How to re-introduce older cat to use litter boxQ: My 9 year-old cat is both inside and outside. as a kitten he would use the litter box but he much prefers the great outdoors. in his older years i feel he will live longer if we can keep him inside more, but he refuses the litter box and will wait patiently at the door until we let him out. is it fair to him to try to keep him inside now? is there a particular litter now that would entice him to use the litter box? thank you! A: You could try another litter box and a litter known as everclean which you can get at most pet supply outlet stores. if that not help then i dont see problem in letting him go outside
German shepherdQ: Our 8 year old male german shepherd was taken to the vet one week ago and treated for skin infection. he was given a bath with sebolux and prescribed cephalexin capsules 500mg (4 capsules every 12 hours) also he was given prednisone 20mg once a day. after 3 days of treatment we noticed he was very lethargic, loss of appetite and his lower lip hanging down on one side accompanied by drooling. we contacted the vet and she advised to stop medication and give him benadryl 12.5 mg. he was given 2 1/2 tablets. two days after discontinued medication, he continues to drool, his lip has not improved, his energy not restored and he eats but very little. is it possible that he had an adverse reaction to the medication? are these syptoms serious and if so, should we seek immediate assistance? thank you A: Sounds like new problem with nervous system supply to facial structures. take back to vet for re evaluation
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Hot spotsQ: About 3 months ago my dog, max, started getting bald spots on his hind legs. then they started right at the top of his front legs by the joints. i brought him to the vet and they said it may be a mite problem. they did a couple skin scrapes but were not able to find any. they still decided to treat him for them anyway and said they are hard to find on the dog. they said to give him fish oil pills once a day and they prescribed ivermectin to him. i give him .9 ml once a day. it seemed to clear up but then it came back even worst and now he is biting those spots as well. i've been giving him ivermectin again for the last 2 weeks and it is not making any progress this time. it cost about 85$$$ for a 2 week supply. any ideas on what else i can do?? A: I would see different vet. you need definitive diagnosis here as might not be mite problem at all. i would recommend vet dermatologist consult or some vet who will do skin biopsy to get to cause so right treatment is done
Expiration datesQ: I have a foster cat from my shelter. she has fleas so the shelter gave my some program to use on her since she is a bit feral and not easily handled. when i got home i saw that the program had and expiraton date of 8/97 on it!! should i still use it? A: No. this product expired 7 years ago. i would order a new supply of program, which is over the counter. i would also notify the shelter to have them remove the expired product.
AsthmaQ: Hello my dog has been diagnosed with asthma but has not been given any treatment plan. yhe only treatment consists of a rush visit to the vet's office where he gets a cortisone shot and short- term dose of temeril. he is a 6 lb. yorkie. is there a maintenance medication? also, it is quite frightening when his wheezing worsens. are there rescue treatments we could administer ourselves? i myself am a severe asthmatic and physician as well. i am familiar with albuterol, theophylline, etc. but i have no experience with canines. i would appreciate any information. A: Sounds like he needs chronic meds like aminophylline or theophylline at dose of 5 mg per pound twice daily. also some of these dogs need low dose cortisone therapy during flareups so good to have supply of that around
