them staggering.
Mycodex All In One Flea and Tick Spray
water base spray w/ Pyrethrins.(19281-275) Very safe and effective for puppies and wont sting or harm the puppies with alcohol in them. I hate to spray on them until 2 weeks old - treat the whelp box.
You can also spray the whelp box with this product while you are getting the fleas out of the house.
Mom can have
topical so we do not carry fleas and eggs into house. It is safe for pregnant moms and is working well in your area.
Treat house. Fleas are laying eggs in late fall that winter over for next year. Use
Mycodex Plus
(19282-275) and spray under couches, chairs tables and beds then spray the carpet or set off a
(19182-439). I prefer to just spray the floors as foggers get on everything. Foggers do work well in garages and crawl spaces. You can also use the Mycodex under the cushions of the chairs. This has an insect growth regulator that prevents the immature from becoming adults.
A few steps now to get the fleas under control and you should not have to treat the puppies.
Dr. B
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My dog has skin folds that are difficult to keep clean and time consuming. Is there any help when these folds get irritated?
There is!
ChlorConazole wipes
by Vet Basics can be a life saver. Just wipe the folds and any area where the skin rubs to get the medication (Chlorhexadine and Ketoconazole) into the area safely. It controls bacterial and fungal infection, is quick to use and safe around the face.
You are not alone as fall allergies brings this problem to many dog owners - Skin Fold Dermatitis is the usual diagnosis.
Dr. B
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text:
Authorities seeking Walters, McGuirk
February 21, 2013
PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Police Department is looking for a man wanted for trafficking drugs. For the Warrant of the Week, the department is looking for James Rodney Walters, aka R.J....
this walters dude is one ugly looking piece of trash scumbag. his mug up here makes my computer screen stink like rotten garbage. pure filth.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Women's Health
IUD May Be Best for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Jan. 9, 2013 -- Heavy menstrual bleeding is a rarely discussed but remarkably common condition that affects about 1 in 4 women.
For many, monthly periods are much more than a minor annoyance. They stop life in its tracks for days each month.
Oral contraceptives and progestin hormone pills are commonly prescribed medical treatments for heavy periods in the U.S., but they aren't always effective for many women.
Now a landmark study from Europe, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, concludes that an IUD that releases progestin may be a more effective therapy.
IUD Worked Better Than Pill
The Mirena IUD implantable contraceptive was found to be superior to oral contraceptives and non-hormonal drugs approved for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding in reducing the condition's effect on quality of life.
The IUD is widely used in Europe to treat heavy menstrual bleeding, but it is not used as much in the U.S.
OBGYN professor Eve Espey, MD, of the University of New Mexico, says this is partly due to a bias toward surgical treatments in the U.S. and partly due to what she calls a "hangover" from negative feelings about IUDs dating back to the early 1970s.
That was when as many as 300,000 women who used an IUD known as the Dalkon Shield filed lawsuits claiming to have been injured by the device. The most common complaint was pelvic infection.
"The Dalkon Shield has given all IUDs a bad name for almost 40 years, but modern IUDs are really very safe," she says.
Quality of Life Better With IUD
The study included 571 women with heavy periods followed for two years during treatment with either the Mirena IUD, oral hormone therapy, or the non-hormonal anti-bleeding drugs tranexamic acid and mefenamic acid.
Women who used the Mirena IUD reported greater improvement in quality of life, including their social routines, work-day routines, family life, and sex.
After two years, 64% of the women in the IUD group were still using the treatment vs. 38% of the women in the group using other treatments.
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