Vet Q&A-Dog

Hello, my dog gave birth and I was wondering how much a vet checkup after birth is?

Typically this is just a general health exam which ranges based on region anywhere from $45-$70 for mama pet and if you need the puppies examined as well this is an additional exam per puppy. Most places will also offer multiple pet exam discounts, especially for newborns. You can easily get an estimate for an exam from the veterinary hospital you have in mind by giving them a call and inquiring how much an exam costs. As long as your pet doesn't need any additional medications or treatment then this should be the extent of costs expected. Most places will also give an estimate if medications or anything are needed in addition to the exam.

My puppy ate some dried long pine needles this weekend. Her tummy seems to be upset. She has diarrhea. What should I do to ease her tummy?

Withhold food for 12-24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte. Resume feeding a bland diet (1:1 ratio of plain boiled boneless chicken and plain white rice). Feed in small, frequent amounts waiting at least one hour between feedings. Continue feeding until the stool is normal. Transition slowly to the regular diet. If the diarrhea doesn’t stop, see your veterinarian. Restrict access to pine needles to prevent future episodes of diarrhea.

My dog was vomiting this morning has no appetite no energy and salivating quite a bit. Normal stool. Is this normal?

This is not normal. He may have gotten into something that disagreed with his stomach, eaten something that has irritated his GI tract and/or is causing an obstruction, he may have been exposed to some kind of toxin, just to name a few possibilities. I recommend withholding food for 12-24 hours. This will give the gut a chance to rest. Let him have water, ice cubes to lick if he seems to want to gulp the water. After 12-24 hours, give him a tiny amount of his regular food, and wait for 30 minutes. If he eats it and it stays down, repeat the small amount. If all continues to go well, keep feeding him very small amounts until he has had his normal ration. If, however, he does not want to eat, continues to vomit, develops a fever and/or lethargy, get her in to see your vet or to an emergency clinic right away.

My dog had a clear dripping from his nose and then threw up what looked like stomach bile. This happened twice in a few days. What should I do?

Withhold food for the next 8-12 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence.

My dog is really listless, his eyes aren't fully open like there some skin over half the eye and there was gumminess on one of the eye

The skin over the eye is a third eye lid - it often comes up with eye infection, fever or when generally dogs are unwell. Please, take your dog to your vet and get him examined. He may have eyes or upper airways infection and he will need a course of antibiotics to get better.

So my dogs penis is bleeding on the top and it is swollen on the tip I didn't see a cut or anything but I put ice on it and it started bleeding.

I would be concerned that the Boots is bleeding from the penis due to a urinary tract infections, urinary tract calculi (stones), neoplasia or cancerous and/or cystic developments in the urinary tract. It can also be a sign of a prostate disease, such as prostate cancer. I would recommend taking Boots into your vet as soon as possible to have this checked out. Your vet can do a rectal exam to see if his prostate is enlarge, take a urine sample to check for infection or stones, and x-rays for signs of enlarged organs.

Why does my dog whine when ever she moves

This sounds like your pet is painful somewhere. Typically musculoskeletal (muscle or bone) pain will cause whining during motion. I would recommend feeling around on your pets body for any particularly painful areas (if you wish to investigate first). If there are painful areas, then take this concern to your vet so that they can do a good exam of the area and make the best recommendations moving forward with your pets care. Typically for muscle sprains they can be treated with just NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatorys) with good success. However if the pain is more internal and possibly a bone or ligament the vet will most likely recommend x-rays to evaluate the areas of interest further.

My dog has trouble walking, she can't go up stairs, jump on a bed, she can barely stand her self up. She doesn't whine or whimper for an injury.

Sounds like your dog is having quite a few mobility issues. I'm not sure your how old your dog is, but with these symptoms I would suspect an older dog. There are things you can do to help (to a point) like adding a ramp or pet stairs to make going up and down easier, a good memory foam bed to soothe achy bones, glucosamine will help lubricate her joints so she moves a little easier, your vet may be able to offer some pain meds for the bad days but these are all temporary solutions. If she is an older pet this is where considering quality of life becomes important. She may be an older pet where these conditions get worse until she can't get outside to the bathroom and get to the food bowl. Simply getting to the necessities becomes a chore, that is not a life. It would be best to let her have her dignity and let her go if that is the case. Enjoy the time you have left together.

Is Posatex poisonous for dogs even in small amounts?

Posatex is a topical medication for ear infections, and as such it should not be ingested. However, if your dog licked a small amount, the side effects should not be too severe. We can see some GI upset, increased thirst and urination, and possibly adrenal gland suppression. To be extra safe, I'd recommend having your vet check her electrolyte levels in the morning.