We think of our pets as family so when they get sick we panic and have a million questions. Well, no fear, Dr. Alice Weiss is here! Dr. Weiss has been working for 30 years as a licensed veterinarian and is here to answer any questions you may have about your best furry friends.
If you have a question for Dr. Alice about your pet, email it to: AskAlice@PetInsider.com.
Dear Dr. Alice,
My Airedale gets into everything related to food. Our kitchen is on lock down all the time. Today, he chewed through the Amazon box holding a bag of dog-food. And I am not sure how much dog-food he got into. I googled the situation and the internet started showing me information on bloat. My husband and I argued about whether we should bring him into the emergency room and we ended up just watching him all night. When he finally went to sleep, we went to sleep. Did we do the right thing?
Sincerely,
Ravenous
Dear Ravenous,
Ehhh….not really. Just like with people, some dogs have tremendous appetites. And, there are some dogs with tremendous appetites who never feel full and if allowed, will eat until they are sick. What can happen, in extreme and rare cases, is that when a dog (or horse or cow) eats fast and gulps food, they ingest a lot of air as well as too much food. Then the stomach, again in very rare cases, can act a little bit like a deranged balloon and with all the food and air in there, can twist around. This can be dangerous because blood vessels will be twisted and kind of shut down like when you bend a hose and the water or in this case blood flow stops. The air and food can keep enlarging the stomach. The animal can die from shock unless the pressure is reduced and the twisting stopped. The medical term is Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus and usually this only affects wide chested dogs.
So, if you suspect your ravenous pet has gotten into way too much food and is pacing or acting different, call your vet. If it’s after hours, then haul him into the Emergency Clinic. You don’t want to take a chance with bloat. Thankfully, your dog was ok!
Sincerely,
Dr. Alice
Dear Dr. Alice,
We just adopted a new puppy and I think we made a big mistake. The puppy keeps me up all night. He won’t stop crying unless I put his crate right near me. And he has about two pee wee accidents on the floor every day. We would give him away right now but the kids are so attached to him.
Sincerely,
New Momma
Dear New Momma,
You need to get your bitch on. And put the puppy out of earshot while you are sleeping. If you don’t sleep and you are a wreck, then you will be no good for that puppy either. Just like kids, you need to….actually you must assert some real authority and discipline. I am sure you have been around families where the kids are wild and jumping on the furniture and believe me, there are plenty of pet households like that as well. So don’t be that kind of household. Make sure you have some kind of order. Start with putting the puppy
far away from you while you sleep. As far as toilet training, basically start bringing the puppy outside as much as you can and when the pup does his poop-pee, pour on the positive praise. They are babies and it takes a while for them to learn to pee and poop in the right places. There are tons of behaviorists out there who may be helpful. I know its hard. Puppies and kittens are hard work. Really hard work especially for empathetic and caring people like you, but push through and make yourself be tough. HOWEVER, if after a few more attempts, you are still stressed out, do not feel guilty about giving up. Life is hard enough and the last thing you need is to be bent out of shape because of a pet. Another family will always be there to adopt him. And if you explain things to your children they will not necessarily understand but will appreciate a less stressed out mom.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alice
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