Ask Dr. Paola- Tumors, Raisins & Trigger Words (June 23, 2025)

Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” collection, the place each Monday we deliver skilled recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their canine’s well being and well-being.

Whether or not you’re a brand new pet guardian or a seasoned canine lover, Dr. Paola is right here to supply solutions to your most urgent questions. From diet suggestions and preventive care to troubleshooting frequent behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to supply insights that may hold your furry pal comfortable and wholesome. Keep tuned for skilled steerage on a spread of subjects that matter most to you and your canine, so you can also make knowledgeable choices and supply the absolute best care to your canine companion. ‎Have‎ a ‎question? Send it in here!

Assist! My Canine Has Plasma Cell Tumors!

“Pricey Dr. Paola,

Darby has been recognized with benign plasma cell tumors. For over a 12 months now, every time we situated a number of, our veterinarian has eliminated them and had them examined. She now has 5 extra which have grown, and our vet not needs to threat surgical procedure at her age. She might be 14 in July 2025.

The vet has been consulting with a specialist at Colorado, and so they recommend we begin Darby on prednisolone and melphalan as a substitute of surgical procedure. Aside from these tumors, Darby appears wholesome. She eats properly, is involved in her environment, has wholesome stools, and performs with us. We’re fearful that steroids and chemotherapy will hurt her and reduce her high quality of life.

My daughter learn an article that acknowledged plasma cell tumors responded to CBD oil. Are you accustomed to utilizing CBD oil this fashion? Please share how you’ll deal with most of these tumors. Thanks”  – Vivian

Hiya Vivian,

Thanks for sharing Darby’s story. It’s clear she’s deeply cherished and properly cared for, and I’m glad to listen to that regardless of the plasma cell tumors, she’s nonetheless engaged, consuming properly, and having fun with life. At almost 14, her consolation and well-being understandably take precedence. The strategy your veterinarian and the consulting specialist are recommending is a acknowledged palliative protocol in instances the place surgical elimination is not the most secure possibility. Prednisolone will help cut back irritation and will gradual tumor development, whereas melphalan, although a gentle oral chemotherapy drug, can systemically goal irregular plasma cells. When used on the applicable dose and with cautious monitoring (put together your self for normal vet visits and bloodwork), this mix is usually properly tolerated in canine and will give you extra good-quality time collectively. The important thing lies in balancing effectiveness with side effect administration, and plenty of canine proceed to get pleasure from their normal routines whereas on these medicines.

Such as you, many pet homeowners have an interest within the potential advantages of CBD oil for pets with most cancers. Nevertheless, at the moment, there isn’t a robust scientific proof confirming its effectiveness in opposition to plasma cell tumors particularly. Many of the obtainable knowledge is anecdotal or comes from early-stage research in lab settings. Some pet dad and mom have reported that CBD helps with ache aid or anxiousness, which may not directly assist high quality of life, however it’s not thought of a dependable stand-alone remedy for most cancers.

Moreover, whereas CBD is just not the identical as THC, it’s vital to bear in mind that its authorized standing varies. In some international locations or states, possession or use should be restricted, particularly when administering it to animals. When you’re contemplating it, be sure you verify your native rules and all the time seek the advice of your veterinarian to keep away from any unintended interactions together with her prescribed medicines. In these instances, a fastidiously guided palliative strategy, supported by common monitoring and changes, usually offers probably the most compassionate and efficient outcomes.

Finally, each remedy plan must be guided by how the canine is feeling and what’s going to give them the highest quality of life.

– Dr. Paola

Assist! Can Canine Eat Raisins?

“Can canine eat raisins?” – Sally, mother of Mona and Mabel

Hello Sally,

It’s pretty to listen to from a caring canine mother such as you. Mona and Mabel are fortunate to have somebody searching for his or her well being, particularly with regards to meals security. Raisins, sadly, are usually not protected for canine. Even in very small quantities, they will trigger sudden kidney failure in some instances. The tough factor about raisins is that the quantity of tartaric acid they comprise can differ considerably, resulting in unpredictable results.

