Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” collection, the place each Monday we carry professional recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their canine’s well being and well-being.
Whether or not you’re a brand new pet mother or father or a seasoned canine lover, Dr. Paola is right here to supply solutions to your most urgent questions. From vitamin suggestions and preventive care to troubleshooting frequent behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to supply insights that may maintain your furry buddy comfortable and wholesome. Keep tuned for professional steerage on a variety of matters that matter most to you and your canine, so you can also make knowledgeable choices and supply the very best care in your canine companion. Have a question? Send it in here! 
Assist! My Pet Has Whipworm!
“Hello Dr. Paola,
Winnie is a 4-and-a-half-month-old chihuahua pet. She has accomplished all of her first yr pictures. She had a parasite shot at her first appointment as a result of she was scooting round and the vet suspected worms. She was then given Albon Suspension. Second appointment she examined adverse. At her final appointment she examined optimistic for Whipworm and was prescribed Safeguard. My query is, why wasn’t she prescribed Safeguard to start with which might have coated all worms and parasites?” – Susan
Hello Susan,
I can see why this feels puzzling at first, particularly whenever you hear that Safeguard is broad-spectrum. The important thing element is that no single treatment really covers all intestinal parasites, and veterinarians typically select the primary remedy primarily based on the most definitely causes for a pet’s age and the indicators they’re exhibiting. In a young puppy who is scooting, the commonest early considerations are roundworms and hookworms, plus anal gland irritation. That’s the reason an preliminary dewormer injection or a pyrantel-type dewormer is incessantly used immediately. If Winnie was prescribed Albon suspension, that treatment is sulfadimethoxine, which is an antimicrobial that can be utilized for sure bacterial infections, together with anal gland infections when micro organism are inclined, and additionally it is used within the administration of coccidia-related intestinal illness. It’s not a dewormer for whipworms, roundworms, or hookworms, so it will not be anticipated to stop a later whipworm analysis.
Safeguard, which comprises fenbendazole, is a dewormer that works nicely for a number of intestinal worms, together with whipworms, and it will also be used for Giardia, however it nonetheless doesn’t cowl the whole lot; for instance, it doesn’t deal with coccidia. Whipworms are additionally a bit like a seed that takes time to sprout; they’ve an extended prepatent interval, and their eggs will be shed intermittently, so an early fecal check will be adverse even when an infection is growing. That’s the reason a pet can check adverse at one go to after which check optimistic later, and additionally it is why many veterinarians reserve fenbendazole for when whipworms are recognized or strongly suspected, reasonably than utilizing it because the default for each pet. What issues now’s that Winnie is on the proper treatment for whipworms, and your veterinarian will normally suggest follow-up fecal testing and repeat remedy on a schedule, as a result of whipworms will be persistent and clearing them is commonly a deliberate collection reasonably than a single step.
I hope this helps clarify.
Dr. Paola
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Assist! Does My Canine Have Dementia?
“My 16 yr outdated combined terrier Hazel enjoys pretty good well being and will get reasonable train every day. She’s recently taken to destroying my made mattress every single day once I’m in one other room. Do canines get dementia and will this be an issue? I scold her however the habits continues.“ – Dianne
Hello Dianne,
It is a considerate query and one many pet mother and father of senior canines ask. Sure, canines can develop a situation referred to as canine cognitive dysfunction, which has similarities in idea to dementia in people. As canines age, modifications within the mind can have an effect on reminiscence, studying, and emotional regulation. Indicators typically embrace disorientation, modifications in sleep patterns, altered social interactions, nervousness when separated, and new repetitive or damaging behaviors that weren’t current earlier in life. What you might be describing might match into that image, however it might additionally replicate age-related nervousness or frustration reasonably than true cognitive decline, very similar to an older particular person pacing or fidgeting not as a result of they neglect the place they’re, however as a result of they really feel unsettled.
The mattress destruction itself is necessary to interpret rigorously. Canine don’t destroy issues out of spite, and scolding tends to worsen nervousness, particularly in senior canines whose coping expertise might already be fragile. If Hazel solely does this whenever you go away the room, it suggests separation-related stress or restlessness reasonably than willful misbehavior. Think about being not sure the place your anchor went and attempting to self-soothe by digging or nesting, behaviors which can be instinctive and comforting for a lot of canines. Repeated scolding can unintentionally verify that one thing is improper, reinforcing the cycle reasonably than stopping it.
The following step is an intensive veterinary analysis to search for underlying contributors resembling ache, sensory decline, hormonal illness, or early cognitive modifications, as a result of many of those are manageable. Changes like predictable routines, mild psychological enrichment, comfy resting areas, and avoiding punishment typically make a significant distinction. If cognitive dysfunction is suspected, early intervention can sluggish development and enhance high quality of life. Within the meantime, changing scolding with calm redirection and administration is kinder and more practical, particularly for a canine who has shared your life for sixteen years and is telling you, in her personal manner, that something has changed.
Form regards,
Dr. Paola
Assist! I Don’t Need My Dachshund to At all times Have to Be Manually Expressed!
“My 6 yr outdated mini dachshund Miles retains having anal gland points, we complement with fiber, fish oil and probiotics and his poops are cumbersome however it nonetheless at all times looks like his anal space is bothering him. We carry him in to get expressed once we discover he’s further irritated and his glands are at all times fairly full, however we don’t know what else we will do? Does he want extra train? I’m beginning to fear about him as I clearly don’t need to ever danger abscesses or infections however I don’t need to depend on handbook expression both. Please assist!“ – Rebecca
Pricey Rebecca,
It is a quite common and understandably irritating situation, particularly in small-breed canines, who’re overrepresented in anal sac disease for anatomical and inflammatory causes reasonably than poor care. In lots of small canines, the anal sac ducts are naturally slender, which makes regular drainage harder even when the stool appears cumbersome and well-formed. Over time, repeated filling and irritation can even result in diminished anal sac tone, which means the glands lose a few of their capability to contract and empty on their very own. When the ducts are slender and the sac wall has misplaced tone, the glands might merely not have the proper circumstances to empty naturally, regardless of good stool high quality and supplementation.
Train helps total well being and bowel motility, however rising it alone hardly ever resolves persistent anal gland issues when anatomy and irritation are the first drivers. One other necessary contributor that’s typically missed is underlying allergic illness, both food-responsive or environmental. Allergic reactions may cause ongoing low-grade inflammation around the anal sacs even when the pores and skin and ears seem regular, which thickens gland secretions and additional compromises already delicate drainage.
Lengthy-term administration focuses on decreasing irritation and supporting more healthy gland operate reasonably than counting on repeated handbook expression, which may worsen irritation and additional lower sac tone over time. This typically means reassessing weight-reduction plan composition reasonably than merely including fiber, evaluating for allergic disease, and utilizing focused medical methods when acceptable. You’re proper to be proactive, and with a considerate plan that addresses these underlying elements, many canines like Miles can turn into much more comfy and considerably scale back the chance of abscesses or an infection.
I hope this helps!
Dr. Paola
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