Got Any Pet Health Questions?

dugdeep

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We're going to be interviewing Zoya, our resident pet health expert, on the Health and Wellness Show this Friday and thought we'd open it up to the forum to provide the opportunity to ask some pet/animal related questions. If anyone has anything they'd like to ask Zoya you can post the questions here in this thread, or you can call in live on the show. The show airs on the SOTT Radio Network at 16:00 UTC (11:00 EST, 17:00 CET).
 
Is she still open for questions even though it's almost a year later? Probably not, I'm one year too late. Anyway.. here's hoping! I have a long haired dachshund thats 1 1/2 years old. He's my big red boy. I think he's standard size, which is rare because everyone wants miniature. He had started to go blind at 6 months in his left eye. They diagnosed him with juvenile glaucoma and said his sight will eventually go out. It's starting to happen. he is bumping into things. It's becoming painful to him. I've been referred to see a dog eye doctor. R they going to remove his eyes?
 
Peut-être serait il sage d'attendre l'avis de ZOYA avant cette intervention !...

Perhaps it would be wise to wait for ZOYA's opinion before this intervention!.....
 
J'ai une question pour ZOYA, mes 4 chatonnes (Gaby et Granie les jumelles 8 ans, Isatis 6 ans) (Duchesse 8 ans la chatonne de ma Maman que j'ai adoptée lors du Décès de ma Maman, ça va pour le moment) et mes 2 petits Yorks (Ugo 17 ans et 5 mois et Hella, ma petite fille, 7 ans ont du tartre sur leurs dents + orthodontie grave pour Ugo mon petit mâle...
Pour leur détartrage chaque année, je vois un véto dentiste spécialisé qui me prends 400 euros par animal + les médicaments, cette année j'en suis à 1700 euros et en septembre, Gaby une des jumelles doit y passer...
Je leur donne des croquettes, des aliments pâtés pour loups (chiens) ou chats sauvages (pour les chatonnes) et de la viande bourguignon que je coupe en petits morceaux pour tout le monde... Que puis-je faire pour améliorer la situation ?... Merci ZOYA d'avance pour la réponse.

I have a question for ZOYA, my 4 kittens (Gaby and Granie the twins 8 years old, Isatis 6 years old) (Duchess 8 years old the kitten of my Mommy that I adopted when my Mom died, it's fine for now) and my 2 little Yorks (Ugo 17 years and 5 months old and Hella, my little girl, 7 years old have tartar on their teeth + severe orthodontia for Ugo my little male...
For their scaling every year, I see a specialized dental vet who takes 400 euros per animal + medication, this year I am at 1700 euros and in September, Gaby one of the twins has to go through....
I give them croquettes, food pâtés for wolves (dogs) or wild cats (for female kittens) and Burgundian meat that I cut into small pieces for everyone... What can I do to improve the situation?.... Thank you ZOYA in advance for the answer.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
 
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Is she still open for questions even though it's almost a year later? Probably not, I'm one year too late. Anyway.. here's hoping! I have a long haired dachshund thats 1 1/2 years old. He's my big red boy. I think he's standard size, which is rare because everyone wants miniature. He had started to go blind at 6 months in his left eye. They diagnosed him with juvenile glaucoma and said his sight will eventually go out. It's starting to happen. he is bumping into things. It's becoming painful to him. I've been referred to see a dog eye doctor. R they going to remove his eyes?

Hi ethnicsoup! You can ask away! There is no time limit. Will be glad to help. :flowers:

Regarding your question, you should definitely go and see a veterinary ophthalmologist. Ophthalmologist will perform number of tests to determine the extent of the damage to the eyes, and what can be done about it, if possible.

And don't worry! They are not going to remove the eyes! :hug2:But you do need to prepare yourself to the possibility of your puppy going blind. But also don't worry too much before hearing the doctor. You need to do all the diagnosis and have all the info. Afterwards you will be more prepared to take steps or make adjustments to your puppy's lifestyle. :flowers:

Here's some theoretical information about glaucoma. It is primarily about the required glaucoma, not the congenital one. But there is some info about it as well.
 

