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MoCookies posted:Are they still peeing regularly? Well I did both tests on both dogs but since I have nothing to compare with at hand it is inconclusive. The skin didn't stay up but it didn't go down almost immediatly but I expected that because they're both pbgv's so their skin is kinda looseish. Gums seem fine but what do I know? The younger dog sorta-likes ice but only when he's in the mood for it. I tried giving a piece to him earlier today and he cracked it and got disinterested. I found a solution though! 1 piece of dog candy held under the surface of the water will have my older dog drinking to reach it. I used a few, rewarding him when he was getting bored. Afterwards he kept drinking without me holding a candy, likely because he expected one as a reward but possibly because he realizes that he was thirsty! He drank half a bowl, but the bowls are pretty small. Both the dogs together have maybe a little more then one bowl in the last two days. (How much should a dog drink?)
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Jul 1, 2009 20:37
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Olive Bar posted:Hmm, interesting. Yeah, I didn't think animals were capable of suicide. Thank you. I know this is totally from the first page of this thread, but if anyone is interested, I was having a really interesting conversation with Twisted Echidna the other day on this very topic. She taught me some very interesting and new things - for instance if a deer is badly wounded it will often purposely sniff out and find wolves. So yeah, suicide does exist in the animal kingdom - not out of depression I would say, but probably out of an instinctual drive to ensure the survival of the rest of its species/communal group by removing itself from being a burden.
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Jul 1, 2009 21:46
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Zombiesinmyshower! posted:I know this is totally from the first page of this thread, but if anyone is interested, I was having a really interesting conversation with Twisted Echidna the other day on this very topic. She taught me some very interesting and new things - for instance if a deer is badly wounded it will often purposely sniff out and find wolves. It is rumored that Bubbles the Chimp attempted suicide after Michael Jackson gave him up to a primate sanctuary. I'm 99% sure that it's hogwash, but I guess you never know.
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Jul 1, 2009 21:55
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Edit: N/m gonna ask the nutrition megathread.
HondaCivet fucked around with this message at 14:42 on Jul 2, 2009 |
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Jul 2, 2009 02:07
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Affi posted:Well I did both tests on both dogs but since I have nothing to compare with at hand it is inconclusive. The skin didn't stay up but it didn't go down almost immediatly but I expected that because they're both pbgv's so their skin is kinda looseish. Gums seem fine but what do I know? It sounds like their fine, if they don't have any symptoms. If you're still worried, then you might just take them to the vet for a checkup. One thing to consider is maybe they're getting water from other sources (e.g. toilets, pool, etc.) when you're not there supervising.
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Jul 2, 2009 19:06
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I've been using silica cat litter for a few months now. Any particular reason I shouldn't? It seems better in every single way--she tracks less of it out, less dusty, less smell when she takes a poo, just throw it out after the month (only one cat, it gets proportionally smaller with more obviously), and it's biodegradable. My question is: is there some hidden reason I shouldn't use this magical stuff? Will it give her any issues? I'm paranoid and I love my cat.
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Jul 2, 2009 21:35
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Nicol Bolas posted:I've been using silica cat litter for a few months now. Any particular reason I shouldn't? It seems better in every single way--she tracks less of it out, less dusty, less smell when she takes a poo, just throw it out after the month (only one cat, it gets proportionally smaller with more obviously), and it's biodegradable. I'd never even heard of silica litter, so in my search to find out what it was, I found this. Talks about the pros & cons of the litter.  Hope it helps!
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Jul 2, 2009 21:52
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I'm actually just looking for a vet recommendation; anyone here know of a good Portland cat vet? [Obviously doesn't need to be cat-exclusive, I just mean good with cats.] We just moved here, and while Spike doesn't need any medical care at the moment, I'd rather have a name on file when something comes up than just try the best that google has to offer.
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Jul 2, 2009 23:52
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Susan B. Antimony posted:I'm actually just looking for a vet recommendation; anyone here know of a good Portland cat vet? [Obviously doesn't need to be cat-exclusive, I just mean good with cats.] We just moved here, and while Spike doesn't need any medical care at the moment, I'd rather have a name on file when something comes up than just try the best that google has to offer.
