Q. I have a 6 mo. Old teacup chihuahua that has a bump where her belly button used to be. How do I tell if it’s a herniated or not.

ANSWER : A. It is difficult to tell if the bump is a hernia if you are not familiar with examining hernias. A hernia is often able to be pushed back into the hole in the abdominal tissue. I would recommend having this lump examined by a veterinarian. Umbilical hernias are common and can be repaired during her spay.

ANSWER : A. First, avoid scolding him and acting aggressively towards him if you don’t want him to be acting aggressively towards you. There are other methods you can use to communicate to your dog that you don’t want him to continue doing what he is doing. I recommend you stop telling him “no”, scolding him, or raising your voice at him. Everything coming from you should be 100% positive and 100% calm.

Try to figure out ways to clearly communicate what you want to your dog. If you want your dog to leave something or someone alone, I strongly suggest teaching your dog commands like “leave it”. Here is a link to a video in which I explain how to do it:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TS5nA7z5Q

Another thing I suggest you use is a no-reward marker. This clearly communicates when your dog has done something wrong. No-reward markers have to be introduced during your training sessions. You should be doing at least three training sessions per day, that are something like 3-10 minutes long (working on different things each training session). If you are teaching your dog something BRAND NEW, do not use the no-reward marker, as you do not want to discourage your dog from performing behaviors for you. Use the no-reward marker for known behaviors only. Here is another helpful video about this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdU5a6fXKlg

Lure each new behavior (as shown in the video) using high value treats. Let’s say you’re working on “down” which is a behavior your dog knows fairly well. Present the treat to your dog. Ask your dog to “down” (only ask once). If he does not go “down” immediately, say, “uh-oh” or “eh-eh” in a gentle tone, and then place the treat behind your back. This communicates to your dog that they did something to make the treat go away.

After you place the treat behind your back to show your pup “that was wrong” you need to communicate to your pup “let’s try again” by getting your pup to walk around for a second, and then start the behavior all over again. If your puppy is very young, chances are you haven’t taught him a solid “down” behavior yet. So, as I said, do not use this method until you have lured each new behavior as shown in the video.

This is the order in which you should teach behaviors: Lure using a high value treat as shown in the video. After a few successful food lures, lure with an empty hand. If the pup is successful with the empty hand lure, reward with lots of treats. If the pup is unsuccessful, then go back to food-luring a couple more times. After a few successful empty-hand lures, you can begin to add the cue. Say “sit”, then lure with an empty hand, and then reward. Once your pup understands the cue, begin to work on the no-reward marker.

ANSWER : A. Your question is a good one, and unfortunately the answers are going to differ based on who you ask. Many vets are seeing resistance to Frontline, which has been the go-to product for many of us for many years. It contains the active ingredient Fipronil, which is very safe and typically extremely effective. I use it on my dogs and never see fleas or ticks. However other vets will tell you in their areas, for whatever reason, they are seeing fleas and ticks on dogs and cats on which this product was used.

Another reason opinions differ is that some people like to give an oral product, and some like to put a topical product directly on the skin. That’s a matter of personal preference mostly. Bravecto, as mentioned below, is one of those products. Most people find it safe and effective. It uses a different process that Frontline to kill fleas and ticks.

In general the products you buy over-the-counter are likely going to be less expensive and less effective than what you get from a vet. I think the reason is that the more expensive products contain newer insecticides, and likely less resistance to these products has built up in the flea and tick population but also they are maybe less “proven”, so it’s important for a vet to be involved in the use of the product in order to ensure that there won’t be a negative reaction to using it.

If I lived in an area where there was Lyme disease (in the US that’s the northeast and upper midwest) I’d most definitely add a tick collar to my standard oral or topical flea and tick prevention. AND I’d search both of my dogs everyday for ticks. It’s because nothing you buy will be 100% effective, and Lyme disease can be a very serious problem.

If you want to talk further and talk more specifically about where you live and what products you’re considering, I’d be happy to do a consult with you. Nobody here is paid to recommend products, but we do develop preferences based on what we use on our own pets and in our practices.

