New Hartford Animal Hospital and Care Center

ASK THE VET

Dog Care


What is a good age to get my dogs spayed? I have a ten month old, and a recently adopted two year old.
	The ideal time to spay or neuter your pet is approximately 5 months of age. The age will vary with the size of the dog. Spaying at this age will prevent your pet from experiencing a heat cycle. The surgery is less costly and easier to perform at a young age as well. However, spaying can be done at any age in a healthy dog.

MY 2.5 yr old Beagle still wets in her cage at night and during the day. She has no urine infection, we had her tested and we let her out frequently. Also she constantly chews rags eventhough we give her nylon bones to chew?
	Give her plenty of exercise, consider limiting her water intake in the evening and use a crate that only allows her enough room to turn around and lie comfortably in. Other than those suggestions, you might consult your veterinarian for a behavioral workup.

I just got a 2 year old Japanese chin and his eyes seem to water a lot the fur under his eyes is always wet should this be seen by a vet I have been told its just the breed thank you Edie
	Congratulations on your new pet! I recommend any pet be examined and established as a patient at an animal hospital regardless if there is a potential medical problem. Your veterinarian can discuss any eye issues and make a recommendation depending on what is causing the problem. In addition, his medical records will be on file and vaccinations can be updated when needed. Call our office if you would like to schedule an appointment. Thank you.

My 1 year old dachsund has recently started having patches of skin under her front legs and on her chest that look like they are losing the pigment. She is dapple, so she has 3 different colors in her fur, but I was curious if the whitening skin was anything to be worried about. There is no rash or flakiness near these patches, so is this just something that can naturally happen?
	Pigment changes are certainly possible and can be part of a normal process. The next time you have her in for an examination, be sure to check with your veterinarian.

Is it ok to give your dog Benadryl or an allergy medication for itchy paws & ears?
	Benedryl is something we prescribe in certain situations. Before you use it, be sure to ask your veterinarian for the proper dose for your pet.

Hi, I have a 2 yr old female lab/dalmation mix who often becomes very aggressive for no apparent reason, this aggression includes biting,snapping,growling and teeth baring. she also becomes protective of her toys. What things would/could cause this change in her behavior and can you offer any ideas as to a solution?
	I'm sorry to hear you are having aggression issues with your dog. A complete history is required before deciding what triggers these episodes and what is required to desensitize her. This begins with a comprehensive physical examination by your Veterinarian to rule out any underlying disease. Once underlying disease is ruled out, a behaviorist can work with you and your pet to try to correct the aggressive behavior. If I can be of help, please call my office to schedule an appointment. Good luck.

I have a mastiff/boxer mix who has developed 2 bald spots one on each side by her hips. What causes this. She is not loosing hair anywhere else.
	This is most likely "Seasonal Affective Alopecia (baldness)" It is seen in the areas you described and is due to lack of sunlight during the winter months. It is common to many breeds including Boxers. Exposure to sunlight will improve the condition. Melatonin at the dose presecribed by your Veterinarian can also be helpful.

I have a 9 month old English Bulldog with skin allergies (shocker)! I have tried everything from changing his food to grain-free diet, malacetic wipes, hydrocortizone, salmon oil and coconut oil without success. He gets very sensitive around his neck and has scabs on this right lower leg. They are not wet - more like scabs. Any idea on how I can treat him?
	Unfortunately there are so many skin conditions with different causes and treatments. We are very good at detecting and treating these conditions but we have to physically examine the patient to see what is going on. It sounds like you have tried multiple approaches to curing the condition and none have helped. I would be happy to examine your dog and give you my opinion on how best to proceed. There are many diagnostic tools we can use to diagnose these types of medical problems. Give my office a call if you would like to schedule an appointment. Thank you and good luck.

i lost a dog 3 weeks ago and my other dog is mourning. I would love to get another dog but she has issues and fearaggression is one of them. How can I accustom her to another dog without a huge fighting problem. My dog is a german shepard about 7-8 female. thanks
	I am sorry to hear you lost a pet and that your other dog is not doing well. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrance when a family member passes away. As far as introducing a new dog into your household, I would wait until your dog is feeling a bit more herself. When that happens, consider a dog who is at least as big as she is and possibly a neutered male. Use a basket muzzle on your current dog until you feel she is comfortable enough with your new pet to remove the muzzle. Do so under direct supervision. Do not leave them alone until you are certain they get along well together. Any time you are dealing with a pet who is aggressive, you will run the risk of them fighting. Although it is impossible to predict what will happen, the more you can control the situation, the better the outcome. Your veterinarian might be a good resource to help you find an appropriate pet for your family. Best of luck.