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Jul 3, 2009 00:41
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Crooked Booty posted:I can't recommend anyone specifically, but you may want to start here. Veterinarians registered with the American Association of Feline Practitioners are at the very least willing to pay some money to become members of the AAFP, most likely because they're interested in feline medicine and staying up to date on new research and information. If no one else has a specific recommendation for you, I'd try googling the names you get from the AAFP website and reading reviews. Cool. My vet that I love is listed there. The next closest is 30 minutes away, and the next 5 or so are all 2 hours away, in all directions.
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Jul 3, 2009 01:16
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Susan B. Antimony posted:I'm actually just looking for a vet recommendation; anyone here know of a good Portland cat vet? [Obviously doesn't need to be cat-exclusive, I just mean good with cats.] We just moved here, and while Spike doesn't need any medical care at the moment, I'd rather have a name on file when something comes up than just try the best that google has to offer. I love my vet. I go to Town and Country Animal Hospital: 12515 SE Division Portland, OR 97246 (503) 761-2330 Mon: 7am – 6pm Tue: 7am – 6pm Wed: 7am – 6pm Thu: 7am – 6pm Fri: 7am – 6pm Sat: 8:30am – 4:30pm Sun: Closed All the vets there are great but I prefer Dr. Andrew. He's really kind and I think could sit there and talk to my cats for the whole appointment. They also have a really cool parrot in the waiting room that likes to talk to you. While waiting with my cat once he looked at her and went, "Here kitty kitty!" They are very caring, thorough and considerate. The vet techs are always happy to talk to you on the phone if you have any questions or concerns. During poorer moments they've always been happy to work out payment arrangements so I could make sure my animals were treated. My whole family goes here with their animals. Last time we had to put a dog down they cried with us and sent us a sympathy card a week later. They are awesome people and I believe Dr. Andrew also can handle reptiles, small animals and other exotics.
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Jul 3, 2009 02:59
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Thanks so much--KilGrey, I'ma go to your vet.
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Jul 3, 2009 03:38
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My boyfriend's parents got a border collie puppy a month or so ago. They adore him, he's sweet, and while there was a recent scare that he'd been stolen, turns out he only wandered off to a neighbor's house somehow. Anywho, this isn't the problem. My boyfriend mentioned offhandedly that they were actually thinking about breeding  He says they aren't making any plans yet but that they had interest, and since his mom seemed very receptive and appreciative of the pet food information I had sent them, I was wondering if I could get a very nice and balanced argument or a list of reasons regarding why breeding dogs is a serious SERIOUS commitment and you can't just do it because you think puppies are cute?They could, hypothetically, do it (maybe). They live on a five acre piece of fenced in property and in theory there could be room for something if they really wanted to, I guess. They're really nice but I can't just stand by and watch them do this. I'm also horrible at explaining things and I tend to sound like I'm lecturing. So yeah, help? tl;dr: people have slight interest in breeding, need help to explain why this is really not a good idea.
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Jul 3, 2009 05:55
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Egad! posted:tl;dr: people have slight interest in breeding, need help to explain why this is really not a good idea. I'm sure there are others with more knowledge than I am that can find you better information, but I found this with a google search: http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeding.html#should_i_breed_my_dog http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hvpup1.html It goes over exactly how much time and money it can take to breed and how you shouldn't do it unless you are trying to better the breed. Here are a few diseases common to border collies (make sure they know what CERF and OFA is): http://www.bordercollie.org/kpgensel.html http://www.bordercollietraining.net/typical_border_collie_health_problems.html http://www.bordercollie.org/vet.html Let them know unless they plan on doing xray and genetic testing to make sure their dog does not have these and have access to the pups parents xray/genetic test results they should not bred the dog because they can't ensure it will have healthy pups. This also takes time and money. Also, the fact that with every heat a dog goes through, they run the risk of developing cancer: http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/canine-breast-cancer.html and http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared/living/pets/qa/qa101606.html Not only mammary tumors but Pyometra, a really nasty uterus infection. The term literally means 'pus in the uterus'. http://www.petside.com/health/petvet/pyometra-canine.php Pyometra is more common in certain breeds, of which the collie breeds are one. Is cancer really worth the risk just to have some cute puppies you don't ever plan on working, showing or putting in the effort to xray/genetically test to make sure they are healthy over all first? If they don't want to spend the money on all those things they sure as hell aren't going to be happy have to spend it on cancer treatments that were easily prevented by spaying. Like I said, there are others who are way more knowledgeable than I am that will probably come up with better stuff but at least this is a start.
