Sick Dog

[Patsycat]

Bambi, What is the easiest method of giving a cat a pill? I have another cat so cannot put it in his food, also he seems to sense the fact there is an alien object when i try that. I am covered in scratches and when i try to force his jaw, he will not let me!!!

Thanx, Patsy

[TAWP]

One way I have done is to tip the head (of the cat) back, use indexfinger and thumb to open the mouth and release the pill into the back of the mouth, then 'massage' the throut so the swallow-reflex activates and makes the cat swallow it. (Even though some cats have an extended skill in puking it up after a while if they want to...)

Here dogs are atleast easier...just hide it in something really good, and they will happily eat it.

Thx Bambina. Will try to get a hold of a better vet too...our 'regulare' one hasn't been around for 5 months. Father-in-law said something about that the vet was tired of taking care of the dogs, or something...

Edited November 22, 2005 by TAWP

[BambinA]

Bambi, What is the easiest method of giving a cat a pill? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One way I have done is to tip the head (of the cat) back, use indexfinger and thumb to open the mouth and release the pill into the back of the mouth, then 'massage' the throut so the swallow-reflex activates and makes the cat swallow it. (Even though some cats have an extended skill in puking it up after a while if they want to...)

or

use the tablet introducer

or

How to Give A Cat A Pill

1 Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. 

2 Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. 

3 Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away. 

4 Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten. 

5 Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from yard. 

6 Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously. 

7 Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later. 

8 Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw. 

9 Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap. 

10 Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with rubber band. 

11 Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom. 

12 Call fire department to retrieve the <deleted>' cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap. 

13 Tie the little bastard's front paws to rear paws with twine and bind tightly to leg of dining room table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down. 

14 Consume remainder of Scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table. 

15 Arrange for Humane Society to collect mutant cat from hel_l and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

Thx Bambina.

my pleasure

[Chang_paarp]

Great description Bambi much better than using the "propper" epquipment.

[Fried Rice]

On the subject of sick dogs did you see Sam the Ugliest dog died at 14 years of age.

What a sad day indeed.

Article on Sam

Rest in peace mate. You will be missed.

[loganberry]

I bought a dog in Bangkok market awhile back. She was happy, had a lot of energy and fun to play with. Right after I bought her, I took her to the vet for all the shots she needed (she was about 8 weeks old). Within 3 days, she was housebroke and wouldn't bark at night. Great companion. After about 8 days later she was sick and a couple days later she died. The vet said parvovirus. Next time I buy a dog, I will wait when the dog show shows up in Bangkok. I'll find a good kennel that sells healthy dogs, with a guarantee. At least 30 days. Until then I will wait. Here is a picture of the dog I bought. Even after only owning her about 12 days I still miss her.

That is a completely sad story, Larryst. Unfortunately most of the dog retailers here are complete idiots and/or they would rather have the buyer figure out the dog's health for themselves. I had a related problem with a dog that I bought from a supposed real pet shop that was in a nice building, parking lot, clean, etc. Bought a jack russell - chihuahua mix and he was acting like a normal dog for the first week and the retailer said they have their own vet service and I should bring him back there for a check up. A week after taking him home, he has lethargy, lose stool and wouldn't consume much food. Took him to the "vet" at the shop and they suprisingly gave me only a stupid syrup medication without even testing him for anything. A week later he was still the same and I took him to a real animal hospital and while we were waiting for the results of the blood test he went into shock and looking horrifying. Imagine scaring the shit out of your dog and then freezing the dog in those pose and that is what he looked like. He apparently had a long-standing blood parasite and intestinal parasite problem passed down from the farm he came from, I guess. It was so bad that he stayed in the hospital for about 2 weeks and received two seperate blood transfusions. Almost two years later.. he is perfectly healthy.. but I will always be wary when talking to people about dog shops. I even rescued a few puppies off the streets and they have had the same problems. In conclusion, the street puppies and the 13,000 baht store bought puppies were really of the same quality. Will never buy a dog again... would rather just adopt or rescue one.

