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skin irratation/food

19 11:07:24

Question
QUESTION: hey karen...i was given a dog...shes 14months old...shes  white with brown or black spots on skin? is she a full blooded pit? shes looks like one...and shes a female pitbull...she has very small red dots around the inside of her hind legs...they look as if they are flea bites....and she has about 3 little scratches around her nose...you think you can tell what it is inside her hind legs and what i can do to get rid of it...and also the scratches on her face....i've only had her for about 2days now....i've bought some spray that says it helps with skin irritation and scratches.....but is there anything else....and another thing...it seems like they were feeding her alot of leftover's i've brought her pedigree hard dog food and she doesnt eat it....and i even tried to moisten it as well and that doesnt work....do you have any suggestions?

ANSWER: I have no idea what your dog is. She is most likely a mixed-breed as most people won't give away purebreds.

The red dots could be flea bites, but they could also be a staph infection, which would require antibiotics to clear up. I would take her into your vet for a thorough examination, along with a stool specimen which should be examined for parasites. You really should make sure that she is a healthy dog before you get too involved with her in your life.

If she was eating table scraps, it might be a bit hard to get her to switch over to kibble. Pedigree is not the best thing out there, and I would suggest something better like Eagle, Canidae, Wellness, Solid Gold, or Flint River Ranch. Eagle has a fish formula that most dogs *really* love.

Put the kibble in her bowl, and if she walks away from it, pick it up and do not offer her anything else until her next sceduled feeding. Repeat until she starts eating, but most dogs only miss a couple feedings before they start chowing down.

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QUESTION: thankz...well the owner was being forced out there house...so he gave her to me...i would send you a pic but i dont have ur email...they dont sell that other food out in my area...and kibble? is that kibbles n bits? is that good for her fur/coat...im tryna make it thick & silky type lol? becuz shes white... u've been an awesome help....o and at 14months and she doesnt kno how to sit or lay or anything...could you give me some ideas maybe...im pretty good with the whole training thing....thankz

ANSWER: Kibble is the pieces of (any) dry dog food. If you want good coat, you need to feed a quality dog food. The first ingredient should be a meat protein, or preferably a meat meal, and there should be no by-products in the food and only a limited amount of grain.

As to training, it is always best to take real lessons from a professional at a training center, but failing that, a good book can help immensely. I highly recommend Training Your Dog, the Step-by-Step Manual, by Volhard & Fisher (Howell Book House).

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QUESTION: and one more thing what do you think the result would be if a mother and son had puppies...would there be a problem with that? also i have a male dog thats always peeing lol...he pee's when he's excited all the time is that normal or does he have some type of bladder problem?

Answer
Inbreeding is never recommended as it can cause health problems in the puppies.

As to your urinating male, you don't give enough information to determine the problem. He could have a bladder infection, he could be doing dominant marking, or he could have submissive urination. http://www.perfectpaws.com/subr.html

A male that is used for breeding will tend to mark in the house.