Ask A Pet Pro

I rescued a hound mix on April 1. She is very intelligent and very cute. We have bonded but she is afraid of most people and loud noises. She avoids my friends and only lets people touch her if I am right there also petting her. How can I get her used to people? I am afraid she will bite them out of fear. During storms she shakes even if I hold her. She hides under my bed. Should I give her a pill to relax her?

I had a trainer comer and work with the dog and with the person who was going to pet sit for a weekend. The dog was eating cheese out of his had and letting him per her but she did not respond to him when he came to feed her and to let her out when I was not there. She hid behind the flowers and would not leave the kitchen until he left and then came back later to shut the door. On the second day she showed her teeth and he felt she was going to go after him. I came home immediately.

Thanks so much!

Aren’t vets required to give pet x-rays to pet owners, as doctors are for humans?

My cat got x-rays a few months back and even though the vets explained the results, they never even showed me the x-rays, nor did they give them to me.

Thanks

My cat who was being treated for hyperthyroidism with methimazole suddenly became quite ill last week. His white cell count was down to 1000 and according to one blood test his platelets were (seems radically low so I suspect it might have been an error) 13,000. BUN, Creatnine, and Bilirubin were all elevated but his ALT was normal. Upon release from the hospital (after IV treatment) there was much improvement but his ALT which was normal was now elevated.

My concern is this. How to proceed. I love this cat very much and do not want to cause him undo suffering. I am concerned about possible side effects of alternative meds and we have ruled out radio active iodine treatments. My goal for him is optimum health, comfort, and humane treatment over simple longevity. One vet recommended against surgery because he was high risk, and another said that if his next blood tests were normal that surgery was an option. I am happy to proceed with surgery if there is some likelihood of a positive outcome. Unfortunately with a different cat of ours he ended up having to be put down 2 months after surgery making the end of his life a misery. I do not want that to be this cat’s fate. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thank You

My 11 year old Black Lab has had two bouts of bloody diarrhea in the last six months. The first bout was not as bad as the most recent, and cleared up in a couple days with antibiotics and a bland diet.

This last bout was more serious, requiring two days of IV fluids, antibiotic shots, and shots to relieve her vomiting, as she could not even hold down water.

The vet did a blood panel, which came back normal. No other tests were done. She is home now, still a little lethargic, but is eating well, holding it down, and so far, no diarrhea.

But…we still don’t have any answers. I am concerned about why this is happening to her, and feel the need to know the cause. I feel more tests are necessary, and am planning to get a second opinion.

I would appreciate any advice as to what to look for, or what tests to ask for.

Thanks so much!

I have a 5 y/o English Bulldog. I have taken him off steroids (about a year now) I cook for him…..ground beef, ground turkey, chicken, livers….veggies – green beans, peas and carrots, squash, broccoli…barley and brown rice. He keeps getting these pink spots on his back that itch him like crazy and they are kinda scabby. I also give him powdered vitamins for skin and coat. I put on his spots real aloe, pet salve, all natural itch spray but they take a really really long time to heal and then he gets them again. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

My 15 year old cat, Toby, went from seeming to be fine one day to looking terrible the next. I hadn’t seen him look quite so dehydrated, hollow-eyed, lethargic, and sickly since he nearly died about 10 years ago from bladder stones. He’s been on prescription cat food since that time with no stone recurrence. We’d just had him to the vet 2 weeks earlier for a well checkup, and all was good. So, yesterday, we took him to the vet and they determined that he was constipated and had a full bladder that needed to be emptied. They took an x-ray and didn’t see any suspicious masses, did blood work which revealed everything at normal levels, did a urinalysis, which was fine. He had a slight temp and possibly a slight infection, which we’re treating with antibiotics. He was interested in drinking water and eating his dry food when we got home, and he’s urinated in his box, though no defecation yet. He appears much improved and his hydration is better, however, he’s developed a LIMP! Since last night! When I called the vet today to get his lab results, I asked whether he might have been difficult to x-ray or if there were any other situation whereby he was injured while at the vet, but the doctor said he was very cooperative. I don’t know what to make of this limping and whether or not it could be related to these other issues or if it’s a fluke injury. We’re continuing to observe him and we will definitely take him back to the vet, but I wanted to get an idea about whether limping might be associated with these other symptoms and what kind of problem might manifest itself so quickly with so many symptoms and no blood or urinary levels to support a problem.

Thank You