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helping pets and pet lovers
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About the Doctor
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
This website is great! It has alot of useful information that sometimes you’re not able to get during the course of an examination of your pet. Thank you for your insight!
Stephanie W
Thank you, Stephanie. Being useful and helpful is what veterinarians are all about. Sometimes in the process of an office visit there is so much going on we simply cannot take it all in. I often tell our clients the same thing about ME! When I go see a doctor I always make a list of things I need to talk to him about so that I cover everything, but after the visit I ensure I have a means of contact (such as through the doctor’s nurse) so that I can ask about all of the things I wasn’t completely clear on. The more serious the office visit, the more likely this is to happen to you or to me. If you have questions after the examination, or the next day, every caring veterinarian is happy to sit down with you or get on the phone with you to discuss your concerns and questions. After all, if YOU don’t understand, how are YOU going to carry out the instructions? Thank you for your encouragement, write to us any time.
Dr. Randolph
Hi Doc,
I have a 14 year old Lab. The last two days she has had diarrhea. She hasn’t acted like she’s sick. (drinks water, eats, is excited to see us).
Do you have any “home remedies” I can try or can we give her something over the counter?
I would be afraid to recommend home remedies or OTC products for a 14-year-old Lab. Labs in this age group have an analagous age to humans of about 108. If your 108-year-old grandmother had diarrhea would you try OTC products, or would you rush her to the doctor? Take advantage of the fact that she still feels good and please get her into see her veterinarian first thing Thursday morning. Please, also, update us on how she is after her doctor visit.
Thank you for reading MyPetsDoctor.com,
Dr. Randolph
Dr. Randolph,
Thanks so much for the excellent care you gave!!! Marley. He is doing great!!! He is more like himself. Does not like the pills though… The wound seems to be healing nicely.
Joe, Linda & Marley
Poor Marley had a bad wound and a swollen leg right before his owner went on a trip to celebrate her mother’s 86th birthday! We radiographed his leg to ensure he was free from both fractures and cancer (he was) and proceeded to treat this as a bad infection. Marley had a tiny wound on his leg, which seemed to be the source of the infection. We don’t know what caused the wound. We are delighted that the birthday party went well and that Marley is healing so well. Thank you so much for the updated report, Dr. Randolph.
I read Dr. Randolph’s article in the Santa Rosa CA Press Democrat this morning on cat bites and their danger. I can attest to this fact. Six years ago my cat bit me after vomiting. We took her to the veterinarian’s office and she was gravely ill with a respiratory infection and was dying. We had her put down. Our veterinarian knew she had bitten me. He brushed it off. I was in the ER 24 hours later and was admitted to ICU with an infected finger/hand/arm and blood poisoning with the red line midway in my chest. I had emergency surgery to save my life. I had a PIC line for 8 weeks at home. I have had 2 additional surgeries on the same hand and it is permanently disfigured with damage to the tendons. I wish my veterinarian had told me to go to the ER that day. Please continue to put the word out how dangerous even your own pet bites can be!
Thank you, Mary. Many times I have sent pet owners to see their physicians after cat bites and universally the physicians affirm to the pet owners that they have done the right thing in seeking medical attention and seeking it quickly. I’m sorry you suffered to terribly. Thank you for telling your story.
Dr. Randolph
Dr. Randolph,
Sadie (my Yorkshire Terrier) and I remain in Washington DC on assignment….and we are missing home. I have enjoyed your articles. I have a question that might be beneficial to all your readers. If Activia (yogurt) works to make a person’s digestive system regular, will giving Activia to pets have the same regularity effect for pets?
B.J. Dauro
Long Beach Native
Living in Washington DC
We miss you and Sadie, too, and we’ll be glad when you’re permanently back home with us. Let’s start with the premise: yogurt makes the GI tract work better. If we look around America we see intestinal tracts that are working just fine. If we absorb any more nutrients we’re going to be in even more trouble than we already are. It’s a good sales pitch on the part of the yogurt industry, but I don’t hear hordes of nutritionists supporting the premise. That said, we do use probiotics in the form of supplemental beneficial bacteria in certain GI conditions, even commonly occurring vomiting and diarrhea problems. Beyond specific medical conditions I can’t see a medical justification for yogurt supplementation.
Come see us when you and Sadie are home!
Dr Randolph,
I really enjoy reading your replies to pet owners and now have one of my own. My 6 year old male neutered cat has been straining to urinate and when he does finally urinate, it’s a very small amount, less than the size of a dime. I took him to our veterinarian earlier this week (Tuesday) and he was given a shot of Convenia as they found a lot of blood in his urine. However his urinalysis came back fine. pH levels were fine, Red and White cell counts were fine and no sign of bacteria or crystals. He was also given an anti-inflammatory medicine called Metacam along with two daily doses of Bupren. As of right now it’s been over 48 hours, no sign of improvement at all. Still in and out of litter box several times an hour and small drops of blood are now coming out where before we didn’t actually see the blood, we were just told he had a lot of it in his urine when they extracted it from him. Should we wait a few more days or should I be concerned and take him back tomorrow? They said it should be 2-3 days before we saw a full stream of urine..we’re seeing nothing even close to that, just drops of blood and constant straining and trying to urinate. I look forward to any advice you may be able to give me. Eddie is eating but rarely drinks..(that’s nothing new with this condition), he’s purring and doesn’t seem to be in pain. The drops of blood and the multiple trips to the litter box are what is so concerning. Thank you again!
Dee, you will need to call your pet’s doctor on this one, as only someone who can examine your kitty can accurately tell whether he is adequately emptying his bladder. If he is obstructed and urine is backing up, he might continue to purr but soon become extremely ill. Also, other antiinflammatories might be used separately or in conjunction with Metacam. Be sure to get this checked out before your pet’s doctor closes for the weekend.
Please keep us posted, as I would like to know how he progresses.
Sincerely,
Dr. Randolph