The question was answered by :
JAG :
It is not so much the fleas you have to worry about it it is the flea eggs. These cannot be seen by your eye and will hatch for years to come and keep flea infestations coming back.

Take all your bedding and wash in hot water and dry on high heat as previously mentioned. Spray the bed. Wash all your clothing and pajamas in hot. Repeat this every few days as while the fleas are dying off, more eggs (thousands) are being laid.

As far as the carpet - I would actually call a professional to come and carpet clean. Be sure to tell them about the fleas as they can specially treat for that.

This is was answered by :
Tessa :
The heart worms are in the heart. The worms might make a dog have trouble breathing, cough, and not have energy to play. The worms have never affected the dogs behavior. I rescue dogs,and foster them. Normally the rescue sends heart worm positive dogs to me until treatment is compete. I have had some dogs become sick, but never have they had behavioral problems.

The following reply is by : Ponygirl :
Cortisone is only a short term treatment. It is the best anti inflammatory out there, hands down. BUT it completely stops all remodeling of cartilage. A single cortisone shot was put in 5 horses knees, and after a year, a horse was sacrificed, and it was noted that the cartilage was in stasis. So each year for the next 4 years, a horse was sacrificed, and the single cortisone shot had shut down the cartilage such that at the cellular level, no cartilage had been made in 5 years. Vets were very surprised at this, and they do not know how long the process will be shut down since they ran out of horses.

In any case, a horse does a lot of moving around on his legs during that time.

Adequan, or even better, Legend is the same chemical makeup of the synovial fluid within the joints, and puts the joints and cartilage in a position to repair itself.

Adequan will take longer to work; about 3 months, and that is 5-6 shots, so quite costly, but there are no downsides except your wallet. Cortisone will give you short term success, is very cheap, but will shut down his repair and rebuilding system.

Go for the Adequan. Ask your vet about Legend; it is a second generation medication that has some advantages over Adequan, and when given with Rubella Vac or Ketophen, works very, very well body wide to help the horse heal.

Depending on what’s going on with the stifle, sometimes, you can have the vet inject Iodine into the lateral collateral ligament of the stifle to tighten it up. It works very well for some horses.

This is was answered by :
JenVT :
It would have been best to use a preventative to begin with. now you must suffer the consequences, as will your pet. The only other real option is euthanasia or a painful death.

The best answer is by :
Stacey :
It depends on where you live. Very few areas in the continental U.S. require year round heartworm treatment because the temperature is too low for the transmission of heartworm larvae. The larvae require approximately 30 consecutive days of 60-degree weather where the temperature does not dip below 57F (14C) in order to reach this condition. Check out this link for a geographic map and more information.

The answer is provided by :
rrm38 :
Talk to your vet about whether or not s/he would be okay with you mixing the Cosequin with water and giving it to him with a syringe. If you could get him to take it this way and not feed him for about an hour or so before or after, it may settle a little better. It may also help to divide it into two doses a day. Cosequin is a great supplement that works well, as it’s a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin. It worked wonders for my 14 year old when he was diagnosed with arthritis. The change in behavior could be a sign that he’s still experiencing pain from the arthritis, and getting him to a full dose of the Cosequin may help with that. Derm caps is typically used to treat skin problems. If he doesn’t have dry skin, you might ask about removing it so he’s not getting so many things at once. Or, you may be able to switch to a food containing Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. Switching to a wet food diet and adding cool mist humidifiers to the home can also help with dry skin. Again, please speak with your vet before doing any of these things. I’ve had cats for many years, but am nowhere near as educated on the matter as a vet.

I just got my first dog, if you couldn’t tell. ^__^;
*don’t have insurance yet

The question was answered by :
walking lady :
Before you can get meds for heartworm, the vet needs to test your dog to make sure he doesn’t already have heartworm. The vet won’t charge you for a prescription, you only pay for meds, but your dog has to see the vet first to be tested.

The best answer is by :
Aduial :
Nothing. You should not give your dog anything your vet has not prescribed. It is very easy to overdoes your dog and those medications are not formulated for a dog.

The best answer is by :
lu :
You need to examine him all over. It sound like he has pain some where. Gently touch and move his joints and his legs. touch his tummy… press gently on his tummy and all parts and see his reaction. He might be hurting somewhere be careful dont get bit.

This is was answered by :
Live, Love, Bark! :
call and talk to a vet..it’s free
Never give any human meds to a dog without consulting a vet first.