Ask The Experts

Warts and scabs

Park Sang Hun 12 years ago
Q: My Poodle is 11-years-old and has multiple warts around his skin. I notice that they tend to be nicked during grooming, resulting in the formation of scabs. How can I prevent this from happening and what type of shampoo would you recommend for his skin?

Which shampoo should I use?

Park Sang Hun 12 years ago
Q: There are so many different types of shampoos in the market, how do I know which is suitable for my dogs? I have a Jack Russell Terrier, a Border Collie, and a Shih Tzu. Can I use the same shampoo for all three dogs?

My cat pees everywhere!

Zulkifli Bin Daud 12 years ago
Q: I have two Persian cats, five and three-years-old, both female and sterilised. My five-year-old is more attached to me but she has a problem with her litter box. She has a tendency to pee outside it and will, at times, purposely urinate on my cross stitch tray, slippers, bags and clothes that are left unattended or on the floor. I have tried admonishing her and she will cease to do so for a while before her bad behaviour returns again. Is there any way to stop this completely?

Handstripping westie

Park Sang Hun 12 years ago
Q: I recently got a Westie and I heard that hand stripping helps to maintain her wired coat. Is this painful for the dog? Can I do it myself? How else can I groom her?

My dog has kidney failure

Dr Jean-Paul Ly 12 years ago
Q: We’ve rescued a Jack Russell Terrier x mongrel, Scotty who’s 10 months old and has chronic kidney failure. Two of the vets we have seen say it’s an acute condition. Because of this, he drinks and urinates excessively. He’s been tested negative for heart worms, ehrlichia and babesi, was dewormed and vaccinated as soon as we got him too. Could you please advice the best diet and supplements available?

Perineal Urethrostomy in Cats

Dr Grace Heng 12 years ago
My cat, Ken Shin, recently did his Perineal Urethrostomy (PU) operation. How long would it be before we stope finding traces of blood in his urine? Would it be good to continue with his usual diet of a mixture of dry and wet food?

My dog loves raw hide!

Dr Jean-Paul Ly 12 years ago
Is raw hide good for cleaning my dog’s teeth? Or are dental chews better? Would you recommend feeding my dog these instead of brushing?

Itchy and losing fur

Dr Grace Heng 12 years ago
My cat, Patches, developed an allergic reaction to a topical flea spray prescribed by my vet who said there would be no adverse effects. He recently started on a no-grain diet (chicken only) with wet food (tuna with salmon/white fish), and has been on injections and steroid medications for the past year. How do I ease his itch and loss of fur? I’d love to wean him off steroids but his allergy could worsen and we’d be forced to put him to sleep.

Anti-histamines don't work!

Dr Jean-Paul Ly 12 years ago
Q: My Maltese has been experiencing skin problems since last July. Although we have switched to a vet-prescribed diet, his condition is deteriorating. The anti-histamines that the vet gave previously do not seem to relief him of the itch and he now has sore spots all over his body, even on the toes and tail. Could it be an immunity issue rather than a food allergy? Would feeding him probiotics help?

Tear-stained eyes

Dr Chua Hui Li 12 years ago
Q: My Poodle puppy has excessive tearing and dark brown tear stains on her lovely white fur. I have searched online for ways to remove these stains and have even used Eye Envy to clean her face daily. Diet-wise, I have changed her diet to Natural Balance Duck and Potato kibble. I have also resorted to giving her boiled drinking water, but all these methods do not seem to work for her. I am planning to try “Angels' Eyes” on her after she turns six months. Could you suggest any other ways that might help to eliminate this problem?

My Schnauzer has flaky skin!

Dr Grace Heng 12 years ago
Q: My Schnauzer cross, Snuffy, has flakes all over his body, and he starts to smell just a few days after he takes a shower. I have tried many different kinds of shampoo for sensitive skin on him, and changed his kibble many times in order to find a suitable one for him but the problem still persists. What could it be due to and what other measures can I take? Is it a grooming problem or is it genetic? Please help me! I want him to get back his rich and shiny coat that he had as a pup!

Acid Reflux in Puppies

Dr Jean-Paul Ly 12 years ago
Q: My nine month old puppy is suffering from acid reflux. Apparently I’ve been told that canine acid reflux cannot be cured and can only be managed via his diet. My puppy is currently on a fish meal kibble diet, with occasional cooked food such as blanched chicken breast meat and vegetables; may I know if this is appropriate? As he’s still a growing boy, he eats quite a lot; are there other types of food I can feed him to keep his meals interesting as well as healthy? I’ve also heard that Manuka honey may help, is this true? If so, how should I go about administering this?

Cat Fight!

Zulkifli Bin Daud 13 years ago
Q: I have two male cats and four females. They are all neutered. However, Cullen (male) and Bella (female) have a habit of peeing in random places. It does not seem to be a territorial issue as they do it almost anywhere in the house. For example, they recently eliminated in the middle of the living room. Also, my other male cat, Jake, who is the more aggressive of the two boys, likes to pick a fight with Cullen, does this have anything to do with Cullen’s erratic elimination habits? How do I get them to be litter trained again? And how do I get them to get along?

Can aromatherapy soothe hot spots?

Bobby Duchowny 13 years ago
Q: I have heard that aromatherapy can work wonders to calm dogs down. Apart from that, will I be able to use essential oils on my dogs to keep skin problems at bay? And if so, what oils would you recommend to soothe hot spots?