Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Insulation is Pink
Aug 20, 2009

..and I hate pink.

Ceridwen posted:

Does she like food? What types of toys have you tried? What kind of dog? How old? When/where did you get her?

She's a Shiba Inu with some type of larger dog mixed in, because she's a lot bigger than normal shibas at 45lbs. I got her last week from a shelter that was going to euthanize her this tuesday. she's a very smart dog and eager to learn. I've taught her a lot, and she's almost mastered heel and loose leash walking (she loves running with me while i ride my bike)! She's 3 years old.

I've tried a bone, rawhide, 3 types of balls, frisbee, soft squeeky toy, rough squeeky toy, plasticy squeeky toy, rope for controlled tug-o-war, long soft toy with a squeeky thing in it. I think that's all of 'em.

She loves food, in fact she's VERY food motivated. However, she has no interest in bones/rawhides/pig ears. I've put peanut butter on one of her toys, but as i said, she licked it off and then that was it. doesn't even think twice about it now.

Insulation is Pink fucked around with this message at 00:29 on May 5, 2010

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Kerfuffle
Aug 16, 2007

The sky calls to us~

Insulation is Pink posted:

She's a Shiba Inu with some type of larger dog mixed in, because she's a lot bigger than normal shibas at 45lbs. I got her last week from a shelter that was going to euthanize her this tuesday. she's a very smart dog and eager to learn. I've taught her a lot, and she's almost mastered heel and loose leash walking (she loves running with me while i ride my bike)! She's 3 years old.

I've tried a bone, rawhide, 3 types of balls, frisbee, soft squeeky toy, rough squeeky toy, plasticy squeeky toy, rope for controlled tug-o-war, long soft toy with a squeeky thing in it. I think that's all of 'em.

She loves food, in fact she's VERY food motivated. However, she has no interest in bones/rawhides/pig ears. I've put peanut butter on one of her toys, but as i said, she licked it off and then that was it. doesn't even think twice about it now.
Welcome to having an aloof, snooty, jerky (but so cute) spitz breed. Some dogs just really aren't all that into toys. Also dogs that come from shelters may have also never learned how to play with them. But give her some more time with the toys, she may come around eventually. :) As long as she is mentally stimulated and well exercised she'll be ok.

I will throw in the suggestion for "smart toys" that you have to move around to get treats out of. A frozen peanut butter kong might keep her interest longer as well. They are both conveniently shown in this post! :http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3187810&userid=31503

Insulation is Pink
Aug 20, 2009

..and I hate pink.

Kerfuffle posted:

Welcome to having an aloof, snooty, jerky (but so cute) spitz breed. Some dogs just really aren't all that into toys. Also dogs that come from shelters may have also never learned how to play with them. But give her some more time with the toys, she may come around eventually. :) As long as she is mentally stimulated and well exercised she'll be ok.

I will throw in the suggestion for "smart toys" that you have to move around to get treats out of. A frozen peanut butter kong might keep her interest longer as well. They are both conveniently shown in this post! :http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3187810&userid=31503

She gets plenty of exercise, and once we both finish getting the hang of loose leash walking (which we're almost there) I'll be taking her hiking with me. She walks for about 5 minutes and then gets slightly distracted and starts to pull ahead - so I promptly just do a 180 right as the leash is about to tug and she seems to fall right back in line.

Just worried she's bored as hell most of the day because she just lays around when I'm not playing with her or walking her.

I bought her a kong today, standard red one, does it matter if its all natural peanut butter or can it be the processed sugar kind (as I have two jars of that in my cabinet that will never be eaten by me)

Kerfuffle
Aug 16, 2007

The sky calls to us~

Insulation is Pink posted:

Just worried she's bored as hell most of the day because she just lays around when I'm not playing with her or walking her.
This means you're doing wonderfully. It sounds like you've got a great hiking partner in the works. :3: Believe me, if she was bored, she would not be showing it by laying down quietly. Bored dogs are bad dogs. Dogs that chew everything you own, dig and bark at everything possible do so because they are bored out of their minds with too much energy to burn.

As for the peanut butter, I think any kind is fine. It is just for a treat after all. I don't think too many people who give peanut butter as a treat buy the expensive kind just for their dogs if they aren't already buying it for themselves. I buy the fancy pure peanuts and salt peanut butter myself, I know it's not cheap.

