Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Biography

Lauren Kennedy is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2010. She is originally from Tennessee but now resides in Orlando FL with her husband, her daughter Grace, their 3 dogs, (MacGovern a Scottish terrier, Crosby a terrier mix, and Clementine a blue tick coon hound), and their turtle Tycho. Lauren practices small animal medicine, usually taking care of dogs and cats but enjoys seeing smaller pocket pets and birds as well. In her spare time Lauren and her family love to visit Disney World and when able, go back home to Tennessee to cheer on the Volunteers!

Dove has diarrhea from the sudden change in diet. We moved and don't have her food and it is prescription. It was so bad it was like running water. So we were told to do chicken and rice and its been helping. she still has running poop but it's not water like and had form now. She is still active and hungry and drinking water. How can I help this pass by faster? Should I not give her treats until this is all done?

Dove may need some antibiotics and/or probiotics to help get her gut balance back in order. In the meantime continue feeding her the bland diet and yes, I would cut out the treats until the diarrhea resolves completely. I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach. Best of luck.

Hi, my 1 year old indie stray male cat puked white foam like thing for the second time. He has been eating. He is active. Can you please check the photos and advice as to what might be the issue and what needs to be done. Thanks

Vomiting is a very vague sign and could indicate several different things going on. Some of the more common causes of vomiting include intestinal parasites, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach wall), pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, or a foreign body/blockage. If your cat has been sick for more than 2 days I would recommend taking him to the vet. He may be dehydrated and need fluids as well as some antinausea medication to help stop the vomiting. Your vet may also want to run some lab work and take x-rays as well. In the meantime, try withholding food (water is ok) for 12-24 hours to see if this helps settle the stomach. When it is time to offer food again you may want to try and feed him something easily digestible like plain boiled chicken and rice and see if he can keep it down. I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach. Best of luck!

Hi there. I have a hamster that is bleed from his bottom (I think) and is making some weird noises. He is alert and eating and drinking fine but has never made these noises before and also has some blood on his bedding. Cant get him to a vet right now and worried he might go in his sleep. I am unsure as to what to do

If you are unable to take Parker to the vet right now you will just need to keep a close eye on him. Change the bedding in his cage frequently so you can determine if the bleeding is getting worse. Also be sure to offer him lots of fresh food and water to encourage him to keep eating. You may also want to try and apply some topical antibiotic ointment to his bottom if that is the area that is affected. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Best puppy dog food for golden doodle?

I would recommend a large breed puppy food (if the pup is expected to be over 50#). The brands I prefer and think are the most well balanced and palatable are Hills, Royal Canin, Iams, Purina, and Eukanuba. I hope this helps. Thanks for using pet coach. Best of luck.

Hi! Tony eats an Rx kidney diet & lately he’s been tired of it & I’ve tried all the brands out there but If I add in some fancy feast he of course loves it & eats it. Since this isn’t ideal for kidneys (he’s not in kidney failure, more in the early stages) my vet said I could mix in some aluminum hydro powder phosphorus binder (less than 1/8 teaspoon) to the fancy feast. How do you feel about this & if he starts to refuse kidney food,is adding binder to a non kidney diet a good alternative?

I’m sorry you are going though this with Tony. It is a very common problem in cats with renal disease. I would recommend trying a different brand of kidney diet and see if that helps. Or, maybe try adding some low sodium chicken broth to the food and see if that helps stimulate the appetite. If these ideas aren’t working then yes, I think you could continue to feed the fancy feast with a phosphate binder. The most important thing is that Tony keeps eating! I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach. Best of luck.