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Jul 3, 2009 09:16
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Reading through my new lease, I stopped at the list of restricted breeds in my pet addendum. The usual suspects are there, Pits, Akitas, Rottweilers, but then there was a surprise. Standard Poodles. Poodles? Really? Anyone know why?
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Jul 3, 2009 16:14
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aunt moneybags posted:Reading through my new lease, I stopped at the list of restricted breeds in my pet addendum. The usual suspects are there, Pits, Akitas, Rottweilers, but then there was a surprise. Standard Poodles. I know a lot of people who've had negative experience with standard poodles, which is a shame. Maybe if this spreads people will finally start to realize how retarded bsl is.
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Jul 3, 2009 19:58
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So we got my cat some Softpaws, and the instructions are very vague about what to do when the claws start growing out. Do we clip the ends off as they get crazy long, or do we have to wait until there's enough to trim off behind the vinyl and start over?
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Jul 4, 2009 03:48
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They're supposed to last 2 months or so, so I'd imagine that once they fell off you'd just clip them down a little then put a new one one. I got them for my cat recently though, and he manages to chew a couple off every week so those still get trimmed all the time.
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Jul 4, 2009 03:56
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tse1618 posted:They're supposed to last 2 months or so, so I'd imagine that once they fell off you'd just clip them down a little then put a new one one. I got them for my cat recently though, and he manages to chew a couple off every week so those still get trimmed all the time. Well our cat didn't even bat an eye when we put them on, and never chewed on them or tried to remove them. They've been on for a few weeks now and are starting to get really long. Because they're glued on I'm not sure if they'll fall off on their own.
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Jul 4, 2009 04:04
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rear end Crackers! posted:Well our cat didn't even bat an eye when we put them on, and never chewed on them or tried to remove them. They've been on for a few weeks now and are starting to get really long. Because they're glued on I'm not sure if they'll fall off on their own. I don't use them, but I'm pretty sure they will fall off as the nail naturally sheds its outer layer.
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Jul 4, 2009 04:13
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rear end Crackers! posted:So we got my cat some Softpaws, and the instructions are very vague about what to do when the claws start growing out. Do we clip the ends off as they get crazy long, or do we have to wait until there's enough to trim off behind the vinyl and start over?
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Jul 4, 2009 05:08
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KilGrey posted:I'm sure there are others with more knowledge than I am that can find you better information, but I found this with a google search: Wow, thanks. That first link by itself is pretty much everything that I could hope to say, ever. And it's much more authoritative :o Both his parents work full time so I'm hoping they just forget about it (pleasepleasepleaseplease). If not, thank you for the resources
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Jul 4, 2009 05:25
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Random wildlife question - My partner and I moved to a kinda rural bit of Oregon about a year ago. I put a hummingbird feeder out this spring and we have a nice little group of birds coming to it so I got a couple stake feeders to put in the yard. They're just glass globes on a stake, with a screw in rubber "flower", and the birds have taken to them well. Last week he went out in the morning and one of the stake feeders was bent over and the globe was about four feet away in the grass. This was a bit loving weird, I had tried to get the globes out before and gave up. Nothing happened for a few nights, then it seems every night both feeders are getting raided. The tops are being unscrewed, so immediately we decided raccoons. Caught the little bastard about half an hour ago. He looks really healthy compared to the city raccoons I've known. Anything we can do to discourage the theft without freaking the birds out? We probably just need to bring them in at dusk but would prefer not to. I dont mind the dude wandering the yard but I'm tired of rebending them. tl,dr; I live in the boonies with a diabetic raccoon.
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Jul 4, 2009 07:43
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Jadisan posted:Random wildlife question -  If the coon is bending the stakes, you could try something more solid that he can't bend. Or you could try a hanging feeder. I don't know if those "squirrel-proof" feeder poles would work with a raccoon, but that might be an option as well.
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Jul 4, 2009 15:11
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100 Years in Iraq posted:Have you considered landmines? Yeah, I have considered longer poles with hanging feeders. It would suck to have to buy new ones but if it works, eh. My partner kinda wants to fill them with vinegar for a night but I think the birds would end up tasting it and spend the rest of the day giving us verbal abuse. Plus I think Rocky there is smarter than that and will be back when the sweet stuff reappears.
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Jul 4, 2009 16:47
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bee soup posted:You're only supposed to put glue in the very tip of the claw cover, so that once they grow out you can snip off the tip and the whole thing will come off. Ok, I'll try this. We tried not to use much glue, but it's kind of hard to tell how much is in there. If nothing else we'll just see if she sheds them. Thanks.
