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Pet Chat with Doc Halligan | Parade.com
Parade.com Pet Chat

• I need help. I have a new boyfriend who is allergic to dog dander. He does not come to my home...
  Your boyfriend is allergic to a protein that is found on the flakes of the skin and in the saliva of your dog. Bathing your dog once a week will remove loose hair and skin flakes and thus make...
• I have a dachshund that is about 5 years old, he was a stray, he sleeps with us and when he gets in...
  The first thing you want to do is to rule out any underlying medical problem that could be causing this behavior. I would take him to the vet for a physical exam, a full blood panel and a urinalysis....
• We have feline sisters who will be 9 years old this month. The larger, slightly obese and less...
  I do think that food allergy is playing a large part in your cat's behavior of licking and biting herself. The steroid shot generally wears off after a couple of months and then the allergies...
• I have a 1-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Woody, who communicates with his mouth. He will snip...
  First, I would recommend that you neuter Woody if you haven't already. Neutered dogs are less likely to bite due to arousal which happens quite frequently in intact males. Also, dogs will try to...
• I work in a pet shelter. Some of the dogs are not housebroken, so they urinate/defecate in their...
  Unfortunately, it can be difficult to housebreak dogs at a shelter. You definitely need someone to walk them two times a day, usually after they are fed, to prevent them from eliminating in...
• A reader recently asked you what foods dogs should not eat. You said cheese is one of them. We give...
  Cheese, even in small amounts, is too high in fat and can lead to a life threatening pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). It would be better to give your Wheaten Terrier some of her...
• I feed my dogs tomatoes every day. Is it OK to feed them the leaves as well?
  Tomato leaves or stems contain oxalates, which adversely affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary tract systems.  Pets will experience vomiting, diarrhea, labored breathing, abdominal...
• My 5-year-old Saint Bernard, Kiera, was just diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. We have tried...
  I know what you’re going through, because I had the same problem with Duke, my geriatric Lab. I would recommend trying “pill pockets.” These are treats made for dogs and cats that have a hole in them...
• I just bought the most adorable "Cavachon" (which is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel...
  Most pet owners often underestimate the costs of owning a cat or dog, and if you are the type of pet owner who would spend any amount of money on your pet then pet insurance may be right for you. ...
• My 12-year-old cat was attacked by our other cat, and now he is urinating by the front door. We took...
  The problem might be that his blood sugar is not regulated and is still too high even though you are giving him the glypizide. One way too tell is to check his urine with urine strips to see if there...
• I have an adopted 1-year-old yellow Lab. He's been neutered and is very healthy, but he sheds an...
  Labs do tend to shed quite a bit, but I usually recommend adding a fatty acid supplement to a dog’s diet that is shedding excessively. You can get the supplement from your vet. Also, make sure...
• I have a 9-year-old Shiba Inu. She’s in good health, but her eyes have a glare to them. Could she...
  Dogs over 8 years of age have a normal aging process of their lens called nuclear sclerosis, in which the lens starts to lose some of its water content. You’ll notice a bluish/hazy appearance to their...
• I have a 16-year-old male Birman cat that has moderate hyperthyroidism, for which I give him one 5...
  I would recommend taking your 16-year-old cat in for an exam either once or twice a year. Be sure to have his thyroid levels tested. Because he is not gaining weight, I would be suspicious that...
• I have a 2 1/2-month-old kitten. I'm pretty sure she is weaned, but for some reason she will not eat...
  Since wet food is about 75 percent water, it has a low caloric density. So it is better for kittens to eat dry food because it contains only about 10 percent water and is very nutritionally dense....
• I have a 3-year-old Shih-Tzu, and he digs holes in the yard. How can I stop him from doing this?
  Dogs that dig do it out of instinct to make a cool or warm place in which to lie down, or because there are interesting smells in the soil. It also feels good to burrow and dig in the dirt with their...
• Our 7-year-old white Boxer occasionally has stomach problems. His stomach growls very loudly and he...
  Boxers are known for developing "Boxer Colitis." Colitis is a condition in which the large intestine, specifically the colon, is inflamed and can cause stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea. There are...
• I have a small, black pug. I'm having trouble keeping the wrinkles above her nose clean, and the...
  Your pug has a condition called skin fold pyoderma, which is common in dogs with excessive skin folds. Once an infection is present, you need to clean the affected area with an antibacterial shampoo....
• Can cats get kennel cough?
  Yes. A lot of pet owners are unaware of this, and probably some vets, too. Cats can develop kennel cough from the same bacteria that causes it in dogs — bordatella bronchiseptica. Cats don't...
• We have a 2-year-old blind, male, neutered cat called Mr. Kitty, and a senior, female, spayed cat...
  This is normal cat behavior, especially for a young cat, but I don’t think your senior cat enjoys it. I would use a squirt bottle filled with water and spray Mr. Kitty when he engages in...
• What causes “reverse sneezing” in dogs, and is there anything I can do to help my pet when it...
  A dog will sneeze when the nasal cavity is irritated, cough when the trachea is irritated, and reverse sneeze when the nasopharynx is irritated. Some vets are now treating dogs with reverse sneeze...
• My 2-year-old German Shepherd has lupus. I know what treatments are available, but I would like to...
  Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease associated with widespread deposition of immune complexes. It occurs most commonly in organs such as the kidneys, but any organ...
• My 14-year-old cat, Mesha, has osteoarthritis (OA) in her hips. She won’t take medicine — even if...
  It’s estimated that 80% of all cats over the age of 7 have some form of arthritis. In addition to over the counter glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate products like Cosequin, veterinarians now...
• What is the least expensive way to cure my dogs of heartworms? Is there an herbal remedy?
  Prevention is the cheapest way to go when it comes to heartworm disease in both dogs and cats. There are great products on the market now to help your pet avoid developing heart disease, which can be...
• My dog has horrible breath. What can I do to alleviate the problem?
  Bad breath, or halitosis, is usually a sign of ill health. Dogs get bad breath for the same reasons people do. Bacteria-laden plaque adheres to the teeth and this plaque hardens to form tartar,...
• My kitten has a bulge where she was spayed. Could it be a hernia? She is very sensitive there and...
  It is not uncommon for an animal that was spayed to build up some fluid where the incision is. This is called a seroma. It’s not a hernia, but should resolve over time as the body will reabsorb...