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Due to holidays and the like, answers to Vet Questions will be delayed. We apologise for any inconvenience and we'll do our best to respond within two weeks - but please bear with us as we take a few well earned weeks break.



Vet Advice

Glen Kolenc has been a practising vet for just over 10 years. After working in several veterinary hospitals in Sydney along with a four year working holiday in the UK, he now owns the Petersham Veterinary Hospital in Sydney's Inner West, along with its onsite boarding cattery. Glen's love of animals stems back to his childhood, which prompted him to study veterinary science at the University of Sydney. After graduating in 1997 with honours, he has spent over a decade doing "the most rewarding job in the world".

Glen is our resident Internet Vet here at Dogs and Cats and would like to remind visitors asking him questions that some medical problems can be extremely difficult to diagnose. A certain set of symptoms may be caused by several possible ailments. Therefore nothing can replace a veterinarian obtaining a full history, and performing a thorough examination of your pet. This Q + A segment though does allow for more general queries to be addressed.

http://www.petvets.com.au
http://www.petershamboardingcattery.com.au

Please note that due to the volume of questions we receive here at dogsandcats, we cannot promise to answer all of the questions posted here. We will select the questions we feel will be most helpful for a majority and the vet will answer these on a regular basis.
Glen and Kahlua

Glen and Kahlua

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Q:the old cattle dog (pet) has begun to have "shaky jaw" where his mouth / jaw seems to move / shake uncontrollably... can you shed some light onto what this may be..please?
A:Your dog's shaky jaw could be due to a number of things, such as: * Anything causing mouth pain (bad teeth, gingivitis etc). *Diseases affecting the muscles that are involved with chewing (such as immune disease of those muscles). *Seizure activity. These are just a few of several possibilities; and to determine the exact cause, your dog should be examined by a vet.

Q:I have 2 Jack Russell terriers and in the last week they have ceased eating any snacks and seem to be afraid to eat. One in particular seems afraid and it's a problem getting her to eat. I am concerned as she is losing weight. I have separated them to feed them but 1 will still not eat her food.
A:Separating them at feeding time was a good idea as it allows you to truly see which of the 2 isnt eating. Now that you've isolated the problem to 1 dog, if she seems afraid to eat perhaps she is in pain in her mouth (which could be caused by bad teeth, gingivitis to name a couple of things). Sometimes dementia (which sets in with old age) can also cause odd behaviours like that. However without examining the dog i'd be merely speculating. Honestly, if she seems afraid to eat and is losing weight, she needs to be seen by a vet.

Q:My dog pants sometimes - even when she is not hot. Is this normal? It only lasts for a short time but I am wanting to check this is not abnormal?
A:It could be normal; but likewise it could be a very early indication of respiratory disease. If your dog is not coughing is not wheezing or coughing then it might be a normal thing. However if the panting progresses, or cough or wheeze develops, or if you just want to be certain there is nothing to worry about, then I would advise you get your dog checked over.

Q:My elderly cat keeps on bringing up hair balls, at least one a day. What can I do?
A:Coughing or vomiting up furballs is quite common in cats. There are a few things that can be done to reduce the severity and frequency of this. Firstly, medium and long haired cats should be brushed as frequently as possible so there is less "loose hair" for them to lick up and swallow. Despite this, some cats will still develop chronic furball problems (and some cats wont allow brushing). The best thing to help break the furballs down is dietary means. There are a few brands of cat food that are formulated to have a high fibre content and these will break furballs down and allow them to pass through the system rather than resulting in the cat bringing them up. Hills Furball Control is an example of such food but there are certainly other brands. Another option to try is a laxative paste that will break the furballs down. There is a laxative for cats called Cat-Lax that is made for this purpose and is available from vets (and maybe pet stores??). Some people I have known have had success with furballs by administering parrafin oil to their cat (but I imaging cats won’t like the taste of it!!!).

Q:My 11yo cream persian seems to be loosing his strength and balance in his back legs. What could this be?
A:This could be due to a number of things - arthritis of the hips or back, muscular weakness, and also a number of metabolic diseases could cause weakness in the back legs. This one would really need veterinary examination to help determine the cause.

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