Not all canine react the identical approach. One may eat a handful and seem fully wonderful, whereas one other might turn into critically unwell after only one or two raisins. Though tartaric acid is at the moment the main suspect, veterinary drugs has not but definitively confirmed it as the precise toxin. This uncertainty solely provides to the priority. Since there’s no identified protected quantity, it’s finest to deal with grapes and raisins like poisonous substances and hold them properly out of attain. If Mona or Mabel ever occur to eat any, even when they appear wonderful, it’s vital to contact your veterinarian right away.

The kidneys are chargeable for filtering waste from the blood, and once they start to fail, toxins rapidly construct up within the physique. In instances of grape or raisin ingestion, indicators of kidney distress resembling vomiting, lack of urge for food, or lethargy can seem inside just a few hours. If left untreated, a canine can progress quickly to finish kidney shutdown. Due to the unpredictable nature of this toxicity, the advice is that any quantity of grape or raisin ingestion must be handled as an emergency. Fast motion in these instances could make all of the distinction in defending your canine as a result of early intervention with decontamination and supportive fluids can forestall severe kidney injury.

Sustain the proactive care

– Dr. Paola

Assist! My Canine Will get Too Excited When He Hears the Phrase ‘Stroll’!

“Pricey Dr. Paola,

My canine Tilly does a full-body wiggle dance the second I say the phrase ‘stroll.’ We all know that he loves walks, however he does this even when we are saying the phrase proper after we’ve gotten house from a stroll! Is there something we should always do?” – Sarah

Hello Sarah,

It appears like Tilly’s wiggle dance is his model of a cheerful dance, and it’s a beautiful signal of how a lot he enjoys that particular time with you. Canine are very fast to type emotional associations, and the phrase “walk” has clearly turn into a set off for pleasure, very like how some canine react to the sound of a deal with bag or the jingling of keys. Even when he’s simply been out, the phrase itself nonetheless sparks that anticipation as a result of it’s tied to a constructive expertise reasonably than a bodily want.

When you’d prefer to handle his pleasure or keep away from over-stimulating him, you’ll be able to introduce a extra impartial or much less emotionally loaded cue. For instance, as a substitute of claiming “stroll,” you may begin grabbing the leash silently or use a phrase that sounds nothing like your normal instructions, resembling “pineapple” or “boots.” You could possibly even strive a phrase in a unique language resembling“¡Vámonos!” (Spanish for “let’s go”) or the French model, “Allons!” Since it’s unlikely you’ll use these phrases in different contexts, that is a simple approach to assist him distinguish actual stroll occasions from informal dialog.

Do not forget that canine have a tendency to reply higher to adjustments in routine once they’re launched regularly, so you will have to pair this new cue with the precise stroll till Tilly understands the connection. This manner, you’re preserving the enjoyment whereas additionally serving to him keep calm and centered.

By the way in which, since he’s presenting this cute wiggle to you, in case you introduce a random cue to it resembling “wiggle” and provides him a deal with, you’ll be able to very seemingly capture this behavior. Then he can be taught to carry out it beneath stimulus management, that means everytime you ask him to. That is an alternate technique to cease him from doing the wiggle in response to the phrase “stroll.” Nevertheless, you don’t wish to tease him if he’s not truly going out.

Comfortable coaching! Dr. Paola

The submit Ask Dr. Paola- Tumors, Raisins & Trigger Words (June 23, 2025) by Dr. Paola Cuevas MVZ (Vet) appeared first on Dogster. Copying over total articles infringes on copyright legal guidelines. You is probably not conscious of it, however all of those articles had been assigned, contracted and paid for, so they are not thought of public area. Nevertheless, we respect that you simply just like the article and would adore it in case you continued sharing simply the primary paragraph of an article, then linking out to the remainder of the piece on Dogster.com.

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