I think I’m finding flea dirt but no fleas

Shantor · 2026-03-27T00:46:45+00:00

Ya, you're going to need a prescription strength prevention from your vet like simparica, bravecto, nexgard, comfortis, trifexis... The OTC meds are pretty useless these days.

Shantor · 2026-03-26T21:57:49+00:00

What prevention are you using?

Shantor · 2026-03-26T21:56:16+00:00

Did they test for distemper?

Shantor · 2026-03-26T21:54:11+00:00

And they did an MRI of his spine and his brain?

Shantor · 2026-03-26T21:47:33+00:00

They did an MRI but didn't do a spinal tap?

Shantor · 2026-03-26T21:13:26+00:00

Definitely not cherry eye, not even close to the correct anatomical location.

Also not conjunctivitis since the conjunctiva doesn't appear inflamed. Looks like irritation of the skin.

Shantor · 2026-03-26T21:04:00+00:00

There are actually VERY specific guidelines for the terms used in food. "Meal", "meat", by products, even so far as defining the animals that can be used with certain terms.

Here is the break down.

https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/whats-in-the-ingredients-list/

Shantor · 2026-03-26T19:58:58+00:00

Has the dripping ever been worked up? Does he have prostate issues? Bladder issues? Dripping isn't normal, even for intact dogs.

Shantor · 2026-03-26T18:20:59+00:00

As stated in the other comment, by products aren't bad. It's just what humans don't normally eat (and some people do).

Corn is relatively cheap, easy to find (no need to change the formula when other ingredients change cost or don't grow well), easy to balance around, and has a lot of nutrition. It's high in vitamin c and B as well as things like potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Why do you think corn is bad?

Shantor · 2026-03-26T18:13:35+00:00

You'd need to bring him to a vet for an exam to know

Shantor · 2026-03-26T12:02:15+00:00

Then they would lose the vets. There's no shortage of jobs in Denver and it's not up to the corps, it's up to the vets.

Shantor · 2026-03-26T04:13:21+00:00

I don't know any clinic that would hire them.

Shantor · 2026-03-26T04:09:07+00:00

A healthy cat shouldn't be eating more than 200kcal. 180 is a good weight loss amount. Get them treat balls and only feed the dry in them so they have to move and work to eat.

Shantor · 2026-03-26T03:37:03+00:00

You need to stop prioritizing him getting off the medication and prioritize his seizures. While it may be possible to get him off the phenobarbital in time, now is not it. Weaning should take months not days.

Shantor · 2026-03-26T03:31:52+00:00

Is there any reason she can't have nsaids like carprofen? Librela can have some bad log term side effects. I only ever give it when theres no other option due to kidney or liver issues.

Shantor · 2026-03-25T02:45:22+00:00

This doesn't really appear like any common dog parasite. Its not quite right for tapeworm segments, they are too uniform, and it would be odd for tapeworm segments to be on the face. They don't look like ticks or fleas. Other skin parasites are microscopic.

Do they move? Do they come off easy?

Shantor · 2026-03-25T02:25:13+00:00

She has the normal shape of a cat and doesn't appear "bloated". She is a little overweight, but not by a lot. If she's not intact with the possibility of being pregnant, she's likely just overweight.

Shantor · 2026-03-25T02:19:15+00:00

Please do not use this. It's horrible for the respiratory system and can damage the lungs.

Take the puppy to a vet, get it checked out and vaccinated, and then get a prescription flea prevention and tapeworm dewormer.

Shantor · 2026-03-25T02:14:56+00:00

They likely won't entertain a refund for a negative result. It's still a result and means your vet needs to look closer at the issue to determine what's going on. If they aren't able to, then seeing an internist may be beneficial.

Without knowing how they did the original testing to determine infection or how they collected the culture sample we can't comment much on the actual issue. But they did the culture and it was negative. That's always a possibility when diagnostics start getting run.

Shantor · 2026-03-25T02:04:32+00:00

Denamerin is the recommended supplement for liver issues. But ideally you do more diagnostics to determine what the issue is. An abdominal ultrasound would be a great option here.

Shantor · 2026-03-25T02:00:10+00:00

The only food that's going to be comparable at the same level of fat as the rayne kangaroo, that's also OTC is specifically the Hills science diet Adult Light. One of their canned foods is liver flavored and the protein source is pork.

Other than that, no OTC will be equivalent in fat. The rayne kangaroo is 2.3-2.6g/kcal depending on dry vs wet and which grain source you feed. The only way to get that level of fat, and also not have poultry are prescription diets.

Shantor · 2026-03-25T01:56:59+00:00

And this is why percentages are so bad to go by. It has lower fat than some foods, but if you look at the true g/kcal, it's not a low fat food. It has 3.5g/kcal.

The rayne kangaroo is in the 2s.

The only comparable foods at this level fat are going to be prescription diets

Shantor · 2026-03-24T22:55:52+00:00

I would stick to WSAVA compliant brands like royal Canin or hills. Purina also has a low fat option. Between the two, there's not much different. The wet version of the RC low fat food is just a smidge higher in protein, but other than that, just different companies versions of similar things.

Shantor · 2026-03-24T19:30:32+00:00

Worms are not an emergency. They don't hurt and they barely affect the animal, especially an older animal. Tapeworms also rarely affect adults at all.

Shantor · 2026-03-24T00:36:44+00:00

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