I give my cat a small amount of probiotics every day and use Mercola Pets brand. I notice it has microcrystalline cellulose and silicone dioxide as ingredients. Are these ok long term for a cat to ingest and should I find a different brand? I have given probiotics on and off, and definitely notice she seems at her best when I DO add them to her wet food vs when I don’t for a week or two, but wonder about long term with these other ingredients and if they could harm in any way

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• My cat has had digestive issues since I adopted her 2 months ago. They have improved dramatically over time, but she still has semi-regular gas and seems to be in mild-moderate discomfort from day-to-day. I give her 1 Proviable Probiotic sprinkled on her dry food 1x/day (Fussie Cat Chicken and Turkey Meal dry food; approx 3/4 cup per day). I also give her 1 prescribed Gabapentin pill when she seems particularly gassy/uncomfortable. Is there anything else I could be doing to help her?

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• Hello, my name is Christine My two dogs ate a foam ball, like a quarter size of it actually. I called my vet and he said to give them some Hydro peroxide. I did and they threw up. I tried calling him back to see if there was anything else I needed to do or lookout for, but no one seems to pick up. Is everything going to be OK with my dogs? How long should I wait before feeding them and giving them water? How should they be acting after? One dog is about 7 pounds. The other one is about 10 pounds

  Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about your dogs. I'm sorry they ate a foam ball, but it's good that they threw up. If they threw up the pieces of the ball, everything should be...

  1 people found this answer helpful

• Hello, my mom's cat was just diagnosed with kidney problems (by ultrasound, tests are not ready yet) and dehydration, prescribed 200ml of fluid therapy. I just want to understand, is it normal to prescribe such a volume of fluid for a cat weighing 5.2 kg? I was told by another vet a while ago that 200ml is too much, and I am worried if I should advise them to attend a different clinic.

  Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Sorry to hear that your mom's cat was diagnosed with kidney disease. Unfortunately kidney disease is only something we can manage, not reverse.I am assuming the...

  2 people found this answer helpful

• My 7 year old Dogo has a growth on her front foot, been growing there a little over a year, Can you tell me what it is and what I should do. I dont particularly have money for the vet is why Ive not taken her there. What can I do ? Thank you very very much. Mark

  Hi Mark! Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Trouble and for providing a picture, it's very helpful. From the picture, it appears to be a benign growth but I can't say for...

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• Higgins started making the awful crunch noise this past November. He’s only making it when he’s sleepy, sleeping, or waking up. I thought it was teeth grinding but to be safe I brought him to the vet and they checked his teeth, said he has a little bit of plaque but over all looked good. I asked the doctor what she thought the noise was and she said it’s probably just him adjusting his jaw. She obviously knows way more than I do about pet health, I’m worried cause he’s never done this before.

  Hello,I can see why you would be concerned with a new onset of teeth grinding and noises. I'm glad to hear his overall oral health looks good. This definitely isn't a very common problem in dogs. My...

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• My shih tzu is 14 yr old. He has a large growth on him back and lungs (I think) that has never bother him, so it was never removed. But now (for the past month or so) he has a constant cough while active. It slows down when laying down and stop while sleeping. Is there anything I should do or give him to relieve this cough?

  Hello there,I am sorry to hear this about Tigger. In a fourteen year old dog with a new cough, my concern would ultimately be a terminal diagnosis. I would be most concerned for congestive heart...

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• My dog takes Fluoxetine and Gabapentin. I have run out of Fluoxetine and my vets office is closed until Jan 2. Do I need to take him to emergency vet or will he be ok without it for a few days? I have plenty of Gabapentin.

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• My 12-year-old female Cocker has always been calm but now is deaf and recently had a bad UTI. She’s on antibiotics and thyroid medication and has dry eye, for which I put an ointment in her eyes. She used to sleep next to me but now prefers the floor, and it feels like she wants to be alone. Her water intake and appetite are good, but she just watches my husband give dental bones to the other dogs instead of participating. She does go up and down the stairs much slower.

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• Hi my cat was in a car accident and suffered a grade 2 tall pull injury and had his tail amputated after a couple weeks as it did not regain function. He has since had a constipation. Fortunately he is still able to defecate but are small hard balls. A couple times I have had to administer laxatives. I am aware this is a lifelong issue after such surgery. However is there anything I can do which will help his stool? Massages etc? For example, I have been giving pumpkin puree, which has helped

  Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about your cat. I'm so sorry he was in an accident but I'm glad he survived. If pumpkin puree is helping, then I recommend continuing to give...

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• Hi Would you recommend vaccinating a cat (7 yo, indoor, no other pets) who has a fatty liver? His ALT has been between 140–180 units for the past 1.5 y, and CHOL ~ 7–8, despite being on a diet and having lost weight (he now weighs about 4.9 kg). He was vaccinated before, but after the liver issue was discovered, we stopped vaccinating him. If the fatty liver persists, would it still be advisable to resume vaccination, or would you recommend avoiding it to prevent additional strain on the liver?

  Hello there,This is a good question. The absolute safest and most proactive measure would be to take bloodwork vaccine titers to see if Dushe has any preventive antibodies from previous vaccinations....

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• My dog , a golden retriever, ate some small grape leaves off a vine I was cutting down. No grapes, only leaves. He seems to be restless and in some discomfort. Is there something I can do to ease his tummy issues? Pepto bismal?

  Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Rio. He's such a handsome boy! The good news is that grape leaves are not toxic to dogs, only the grapes themselves. They can cause...

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• My 1 year old Labrador is on heat for the second time and whilst walking her this morning she was frequently stopping to urinate but very little if anything was coming out. Is this normal? Other than this she is her normal self and doesn’t have any other symptoms.

  Hello there,Lola is very likely normal. Dogs in heat may urinate (or try to) small amounts more frequently in order to spread around their hormones- trying to attract a boy basically. If she...

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• My cat’s eye is swollen. She’s active, eating as usual, and her temperature is normal. We just moved to a new city and she doesn’t have a regular veterinarian. None of the clinics in town are accepting new patients, and I don’t know what to do. She’s eating royal canin for indoor cats

  Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Busya and for providing a picture, it's helpful. I see what you mean about her eye, it does look swollen and I see significant discharge...

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• My 9 year old staffy is huffing coughing then gagging with some throw up. He did have congestion yesterday and I treated it with a steamy bathroom and humidifier. He’s not eating but is drinking. You can clearly see he doesn’t feel good is there anything I can do at home for him to relive his symptoms? Could it be kennel cough? What can I treat it with. Also, I’ve been a paramedic for 20+ years and grew up on a ranch my entire life.

  Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Leonard. Poor guy, he does sound like he's not feeling well, and it's concerning he's not eating. It could be kennel cough but...

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• My dog had an infected sebaceous cyst for months, and an abscess near it too. I took him to 4 veterinarians and each prescribed antibiotics. None of all helped my little buddy, and he didn't get better at all. I did labs for him few days ago for culture and sensitivity of pus and a doctor prescribed meropenem SQ 500mg every 12 hours. Should I give him this antibiotic?? Is subcutaneous route safe and good?? Should I drain the abscess ?? What else I should do while on antibiotic ?? Please help me

  Hello,I am sorry to hear all of this. It certainly sounds frustrating. I think you definitely need to use the Meropenum injections as prescribed- subcutaneous is a perfect route for at home...

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