KilGrey
Mar 13, 2005

You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? Just put your lips together and blow...

Insulation is Pink posted:

I bought her a kong today, standard red one, does it matter if its all natural peanut butter or can it be the processed sugar kind (as I have two jars of that in my cabinet that will never be eaten by me)

I wouldn't use the processed sugar kind, it's bad for their teeth unless you brush her teeth immediately afterward.

Beichan
Feb 17, 2007

pugs, pugs everywhere
Ugh how do I get my cat to eat his new food

We got the prescription food from the vet and the wet Innova that's low % calcium and magnesium to give him a choice. Loki won't eat either one of them. We've been trying since we got him back. If we mix his normal dry Innova with them he just very carefully and daintily picks it out and eats only it. If we offer just the new food he just won't eat, and he'll go all day. We give in and let him have his normal food if he won't eat the new food all day, I don't want to starve him and I'm not convinced he'll take the new food if it's all we make available. He is being a serious butthead about this.

Tonight I had warmed up some of the wet food on a plate and was trying to coax him into trying it on my lap. He pointedly ignored it while all the other cats hovered and yowled and begged for it. So finally, when it was obvious he wasn't having any of my tricks, I put it on the floor for the other cats. He got interested and jumped down to sniff at it and I was like--oh my god! Finally! All he needed was peer pressure! If they eat it, he'll eat it! So I let the other cats eat a bit and then pulled them away. He went up to the plate and sniffed it carefully, winced. Sniffed it again. Looked at me. Sniffed it again and shivered a bit. Then the little rear end in a top hat started scraping at the floor around the plate as though burying it in his litter box.

My kitten just quite literally called this food poo poo.

:saddowns: DAMMIT KITTY

Bucky Fullminster
Apr 13, 2007

Beichan posted:

Ugh how do I get my cat to eat his new food

We got the prescription food from the vet and the wet Innova that's low % calcium and magnesium to give him a choice. Loki won't eat either one of them. We've been trying since we got him back. If we mix his normal dry Innova with them he just very carefully and daintily picks it out and eats only it. If we offer just the new food he just won't eat, and he'll go all day. We give in and let him have his normal food if he won't eat the new food all day, I don't want to starve him and I'm not convinced he'll take the new food if it's all we make available. He is being a serious butthead about this.

Tonight I had warmed up some of the wet food on a plate and was trying to coax him into trying it on my lap. He pointedly ignored it while all the other cats hovered and yowled and begged for it. So finally, when it was obvious he wasn't having any of my tricks, I put it on the floor for the other cats. He got interested and jumped down to sniff at it and I was like--oh my god! Finally! All he needed was peer pressure! If they eat it, he'll eat it! So I let the other cats eat a bit and then pulled them away. He went up to the plate and sniffed it carefully, winced. Sniffed it again. Looked at me. Sniffed it again and shivered a bit. Then the little rear end in a top hat started scraping at the floor around the plate as though burying it in his litter box.

My kitten just quite literally called this food poo poo.

:saddowns: DAMMIT KITTY


just give him whatever food he likes, seriously it's not worth it

Insulation is Pink
Aug 20, 2009

..and I hate pink.

Insulation is Pink posted:

She's a Shiba Inu with some type of larger dog mixed in, because she's a lot bigger than normal shibas at 45lbs. I got her last week from a shelter that was going to euthanize her this tuesday. she's a very smart dog and eager to learn. I've taught her a lot, and she's almost mastered heel and loose leash walking (she loves running with me while i ride my bike)! She's 3 years old.

^ my dog has this problem:

She is now expressing barking and whining when i'm not home. she is crate trained, but barks and whines in the crate when i'm not there either. she has a kong in the crate filled with stuff that she wont touch unless im in the room, in fact, she won't even eat her food in the kitchen unless im there.

right now, shes in the crate by herself and aprox every 5 or so minutes she barks and whines loudly and then settles down a bit. she thinks i'm gone, but im in the other room. i'll go back in about 10 minutes and sit next to the cage until she calms down and let her out. is there anything else I should be doing to fix this?

unfortunately the apartment complex im in has a no tolerance policy for dogs who relentlessly bark without control, and if she's barking every 5 min for 5-6 hours a day then I dont know.. this is really dishearting. any advice? I really want to keep her, everything else is perfect about her except this.