I have 2 dogs, a 1yr,10month old Shih-tzu/Havanese mix and a 10month old Shih-tzu/Long Hair Chihuahua mix After putting in a doggie door and outside kennel I realized that after they go outside to go to the bathroom, the older dog is eating the stools that are in the yard I can t pick them up fast enough or follow them around all day. I read online that the may outgrow this, and i have tried pills from the pet store (2 different brands with Vit.B) in their food Also tried putting pineapple and pumpkin in their food The pineapple, made one sick and even with the pumkin,it slowed her down,but she is still eating her stool. Very frustrated, Is this harmful? I even think she might be teaching the puppy to do the same I feed them both Nature's Choice Food (Chicken/rice/oatmeal pink bag) twice a day Any suggestions?? PLease help!!!! Thank you, Donna
	I am sorry to hear you are not getting good results with the pumpkin and pineapple. If you haven't already tried it, the product Forbid sometimes works. You can also try switching dog foods. Sometimes this will correct the problem but be sure to stay with a highly digestible, premium dog food. However, this behavior is very difficult to change and often the only solution is to pick up their stool as soon as they have a bowel movement. The behavior is not harmful unless she is ingesting stool that is infected with parasites. If she is eating only her own stool and you have both of your dogs on monthly internal parasite prevention, she should be OK medically.

I've been shopping around and I was wondering if you could tell me how much you charge to spay a chihuahua.(If you offer this procedure) She is over 1 yr old and is no more than 6lbs.
	Once she was completely vaccinated and had a negative parasite analysis, I could perform the surgery on her. The cost would be approximately $225. Give our office a call if you would like any additional information about the procedure. Thank you.

Why is my 2 yr. old lab eating dirt & how do I stop her from doing this?
	Some animals do try to eat things that are not food related. Be sure that your pet is eating the dirt rather than digging in it. Also, a well balanced diet with the proper vitamins and nutrients might help. If the behavior continues or becomes worrisome, please give our office a call to schedule an examination.

I just got my dog I want to bring her in for a visit how uch will my first visit cost. I do not now how how she is it was given as a gift.
	Congratulations on your new pet! We are happy you have chosen us for your pet's health care provider. There are many things we will review with you on your first visit so plan to be here for an hour. The cost for the first examination is $45. If your dog needs vaccinations, the average cost of each vaccine is $15.50. We should test a stool sample for intestinal parasites. The fee for that is $21. There are other recommendations we will make but we can give you an estimate for those at the time of your visit and you can decide what works best for you. I encourage you to apply for Care Credit. There is information on our website that explains more about this but many of our clients use it to manage the financial side of their pet's health care. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Our 8 month old Black and Tan Coonhound (female spayed) is eating stool in our yard. We also have a 3 YO Boxer (N). They have the same food. My 3 questions are: will she outgrow this behavior, is there a safe food additive to render the stool less(?) attractive, and, I regret to add, not absolutely certain who's she is eating, why is she apparently targeting only his? TY, MM
	Coprophagiais the term used when dogs eat their stool. It is a fairly common behavior but difficult to treat. To combat this, we recommend a food additive called For-bid. It is added to the dog's food so that when they defacate, the fecal matter doesn't taste good. You can also try changing their diet, adding a few tablespoons of pumpkin or pinapple to their food, or even a few teaspoons of meat tenderizer. Sadly, many pet owners end up having to live with the behavior by trying to discourage it and picking up the feces as soon as possible. Hope something works for you!

Hello, I wonder what would cause a dog to lose an occasional chunk of feces after waking. My dog has had this problem since we got her at four months old. Now she is 8, she is a medium sized golden doodle. This happens occasionally after she wakes from a nap and stretches. It is a firm peice of stool about an inch or two long. It is happening more frequently now that she is older. As if she doesn't eliminate completely when outdoors so a dried peice falls out later. Our vet says perhaps her rectal muscles aren't strong enough. Thank you.
	It is possible that her rectal muscles are not strong enough especially if she has been examined by your veterinarian. Because she has had it since she was young, it could have been from nerve damage or it could be from a malformation of her sphincter muscle. As she ages, her condition may worsen. There are drugs that can help with this but the side effects of the drugs are often worse than just cleaning up after her.

with all the scares about dog food recalls,which dog food do you recomd
	We feed and recommend Hills Science Diet in our hospital and in our kennel. We have had good luck and great results feeding this food. However, there are many good diets on the market. The source of the products used in the diet is the main issue when dealing with recalls. Quality control and consistency is most important in the formulation of diets. The FDA regulates dog food so that it is safe to eat, made under sanitary conditions and contains no harmful substances. However, with that said, even with human foods, we are sometimes exposed things that can make us sick. Check product labeling and do your research before deciding which diet to feed. And when in doubt, ask your veterinarian.

