Vet’s Views
Dr Kaushlendra Kumar
The doctor has been practising in Lucknow for the past 20 years in canine and other pet animal medicine and surgery
Q: I have a young Indie dog who loves to eat paper in any form—newspaper, packets, envelop, and even wrappers. How do I stop my dog? Is my pet being naughty, or can it be a symptom of some deficiency? Jasmin K.
Eating papers, packets, or any inanimate object, etc is called Pica. Pica is an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus in the body along with multivitamins deficiency. These deficiencies in turn happen due to infestation of worms and due to not providing balanced food. You should do regular deworming and vaccinations on time and add multi-minerals and vitamins along with calcium and phosphorus.
Q: My Spitz’s tear glands swell up and she tries to rub her eyes with her paws. I put a few drops of my eye drops and then the swelling subsides. Why is this happening? Is there a permanent cure? Can I use human eye drops on her? Ritu Singh
The eye is a reflection of the inner health of the body. Many factors may affect the eyes leading to symptoms of eyeball swelling, itching, white film over the surface of the cornea, and continuous discharge. You need to visit your vet and get it examined. Please see that your pet is duly dewormed and vaccinated. You can use normal saline water for eye wash that may give some relief on regular basis. Which human eye drops you are using is important and therefore it is better to use pet-specific eye drops after consulting an expert.
Q: A stray dog has come into our area with a ghastly wound on its head. At first, we thought the dog was mad, but it was not attacking anyone. It ate and drank when we gave it food and water, and wagged its tail when we addressed it. The dog must be in a lot of pain because the wound is pussy and smells. How can we help it? Rajat Singh
Try to find an NGO near your locality that can come daily and do dressing of wounds and give antibiotic and painkiller injections. You can yourself put liquid Betadine and antiseptic powder daily. That will provide some relief. Any you try any other medication; the dog will run away. Therefore, try only local dressing and give it good food. The wound will heal in a long time.
Q: I have a two-year-old Pug. Lately, I can see red patches on her skin folds. She also seems to suffer from itching. What can be wrong with her and what is your advice to us? Rinki Sengupta
Skin is again an inner health reflection of your body. Food, water, care, and hygiene are very important on a routine basis. Regular deworming, vaccination, and ticks/fleas treatment are equally important. If all these things are done, then these red spots and patches- called hot spots- need long-term treatment. Pugs are very sensitive to certain food items such as milk, meat, and whey. You have to rule out allergies too. Better to get it checked by your vet and start proper medication as per the body weight. Food containing omega 3&6 is very helpful for skin and coat and can be given on a regular basis to reduce the chances of skin diseases.
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