We have a 3-year-old yellow Lab with an insatiable need to find and eat rabbit feces. Is this dangerous? ... Is there any thing we can put on a pile to let her know this is not acceptable behavior?

Once a dog develops a liking for fecal matter, a condition called coprophagia, it is extremely difficult to break them of the habit. Many dogs develop this habit and treatment consists of -- obviously -- keeping the dog away from the feces. Exercise them on a leash. Or failing that, spray the feces with a pet repellent such as bitter apple, jalapeno juice or generous amounts of Tabasco sauce.

Unfortunately Labradors are pretty hard-headed when it comes to this trait, and tend to bolt down the delicacy before the Tabasco sauce or other repellent can put them off.

The good news is that there is very little harm that ingested rabbit pellets can cause. The majority of normal healthy rabbits are carriers of the one-celled protozoan parasite coccidian belonging to the Eimeria genus. These parasites are highly host-, organ- and tissue-specific, and rarely if ever represent a danger for other species.

Rabbits can also be infected with tapeworms and the eggs are passed in the feces. The dog is not the normal intermediate host of this tapeworm and only rarely will these eggs cause a problem in a dog.

However it is not a good idea to let your dog eat feces of any species. Apart from the aesthetic aspect, cat and dog feces can cause problems and you should take preventative action to reduce your dog's indulgence in this habit.

My dog frequently vomits yellow bile in the morning, but once she has her breakfast she is fine. My veterinarian suggested giving over-the-counter calcium carbonate antacid ... but I would like to stop it happening.

Some dogs on waking up are nauseated and will vomit. Giving an antacid may make your dog feel better, but the gastric refluxes of acidic stomach juices irritate the stomach and esophagus and can cause severe problems.

A better treatment is to prevent the condition by giving her a gastric acid anti-secretory agent such as famotidine at night. Some of these drugs, like Zantac or even Prilosec, are available over the counter. A Labrador-sized dog's dose would be one Zantac tablet or one Prilosec capsule nightly.

Our St. Bernard puppy has died from something called hypertrophic osteodystrophy. He had all his shots and was on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine, but did not respond. Do all dogs get this disease?

Hypertrophic osteodystrophy is an inflammatory bone disease that affects rapidly growing puppies, especially the large breeds like Irish wolfhounds, Doberman pinschers and Weimaraners.

Weimaraners appear to have an unusually aggressive type that is inherited from a recessive gene from both parents. It has been suggested that there may be some relationship to vaccination and in Weimaraners the addition of corticosteroids to the treatment appears to help.

The cause of the ailment is unknown. There are plenty of theories, however, including a vitamin C deficiency, too-rich diet or a virus.

Symptoms include swollen, hot joints, a high fever, poor appetite, lost weight and a reluctance to move.

There is no specific treatment. Antibiotics control the fever, and anti-inflammatories and nutritional support such as intravenous fluids help keep the puppy comfortable.

Most puppies recover, usually within weeks.

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, VA 24068, or send an e-mail to mjbowen@radford.edu.