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THE WASHINGTON POST • THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010


18 DC


District


L OCAL LIVING


dr. fox from 15


took her to the vet again, and the X-ray indicated that the bronchitis was still in her lungs but that the pneumonia was gone. The vet said to stop the


medication and see what happens.


Since then, the mucus seems


to get caught in her throat, and she has a hard time coughing it up. Sneezing seems to be the only way she can get rid of it.


She does not act sick, her appetite is good and she does not seem lethargic. My husband is sure it’s allergies, a common pet problem here in Florida. J.P.G.


Bonita Springs, Fla.


DF: Your dog could well be suffering from a combination of allergies and bacterial infection. There are various herbs and supplements that have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and expectorant- and mucus-eliminating (mucolytic) effects and that help alleviate coughing spasms. Some of these can be inhaled via an aerosol dispenser. Supplements and herbs to try


orally include local honey (an excellent expectorant), N-acetylcysteine, ginger, licorice, marshmallow, mullein, thyme, oregano, vitamin C with bioflavonoids and coenzyme Q10.


Some herbal preparations are


available in tincture form. More veterinarians are including these kinds of medicinal products in their treatment protocols.


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$399 A HEALTH MAKEOVER


Dear Dr. Fox: I have a problem with my 41 -year-old Cavalier King


⁄2


Charles spaniel, Charlie. For the past three years, I’ve had a hard time with fungus on his skin. My regular vet said to bathe


Charlie in Betadine, leave it on for five minutes and then shampoo him. I did that, and it seemed to help, but the fungus came back. I used an antifungal cream, leaving it on for 24 hours. It seemed to help, but smelled so bad that I had to give him a bath between applications. I took him to a dermatologist,


who gave him an antibiotic and Malaseb Pledgets to wipe him down. The dermatologist said he had a fungus, and this medication would get rid of the problem forever, but it keeps coming back. I shave Charlie regularly so I


(Kids not available at College Park location)


can get to the root of the problem. The long hair seems to cover up the problem, and it gets bad before I feel the lumps of the sores that it makes. He had back surgery a year


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ago for two bulging discs that left him dragging his hind end. Some of the medicine for that left him with a damaged liver. My regular vet put him on some medicine to repair the liver. We also found that he had low blood sugar. Another time, he had uncontrollable shivers, and we had to go to the emergency vet. They kept him 24 hours, had him on an IV and gave him shots. They said his blood sugar was low and to put him on two teaspoons of honey a day.


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Suffolk, Va.


DF: I am sorry you and your poor dog have had to go


through so many problems. For such a young dog to have chronic skin and back problems is in part the legacy of his genetic background, coupled with (most probably) far too many vaccinations. Your dog needs a total medical health makeover to address his ongoing problems from a holistic perspective, integrating conventional treatments with nutrient supplements in his food, especially fish oil and brewer’s yeast (up to one-half teaspoon of each daily), and plain live yogurt or kefir for immune-system-boosting probiotics. A shampoo containing tea-tree oil should help get rid of any fungal infection. Low blood sugar and acute


hypoglycemia are common in small breeds and can be fatal. It may be prevented to some degree by feeding three to four small meals daily, rather than one or two. Eliminating cereal grains, corn and all starches (these metabolize into sugar) is advisable for your Charlie.


CONGENITAL DEAFNESS


Dear Dr. Fox: Our granddaughter has a white cat that she raised from a kitten. We’ve heard that white cats are often deaf. This one certainly is, and we wonder how to teach her discipline. Squirting water does not work because she loves water and will often jump into a bathtub to play. The cat is much loved, but we need suggestions on how to teach her right from wrong.


Z.J. Fergus Falls, Minn.


DF: Indeed, deafness and an all-white coat (often combined with one blue and one green eye) are genetically linked. There is no cure for this congenital deafness. Deaf animals learn to respond to hand and arm signals and body language. A water sprayer will only confuse your cat. Stomping on the floor can send vibrations to alert the cat, who will look around and, hopefully, see whatever visual signal you are giving, like showing the food bowl, dangling a toy or making a gesture for her to come to you or to get down or away.


Michael W. Fox, author of a newsletter and books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. Write to him at United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. ©2010 United Feature Syndicate


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