My dog, Ricky is a chow/retriever mix. he is about a year old now. i recently discovered he has sores behind his ears and he has been scratching. is it fleas or flies. the flies are bad in new mexico. should i just bathe him in a flea bath and get him a flea collar. or should i take him to the vet?
also, my other dog, Mocha, she is about 6 months or so. she seems to not be gaining any more weight. she is not deathly skinny or anything but she eats like a horse and doesnt gain anymore weight. could that be worms? or could she just be a naturally skinny breed. the pound said she is a rottweiler mix. she is small for a rott. so i think she has a smaller mix in her. she does have long legs though. my husband thinks maybe she could have some german shepherd in her because of her muzzle length. she has the markings of a rott though and is beautifully colored. how can i tell what breeds she has in her?
2006-07-30 08:35:20 · 11 answers · asked by ? 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
For Ricky, try giving him a flea bath first. If that doesn't work it could be flies. If he keeps scratching, it is going to take a while for the sores to heal. As long as he's not in pain, and the sores don't have a discharge with them, he's okay. Check with the vet or a local pet store -- I think there is a spray (similar to the horse spray) that will repel flies and prevent the biting.
For Mocha, she's healthy if she's eating like a horse. If she plays and exercises a lot, this could be the cause for the lack of weight gain. She is probably a Rott mixed with something smaller, which could result in her being skinny. She could be German Shepherd/Rott mix. It's hard to tell when you don't have contact with the original person she came from... it sounds like she's a healthy dog though!
2006-07-30 08:43:55 · answer #1 · answered by Amy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ricky probably needs a good bath and also, I would put a generous amount of antibiotic ointment on his sores until they are healed and then you might but vaseline on the area until the hair grows back to keep anything from irritating it further.
Mocha, may need to be wormed, call and talk to your vet. However, I know that at around 6 months, most dogs go through a spell where they get taller quicker than gain weight - it will take some time to fill those long legs in. But, yes, the first thing you should consider is worming. Do you have her on Interceptor? If so, then it is unlikely that she has worms. To help a puppy gain weight to fill in those legs - you can give her puppy chow mixed with some evaporated milk and raw egg. That will give her loads of protein and healthy fat to replenish what she is losing do to her growing spell.
2006-07-30 16:24:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As for your first dog, Ricky might be allergic to something. It could be, as you said, the flies or fleas. The vet can tell if the sores are allergies (my dog sucks his feet because of a grass allergy and I have to put cream on them to prevent sores) or if hes simply being annoyed by bugs. Flies are deterred by special meds or drops that you can also get from the vet.
As for your other dog, is she very active? My dog is a pug chihuahua mix and cant seem to keep on weight because he has a Chi body, but a pugs energy and is always running. We resorted to putting him back on puppy food for a while as well as adding a few drops (in your case, a teaspoon) of oil to his food once a day. We found that dogs seem to be partial to peanut oil. We got him up a few pounds and hes finally a lot healthier.
Regardless, no one can tell you if your dog is sick but a vet. If she has worms youll see some blood in her stool, or it might be unusually dark. Even if you dont see signs, take her to the vet and DO NOT attempt to give her a dewormer from a petstore or online. Giving a dog a dewormer when they already have worms could be potentially fatal. If you cant afford a normal vet visit try taking them to a Banfield clinic inside most PetSmart stores, or going to a Luv My Pet clinic at a Petco. We got all of our dogs shots, heartworm checkup and preventative, as well as general checkups done at Petco and they are great.
2006-08-02 01:42:44 · answer #3 · answered by fyrecrackercass 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is ointment for the ears if it is fly strike. Check for fleas. If you see little black things, that flea dirt, which is really your dogs blood. If its not fleas get the stuff to protect your dogs ears from flys.
Make sure you are seeing your other dog eat. Feed three times a day till 6 months them divide that third ration into the morning and evening meal. But make sure that dog is eating it not your other one.
2006-07-30 15:50:51 · answer #4 · answered by June V 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, yes ricky needs a vet, the vet willl treat him and I would get a flee dip and a dog cone so the ears will heal, but the vet well tell you all of this too
2006-07-30 15:39:10 · answer #5 · answered by Darrell . 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like maybe a visit to the vet with BOTH of them is needed. We have a rottie mix, but dobies also have similar markings. A vet can tell you precisely what breed it looks like to them.
Good Luck!
2006-07-30 16:10:41 · answer #6 · answered by yeppers 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both your dogs REALLY need to see a vet,badly! The vet can help you with identification of your dog, as well as treat them.Please,take them to a vet,they sound as though they are suffering and are very uncomfortable.
2006-07-30 15:41:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
take him to the vet check for heartworms and let the vet use frontline it work up to 2-4 months? for your dog
2006-07-30 15:39:06 · answer #8 · answered by poochiesplace 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get both of them to the vet. They will be able to help.
2006-07-30 15:39:00 · answer #9 · answered by cannondalerick 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take him to the vet. if you try to fix it your self, you might hurt him.. can't help you out on the second one tho..
2006-07-30 16:52:26 · answer #10 · answered by Grace 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