ANSWER : A. Bumps can be caused by a number of things including minor allergies to food or environment, cuts or skin infections causing swelling under the skin, or just normal puppy “acne” as your dog enters her “teenage” stage of life. If the bump is not bothersome, it may be best to monitor it for any signs of changing size, becoming bothersome, or if redness appears.

If the bump is red or itchy, it may be good to look into her diet for any common allergens such as wheat, corn, or soy, and to see if the bumps appear anywhere else on the body. If the food is not a culprit, then a daily allergy medication may also help. If the bump is red or hot to the touch, painful, growing quickly, or oozing debris it may indicate an abscess, or infection under the skin, which should be treated by your vet via draining and antibiotics. If your dog is bothered by the area, placing a T-shirt or Elizabethan (cone) collar on her to prevent licking and chewing and spreading infection is best until you can get into your vet.

ANSWER : A. If your cat has black bumps or other skin lesions forming that have not cleared up with preventive flea treatment or changes in diet, it may be time to request some additional testing as needed. Your vet can take a skin scraping of one of the lesions and send it to a Lab for various tests. One test includes growing any bacteria or fungus present, and then subjecting them to various medications to find which one is best to use. Other tests just look for certain growth patterns to determine if a fungus or bacteria is present which can be treated with oral or topical medications from your vet.

Cats can commonly have chin acne, which is the formation of little bumps that can be red or black in color and may sometimes break open and ooze debris. The cause of this acne is unknown, however one theory is that cats can actually get bacterial infections from rubbing their chins on plastic food dishes or dishes that are not cleaned often. Treatment may involve anywhere from none at all in minor cases, to use of wipes, creams or antibiotics for helping clear up any infection.

ANSWER : A. Lumps and bumps are very common in dogs. They can be caused by any number of things ranging from allergic reactions, to pockets of infection under the skin, to various tumors and cysts. If the bumps are spreading rapidly, or are very bothersome to your dog it is best to have a vet look at it to make sure it is not serious.

Allergic reaction bumps will often appear as small, red, itchy pockets of bumps anywhere on the body. These are usually treated with an allergy medication or over the counter antihistamine. Abscesses are pockets of infection under the skin that usually are one large bump, however in spreading infections may have other bumps appear. These are often painful or hot to the touch, and may ooze debris that is yellow or greenish in color. Abscesses are usually drained and then an antibiotic given to clear up the infection. Some tumors can also appear as small bumps that begin to spread and their type can be determined through biopsy of the site if other more common causes are ruled out.

Until you can have your vet look at the lumps, it is best to stop your dog from licking or chewing at them. Licking and chewing can cause cuts and scrapes to open, allowing bacteria and infection to spread over the affected area. An Elizabethan collar, or a T-shirt over the affected area can help prevent licking and chewing.

ANSWER : A. While ingredients of this product are not easy to find, it seems that if the product is safe to use on humans for wiping, it should be OK for use externally to clean off dirt or debris on the fur.

It is best to try a small area of skin to try the product on first, and then watch for any reactions. Signs of adverse reaction include itching, redness, rash or irritation at the site used. If any irritation is seen, use should be discontinued. If no irritation is seen, it should be OK to use the wipes on a larger part of the body.

ANSWER : A. If the pus really isn’t all that bad, and it’s just some discharge, your pup may benefit from a diet change. It could be that the food you’re feeding just isn’t right for your dog, and that’s okay! Dogs grow and change over time, and now that your dog is fully matured, a diet change may be in order. Try something like Taste of the Wild, maybe a grain free dog food, Orijen, or Ziwipeak. These are all really great food options.

If the pus is really bad, and continues to get worse, see your vet again and let them know what’s going on. Maybe you could try a diet change, and then see if there are any improvements.

Remember, you should always gradually change a dogs diet. By gradually, I mean you put a tiny bit of new kibble in with a bowl of the old kibble. Reduce the old kibble by just a few bits of kibble. Throughout the course of at least two weeks (or as long as you want depending on whether or not you want to finish off the old food) you slowly add more of the new kibble while removing some of the old kibble. This makes the process gradual, and won’t cause any tummy-upset in your dog.