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I give them croquettes, food pâtés for wolves (dogs) or wild cats (for female kittens) and Burgundian meat that I cut into small pieces for everyone... What can I do to improve the situation?.... Thank you ZOYA in advance for the answer.

Wow, Perlou, that's a lot of money for dental care! :umm:

And it's good that you mentioned what they eat, because you are correct in your assumption that dental health is highly connected with the diet. It is also connected to the general health of the animals because when toxins are being cleared out from the body, teeth is one of the places where they can accumulate.

And teeth health can be an indication that something is happening with internal organs, like kidneys. So in this case it would be also good to make blood tests or an ultrasound test in order to see if the organs are functioning properly. Just in case in order to see if there is an underlying problem.

There are also certain breed predispositions. Yorkies in general sometimes have more dental problems than other breeds. Good diet can help with that, because they are very sensitive, and sometimes there is no choice but to remove the damaged teeth. I've seen a lot of older Yorkies that had all their teeth removed and they still managed quite nicely with eating soft food.

Since we are dealing with several animals, it is hard to say something more specific beside a general advice that you should try to feed them as close as possible to the natural diet. There are good sites in English on this topic, but I don't know any French ones. I will have to do research on this and get back to you.

But as I said, it's important to remember that bad teeth can be a sign of other problems going on in the body, so this should be checked too.

Wish you and your furry companions a lot of good health and long life! And I'll write here when I'll find appropriate information in French. :flowers:

TRANSLATION
Wow, Perlou, c'est beaucoup d'argent pour les soins dentaires ! :umm:

Et c'est bien que vous ayez mentionné ce qu'ils mangent, parce que vous avez raison de supposer que la santé dentaire est étroitement liée à l'alimentation. Elle est également liée à la santé générale des animaux, car lorsque les toxines sont éliminées de l'organisme, les dents sont l'un des endroits où elles peuvent s'accumuler.

Et la santé des dents peut être une indication que quelque chose se passe avec les organes internes, comme les reins. Dans ce cas, il serait donc bon de faire des prises de sang ou une échographie pour voir si les organes fonctionnent correctement. Juste au cas où pour voir s'il y a un problème sous-jacent.

Il y a aussi certaines prédispositions de race. Les yorkshire en général ont parfois plus de problèmes dentaires que les autres races. Une bonne alimentation peut y contribuer, car ils sont très sensibles, et parfois il n'y a pas d'autre choix que d'enlever les dents endommagées. J'ai vu beaucoup de Yorkies plus âgés qui se sont fait enlever toutes leurs dents et qui se débrouillent encore très bien en mangeant des aliments mous.

Puisqu'il s'agit de plusieurs animaux, il est difficile de dire quelque chose de plus spécifique à côté d'un conseil général que vous devriez essayer de les nourrir aussi près que possible du régime naturel. Il y a de bons sites en anglais sur le sujet, mais je n'en connais aucun en français. Je vais devoir faire des recherches à ce sujet et je vous rappellerai.

Mais comme je l'ai dit, il est important de se rappeler que de mauvaises dents peuvent être un signe d'autres problèmes dans le corps, donc cela devrait être vérifié aussi.

Souhaitez à vous et à vos compagnons à fourrure une bonne santé et une longue vie ! Et j'écrirai ici quand j'aurai trouvé l'information appropriée en français. :flowers:
 
My dog hates riding in the car. She doesn't get sick, just very anxious, with trembling. Is there perhaps a homeopathic remedy that would help with this?
 
My dog hates riding in the car. She doesn't get sick, just very anxious, with trembling. Is there perhaps a homeopathic remedy that would help with this?

Thank you, SevenFeathers, for asking the question, because you gave me a topic for the next pet health segment! :flowers:

As for homeopathic remedy, unfortunately I can't advice you any because didn't have experience with that.

