Question by ELJayDubs: Veterinarian said puppy had irregular heartbeat (?)?
Many years ago, when our dog (a shih-tzu) was a puppy, the vet told us during her first check-up that she had an irregular heartbeat. He said a special kind of test was necessary that could only be done in California, so we would have to pay lots of money to get the test done and have it sent there.

We did not have the money needed for this “special test”, and the dog seemed 100% healthy, so we took her to another vet when it was time for her next check-up.

She is now 9 years old, and the second vet, nor any of the other vets she has seen over the years, have ever mentioned this irregular heartbeat. She has been 100% healthy her entire life, with the exception of mild skin allergies (basically, she just gets itchy sometimes.)

My question is…..was the first vet just trying to get us to pay for unnecessary tests? Was he creating a condition that she did not have? (I’ve since researched irregular heartbeats in dogs over the internet, and it seems like as long as they don’t have any accompanying symptoms, it is fairly common and harmless. Of course, the vet made it seem like it was serious, and did not mention how common it actually was.)

So was he just trying to rip us off?
Just wanted to add, she was a purebred, expensive puppy (the person who bought her originally paid upwards of $ 1000 — we actually adopted her from them free of charge because they had purchased her as a gift for someone, and the recipient ended up not wanting her….so we got her because they knew us and just wanted her to go to a good home.)
I have always thought that the vet maybe thought since we had the kind of money to pay for a dog that expensive, we would be able to pay a lot of money to get the tests done — which kind of leads me in the direction that he was trying to take advantage of us.
Also, I would be a lot less likely to think he was trying to rip us off had he just told us the truth about how common it actually was, OR had mentioned that it was just a precautionary sort of thing. It seems like he was maybe trying to play off of our ignorance…I just would have appreciated his being more open and truthful about it.

Ironically, I still really like this vet because I know he goes out of his way to help people who can’t afford to pay for procedures…a friend of mine adopted a dog from a shelter that required a serious operation to live, and he did it for next to nothing. I think he maybe just misjudged us as people who had tons of money, since we appeared to have paid so much for our dog…though that wasn’t really the case. (In actuality I am the kind of person that would always adopt a dog from a shelter before I bought from a pet store/breeder, etc. I think there are way too many wonderful dogs in shelters that don’t have homes.)

Best answer:

Answer by Kayla
Some vets do and some vets don’t, my best advice is to always get a second opinion when it is a big thing like a irregular heartbeat. Once your vet knows you are not afraid to get a second opinion they he has even more reason to tell the truth.

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Question by jjkk: The vet said my dog could have mainge around his eyes or its allergy, will it go away?
I took my cocker to the vet and she said that he either has allergys or if it dont go away and it is mainge will it go away and will the hair come come back around his eyes cause it is bald there. it is in both eyes, one eye is red and has yellowish puss in it or running out of it. the other eye is not red or anything but its bald around it. could it be from fleas? and then he rubs them to get the fleas off of him. also i switch about 2 weeks ago from frontline to advantage, frontline just wasnt working for us.I sprayed the yard and bomb the house. any advice will help please.

Best answer:

Answer by Cambria
If you did all that, I doubt it is fleas. It sounds like it could be mange. I would go back to the vet and get some medication.

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Question by Mandy: My dogs seem to have skin allergy.Vets said its their food,i’ve changed many times.Anybody know e cure?
one of my dogs is a maltese, the other is a schnauzer. They didn’t have this problem when they were puppies.Seem to have surfaced when they hit adulthood….Their condition looks like what a human skin allergy—eczema. Medicine and change in diet don’t seem to work very well.

Best answer:

Answer by libertydogtraining
Try feeding Fish and Chips or Lamb Millet Rice formulas from Flint River. These are free of wheat, corn, chicken, by products, animal digest, dyes, sugars, and artificial preservatives that are often the cause of food sensitivities and allergies.

Both of these formulas are made to be non allergic, and are made with human grade ingredients, so more is digested, they eat less and there is less waste.

Good luck!

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What is the major difference between Purina Dog Chow, Pedigree Dog food, and Iams Dog food?
Right now I feed him purina but I want to try and switch him to a different kind.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Rex just turned a year old. I am from Canada
It would make sense to narrow it down your right, but I don’t have 700 dollars to spend on allergy tests.

one of my dogs is a maltese, the other is a schnauzer. They didn’t have this problem when they were puppies.Seem to have surfaced when they hit adulthood….Their condition looks like what a human skin allergy—eczema. Medicine and change in diet don’t seem to work very well.