I have a 3 year old pug who is constantly shaking her head an scratching her ear. She has a history of ear infections that have been treated with medications.Her ear is not red or streaked with red or drainage. Is this a nervous tic or something to be concerned about? Thank you for your time.
	If it is just an occasional shake and scratch, it might be nothing. However, if she has had a history of ear infections and she does it more than occasionally, she likely has something that needs to be treated. There are many different types of ear infections so culturing the ear to see exactly what is causing the infection is important. Once your veterinarian has this information, they can treat the condition with the appropriate medication. If you would like more information, feel free to give us a call.

I have a siberian who does not eat her normal portion of food during the winter months. She picks at it and always leaves about half of it on a daily basis. What can i do to get her to eat more? I have been mixing her hard food with canned ( always Pedigree).
	It is difficult to try to get picky eaters to increase their food consumption. Hopefully you have taken her to your veterinarian and he or she does not feel this is a threat to her health. There are supplements and food additives available over the counter or from your veterinarian that you can use on her food to entice her to eat more. Or you can add boiled chicken to her dry food which might be more palatable for her. When I have a patient who needs to eat more, we offer a prescription diet that has extra nutrients and calories in it to help increase palatability. Talk to your veterinarian if this is something you are interested in trying. We are happy to speak with you by phone if we can be of further assistance. Thank you and good luck!

Charlotte had some shots yesterday and when she woke up this am she seemed to be in pain in the areas she had the shots injected.. What can I give her to relieve the pain..Thank you Colleen
	I am sorry to hear Charlotte is not feeling well. After checking her record, I see that Dr. Mora already made a recommendation for medication. Please let us know if you need anything else. I hope Charlotte is feeling better soon!

how much would it cost to get my dog spayed , she just went into heat , would i have to wait ? , what are the procedures , she weighs 30 pounds,about 8 or 9 months old , an australian cattle dog .
	Because your dog is in heat, I would wait until the heat cycle is over before spaying her. The cost would be $225.00. Prior to surgery, patients need to be up to date on vaccinations, stool analysis and heartworm test. She would also need pre-anesthetic blood screening. We accept Care Credit which often helps clients afford larger veterinary bills. You can find out more on our website. We would love to welcome you to our family so give us a call when you are ready.

I'm a new dog owner and I just got my dog. She is 8 months old and the previous owner has said the last time she's gotten a shot was at 6 weeks. She is clearly late on her other shots and I'm wondering what to do. Also how much are shots?
	Congratulations on your new dog! Yes it seems she is late on her vaccinations and we can help with that. Ideally, we should see what she has had up until now. If you don't have access to those records, we can start her over. The cost for the first examination is $45 and the distemper vaccination is $15.50. She will also need a leptospirosis series (2 vaccines 3 weeks apart) which cost $15.50 each and a Rabies vaccination which costs $16.50 and includes an identification tag. We can talk more with you about treatments and payment options if you call our office. Thank you!

I hope that this is where this goes.. I was looking into flying my dog across the country with me, and I know that the weather can cause a problem.. It is very cold and I am hoping that that wouldn't pose a threat? He is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi who weighs 37lbs. Please let me know :) Thank you.
	Each airline is different so check with them to see what conditions your pet will be flown in. As long as your pet is in good physical health, it shouldn't be a problem. Prior to travel, your veterinarian should examine your pet and make sure he is up to date on all necessary vaccinations. There is usually a health certificate that the airline needs. Please give us a call if we can be of further help. Good luck!

Hello, I was just in to see Dr. Mora with my rottweiler, Roxy. She was prescribed 50mg Proin Chewable Tablets for a recent urinary incontinence problem. I was told that she would have to continue this medication for the rest of her life! While I know that this sort of problem is common in older, spayed females, I have a concern about the correlation between such a urinary incontinence problem and the multiple new vaccinations and medications (Lepto annual vacc., Lyme annual vacc., and Frontline) that my dog has recently received. Only now have I started to wonder about the side-effects associated with these vaccinations. I wasn't warned about the possibility of side-effects and, being that I'm not an expert in veterinary science, and my dog has been healthy, I wasn't very concerned at the time of vaccination. Now, however, I'm concerned that my four-year-old, previously healthy rottweiler has to take medication twice/day to solve a problem that I believe could have been brought on by the vaccinations. I believe that I may have been given a life-long medication to counteract the side-effects of an unnecessary vaccination. This is a bill that I can already barely afford but, more importantly, I definitely can't afford to watch my family member suffer if it's unnecessary. I'm heavily considering a second opinion. Any suggestions would be tremendously appreciated as I decide on the best course of action to take for my pet. Sincerely, John Peter
	Hi Mr. Peter. Urinary incontinence is common in unspayed females and while certain medical conditions can be attributed to vaccine reactions, this is not one of them. I will have Dr. Mora contact you so he can explain further. Of course if you still want a second opinion, we encourage you to see a specialist in Syracuse or Albany. Just let us know who you choose and we can fax over the records. Thank you.

