She just had 4 teeth pulled and if she's in pain I'm supposed to give her something for it. The thing is… I have no idea how to tell if she has mouth pain, or any pain at all.

Help? Thanks .

The following reply is by : Tif :
(Aw, poor doggie!) They usually let you know when they are in pain, by whining, pawing at the area, not acting themselves, etc. One good thing is dogs have a higher pain tolerance than us, so to them it's not as bad as you think! You know when your dog isn't itself, so if she's not acting right, go ahead and give it to her, then pay attention to how she acts. If she's still in pain when it wears off you should be able to tell. Just make sure you keep track of when you gave it to her, and follow the vets instructions. Good luck.

I live in the south where "skeeters" are bad. I am trying to switch my dogs over to all holistic treatments. I am very weary of them getting heartworms. Any information would be helpful.

The following reply is by : Mouse :
I don't think I would even begin to take that chance. A dog with heart worms has to go through some difficult treatments. You live in a bad area for hearworm, buy the meds and then you won't have to worry. Holistic is good in a lot of areas, you just have to be sure you are in the right area, don't risk it.

My poodle puppy/small dog got neutered this morning. He is not allowed to have food or water for about 2 more hours. He can't scratch, but constantly nips at and licks/messes with the pinkie-finger long incision site/stitches. How can I help ease his pain? Would a dog collar/cone for his head work - like from Petco? What should I feed him?

The following reply is by : MzHazelnut22 :
You want to keep him from licking the wound area - that can lead to infection which is not something you want to deal with. I would recommend an e-collar, which can be found at most pet stores. For the most part, your dog shouldn't be in too much pain - it is probably more of an irritaion then anything. Just try to limit his excercise as that can pull the stiches and lead to further discomfort and potential infections. He probably will have forgotten about it in another day. Once its okay for him to eat, just feed him your regular puppy food.

And just to let you know, not all vet clinics will give you an e-collar. Usually only if you ask, or if the dog is licking a lot before it leaves the office. This is especially true for shelters. So just go buy one, its cheaper at the pet store then it would be if your vet charged you for it.

And everyone is assuming this person went to a vet. Many shelters or low cost/no cost spay nueter clinics due not follow the same procedures as reputable vet clinics. I worked at 4 different vet clinics, and we never gave out pain killers for nueters/spays. And although licking is normal, you shouldn't let her do it because she can pull the stiches out and get an infection.

I have been told by my vet office that will not release "okay" to online companies that I order pet meds from, because they can not "guarantee" like in the case of Hearguard for heartworm prevention… and things like this… then how in the world are they even able to sell it with the same packaging and all?

This is was answered by :
☆takecareofmycat☆ :
This question requires a very thorough answer and because of that, I'll just leave this article for you to read and get more info. It's written by a vet and very detailed.

http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2008/3/13/pets.vet.veterinary.prescription.1800petmeds.dogs.cats

I live in an area that fleas are quite a problem. Although we don't see any in our home, we are constantly finding fleas on our dogs and cats. I have been using K9-Advantix for months, but still see fleas constantly. We bath our pets, wash their beds, vacuum, … but still see fleas! Of all the products on the market, what would you recommend for my dogs and cats?

The question was answered by :
ItalianStallion :
Advantage Multi or Revolution

I just wanted to see how many people use ProMeris. My vet switched to it in April.

I found a tick on my dog that never died. Kept it in a plastic bag for a day past the 3 days it claimed it took to work, and it was still alive. I did some research online and found that there were complaints from ineffectiveness to reactions like skin irritation, vomiting, nausea, drooling and more.

Called to complain to my vet and they said they had a file of complaints mostly from owners whose pets had physical reactions… and were switching back to frontline plus.

Called ProMeris, they were LESS than helpful and almost defensive about it like it was my fault.

I started with Frontline Plus again last month, Found a tick on my dog today… Dead.

and it could have only been there for no longer than 24 hours because I had checked my dog over after his walk the day before I found the tick and he was clean.

So My luck goes with Frontline Plus.

Any other ProMeris users having issues?
Also, yes the tick I found with Promeris had fed, because it was hard to remove, it was slightly gorged and left a blood spot on his ear when I finally did detach him.

Promeris told me it would take 72 hours to become effective. 96 hours and it was still kicking.

With frontline, the thing couldn't have even been on him for a full 24 hours and it was already dead.

I'm just curious if my vet's office is in a rare group, or if others are having issues with ProMeris.

The answer is provided by :
Teri :
I've heard nothing but bad stories from ProMeris users. Frontline doesn't seem to work on my dogs so I just use Advantage. I know its suppose to be a monthly thing but it lasts longer than that so I only use it once every 2 months on them.

Hi well I take my dog for his shots at Banfield and only get shots that she needs. (not any extra junk)
After I heard all the bad reports about Banfield is it fine that I go to Banfield for shots/vaccines and k9 advantix and heatquard

But if my dog was ill I would take it to a better hospital that's farther away which is why I choose Banfield for her vaccines?

I know this sounds weird but all shots are the same right?

This is was answered by :
kitty98 :
Make sure that your dog is only getting vaccinated for the things she really needs, they will push unnecessary vaccines, such as corona or giardia….. Especially to older dogs that don't really need much vaccinations, if at all… (ps. advantix can be found cheaper in other places, you don't need prescription for that… ie. our local cabelas (which is a sports/hunting shop sells them)

Regarding having two vets, everytime that you check out after your dogs vaccines, ask for the full vaccine record from Banfield. Visit your regular veterinarian at least twice a year for a regular check-up, even if your dog is healthy. That builds enough report w your regular veterinarian and to give them the vaccine record so they can update their paperwork.

And yes… all shots from reputable manufacturers are the same.

I went on PetsuppliesNet.com based on suggestion from others for cheap pet meds. I ordered K9 Advantix for my 50lb dog and got a package that is from Bayer, but just says Advantix. Is this an older version of K9 Advantix that is just as effective? Is this just a packaging difference since I ordered from Australia? Am I over-thinking this, or getting swindled?

The best answer is by :
Forsaken :
Advantix and K9 Advantix are the same product. They are part of the Advantage family which markets Advantage, Advantix and Advocate. The packaging is different for each country/area of the world because it has to conform to the labeling standards.

So if you own a dog chances are you have made the mistake and bought the cheap stuff from the pet store just to go camping and find a flea or tick let alone just being outside with misqitos, what does everyone think about the two big names in Flea meds ?
other than the fact that your basicly puting a Nerotoxin on you dogs spine
But its not like anything else works as good or even close to as good. At least that I have come across.

The question was answered by :
millypeed :
I use Frontline, have done for a few years now and not had a flea or tick problem since.
I had tried all the store bought ones, what a waste of money!

I have not had my dogs checked this year yet, but want to start them on a heartworm medicine. Is this in some way bad for the animal?

The answer is provided by :
Bozema :
Never start preventative without getting the heartworm test first. If they are positive, then the preventative can harm them - the worms can die and cause blockages in the heart and the circulatory and respiratory system.