Natural immune support for puppy on antibiotics: What helps?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I am sorry that Prince is sick. I am assuming since you are using Yunnan Bayio that Prince is bleeding somewhere. As for other immune support, I like Omega 3's (http://vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/), probiotics (Purina fortiflora which can be found online), feed a high quality diet and you could discuss acupuncture as well. I've attached a link the I'm Yunnity a mushroom that is being used in the UPenn Vet school cancer studies. It is thought to help the immune system. http://www.imyunity.com/ I hope this helps and I wish you and Prince the best!

Man, that's a loaded question! In general, choose a good-quality commercial dog food, which will provide all necessary protein, fiber, minerals, and nutrients that a dog needs. There are different formulations that are appropriate for dogs with specific issues, but at 4 months of age, I would not expect Mia to have a sensitive stomach or food allergies - discuss this with your vet, though. Adding in a pet probiotic & prebiotic is an excellent idea for intestinal health in all dogs (just like in all humans!) but it has to be given every day to have any positive effect. Probiotics designed for dogs tend to work better than human probiotics. Keeping Mia on good food and flea and tick and heartworm preventatives and vaccinating her according to your vet's recommendation is the best way to keep her immune system at its peak performance.

I have placed dogs on both Yunnan Bai Yao and omega-3s in the past without concern or any issues. However, there have not been any studies done checking on the use of the two in conjunction. So in theory, there could be an issue when using the two concurrently. Standard Process makes some immune support supplements although these should be used under direct supervision of your veterinarian. The use of Standard Process supplements depends on the issue you are treating. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best of luck to you and Prince!

There isn't any interaction between Amoxicillin and those products. My only concern is that both Amoxicillin and Vitamin C can irritate the stomach, so the combination of the two would be more likely to do so than either alone. So, if you decide to add the mixture, start with a small amount at first, then slowly increase it to the desired dose over a couple of days as long as her stools stay normal. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Oh dear, poor Gus! You did exactly right in bringing him directly to the vet, and I'm relieved that his lungs looked normal as sometimes electrical shock can cause fluid to be retained in the lungs. In my opinion, there is no specific supplement or medication that will make any significant impact on boosting Gus's immune system - the most important thing is just to make sure he's getting good high quality nutrition, and make sure he stays well hydrated. Since he has burns in his mouth that could influence his willingness to eat, it might help to either offer him canned food (I'd stick with the same brand & type you're currently feeding, to avoid GI upset), or you can soak his kibble in a little warm water for 15 minutes prior to feeding. The extra water in either canned or soaked kibble will also help him stay hydrated. If you need to help entice him to eat, you could add some small fine bits of cooked chicken. I wouldn't advise trying to apply anything topically to those burns, since 1) they're painful and he'd probably resist you touching them, and 2) anything you try to put in his mouth is just going to get immediately licked away. From your description, it sounds like you're doing everything right - I would actually say that the supplement/additive that might best help him heal would be omega 3 / fish oil supplements. Keep up the good work and I hope Gus feels better soon!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. I would consider a prescription low fat diet such as Purina EN canned food. It is highly digestible palatable diet that easy on the gastrointestinal tract. You can also add Fortiflora as a probiotic. Most dogs like the taste and it can help repopulate her gut with good bacteria after the antibiotics. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It sounds as though Pachu is not tolerating the antibiotics. I would contact the veterinarian to discuss other options for treating the skin infection. If the skin infection is not bad, then the use of oral antibiotics may not be needed. I always try to treat mild skin infections with topical therapy alone and get very good success in doing so. If Pachu is dehydrated from the vomiting / diarrhea he may need hydration therapy to help with that. I hope this helps!