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Jul 4, 2009 19:36
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rear end Crackers! posted:Ok, I'll try this. We tried not to use much glue, but it's kind of hard to tell how much is in there. If nothing else we'll just see if she sheds them. Thanks. You can also have a vet put them on for a small fee. Probably wont want to do that every time but might be nice to see how they do it once. I think my vet charges $15. I have a kitty question. I have a tubby, rambunctious male cat and a sleek, lean Siamese female. The Siamese likes to pretend to ignore the male but at least once a day they have a good chase and wrestle match around the house before going back to pretending they don't like each other. Recently my little boy has been making this high pitched meow/whine when they play. It's not during the wrestling like a cat would do to say 'to hard' but right before he goes to bat at her or jump at her. I'm not sure if he's just being a goof or if he's trying to tell her to be more gentle or if he's hurting. He doesn't run away from her at all so I'd think if he were bothered or hurting he would. It's just a disconcerting sound especially as he's usually not vocal. Anyone else experienced this or am I being a nervous parent?
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Jul 4, 2009 20:55
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I'm going to go with play-whining-- one of my cats does this too. He'd stop playing with her if he was truly being hurt by her. Instead, he complains and keeps playing, like my cat. I think some cats just play that way. If you see blood being drawn, that's probably when you should consider breaking it up.
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Jul 4, 2009 22:29
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Fire In The Disco posted:I'm going to go with play-whining-- one of my cats does this too. He'd stop playing with her if he was truly being hurt by her. Instead, he complains and keeps playing, like my cat. I think some cats just play that way. If you see blood being drawn, that's probably when you should consider breaking it up. No, they've never fought, just play fighting. This is just a new deal for him. Maybe as he's gotten a little older and fatter he doesn't have that kitten energy anymore so now he wants to be a bit of a pussy. Or maybe she plays harder with him now that he's bigger and not a tiny kitten. I just get nervous anytime something changes in their behavior. And it's surprising because usually he's really quiet so to suddenly her this high pitched 'MROOOOW' coming from him is a bit startling. and funny because he's a fatty fatty two by four. I also noticed that while this is going on it's like he's chattering his teeth or opening his mouth and running his tongue over the roof of his mouth. At first I thought he bit his tongue or maybe the other cat caught it with a claw but nothing is amiss in his mouth and he just seems to do it when they play. Hard to explain. KilGrey fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Jul 5, 2009 |
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Jul 5, 2009 00:23
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My cats make that noise towards birds, with the funny mouth movements. I am sure it's fine that your cat's doing it while he's playing. I love seeing my cats do it; if he happens to do it while he's sitting still, and you can put your hand on him, you'll feel his entire body quiver. 
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Jul 5, 2009 01:07
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My parents finally got a new dog, a 1 year old Australian Shepherd rescue. We're having a few problems with him-one is that he's really shy/fearful and tends to run away instead of barking at strangers (we want him to alert us to people on our property) and the other is we're having problems training him properly to obey voice commands. Some background-the dog is never on a leash, and although right now is inside the house a lot, over time he's going to end up outside most of the day/night. We have a 500 acre farm for him to run around on, with a creek near the house, a river at the far end of the property, and a small village near the house. What are good books/sites for training tips? There's a few places near here that do training classes, but they're almost entirely focused on training a dog that's on a leash, which is useless to us. One other thing-can herding dogs be taught to kill critters (groundhogs specifically)? He has some solid instincts but is too fearful to aggressively go after them, especially after a snapping turtle bit his nose. Edit-of course we don't want him going too far and trying to attack the ever present coyotes. mastershakeman fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Jul 5, 2009 |
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Jul 5, 2009 19:36
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mastershakeman posted:My parents finally got a new dog, a 1 year old Australian Shepherd rescue. We're having a few problems with him-one is that he's really shy/fearful and tends to run away instead of barking at strangers (we want him to alert us to people on our property) and the other is we're having problems training him properly to obey voice commands. ...are you serious? Edit: If you are, and actually want advice, you should open you might want your own thread for this. Also, please be open to differing opinions. KilGrey fucked around with this message at 22:23 on Jul 5, 2009 |
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Jul 5, 2009 22:21
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KilGrey posted:...are you serious? Yeah, I just didn't feel it was worth opening a thread about it. I figured there were some solid books that were well known by dog lovers/trainers that I'm not aware of. Is this an odd question? I mean I guess it's a little odd skipping the leash stage of training but it's just what I'm used to. All our dogs and cats have been primarily outdoor pets and typically only come in for an hour or two each night (the cat would come in a lot more but still liked to hunt at night) or when it's real cold.
