Vet Q&A-SmallAnimal

My 9 yr. old mixed breed dog has recently started to suck/nibble at his blanket. What gives? He is a Beagle-Boston Terrior mix. He is neutered, but only recently. (6 months ago)

While not common, sucking behavior in dogs is not unheard of. Some dogs suck on their flanks or legs, while others, like Oreo, suck on blankets or toys. For some dogs, this provides a means of comfort, but for others can indicate an underlying anxiety disorder. It is a bit unusual for this behavior to develop later in life, but try to determine if Oreo is experiencing any other changes that could indicate anxiety, such as pacing, panting, seeming agitated, or experiencing signs of stress when you leave the house. If he does seem to be showing signs of anxiety, consider taking Oreo to the vet to discuss behavioral training options, as well as medications. If he does not seem to be overly anxious, you can try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Adaptil is one example) to see if this behavior subsides. Otherwise, it is likely not a cause for any major concerns. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

My dog has visible white bumps on the back legs and once there pretty big they discharge and look like open sores she is a full breed bully pitbull

Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Nova! Thanks for the pictures. Based on your description and the pictures Nova likely has a bacterial skin infection. Other possible causes are demodex (non-contagious mite) and ring worm. Skin infections are usually caused by allergies to food or the environment. Pit bulls are sadly allergic dogs. Nova ideally needs to see your Vet to confirm the skin infection and get oral antibiotics and medications to stop the scratching, You can discuss with your Vet food options and additional allergy testing and medications if her skin continues to be a problem. You can try a medicated shampoo. Bathe 2-3 times per week and leave the lather on for 10 mins before rinsing. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27975 I hope this helps and I wish Nova a speedy recovery!

I have a female American Bully puppy. I have no intention of breeding her and intend to get her spayed. Her breed is predisposed to hip dysplasia and joint issues. I have read that early spay can affect the growth plate increasing these risks. I am also aware that each heat cycle increases her risk of breat cancer. My question is..at what age is best to spay her that will be best for her overall health?

Hi there. You're right that the question of when to spay a large breed dog isn't as simple as we might like! It sounds like you've done some research on the pros and cons of spaying at different ages, which is great. In general, for my large breed patients, I recommend spaying at around 10-12 months of age (as long as the owner doesn't mind dealing with a heat cycle, since most dogs will go into heat for the first time prior to this). This still gives us an extremely low risk of mammary cancer, but also minimizes the risk of orthopedic issues since she should be finished growing by then.

What can i feed 5-7 weeks old kitten from human food? How do i liter train a kitten? When do kittens usually want to breed?

No, you cannot feed a kitten human food. They have very specialized nutritional needs, and should only be fed a kitten formulated food. In addition, many human foods are not safe to feed cats, and are toxic if given. Please only give her a kitten formulated food. Cats can go into heat anytime from six months of age, and then they will want to breed. As for litter training, check out our article on this topic. I will put a link below to it. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/article/litter-box-training-for-your-kitten/

Hello. My pregnant dog is 59 days pregnant here temp has been 100.5-100.8 it dropped to 99.8 now it’s back up to 100.4 what does this mean? I breed before but always had a temp around 99 twice during the day then back up when she was going in labor. Just need some clarity

Hello. While a drop in temperature can offer a clue that a pet will be going into labor, I have never found it to be a great predictor. I have the same issues with the temp going up & down, so I do not rely on it too much. It is best just to observe Lala for signs of impending birth with nesting, panting, refusal to eat & a clear to slightly bloody vaginal discharge. 63 days is the general average for a pregnancy, so she may have a few more days to go. Good luck & thanks for using Boop by Petco.

Hello, I accidentally gave my four month puppy(husky lab mixed) a chewable nylabone made for large dog breeds over 50 pounds, should I be concerned? Since he is only 27 pounds. He practically ate the whole thing.

The problem with Moby eating all of that is that if he ate large pieces of it, they could become stuck in his GI tract. I would monitor him for now. If you see any signs of vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, or constipation, it could be that a piece has become stuck in his GI tract. In that case, I would have Moby seen by a vet right away.

Is it absolutely necessary to spay my dog? I am not going to breed her. We live in an apartment with no yard. She is always on a leash. What age is the oldest that I can spay her?

IT is highly recommended for a few reasons. If your dog hasn't yet gone into heat or has only had one heat cycle, we can reduce the risk of her developing mammary cancer in the future by spaying her. After several heat cycles spaying doesn't affect this, so that benefit will be lost the longer you wait to spay her, but there is no age after which spaying isn't allowed, and the other main benefit to spaying is to eliminate the chance of pyometra, a dangerous uterine infection that can be life threatening and require emergency surgery. For this reason alone, it is recommended to spay all female dogs.

My mini schnauzer has developed small pimple like skin tags/bumps. What can I treat them with? Human acne cream? Hydrogen peroxide? Please help. She is shaved. She eats grain free Wellness for small breed and takes a NaturVet joint supplement.

Hi and thank you for reaching out about Roxy. The pictures you have provided for Roxy appear to be benign "skin tags" ("skin warts"). They do not cause Roxy any pain and generally are not a problem for dogs. The treatments you have asked about/mentioned will not remove them. Her fur coat looks very healthy and these skin tags generally do not cause any problems. If you would like them removed it must be safely done with a very small surgical removal performed by her veterinarian. Otherwise, we usually have you continue to monitor them at home unless they start to bother Roxy.

A small/medium dog got ahold of about 20 cooked shrimp tails. Will she be okay? I am house sitting and I'm not sure the breed.

This may cause some vomiting and diarrhea. If you notice any of these symptoms and they persist for over 24 hours I would take the dog to the vet so he can be given some medication to stop the vomiting/diarrhea.