Beside homeopathic treatments, there are some natural things you can try. Like Bach Rescure Remedy for pets. There are also pheromone products. And there is also a so called Thundershirt! Its principle is based on Temple Grandin's research into autistic children, and it does wonders for anxious dogs.

What you also need to do is discover a possible underlying reason for anxiety. Perhaps it is a learned behavior that a ride in the car ends in bad things (visit to a vet ;-)), or something else stressful happened in the past. You could try to give treats and make the ride more enjoyable. Hope it helps.
 
What you also need to do is discover a possible underlying reason for anxiety. Perhaps it is a learned behavior that a ride in the car ends in bad things (visit to a vet ;-)), or something else stressful happened in the past. You could try to give treats and make the ride more enjoyable. Hope it helps.

Thanks for the suggestions. She has been this way ever since we adopted her as a 9 week old puppy. I believe she was taken in a car somewhere and dumped out with her puppy sister, so maybe she remembers that?
 
Thanks for the suggestions. She has been this way ever since we adopted her as a 9 week old puppy. I believe she was taken in a car somewhere and dumped out with her puppy sister, so maybe she remembers that?

Yes, it's possible. What you can do is work on gradually creating good memories. Showing her that car trips don't have to end badly!
 
J'ai une question pour ZOYA, mes 4 chatonnes (Gaby et Granie les jumelles 8 ans, Isatis 6 ans) (Duchesse 8 ans la chatonne de ma Maman que j'ai adoptée lors du Décès de ma Maman, ça va pour le moment) et mes 2 petits Yorks (Ugo 17 ans et 5 mois et Hella, ma petite fille, 7 ans ont du tartre sur leurs dents + orthodontie grave pour Ugo mon petit mâle...
Pour leur détartrage chaque année, je vois un véto dentiste spécialisé qui me prends 400 euros par animal + les médicaments, cette année j'en suis à 1700 euros et en septembre, Gaby une des jumelles doit y passer...
Je leur donne des croquettes, des aliments pâtés pour loups (chiens) ou chats sauvages (pour les chatonnes) et de la viande bourguignon que je coupe en petits morceaux pour tout le monde... Que puis-je faire pour améliorer la situation ?... Merci ZOYA d'avance pour la réponse.

I have a question for ZOYA, my 4 kittens (Gaby and Granie the twins 8 years old, Isatis 6 years old) (Duchess 8 years old the kitten of my Mommy that I adopted when my Mom died, it's fine for now) and my 2 little Yorks (Ugo 17 years and 5 months old and Hella, my little girl, 7 years old have tartar on their teeth + severe orthodontia for Ugo my little male...
For their scaling every year, I see a specialized dental vet who takes 400 euros per animal + medication, this year I am at 1700 euros and in September, Gaby one of the twins has to go through....
I give them croquettes, food pâtés for wolves (dogs) or wild cats (for female kittens) and Burgundian meat that I cut into small pieces for everyone... What can I do to improve the situation?.... Thank you ZOYA in advance for the answer.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
Dear Perlou,
I am amazed at how expensive the dental cleanup is, especially that it is done yearly. We have a cat and two dogs. The cat, 8 yrs old, is due for his first dental, and we were quoted ZAR 2500 which is less than 200 euro. That includes descaling, blood test, and anesthetic. If any extraction is necessary, it costs ZAR 800 extra per tooth. We feed them Hills Prescription diet dry food, z/d allergy and skin care for the cat, weight loss for the Dachshund and sensitive digestion for the St. Bernard. Supplementary the cat eats soft food pouches 1/2 pouch mixed with the pellets and the dogs eat carrots. There is also pet health insurance available in South Africa I am actually going to look into for the dogs and the cat. We have health insurance only for our horse at the moment. I am aware that the market might be different in Europe but in my honest opinion it must be borderline prohibitive to have pets with these costs. All the the best with the little ones!
 
