New Puppy Questions
I just got my second Pem Corgi (Christmas gift from my husband) and I'm very excited. Layne is almost 12 weeks old, and seems to be in good spirits. I do have a few concerns and a couple of questions that I was hoping to get answers to.
First of all, Layne's nose is very dry and has flakes of skin on it...sometimes his nose is slightly moist, but most of the time it is dry. Is this normal?
Also, I have noticed that Layne has fleas on him---I had a flea problem in my home, but was able to get it under control before bringing Layne here (we picked him up in Ohio over Christmas). My question is, what is the BEST product to use out of the following: Frontline Plus, Advantage or K9 Advantix? I have used Frontline Plus on my Corgi Molly, and quite frankly, I'm very unhappy with the results.
Layne also does this odd hiccupping-type thing, and I'm wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this with a puppy? It doesn't always happen after he's done eating or drinking---it's very random throughout the day. I'd say this occurs between 2-4 times per day.
I have to wait a few weeks before I can get Layne to the vet, which is why I'm asking these questions now. Any help that can be provided would be greatly appreciated!
First of all, Layne's nose is very dry and has flakes of skin on it...sometimes his nose is slightly moist, but most of the time it is dry. Is this normal?
Also, I have noticed that Layne has fleas on him---I had a flea problem in my home, but was able to get it under control before bringing Layne here (we picked him up in Ohio over Christmas). My question is, what is the BEST product to use out of the following: Frontline Plus, Advantage or K9 Advantix? I have used Frontline Plus on my Corgi Molly, and quite frankly, I'm very unhappy with the results.
Layne also does this odd hiccupping-type thing, and I'm wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this with a puppy? It doesn't always happen after he's done eating or drinking---it's very random throughout the day. I'd say this occurs between 2-4 times per day.
I have to wait a few weeks before I can get Layne to the vet, which is why I'm asking these questions now. Any help that can be provided would be greatly appreciated!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on
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All of my pups have had puppy hiccups. Freaked me out the first time my first pup did it. I thought he was going to be sick or something. But no. It's just a cute thing they do and grow out of eventually.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Dry nose is not normal, make sure he is hydrated.
If the products you mentioned didn't help, ask your vet for capstar for a quick kill, vacuum, wash bedding / corgi / toys, if it still persist, ask your vet for comfortis.
the hiccup thing you describe is call a reverse sneeze, it is very normal, when it happens, massage his throat area and it should go away in no time.
Congrats on the new addition :)
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Caution: check to make sure if you use something for the fleas that it is safe for puppies!
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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on
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Puppies get the hiccups (harmless) all the time. Reverse sneezing sounds like honking or almost as though they can't breathe because they have something caught in their noses. They get kind of a wild look in their eye and snork-snork-snork. Gently pinching the nostrils will usually stop it.
For fleas I would do Capstar (very safe for baby puppies) and then Frontline or Advantage. NOT Advantix. Advantix is just Advantage+permethrin (like Zodiac or Bio-Spot) and adding permethrins actually lowers the effectiveness of the Advantage. It's basically a marketing ploy because they can say that it "repels" mosquitoes, but permethrin is not as safe as the Advantage base medication and it's readily absorbed into dog and human skin.
A dry flaky nose plus fleas? I'm a little concerned about the conditions he was brought up in. I'd see if it clears up with good food and care, but it brings up other husbandry questions - has he been adequately wormed? Where is he on vaccinations? I am not sure why he needs to wait to see the vet, but he's at the age right now where he HAS to be socialized and should be in a puppy K class and out and about seeing new people and new things. He needs to be free of parasites (inside and out) and have his 12-week shots to do so safely.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Actually, the permethrin is added to repel ticks, and the studies I've seen (as well as personal results) indicate it does a good job with that. The mosquito thing is just a happy chance and not the main reason the ingredient is added.
The only caution with Advantix is to keep cats away for a few days; it's lethal to them if ingested.
"Percent efficacy for the K9 Advantix group ranged from 84.0 to 98.5 % between test days 3 and 35. Percent efficacy for the Frontline Plus group ranged from –28.1 to 56.8% during the corresponding period."
http://www.springerlink.com/content/qdeu2pr9t2xt738a/
I know several people with hunting/outdoors dogs, some on Frontline Plus and some on Advantix, and those on Advantix rarely have ticks; those on Frontline do. The method of action and length of time required for kill are also different; Advantix repels ticks before they have a chance to firmly attach while Frontline takes a few days to kill them.
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I promise you, marketing the mosquito angle was THE reason they added it.
It's the standard drug development marketing process - introduce a novel compound, get everybody excited about it, and then when it gets old and the sales lag, make a very small change or combine two of the company's existing compounds and imply that it's a brand-new product. It's like (in humans) Claritin and Clarinex, or (in dogs) Program and Sentinel. Program is Novartis' solution for fleas; they also make Interceptor for heartworm prevention. They mixed the two existing compounds and market it as Sentinel.
Advantage is a perfectly good flea treatment. It was getting hammered by Frontline because Frontline has some tick efficacy, so Bayer added a VERY cheap and low-quality broad insecticide that had been on the market for decades for dogs under a huge variety of brand names (Bio-Spot, Zodiac, etc.) and said "Look at us; now we don't just do fleas and ticks, we do mosquitoes!" If they had only wanted to act on ticks they would have other (also cheap) options, like amitraz (which is what Wyeth added to ProMeris for ticks).
