When is the best time to give my pet their medication?
Jessica Vogelsang/petMD
Jasmine got a huge amount of various medications throughout her lifetime. Cookie gets some, and even JD had times when he was on meds. One important question to have answered when you get a prescription for you dog is when you should give it. Your vet should tell you and, ideally, also write it on the label.
It's not only about how many pills to give how many times a day. (The most confusing dosing we had to deal with was Cookie's Diethylstilbestrol (DES). We need to give it in decreasing amounts and every 3.5 days. Which meant some had to be given in the morning, some in the evening. Try keeping track of that!)
It is also important to know whether the medication should be given with food, or apart from food. NSAIDs, for example, always need to be given with food. Thyroid supplement, on the other hand, should not be given at meal time but one hour before or three hours after feeding.
It can get quite confusing sometimes, particularly if your dog is on multiple medications. Always make sure your vet writes down the dose, frequency, and timing of each of the prescribed meds, as well as whether some should be given apart from each other. And while at it you might want to ask what you should do if you forget to give a dose, it made your dog sick, or your dog wouldn't accept it. Our vet also always provides a rough timeline of when we should start seeing results and by when the problem should have resolved.
Icterus / Jaundice – Why is My Pet Yellow?
Dr. Christopher G. Byers/Critical Care DVM
None of our dogs god jaundice yet, and hopefully they won't. Even though Jasmine's liver was trashed pretty good after her hyperthermia event, and she was getting bruised all over, she did not get jaundiced.
Yellow skin, gums or the whites of the eyes is a major red flag that should send you on the way to a vet. Your dog can get jaundiced when their red blood cells are being destroyed, , their liver is in trouble or with gall bladder disease.
To learn what is behind jaundice and how it is treated. see Dr. Buyers' article.
The Use and Abuse of Probiotics
Dr. Jean Dodds/Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog
Probiotics. Once dismissed by mainstream veterinary medicine, probiotics are gaining more and more respect as new studies are coming out with all the benefits probiotics offer. We are only learning about the importance of the bacteria we, and our dogs, carry around in our bodies (microbiome). Some experts even foresee that in [perhaps near] future we might be treating diseases by treating one's microbiome. Many things can mess with the balance of microorganisms in the body, and regular use of probiotics can only be beneficial.
Is there ever a time when you shouldn't use probiotics for your dog? Find out in Dr. Dodds' article.
Jessica Vogelsang/petMD
Jasmine got a huge amount of various medications throughout her lifetime. Cookie gets some, and even JD had times when he was on meds. One important question to have answered when you get a prescription for you dog is when you should give it. Your vet should tell you and, ideally, also write it on the label.
It's not only about how many pills to give how many times a day. (The most confusing dosing we had to deal with was Cookie's Diethylstilbestrol (DES). We need to give it in decreasing amounts and every 3.5 days. Which meant some had to be given in the morning, some in the evening. Try keeping track of that!)
It is also important to know whether the medication should be given with food, or apart from food. NSAIDs, for example, always need to be given with food. Thyroid supplement, on the other hand, should not be given at meal time but one hour before or three hours after feeding.
It can get quite confusing sometimes, particularly if your dog is on multiple medications. Always make sure your vet writes down the dose, frequency, and timing of each of the prescribed meds, as well as whether some should be given apart from each other. And while at it you might want to ask what you should do if you forget to give a dose, it made your dog sick, or your dog wouldn't accept it. Our vet also always provides a rough timeline of when we should start seeing results and by when the problem should have resolved.
Icterus / Jaundice – Why is My Pet Yellow?
Dr. Christopher G. Byers/Critical Care DVM
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| Photo vetsnobiety |
None of our dogs god jaundice yet, and hopefully they won't. Even though Jasmine's liver was trashed pretty good after her hyperthermia event, and she was getting bruised all over, she did not get jaundiced.
Yellow skin, gums or the whites of the eyes is a major red flag that should send you on the way to a vet. Your dog can get jaundiced when their red blood cells are being destroyed, , their liver is in trouble or with gall bladder disease.
To learn what is behind jaundice and how it is treated. see Dr. Buyers' article.
The Use and Abuse of Probiotics
Dr. Jean Dodds/Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog
Probiotics. Once dismissed by mainstream veterinary medicine, probiotics are gaining more and more respect as new studies are coming out with all the benefits probiotics offer. We are only learning about the importance of the bacteria we, and our dogs, carry around in our bodies (microbiome). Some experts even foresee that in [perhaps near] future we might be treating diseases by treating one's microbiome. Many things can mess with the balance of microorganisms in the body, and regular use of probiotics can only be beneficial.
Is there ever a time when you shouldn't use probiotics for your dog? Find out in Dr. Dodds' article.
Interesting article about probiotics, they definitely seem like they have some preventative benefits to diseases & conditions that go beyond the digestive system as well.
ReplyDeleteWe are still just learning about all the benefits probiotics might have.
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