Terri Said:

rescue dog as therapy dog?

We Answered:

Be aware there is a difference between a therapy dog and a service dog.

If you're wanting a service dog, start first with the trainer and have them pick the candidate. Odds of correctly choosing a candidate are slim and are significantly increased if you have a pro do the pre-selection evaluations.

If you want a therapy dog, basically a good tempered pet that is trained to do visits to people in hospitals or nursing homes.

Regardless, no dog can be considered incapable of responding if it is abused. It's up to the parent to supervise and make sure the child does not hurt the dog. If this cannot be done, then getting a dog is not a good or humane choice.

Donna Said:

Any ideas for my video?

We Answered:

Can you play the piano? You could ask interview questions and have the answers already prepared. First you could dress up as Oprah/Ellen Degeneres and talk about a famous guest on the show. You could ask all the questions while you are Oprah/Ellen Degeneres, then change and pretend you are a famous pianist (Beethoven or something) and say all the answers to her questions. In the end you could play a famous piece or something. It will be really funny :)

Myrtle Said:

What are some non-surgical treatments for Dachshund discs?

We Answered:

The Dachshund Back Digest -- http://bajaokla.com/dachback/

Cervical and Thoracolumbar Disc Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment -- http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedin…

Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
-- http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs…

CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR DOGS AND CATS -- http://www.petsinmotion.ca/care4dogs.htm


Hope those help!

A note on massage therapy - while it may help alleviate the pain associated with any muscle strain resulting from the injury, and would likely be beneficial as complementary care during treatment and recovery, it really shouldn't be considered a "treatment" or a "cure" in and of itself. The underlying problem of the slipped disc would not be addressed by massage.

Alfredo Said:

Has anyone gotten surgery done for their dogs hip dysplasia?

We Answered:

I have a sister who had a Lab whos hips were done and I am sorry to say the result was poor. His quality of life was just very low. The good news is that this was 15 years ago and I am sure advancements have been made.

Look into it and see if the place doing the surgery has a client who would let you talk with them. Most pet owners would be willing to let you see how there dog did after the surgery but the vets office would have to place a call or two, and any good vet will be happy to do it. They should also be able to tell you of some of the recent improvements and the "Expected" recovery.

Good luck.

Kay Said:

My corgi (approx 8 yrs) has very severe hip dysplaysia & weighing the option of FHO...any advice?

We Answered:

Ask your veterinarian. If they're good, they should have something like that in their facility.

Shelly Said:

Dogs in the office?

We Answered:

It seems like it would be up to the owner of the office...and if he/she is fine with it, I doubt there would be a problem.