Hello, Here is a terrific idea for Dr Mondi to discuss on a future spot on WKTV! Thank you for your consideration! Please discuss TITTERING pets as an option for clients at annual vet check-ups. Also vaccines, when necessary should be given in rear leg rather than shoulder blade region. Dr Ronald Schultz is a leader in vaccine protocol. Here is a link to a short video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiBexA5lSL8 Thank you for your consideration. From an anonymous pet owner who lost a beloved family member to an adverse vaccine event.
	We are sorry to hear of the loss of your pet and appreciate the information about vaccines. We agree that checking titers is optimal for determing whether ot not a pet needs a vaccine. However, it is cost prohibitive in most instances and NYS does not recognize the titer as a replacement for a rabies vaccine. We will defintely review the information you forwarded. Thank you!

i was wondering if and when you will offer the new procedure known as zuetering any time soon? thankyou, susan
	Thank you for your question. Zeutering is done by a veterinarian, using a chemical to sterilize a male dog in place of removing his testicles. It is a procedure that can be done on male dogs 10 months of age and younger. However, while it does render the dog incapable of reproducing, it does not remove all of the hormones, leaving the dog susceptible to other hormone related medical conditions including testicular cancer. Zeutering can be used in instances where surgery costs are extremely high or when sterilization is the only concern. NHAH charges $179 to neuter a young male dog and at this time, we do not see the benefit of using the chemical procedure over the traditional surgical procedure. However, if you still feel this option is more suitable for you, we would be happy to explore that possibility further with you. Give our office a call if you would like more information. Thank you.

Do have a pet insurance you recommend. Wondering if it is a good idea for Miss Little Lu Too. She is a patient of yours:). Also do you microchip? Lot of questions. We have been hearing a lot about dog treats like Beggin Strips, Pupperoni and such being bad now. These are treats she loves. Can you advise your stand on these and advise other treats for her! What do you think of boiled beef bones (large size). She is a border collie lab mix about 1 year 9 months now.
	First, say hello to Miss Little Lu Tu! We hope she is doing well. We don't recommend one specific pet insurance but we do recommend that every pet has at least major medical insurance. This helps in instances when pets become injured or ill. Treatment plan recommendations are easier to accept when cost is not a huge issue. We have several plans that many of our clients use. Visit our website for more information: http://www.newhartfordanimalhospital.com/brochures.php. We do microchip and many of our patients elect this service. We use the HomeAgain chip and their registry because they have the most widely accepted system. As for treats, try to stick with a high quality treat that complements or is from the same line as Miss Little Lu Too's dog food line. Beggin Strips and Pupperoni type treats often have chemicals or excessive sodium which is not good for her. And bones should be avoided as well. They can splinter and become lodged in the throat, or be swallowed which causes digestive problems. Once of the more common issues with bones is that they can cause damage or breakage of the carnasial teeth which will cause life long problems for Miss Little Lu Too. Thank you!

Hi, I'm thinking of getting a 1 yr old lab/shephard mix from someone who will bring it to a shelter otherwise. First off, it is 1 yr old and weighs 40 lbs. That seems small for that mix of dog. Secondly, they said she needed to be spayed and need shots and has fleas. Just wondering initial cost of all this if I were to take the dog and gt it to you. Thanks Mark
	That's wonderful that you are considering adoption. The first few visits are the most costly but once she is spayed and completes her vaccinations, she will only need to see us once a year. Her initial examination would be $45. Each vaccination costs approximately $15 but depends on what she has had and what she needs. It would cost about $189 to have her spayed. We can find a health care program that fits your budget. And we offer Care Credit which with approval, gives you 6 months to pay off your invoices with no interest. When you are ready, give us a call and we can discuss her care in more detail.

I may have to have a radio active iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism. I hear I would need to stay away from pregnant women and children for 7 days..and keep distance from adults....I cannot find any information on pets....I have a 6 year old male poodle...how will this affect "Riley"? Do I need the same precuations around him?
	We are sorry to hear you might have to have an idoine treatment. You should take the same precautions for "Riley" as you would for children. Good luck with everything.