Beichan
Feb 17, 2007

pugs, pugs everywhere

Shenadigins posted:

just give him whatever food he likes, seriously it's not worth it

Well when I asked about changing his food before, the response I got was that it was VERY important to change his food so he doesn't get bladder crystals again.

Ceridwen
Dec 11, 2004
Of course... If the Jell-O gets moldy, the whole thing should be set aflame.

Insulation is Pink posted:

^ my dog has this problem:

She is now expressing barking and whining when i'm not home. she is crate trained, but barks and whines in the crate when i'm not there either. she has a kong in the crate filled with stuff that she wont touch unless im in the room, in fact, she won't even eat her food in the kitchen unless im there.

right now, shes in the crate by herself and aprox every 5 or so minutes she barks and whines loudly and then settles down a bit. she thinks i'm gone, but im in the other room. i'll go back in about 10 minutes and sit next to the cage until she calms down and let her out. is there anything else I should be doing to fix this?

unfortunately the apartment complex im in has a no tolerance policy for dogs who relentlessly bark without control, and if she's barking every 5 min for 5-6 hours a day then I dont know.. this is really dishearting. any advice? I really want to keep her, everything else is perfect about her except this.

Are you sure she's doing this when you're not home? My dog knows drat well when I'm there and when I'm not, even when I think I'm being sneaky. Her behavior when I leave her crated in another room without me is very different than when I leave her crated while I'm gone. She will bark 1-3 times about every 2-3 minutes if she's crated at a time other than when she feels she should be (like when I'm home), but settles down within 10 minutes and does not continue barking when I'm actually gone.

Additionally, this is likely to be something related to her being new. I did not get back to answer your toys question, but that was part of what I was going to tell you for that as well. She's new to this whole situation, so how she acts now is not necessarily how she will act forever. She needs time to settle in and learn the routine. Kara barked a good bit more when I first got her, but adherence to a strict routine really helped her get over it.

If you know your neighbors in the apartment (and maybe even if you don't), I would go around to each of them and let them know that you have a new dog, that she's adjusting and may bark some for a little while. Ask them to be patient with you if at all possible, and to report to you if she's barking too much for them so that you have a chance to remedy the situation before it gets to the management company. A lot of times if you make it clear that you know there is a potential issue and you are working to resolve it, people will work with you rather than reporting you.

The absolute last resort is a bark collar, but you really want to avoid that if at all possible. They have a whole host of problems if used incorrectly and aren't the best solution even when used correctly.

Ceridwen
Dec 11, 2004
Of course... If the Jell-O gets moldy, the whole thing should be set aflame.

Beichan posted:

Well when I asked about changing his food before, the response I got was that it was VERY important to change his food so he doesn't get bladder crystals again.

This is why it's important to repeat any particular reasons that your pet is on a special food when you make a post like that. I thought you had a cat that was recovering from hepatic lipidosis, not bladder crystals. The previous poster likely thought something similar.

There is more than one food appropriate for bladder crystals. I would go back to your vet and get a different one (or ask for a script to get one from another vet if he only carries one type). Eating *something* is more important than whether it is wet or dry, so try out both (most script diets come in both versions).

My cat had been on wet his whole life before his bladder issues, but wound up only wanting to eat the dry version of the Royal Canin SO he had to go on after the crystals.

Billy Black
Nov 9, 2006

Lackadaisical posted:

My cat has something similar. The vet said that she thinks its a birth defect since theres no scarring around that area and no disruption in the hair. That might apply to your cat too. Again, not sure how accurate it is, but the vet also said that the large angle likely means it happened in womb.

Here's a picture of my cats tail to compare:



Like yours, she doesn't react when you touch it.

My cats isn't as severe as that. It's like a quick zigzag at the end, but not severe enough to notice without running your hand down his tail. But it makes me feel better that other cats are like that :)

Insulation is Pink
Aug 20, 2009

..and I hate pink.

Ceridwen posted:

Are you sure she's doing this when you're not home? My dog knows drat well when I'm there and when I'm not, even when I think I'm being sneaky. Her behavior when I leave her crated in another room without me is very different than when I leave her crated while I'm gone. She will bark 1-3 times about every 2-3 minutes if she's crated at a time other than when she feels she should be (like when I'm home), but settles down within 10 minutes and does not continue barking when I'm actually gone.

