Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” collection, the place each Monday we convey professional recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their canine’s well being and well-being.
Whether you’re a brand new pet father or mother or a seasoned canine lover, Dr. Paola is right here to offer solutions to your most urgent questions. From diet suggestions and preventive care to troubleshooting frequent behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to provide insights that can maintain your furry buddy completely satisfied and wholesome. Stay tuned for professional steering on a variety of subjects that matter most to you and your canine, so you can also make knowledgeable choices and supply the very best care in your canine companion. Have a question? Send it in here! 
Help! I Need Help with Products!
“Hi Dr. Paola,
Some stickers offered on-line by Natpat declare to calm and calm down your pet. They are referred to as pet zen vapor stickers and are non-mediated. The package deal claims the stickers are made with plant-based components, eco-friendly, and vet-formulated. You place the sticker in a locket and connect it to the canine’s collar. I need to strive it on Murphy, my 22-pound King Charles Cavalier to calm and scale back his barking. Do you will have any info on this product? Thank you for contemplating my query ” – Jan
Hi Jan,
Thank you very a lot in your belief. While I’ve no direct expertise with this product, I’ll attempt to assist reply your query as greatest as I can.
One of our writers, Emily Muller, reviewed this product on our website. She examined it on her cute canine, Micah, and reported that simply a few minutes after putting the sticker on the collar, Micah was noticeably calmer. You can read her review and luxuriate in some superb pictures of her beautiful pup.
Ensuring the collar is correctly secured in order that Murphy can’t get to it can be crucial. While the danger of hostile reactions is low, you must monitor Murphy for any uncommon indicators when introducing the stickers, as particular person sensitivities can range. If you discover any hostile reactions, discontinue use instantly.
Likewise, it’s important to do not forget that barking is a pure type of communication for canine. While some barking is regular, extreme barking can point out underlying causes equivalent to anxiousness, boredom, territorial conduct, or discovered habits. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed could also be susceptible to vocalizing on account of pleasure or separation misery somewhat than aggression. While the Pet Zen Vapor Stickers could assist promote rest, they gained’t instantly deal with the foundation reason for his barking. If Murphy barks out of behavior or in response to triggers like exterior noises, behavioral coaching paired with calming aids may be more practical.
Positive reinforcement training can help educate Murphy various behaviors. Rewarding quiet moments with treats, partaking him in puzzle toys to maintain his thoughts stimulated, and utilizing instructions like “quiet” with constant reinforcement can steadily scale back pointless barking. If his barking stems from separation-related misery, steadily growing his consolation with alone time and offering calming background sounds may assist. Combining coaching with instruments like pheromone diffusers or anxiousness wraps may provide further assist. While pure calming aids just like the Pet Zen stickers could contribute to an total sense of rest, their effectiveness will range between canine. If Murphy’s barking stays persistent or will increase in depth, consulting a behaviorist specialist could also be useful as they’ll create a customized dealing with and coaching plan for Murphy. I hope this helps!
Sincerely, Dr. Paola
Dr. Paola
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I Need Help Choosing a Dog Food!
“I hope to supply my Spunky the highest quality meals. I’m looking for out if Open Farms is healthier than Performatin Ultra Limited. I’m having a tough time discovering comparisons.”– Lucy
Dear Lucy,
It is good to learn that many pet mother and father, like your self, are researching to decide on the correct diet for his or her pets. This signifies Spunky is clearly liked and properly cared for. The high quality of what we feed our pets instantly influences their well being and vitality. I don’t have private expertise with both model, however I’ve some common info to share.
Open Farm is widely known for its transparency and dedication to ethically sourced proteins and sustainable practices. Their recipes typically function a wide range of protein sources, together with much less frequent choices like venison and fish, which may be useful for canine with particular dietary wants or sensitivities. Additionally, Open Farm gives detailed details about their ingredient sourcing, permitting pet mother and father to hint the origin of every element of their canine’s meals.
Performatrin Ultra Limited Ingredient diets deal with simplicity, providing recipes with a single protein supply mixed with restricted and simply digestible carbohydrates like candy potatoes. These sorts of diets make feeding canine with meals sensitivities or allergic reactions simpler, as when you recognize what triggers them and likewise know precisely what a meals comprises, it minimizes the probabilities for hostile reactions.
Each of those manufacturers affords a variety of various merchandise and in the end, your best option is determined by Spunky’s particular well being necessities, preferences, and any identified sensitivities. Since our objective is to be essentially the most helpful useful resource for pet mother and father, at Dogster we have now lots of of free-access educational posts within the subjects of diet, understanding meals labels, issues, and remembers in addition to meals critiques. Observing how Spunky responds to a selected eating regimen is crucial, as particular person reactions can range. If you discover any hostile indicators or have issues about his dietary wants, consulting with a veterinarian is beneficial to make sure his eating regimen is the perfect for his well being and wishes.
If you want personalised assist navigating the labels or understanding why a canine may react to a sure eating regimen, a one-on-one video name with one in all our vets on our sister website, Pangovet, they usually can assist information you and reply any questions you’ll have. Again, congratulations, choosing the proper meals in your canine is essentially the most proactive method a loving pet father or mother can have.
Warm regards,
Dr. Paola
Help! What is the Best Food for Boxers?
“Hi Dr. Paola!
I’ve 2 boxers. Zeke & Tyson are 4-year-old and 2-year-old males. What pet food have you ever seen to be the perfect for this breed of canine, or what components are greatest for them? Thanks“ – Troy
Hi Troy,
Boxers are such an brisk and fun-loving breed! Given their excessive exercise ranges, muscular construct, and predisposition to sure well being issues, choosing the proper eating regimen is crucial to conserving Zeke and Tyson in peak situation. Boxers may be susceptible to coronary heart points, equivalent to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), so it’s vital to make sure their diet includes taurine-rich components like beef, rooster, turkey, and organ meats. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish may assist coronary heart well being and scale back irritation. Since they’re additionally susceptible to meals sensitivities, a eating regimen with simply digestible proteins and restricted components is greatest. I favor to keep away from diets with wheat, corn, and soy.
High-quality animal protein ought to at all times be the primary ingredient of their meals, supporting their lean muscle mass and excessive vitality wants. Boxers may have delicate stomachs, so avoiding overly processed meals and synthetic components is sensible. I favor fresh and gently cooked diets so long as they’re nutritionally balanced, fortunate for us it’s 2025 and there are many nice choices commercially out there and a few of them even delivered to the doorstep! If you’re choosing dry or wet foods, search for one with clearly named animal protein sources, wholesome fat, and complicated carbohydrates like candy potatoes or brown rice. If when you slender down your favourite choices, you need assistance understanding why a particular ingredient is added to a recipe, a one-on-one video name with Pangovet can assist information you and make an knowledgeable resolution.
Please notice that the Boxer breed is prone to bloating (gastric dilatation-volvulus or GDV), feeding smaller, extra frequent meals and avoiding train instantly after consuming can assist scale back dangers. One last item, if Zeke and Tyson have been fed the identical eating regimen for some time and you’re considering a diet change, please take your time to transition them slowly. Ideally do it over 7-10 days to permit their digestive system and microbiome to adapt, serving to to stop digestive upset.
I hope this helps! Dr. Paola