One of the major problems with this from a breeder point of view is that for years we've been telling people not to use Bio-Spot or any of the other permethrin-based meds; we've seen way too many side effects and it's easily absorbed into the bloodstream of both dog and humans and is a known carcinogen. The way owners interpret this is "nothing over the counter; buy from a vet or from a high-quality pet supply store." They think that by getting Advantix they're sticking to the rules, when in fact they just put on their dogs the exact pesticide we told them to avoid.
Bayer has also done this with Advantage Multi - Wyeth introduced ProHeart 6 a few years ago and it was a complete disaster and a ton of dogs died and they pulled it off the market. Bayer snuck the same medication (moxidectin) back in as part of Advantage Multi, but they're sure not going to advertise that it is the same stuff that killed dogs years ago.
It's not a Bayer problem in particular; it's the way they all work. Bayer makes some wonderful meds and I think Advantage is perfectly fine for fleas, but I would NEVER use Advantix.
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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We use Revolution on our cats... I'm pretty sure they make it for dogs too. It keeps away fleas and ticks. One of my cats is a bushman and spends 80% of his time outside. We haven't had any flea problems since he was a kitten and not on any flea medication. If you have fleas in your house, wash everything. Buy flea powder and wash the carpet. Seriously--kill all of those flea eggs so it's not a problem again. Check your sheets, pillows, and cushions for flea larvae and flea dirt, too.
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Permalink Reply by Edward and Gemima on
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Ed and Gem both got puppy hiccups often when they were lil pups and Ed at 8mos still sometimes gets them!!! We have been using FRONTLINE TOP SPOT on them since they were pups with good success....only a couple ticks on them in the summer around spots like eyelids or head...good luck with everything!!!
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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Finnigan would get hiccups all the time when he was little as well. Now he will only hiccup once in a blue moon and usually after eating or drinking as apposed to all the time like he did as a puppy. He now does the reverse sneezing which didn't start until he was about 9 months old. Neither are cause for concern.
How did you find the breeder Layne came from? I'm a little concerned about the conditions he was raised in. Did he come with a vaccination and worming record? The first thing we did when we got Finn was take him to the vet (withing 2 or 3 days). I think it's important to have their overall health evaluated immediately and plan out a schedule for vaccinations, worming etc. I would make the trip as soon as you can to ensure that Layne is in good health and on the right track.
The dry nose is likely not an issue but it could be a sign of a problem. Many puppies have occasional dry nose with the dry looking border but I have not seen a puppy with a constant dry nose. That should go away but if not I would consult a vet.
As for flee treatments, we've never used one so I'm sorry I have nothing to offer there.
Best of luck. keep us posted. :)
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Permalink Reply by Ellyse on
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Hi everyone, and thank you for all of your help and suggestions! I took Layne to the vet today for a wellness checkup, and also to get his Rabies vaccination. The vet said that Layne is in perfect health (thank God) and answered all of my questions. Thank you guys for the clarification on the puppy hiccups---they really scared me! The vet said the same thing, that all puppies get them and he will have them for awhile. For the fleas, they gave me a free months's supply of Vectra---has anyone heard of or used this? Depending upon the results, I may stick with it or try Revolution or Comfortis. I did a lot of reading about Advantix, and I completely agree with Joanna. I will NEVER EVER try Bio Spot, as I've heard nothing but bad things about it. I 100% believe in the marketing ploys with some of these medications. I am also vacuuming every day, and bought some natural flea spray to put on the dog bedding, etc.
As for his dry nose, it has improved. I have been making sure he's drinking plenty of water, because I think Layne honestly forgets to drink during the day, haha. His nose goes from moist to dry throughout the day, but the vet told me that this was very normal for puppies.
I brought them a fecal sample, and I will get the results tomorrow. They also gave me a month's supply of Interceptor for Heartworm prevention---has anyone used this product?
Overall, I am very pleased that Layne is in overall great health. He has been a very welcomed joy in my life, and I appreciate everyone's input and suggestions...you all made me feel reassured about the questions I had, days before the vet did! :)
By the way---potty training Layne has been GREAT! He will not go potty in the crate at night---he wakes me up, I take him out, and he does his business. Of course we still have the expected accidents in the house, but he's really good about hitting the puppy pad. I could not be happier about this!
Thanks again, all!
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Vectra is flea killer + permethrin + insect growth regulator (the same med as is in Nylar). I wouldn't use if if you want to avoid permethrin. I don't like Revolution period but I especially don't like it with puppies; the large compounds like ivermectin seem to be associated with autoimmune disease when given to puppies. Revolution is a godsend for mange, but is overkill for the normal puppy needs of fleas and worming.
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A bit off-topic, but they are doing research with people that seems to indicate that lack of parasites greatly increases the risk of auto-immune disease in humans. It seems, in theory, that having intestinal nasties helps teach our immune systems what is "good" and what is "bad." Results are preliminary, but having an autoimmune disease myself, I tend to follow the research. Humans who live in areas with poor sanitation who have parasites have higher incidences of other diseases, but much lower incidences of auto-immune disease. And humans, by and large, don't take anti-worm medication.
So sometimes the cause/effect is not as clear-cut as it first appears. Just a thought.
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