Q. Rymadal works for my 11yo Golden but expensive so tried the generic. Should there be less improvement on generic vs brand or just cold weath…

ANSWER : A. Rimadyl and Carprofen are the same medication. Carprofen being the generic version. As long as the mg dosage has not changed there should be no difference in effectiveness between medications.

ANSWER : A. I would recommend Natural Balance at your local Petco store. Call the store and ask if they have a Natural Balance Brand rep who comes to the store and see when they come. Make sure the brand rep brings free samples with them. Normally they bring samples of the different flavors to the store and you should ask for some to try to see what your dog likes best. Offer the dog the different kibble and see which they prefer by holding them out in your hands and switch out the flavors. My dog prefered the Salmon based Natural Balance Synergy bag the best from all the flavors. I also found out he doesn’t care for the Bison Natural Balance even though a lot of dogs love it. The Petco may have free samples already so ask if they do. The pet store associates should be able to also assist you in finding the right food for you. The reason you want to go with a high quality high protein food vs the cheaper brands because they are grain free, no by products, and no corn. The cheaper brands have corn in it as the main ingredient and by product which is also very bad. When our dogs are forced to eat the cheaper brands they have to eat more to get the energy they need from the food resulting in more bowel movements and without the proper nutrients this can hurt their health later in life. The higher quality brands will be more cost per bag but you will be buying less because the dog eats less so you will be saving money that way and it comes out about even in the long run. Petco has a great Rewards Program so make sure to sign up and ask about the details on it. Every $100 you spend you get $5 in your email with the Pet Pals Reward Program.

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. Cats with stopped up noses tend to eat much less, as you’ve noted, because they can’t smell their food as well. And the smell of food is pretty important to a cat’s appetite. You can start by warming up the food in a microwave – not too hot, test it yourself by putting your finger right in the center, as the temperature of microwave food can vary – as this will intensify the smell and hopefully make your cat more interested.

Saline nose drops, like those that are used on little kids, are safe to use on a cat to clean the discharge that is dried around and in the nose. There’s a brand called Little Noses that’s available in the U.S. That I like. You can put it on a q-tip and try to remove the debris. Humidifying the air with a humidifier can help as well, or you can put the cat in the bathroom and run the shower enough to generate steam. Don’t use “real” nose drops like Neo-synephrine or anything else like that – cats quickly build up resistance to them.

A 3 oz can of food is an OK amount in 24 hours, but do try the techniques above to help your cat get more interested in food. You might also try some baby food – no garlic or onions in the ingredients – as cats usually really like the taste of it.

ANSWER : A. Fear barking should be treated delicately. You should use high value treats (chicken, cheese sticks, hotdog bits, diced ham, cooked fish, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon – all cut into tiny little bits.. or peanut butter in a squeeze tube, etc) and with the high value treats you should begin feeding them as soon as your dog becomes uncomfortable. Try keeping your dog under threshold. If going to the bark makes your dog bark (out of fear of the barn), then slowly work on his attention just outside of where he would bark. Slowly move closer feeding him treats the entire way. If at any point he begins barking, back up and work under threshold.

If this is separation anxiety, you should be working slowly at leaving your dog behind. First, make it seem like you’re leaving, “coat/shoes/keys/hat” and open the door, but close the door and don’t leave. Toss your dog a few treats without looking at him or talking to him. Slowly work on exiting for short amounts of time, returning to toss treats

ANSWER : A. Clean the vents with a 1:10 dilution of household bleach and water. Try to determine the culprit and have him/her seen by your vet to rule out medical causes. To rule out UTI, submit a clean urine sample or have your vet collect a sterile sample for urinalysis and culture. Blood work may be able to diagnose kidney disease or diabetes. Once medical causes have been ruled out, you can focus on behavioral issues. If you have multiple cats, the general rule of thumb is to have a litterbox for each cat in the house plus an additional litterbox. Try different types and brands of litter. Your cat may prefer one to another. Try litterbox attractants. Search www.pet360.com for options. If your cat is stressed or feeling anxiety, try to determine and reduce or eliminate the offending stimulus. If that isn’t possible, calming pheromone collars or sprays may be effective.

ANSWER : A. Have him seen by your vet to rule out medical causes. To rule out UTI, submit a clean urine sample or have your vet collect a sterile sample for urinalysis and culture. Blood work may be able to diagnose kidney disease or diabetes. Once medical causes have been ruled out, you can focus on behavioral issues. If you have multiple cats, the general rule of thumb is to have a litterbox for each cat in the house plus an additional litterbox. Try different types and brands of litter. Your cat may prefer one to another. Try litterbox attractants. Search www.pet360.com for options. If your cat is stressed or feeling anxiety, try to determine and reduce or eliminate the offending stimulus. If that isn’t possible, calming pheromone collars or sprays may be effective.

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.