Thank you, SevenFeathers, for asking the question, because you gave me a topic for the next pet health segment! :flowers:
Thank you for your question SevenFeathers and your response Keit. This same question has been on my mind recently as well, because we have a long car trip planned where my dog will be with us. I know if I bring it up to my vet, she will prescribe some type of sedative which makes me uneasy. My dog, 2 year old Mini Aussie, enjoys car trips as they usually result in going to the park to play, but I have no idea how to settle her down for an extended road trip. Due to her breed, she is high energy, but also not very accepting of strangers or new environments. Any tips you might have in your new health segment for travelling with pets would be greatly appreciated. :flowers:
 
My dog, 2 year old Mini Aussie, enjoys car trips as they usually result in going to the park to play, but I have no idea how to settle her down for an extended road trip. Due to her breed, she is high energy, but also not very accepting of strangers or new environments. Any tips you might have in your new health segment for travelling with pets would be greatly appreciated. :flowers:

Well, maybe try the Thundershirt? Others may have more suggestions, but what also works well in some dogs is Gabapentin. It also works on cats and in their case has a more pronounced sedative relaxing effect, but for dogs it seems to just make them calmer (but it doesn't work on the high energy huskies, especially when they have to stay in the cage! OMG! :lol:).

Although its mechanism of action is not fully understood, gabapentin is thought to decrease the release of excitatory neurotransmitters by affecting the calcium channels in the nervous system. Think of gabapentin as the noise-canceling headphones of the nervous system; while it doesn’t change the levels of noise being generated, it dampens your perception of it.

Because it appears to work specifically in the nervous system, gabapentin has also shown promise in a variety of nervous system issues, such as seizures and anxiety. It also is a particularly helpful drug for managing chronic pain, which is defined as pain that has been present for over six months. It’s a challenge to find medications that specifically target chronic pain, so it’s reassuring that gabapentin has been helpful for these patients.

But not sure if you can get it without prescription where you live. But I think that vets can prescribe it to you if you explain about your issue. It isn't dangerous and I haven't seen any case of overdose. But you may research other methods as well. Apparently CBD oil can also help.
 
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Thank you for your question SevenFeathers and your response Keit. This same question has been on my mind recently as well, because we have a long car trip planned where my dog will be with us. I know if I bring it up to my vet, she will prescribe some type of sedative which makes me uneasy. My dog, 2 year old Mini Aussie, enjoys car trips as they usually result in going to the park to play, but I have no idea how to settle her down for an extended road trip. Due to her breed, she is high energy, but also not very accepting of strangers or new environments. Any tips you might have in your new health segment for travelling with pets would be greatly appreciated. :flowers:
If she enjoys short trips to the park, I would suggest that you make regular stops (no more than two hours) to let her out of the car to run around. We just returned from a long trip where my dog was pretty anxious in the car (I did try homeopathic remedy which helped a little), but as soon as I let her out, she was fine. We usually find a place away from all the cars/people where I can let her off the leash to run around.

Rescue Remedy didn't work for my dog but it might for yours. And I found this article in Dogs Naturally magazine with suggestions: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/6-natural-solutions-for-dog-anxiety/

The Thundershirt is a little pricey for me, but I did find an article about how to make your own - DIY Thundershirt: How to Make Your Own Canine Anxiety Wrap. Also, I am going to try some positive reinforcement training, just getting her in the car, then letting her get out.

Good luck on your trip!
 
Dans un, merci pour votre réponse... Suite à leur orthodontie grave, je suis obligée de passer chez un vétérinaire dentiste spécialisé ce qui n'était pas le cas quand ils étaient jeunes... Les assurances en France ne remboursent pas les détartrages et mes petits compagnons sont trop âgés pour être pris en charge...

In one, thank you for your answer.... Following their serious orthodontics, I am forced to go to a specialized dental veterinarian, which was not the case when they were young... Insurance companies in France do not reimburse scaling and my little companions are too old to be covered....
 
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