Vet Q&A-SmallAnimal

I am adopting a dog on Sunday, and the previous owner explained to me that she cannot have any more puppies because of lack of calcium. They discovered this when she had a seizure about a month ago because they had overwhelmed her with her other litter, by making her feed the puppies hourly. The vet told her she had a lack of calcium. However, I would like to breed her if there is a way to get her into good enough health. Since the seizure nothing else has happened. Is there a way to breed her?

Hello and welcome to Boop by Petco. No. That is the simple answer. Eclampsia, is a condition where the calcium levels drop so low due to producing milk for the puppies and producing the calcium for the bones for the puppies, that the mother dog seizures. The calicum is basically sucked out of the mother dog. This low calcium leads to seizures and repeat episodes get more severe. A dog that previously had eclampsia should be spayed and should NOT be bred again. It is very stressful and hard on the dog's body, and is very very risky for death of both the mother dog, and the puppies. I would strongly recommend spaying Bibi and just enjoying her for the darling that she is. Best of luck with Bibi.

My ball python has always has a light blue/ gray hue in good ligting. Is he a different breed then I thought? Or is there something wrong with his scales? Anything you can tell me would be helpful, thank you

He's very handsome! Some pythons will have an iridescence which is normal and no cause for concern. The gray/blue hue may simply be a color morph expressing itself and also no cause for concern. As long as he is behaving normally otherwise, just enjoy him.

Hi, i have heard we shouldn't breed a female cat until she is 18 months. But what to do till 18 months age? She is in stress due to heat phase, and she will have to face heat cycles repeatedly till 18 months age. At the moment she is only 8 months old and on heat. Please help! I want to breed her for kittens. So neutering is not an option.

Unfortunately you cannot do anything. Cycling heats are normal, and so are the behaviors she is showing. If you want to breed her, then you just have to wait out through this time period until she is old enough to have a litter. There are no medications you can give her, I'm sorry.

Can you please tell me if this is a pure bred German Shepherd puppy I have also attached a picture of one of the parents.and is it a working line or a show line and will it be a good representative of the gsd breed in terms of looks.

Looks can be deceiving but these photos do look like purebred dogs. It’s hard to say if they are working or show lines. I recommend to call the breeder as they are most familiar with their bloodlines. You can also contact the breed club as they likely have excellent resources. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

My dog vomited 3 times today he also pooped just like his normal days but after the vomits he kind a got weak! He emptied his stomach after the last vomit he drank a little water! I also massaged him now he wanted some sleep so I let him sleep! All i want to know i what should i do in this few ours! Am asking you because I live in Iraq we have no good vet here :( Dog’s information: Age: 6 years Breed: mix of german spitz Location: Iraq, Sulaymānīyah The reason I think why he vomited is bec

Poor San! He could have vomited due to a GI illness, eating something rotten, a sudden change in diet, being given food he's never had before, intestinal worms, a foreign body, or pancreatitis. I can give you a home remedy to try to see if that helps. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, he vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Due to the recent FDA research on grain free food I am looking into switching my Shih Tzu/Maltese mix from Whole Earth farms grain free to something different. What would you recommend is a good, healthy brand for a small breed dog who is 4 and does not have any health issues. Thank you

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! As you have probably noticed there are plenty of diets in the market. There are a few that stand out in my opinion in terms of quality and palatability. I really like the Science Diet, Royal Canin and Purina Pro Plan products. A diet that I have found to be of very good quality, affordable and dogs love is the Purina Pro Plan shredded blends. You can find that at your local pet store or online. Otherwise any of the diets of the previously mentioned brands would also be good choices for Harley. Good luck!

I am in a dilemma, my research told me to wait until my standard poodle girl is one year old then spay her; while some other professional opinions are to spay her after her first heat, which my girl was on since last week, and she is only 6 month old. Purebred Standard poodle. What should I really do? I am a first time dog owner, and I did take my girl to u leashed dog parks in the past two weeks but I don’t recall any dog ever mounted her. Please share with ur professional knowledge. Thanks

My professional opinion is to spay Coco now. As I explained in your other post, the risk of mammary tumors jumps from 0.8% to 8% if you spay her after her first heat, but then makes a massive jump to 25% if you spay her after her second heat. Keep in mind as well that 50% of mammary tumors in dogs are malignant. Should you wait until she is a year, you are risking her going into heat a second time, thus increasing the risk of mammary tumors. While some people say to spay after a year due to growth issues, the research on that is inconclusive. The research on the risk of mammary tumors is conclusive and proven. I would spay her as soon as her heat is over. I hope this helps!

I would like to identify a turtle species, was found in Israel on land that is far away from water and it wont eat anything

I would love to help you identify the turtle, but it would help to have three photos (sharp) : top of carapace, bottom of carapace (belly) and from the side with the head extended (out, not hiding). It would also help to know the name of the area where it was found. It may be a Negev tortoise or one of the other two species of land tortoises: the Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise, the most common turtle in Israel and the much rarer Egyptian tortoise, a desert species.

Dog breed labrador female (3 years old) Doing vomiting with small blood dots in it May be gastric problem No sings of diarrhoea (loose motion) (Not pregnant) In food we give her pedigree ,boiled eggs and chapati Please advice me a good treatment I am a veterinary student and can give her injections if needed

Oh dear! The vomiting could be due to many conditions including eating something she shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, a viral infection, parasites or even organ disease, poisoning or intestinal blockage. The blood could indicate a gastric ulcer, a foreign object in the stomach, stomach worms, a cancer or poisoning. It's impossible to know the cause of the vomiting without some diagnostics testing such as bloodwork and a fecal exam. Radiographs may also be needed. any time a pet vomits blood, I recommend to have them examined by the veterinarian. Potential treatments include drugs to stop vomiting, drugs to treat a potential ulcer and perhaps some sort of fluid therapy. Many times a bland diet can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. A good diet in general is Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible. I hope your pup starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions!