Q. She has a tumor, shes ok now but if it comes time what would it cost for euthanization and cremation 86 lb shepard, and where located

ANSWER : A. Costs for each will vary among different service providers depending on area of the country, specific location, and the particular way you decide to proceed. Many crematoria offer a private cremation, in which your dog is individually cared for and its ashes returned to you, as well as a group or communal cremation where dogs are done together and buried at a designated location. You do not get any ashes back with this type of cremation. It is best to call vets near you and inquire directly about their charges and associated crematorium costs.

ANSWER : A. This is not good behavior. Rather than take him by the collar, call him to come with you. If he’s not good about coming when called, you can work on that. Keeps treats on hand to to entice him out and reward him when he does go potty and he’ll come to look forward to it. Clicker training is another great way to teach a dog all kinds of things, from obedience to tricks.

Have treats on hand that you know he loves, then simply click and treat. He will come to associate the sound with getting a treat. Start putting distance between you so he has to come to you. Call and click and when he comes to you for that treat, treat him and give him lots of praise. Move to hiding somewhere in the house, call and click. When he comes to you reliably inside when you call, click and treat. When this behavior is consistent, move outdoors with a very long leash. Call and click, if he doesn’t respond, give a light tug on the leash. If he takes even a single step toward you, click, treat and lots of praise. Keep doing this until he comes eagerly. Next, try him off-leash in a securely fenced area. Call and click. At this point he should be responding well and coming easily to the call and click. If he does not, go back to the last step he performed reliably and work on that again until he responds well. Eventually, you can start not treating him every time, but still praise him. Gradually lessen the frequency of the treats until he comes just to the click and praise.

Keep training sessions short, ten or fifteen minutes to start, no more than 30 minutes at a time and do it a few times a day. Try not to do it any time he is overly excited so that he can pay attention to you. Always end a training session on a good note, even if it is just getting him to do something he already does well on command. And never, NEVER punish a dog when they come to you, no matter how far they’ve made you chase them, no matter how frustrated and angry you might be. That teaches your dog that coming to you is a bad thing.

ANSWER : A. Try clicker training her to come when called. Clicker training is an effective way of training you dog to not only come when called, but can be used to teach a variety of tricks and tasks.

Have treats on hand that you know she loves, then simply click and treat. She will come to associate the sound with getting a treat. Start putting distance between you so she has to come to you. Call and click and when she comes to you for that treat, treat him and give her lots of praise. Move to hiding somewhere in the house, call and click. When she comes to you reliably inside when you call, click and treat. When this behavior is consistent, move outdoors with a very long leash. Call and click, if she doesn’t respond, give a light tug on the leash. If she takes even a single step toward you, click, treat and lots of praise. Keep doing this until she comes eagerly. Next, try her off-leash in a securely fenced area. Call and click. At this point she should be responding well and coming easily to the call and click. If she does not, go back to the last step she performed reliably and work on that again until she responds well. Eventually, you can start not treating her every time, but still praise her. Gradually lessen the frequency of the treats until she comes just to the click and praise.

Keep training sessions short, ten or fifteen minutes to start, no more than 30 minutes at a time and do it a few times a day. Try not to do it any time she is overly excited so that she can pay attention to you. Always end a training session on a good note, even if it is just getting him to do something she already does well on command. And never, NEVER punish a dog when they come to you, no matter how far they’ve made you chase them, no matter how frustrated and angry you might be. That teaches your dog that coming to you is a bad thing.

ANSWER : A. It’s all about management. Do not allow the 7yo’s to interact with your 14yo unsupervised. You should be there each time they interact so you can redirect the 14yo’s attention onto some toys, or onto some treats when the 7yo’s are around. It sounds like you need to help your 14yo make positive associations with being around the younger pups. You should be trying to feed him treats each time he interacts with them, and doesn’t snap at them. Pet and praise him each time he is around them, or any time they are near. As I said, keep the separated when you cannot supervise their interactions because if you aren’t around when he is snapping at them, you could end up with a fight on your hands.

It could also be that they spend too much time together. Imagine spending 100% of your time with somebody, day in and out, doing everything together… including going to the bathroom.. that might bother anybody. I think you should give them more time apart from each other. Take them all on separate walks, separate them to play with them individually, separate them when you take them to potty, separate feeding times in separate rooms, etc. This can help alleviate the stress your older dog is feeling due to living closely with other dogs. You should always be giving individual activities in a houseful of dogs anyway.. when you expect them to get along 100% of the time, that’s when you find trouble.

ANSWER : A. I would not say pursuing treatment is ever a waste of time, I do not know much about your cat, it’s medical condition, or the severity of the tumor. Before pursuing surgery I would highly recommend speaking to an oncologist and getting a second opinion. You should also request full body x-rays to look and see if the tumor has spread. If there are metastases, I would reconsider surgery.

ANSWER : A. I’m assuming the tumor was diagnosed on ultrasound, and a needle aspirate was taken to diagnose the type of tumor? If that hasn’t been done it should be – lots of tumors, especially the big ones, aren’t malignant, and may not cause any big problems if left alone. So let’s start there – get a needle biopsy done if possible.

If you definitely have a diagnosis of “cancer”, and the tumor is confined to one area or “lobe” of the liver, it may absolutely be surgically resectable, which may provide a complete cure. I would discuss this option with a very capable surgeon, perhaps one who is board certified if available, and proceed if he/she thinks the whole tumor can be removed.

Unfortunately I can’t think of any natural or homeopathic treatments that could be helpful. I think first you have to know the tumor is dangerous and then consider removing it, if possible.

ANSWER : A. Of course the type of cancer is very important to help evaluate survival time, and progression of disease. I would be happy to consult with you in more detail. If your veterinarian is proceeding with amputation, I would assume that no metastatic disease has been observed. ( cancer that has spread to other organs such as the lungs or liver). In many cases amputation can be curative, but again, it depends on the type and stage of your dogs cancer. Dogs recover amazingly well from digit, and even whole limb amputations, so that would be the least of my concern. Post amputation management such as chemotherapy would be my next consideration, and again would be based on diagnosis, stage, and metastatic progression.

ANSWER : A. Swelling of the face and head can indicate a serious allergic reaction, or other underlying problems such as a foreign body stuck in the nose, or a tumor or growth blocking the airways. Bleeding from the nose can further indicate the possibility of a foreign object. These usually require sedation from a veterinarian to safely remove the object or tumor in the way.

If you are unable to afford a veterinarian, you can check with your local animal shelter or humane society. They will often have information on low or no cost clinics in your area that may be able to provide you with care at a much lower cost. Some shelters may also have funds for owners in need to help cover some of the cost of veterinary care.

Many clinics are also now offering payment services such as Care Credit. Care Credit is a sort of medical credit card that can help spread out the cost of payments, is usually no or low-interest and can make affording veterinary care easier. You can learn more about this service and find clinics in your area by visiting http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/