Sand Road Animal Hospital, LLC

How can I tell if my pet is dehydrated?

Dehydration can easily occur if an animal has been vomiting or has diarrhea.

To check, Grasp the skin between the shoulder blades; it should bounce back upon releasing the skin almost immediately. Skin that takes more than 2 seconds to bounce back or stands up in the position grasped is a sign of dehydration and in need of veterinary attention.

How do I stop my dog from getting in my cat's litter box?

• Ask your veterinarian for a special product you can mix with your cat's food to impart a very foul and bitter taste to your cat's feces.
• Put the litter box in a room or elevated area that is only accessible to your cat
• Use a covered litter box
• Purchase a "citronella collar" for your dog. This is a humane training device that you control. Citronella collars work by spraying your dog's face with a non-irritating, but distasteful, spray. They are available at many pet stores or can be ordered by your veterinarian.

How soon can I tell if my dog is pregnant?

Luckily for your pooch, you don't have to wait for her to gain weight to tell if she's pregnant. There are a lot of nutritional and other health precautions that you should take with a pregnant dog to keep her and her puppies healthy, so it's best if you learn whether she's pregnant as soon as possible.

A veterinarian can determine whether she's pregnant at about three weeks after breeding, either through blood testing, ultrasound, or a physical examination. Unless a breeder needs to know the specific number of puppies or the dog's health is in danger, a physical examination of the abdomen is generally all that is necessary.

I ran out of Flea product for my cat, can I use my dog's flea product instead?

It is possible for my pet to catch my cold?

What is the normal temperature for a dog or cat?

In general, the normal body temperature for animals is higher than for humans. Normal Temperature: 100.5F -102.5 F (38.0 C- 39.1 C)

• Taking an animal's rectal temperature is the definite way to know if your pet has a fever or is in hypothermia.
• Use a rectal pediatric thermometer lubricated with Vaseline.
• It is a misconception to estimate the condition of an animal by whether its nose is cool or warm. An animal may have a cool nose and a burning fever of 103 F!
• Warm ears on the other hand can be an indication of fever or freezing ears an indication of hypothermia.

Why does my dog and cat eat grass? Are they sick?

There actually appears to be two types of grass eating behavior in dogs. Some dogs take a few nibbles, while others eat quickly, barely chewing the grass. Unchewed grass often translates to near instant vomiting. Dogs that are careful grazers, on the other hand, may not get sick from grass. The latter case suggests that some dogs eat grass because they enjoy it. Most dogs don't need it to supplement their diets, but because dog diets are primarily made up of herbivores, that grassy taste may be reminiscent of the cattle or lamb product they had for dinner. Some dogs also enjoy green vegetables like broccoli.

If your dogs eat grass on a regular basis, this could suggest dietary imbalance, you may want to consider giving the dogs some green vegetables if they appear to want "something green." Cooking the vegetables first may make them more digestible, resulting in less vomiting. It's also important to be careful when your dogs eat grass regularly. Grass from manicured lawns can contain fertilizers and pesticides, which can be toxic to dogs. Instead of allowing "grazing" behavior on lawns, consider providing some doggy grass at home that is not treated with chemicals. Also, if your dogs eat grass all the time, don't walk them on lawns that have been recently treated with chemicals. Most of these chemicals will break down in a few days, but during the first day or two after treatment, grass-eating behavior could translate to more than tummy upset.

Can you give a dog or cat aspirin?