Vet Q&A-SmallAnimal

Could I breed a dog who had parvo? He is fine now, but would it affect the litter if I used him?

It's fine to breed Ruger, as parvo is not transmitted genetically, but I would make sure that both he and the female are vaccinated for parvo to prevent the puppies from potentially getting it after they are born.

Hi, I have a GSD who has just turned 3 months old. I have been feeding him Farmina Puppy Starter food till now. Now, I have been told that since he has turned 3 months old, I should start feeding him Farmina Maxi Breed puppy food. Please suggest !!!

Farmina Puppy Starter is for puppies up to three months of age to assist in weaning, after which Bosco should be fed a puppy food. I would follow that recommendation, but be sure to slowly change over his food so that he doesn't get GI upset. Start by mixing together the old food and the new food, and then slowly increase the amount of new food while decreasing the amount of old food until Bosco is eating the new food only.

I want to prepare a homemade diet for my 6 month old havanese puppy . It consists the following , chicken meal , chicken organs(liver,heart,neck) ,pumpkin ,carrot ,mustard greens ,apples,yogurt,seaweed ,red lentil ,barley . She is currently eating acana small breed kibble but she doesn't like the taste of it . Would you help me modify my dog's diet to avoid any possible deficiencies ?

Getting a homemade recipe that is balanced for dogs is very difficult, but I will give you a link to a website that gives recipes for balanced and nutritious meals for dogs. It's run by the UC Davis veterinary school, and is an excellent resource: https://secure.balanceit.com/

What's a good DNA kit/program I can purchase that will give me a detailed description of the breed mix my dog is. I think she may be some sort of pitbull chihuahua mix, but I think it'll be ingesting to see exactly what her breed make up is.

The commercially available DNA tests I am familiar with are Wisdom Panel by Mars, DNA My Dog based out of Toronto, Paw Print Genetics out of Spokane and Embark out of Austin, Tx. Wisdom Panel® Canine DNA Tests determine the breed ancestry of a dog by determining the genotype of the dog, at hundreds of individual sites in its DNA. The results are then compared with the genotypes of the more than 12,000 breed samples in their database. Similarly, DNA My Dog tests for 85 of the most common breeds that make up approximately 97% of the common North American mixed breed population. Paw Print Genetics is designed to assist breeders and has the advantage of testing for several genetic diseases. The breed-specific panels offer a comprehensive service at a discounted rate, and you can choose genetic diseases you would like to test for. Embark tests for over 150 breeds including wolf, coyote, and village dog ancestry (feral dogs) - accounting for 98% of dogs in America. Additionally, Embark screens for over 160 canine genetic diseases including MDR1, degenerative myelopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, PRA blindness, exercise-induced collapse. It is certified by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), partnered with Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. All tests require taking two samples of cells from the dog’s inner cheek on swabs, which are then air-dried, sealed, and mailed off to the lab. The turn around time varies from 2-8 weeks. As far as the cost, DNA My Dog is the most economical at about $60, followed by Wisdom and Paw Print at about $80 and Embark at $200.

I have just purchased a whites tree frog from petco. I was wondering if my 29 gallon long tank 30x12x12 is suitable for this species(petco advised me it was but I'm not sure). I noticed that he/she is very active at night climbing all over the branches and inside walls of the tank. I am afraid that my frog might be under stimulated ( getting bored). Should I add a 2nd frog to keep it company? Also I currently have no night light (I have a daytime light) for it would a black light be suitable?

A 29L is a good sized enclosure for this species of tree frog. Juvenile frogs are much more active than adults. As your frog matures, it will "settle down" and spend more time on the ground. You can still use branches and perches to make use of the vertical space. You can keep two in the tank if you choose as long as there isn't a significant size difference. Different species cannot be kept together though. They do not need a night light. They do best with a 12 hours on/off light cycle.

My puppy Leo is from the shelter and when I adopted him they told me that he was a pure Lab mix. However I believe that it is not accurate as I have been told he looks like a mix and he does have other traits that Lab should have. So to be sure I want to do a DNA test to get a better and more accurate answer. With that being said I would like to know which DNA test is reccomended to know the actual breed of a dog. Thank you for your help.

Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Unfortunately the shelters don't really know the actual breeds of dogs unless the original owner gives them the Pedigree paperwork. Sometimes we assume they are purebred based on how the dog looks. All the DNA test available, even for known pure bred dogs, will show multiple breeds on the test. Most Vet hospitals stopped offering the test because a lot of the results were unbelievable. You can find tests online and if you want to run it for fun, there is no harm in it. Good luck!

My Siamese Cat (Female) Mated with my Persian Cat (White Male) and now She gave birth to 3 kittens 2 black and 1 white. My Question is What Breed are they, none of them have Siamese color.

Even though none of the kittens have Siamese color, they will have genes from both their mother and father. The color of kittens depends on which genes are expressed. The kittens will be considered a Siamese-Persian mix.

Could u tell me what breed my dog is he is suppose to be a jack Russell but yet he has black spots all down his legs and around his body. He's only 6 months old but he's quite big for a puppy. I know his mother was a jack Russell but I don't know about the father

Unfortunately without seeing a picture of Yogi, I can't say what kind of breed he may be. You can request a consult with an expert online where you can share photos, or you can have a DNA test done on him. Wisdom Panel has home DNA kits that you can send it to find out his exact breed: http://www.wisdompanel.com

Do have time to answer 10 questions for cats? I'm doing a school project. 1.How do cats react to you? 2.What do cats like to do besides sleep? 3.What do cats like to eat? 4.Is it ever okay to give cats milk? Why or why not? 5.What do cats chase most? 6.What are the three most popular cat breeds? 7.Why do cats have three eyelids? 8.What are 3 of the most important things to keep your cat happy and healthy? 9.Is it bad to declaw a cat? 10.What cat breeds are best for people with allergies?

1. Cats seem to like me. I personally have four cats. 2. Cats love to eat! They also like to play and get love. 3. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need to eat meat to survive. Different cats have different tastes. My cats love tuna, and all cats love meat and fish. I have a cat who loves to eat potato chips, especially sour cream and onion ones. She will come running if she hears a bag opening. 4. It is never ok to give cats milk. They are lactose intolerant and can't digest it. It will give them diarrhea. 5. Again, it depends on the cat. Some cats like chasing balls, while other like chasing animals on a string or feathers. 6. The Persian is #1, followed by the Maine Coon, and then the Exotic. 7. The third eyelid removes debris from the cornea, and helps to redistribute tears across the cornea. 8. It's very important to have regular health checks at your vet and vaccinate your cats. Feed them a high quality cat food, and avoid human food as many are toxic to cats. Keep them at a healthy weight, and show them lots of love and affection. 9. There are a lot of differing opinions on declawing cats. Some people think it's wrong, while others don't see a problem with it. It simply depends on personal opinion. 10. Sphynx, Devon Rex, Cornish Rex.