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Jul 5, 2009 22:54
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larsander is the only PI regular who has kept strictly outdoor (but kenneled) working dogs that I can think of. Even though you don't intend to have him on a leash, the obedience classes are a good idea. They will teach you basic vocal commands and you will learn how to communicate and bond with your dog. It's a good start and will at least give you some fundamentals and work on the dogs confidence, it's better than nothing. It's not so much an odd question because of the leash, but because dogs are social animals. They need to be around their people. Your dog will most likely be very unhappy in this situation. And your cats running around with coyotes is very dangerous. It sounds like you have a lovely bit of land and that is awesome for a fast active dog like an Australian Shepherd. I think it's wonderful you have a rescue. I would just increase her indoor time. Go ahead and Start the local obedience classes.
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Jul 5, 2009 23:29
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My 3 month old puppy developed a red lump in the bottom right corner of her right eye. It's not really on her eye though; kinda just in that area. She moves it just fine and it's not bothering her. I'm just wondering if anyone has had this before and can offer some advice, because I can't get her into the vet until later this week.
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Jul 6, 2009 03:16
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Bubbs posted:My 3 month old puppy developed a red lump in the bottom right corner of her right eye. It's not really on her eye though; kinda just in that area. She moves it just fine and it's not bothering her. I'm just wondering if anyone has had this before and can offer some advice, because I can't get her into the vet until later this week. Maybe it's a stye? If it is you can put some warm compresses on it and it'll clear up on its own. How long has it been there?
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Jul 6, 2009 05:46
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Bubbs posted:My 3 month old puppy developed a red lump in the bottom right corner of her right eye. It's not really on her eye though; kinda just in that area. She moves it just fine and it's not bothering her. I'm just wondering if anyone has had this before and can offer some advice, because I can't get her into the vet until later this week. mastershakeman posted:We're having a few problems with him-one is that he's really shy/fearful and tends to run away instead of barking at strangers (we want him to alert us to people on our property) and the other is we're having problems training him properly to obey voice commands. Cuddlebottom fucked around with this message at 06:59 on Jul 6, 2009 |
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Jul 6, 2009 06:50
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Cuddlebottom posted:In general, PI is very pro-indoor dogs, but for working animals there are quite a few people here who would be happy to help. That's the thing, it doesn't sound like he's going to be a working dog. Just a dog that's kept outside.
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Jul 6, 2009 09:41
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KilGrey posted:That's the thing, it doesn't sound like he's going to be a working dog. Just a dog that's kept outside. They want him to be a guard dog / critter killer 
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Jul 6, 2009 10:24
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Helanna posted:They want him to be a guard dog / critter killer If it was going to be a guard dog, they should have gotten a livestock guardian or protection dog, and if they wanted it to kill pests, they should have gotten a terrier. A herding dog is going to have instincts to HERD, and wouldn't be very well suited for either of these tasks. As far as training goes, look into "Nothing in Life is Free" or "NILF" training. It will really help you bond with the dog, because it sounds like that's what he needs right now. These herding dogs are bred to work very closely with their handlers, and they are very sensitive because of it. You need to work on building your dog's confidence, it's not going to look at you for commands until then, if that makes any sense. If the dog's not bonded with you, then anything you say is just going to be chatter it doesn't understand. I also really want to encourage you to sign up for an obedience class, even if you don't want your dog to be on leash at home. It is skipping a step to not use it, because it helps your dog realize it's time to work (work=training in this case) and helps the dog focus. Plus, it never hurts to get the dog socialized in a group, and to have people around to give you tips on what you're doing. Also, I'd really recommend picking up "Katz on Dogs" by John Katz. He's an author who's written a bunch of narrative books about his dogs, and was pushed into writing a training book based on his experiences. He's owned a total of 3 border collies, one of which was a neurotic mess when he got it, so it fits with your situation perfectly. The book doesn't give you step by step instructions on how to train your dog, but rather explains how you have to understand where your dog is coming from and bond with it if you're going to make any progress.
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Jul 6, 2009 22:22
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