[loganberry]

Bambi....had a female dog that had what I think was a flea allergy and was losing hair from the base of her tail and nothing seemed to fix it.

yes , its a typical lesion of flea bite allergey , alopecia around tail and hind part of back

TX

1 get rid flea , as frontline spot one, shampoo..etc

2 antihistamine and/or steroid (systemic) as chorpheniramine +/- predisolone 1-2 wks

3 steroid+ATB tropical cream as unipred

4 ATB - for 2nd bacterial infection

After she delivered a litter, one of the Pups got Puppy Strangles, where there is a build up of pus in the throat area which can kill them slowly.....the vet drained the pus and put a drain tube in, he said it came from the mothers milk so I asked for anti biotics to give the mother to try and prevent any further problems

do u mean an abcess at pup's neck? .. IMHO opinion, it was from small wound and then get infection

for milk (incase mom has a prob of mastitis) ..in milk will have toxin , make puppy diarrhea , and dead

mastitis (inflamation of mammaly gland) .. the mik will have strange color or curd , and breast.. it will be swallen, warm ,read

.... the anti biotic he gave me also cured the flea allergy permanantly....any clues as to which anti biotic it was

hmm ... need more detail about what is it colore, tab or capsule, etc

actaully ATB cant cure flea bite allergy , but we use it for treatment 2nd bacterial infection at skin

basically in Staph, aureus has beta-lactamase ..so sometime , B-lactam group as penicillin, amox. wont work well

sometime we use Norflox ,Cephalexin , Sulfa-trimethoprim ,Amox-Clavulinic acid ..etc (but need to beware in case feeding peroid that drug can pass through milky

in case puppy, we have less choice to use ATB, seem the safety group is B-lactam ATB

You sound like you know what you are talking about. One of puppies I recently rescued (about 5-7 weeks old) has a skin problem with very uneven hair as if she has lost in all around her body, small red irritations and several slowly healing blister-like scabs. Unfortunately the night that I picked her up off the street my regular vet was not working at the hospital so I got this other vet that was more concerned for his appearance than the dog's health. Fecal and blood tests came back fine, but scraped her skin to check it out and then said that he would not be able to see anything because she had been bathed before coming to the hospital. The vet said something about allergies but would not say if it came from fleas/mosquito bites.. etc. and prescribed an anithistamine called ATARAX. I have been reading around on the subject since then and can only assume that the vet thinks my pup has Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)? I thought that only mature dogs get that?

Until my next appointment date, I have just been keeping up her ATARAX doses and giving her a medicatied shampoo called MALASEB along with a diet high in protein, fatty acids, etc. What insight can you provide me about her possible condition or how else to help her clear up the skin? She is keep indoors and has playtime outside every day with me on the roof away from any foilage or anything else.. just concrete. Kept very clean and is currently on Frontline Spot, not Frontline Plus (which I think she should be on if the doctor thought there could have been a previous flea problem re: eggs).

[Cuban]

Also heard a good way to keep ticks and fleas off dogs and cats is to put a bit of fresh garlic in their food..

Don't give garlic to dogs.

Onion and Garlic Toxicity in Dogs and Cats:

General Information In dogs and cats, garlic and onion can cause Heinz body anemia, resulting in a breakdown of the red blood cells and anemia. The very small amounts of garlic that are present in some commercial pet foods have not been shown to cause any problems.

The bulbs, bulbets, flowers, and stems of the garlic and onion are all poisonous.

Toxic Dose

Unknown. Cats appear to be more sensitive than dogs.

Signs

Vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, discolored urine, weakness, liver damage, allergic reactions, asthmatic attacks, and in case of skin exposure, contact dermatitis.

Immediate Action

Induce vomiting and seek veterinary attention. If dermal (skin) exposure, bathe thoroughly and contact a veterinarian.

Veterinary Care

General treatment: The induction of vomiting may be continued, gastric lavage is performed, and activated charcoal administered, if ingested. If dermal exposure has occurred, the animal will be bathed and dried thoroughly.

Prognosis Variable.

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