Additionally, this is likely to be something related to her being new. I did not get back to answer your toys question, but that was part of what I was going to tell you for that as well. She's new to this whole situation, so how she acts now is not necessarily how she will act forever. She needs time to settle in and learn the routine. Kara barked a good bit more when I first got her, but adherence to a strict routine really helped her get over it.

If you know your neighbors in the apartment (and maybe even if you don't), I would go around to each of them and let them know that you have a new dog, that she's adjusting and may bark some for a little while. Ask them to be patient with you if at all possible, and to report to you if she's barking too much for them so that you have a chance to remedy the situation before it gets to the management company. A lot of times if you make it clear that you know there is a potential issue and you are working to resolve it, people will work with you rather than reporting you.

The absolute last resort is a bark collar, but you really want to avoid that if at all possible. They have a whole host of problems if used incorrectly and aren't the best solution even when used correctly.

When I got out of the car yesterday from the grocery store (was gone for about an hour or so) I could hear her barking outside of the apartment complex, so she def does it when i'm not here. :( the one neighbor that I do know, she said to give it time, but i really don't know the other ones besides that the ones upstairs have had the cops at their place 4 times the past few days.

Ill talk to the management, but they're not exactly friends with my mom (who rents the place) because she's kinda a bitch. So hopefully they don't recognize the resident number when i talk to them.

Also, aren't anti bark collars really bad for the dog? This is just something i've heard from people over time, nothing i've actually read about or anything so I'm curious.

Insulation is Pink fucked around with this message at 22:28 on May 5, 2010

RumbleFish
Dec 20, 2007

Insulation is Pink posted:

When I got out of the car yesterday from the grocery store (was gone for about an hour or so) I could hear her barking outside of the apartment complex, so she def does it when i'm not here. :(

You might want to try covering her crate with a blanket if you haven't already. I call it "bird-mode" -- it really helped my dog settle down and get used to his crate when I first got him. If you're blocking out various stimuli, there's less for them to get upset about and it encourages them to just give up and go to sleep. I can't guarantee the same results and it sounds kind of basic/silly, but this was literally a magic cure-all for me.

rivals
Apr 5, 2004

REBIRTH OF HARDCORE PRIDE!

RumbleFish posted:

You might want to try covering her crate with a blanket if you haven't already. I call it "bird-mode" -- it really helped my dog settle down and get used to his crate when I first got him.

This is a good point. My husky was originally not a big fan of his crate, then we covered it with a dark sheet and he has loved it ever since.

renzor
Jul 28, 2004

...I still get the ham, right? Good.
So I thought the SloMo may have "jammed" his nail last week, as it split a bit and there was minimal blood. Everything seemed in order by day's end and he left it alone so I figured all was well. Fast forward today and I notice he's now about to lose it from what I can gather.

Anyways, here's a picture


Click here for the full 972x729 image.


Should I be taking him to the vet? The nail is not ready to fall off however it does feel like a new one is coming in. I was planning on just cleaning it a few times a day until the new nail comes in and the old is ready to fall off. I only ask because if the vet is going to charge me $75 to clean it I'd rather just do it myself as I have all the proper materials for a thorough cleaning.

Thoughts?

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

rivals posted:

This is a good point. My husky was originally not a big fan of his crate, then we covered it with a dark sheet and he has loved it ever since.

Conversely, Husker freaks out and cries if his crate is completely covered.

Engineer Lenk
Aug 28, 2003

Mnogo losho e!

RazorBunny posted:

Conversely, Husker freaks out and cries if his crate is completely covered.

We tried covering the crate once or twice. Stella pulls whatever material she can get her teeth on into the crate with her, then attempts to dig a hole through it.

rivals
Apr 5, 2004

REBIRTH OF HARDCORE PRIDE!
It was kindof weird when we were crate training Kaidan. He wasn't that into it for a while and then we covered it and he'd go in voluntarily and be more okay with it in general, but he still had some bad separation anxiety so he would pull at the sheets and tear them a bit. It got to the point where we would lift up the sheets when we were crating him to go out, but keep them down overnight and the rest of the time. Now he's totally okay with it and hasn't pulled at the sheets in a couple months, we leave them on all the time, except when we're cleaning them of course.

BlueArmyMan
Mar 30, 2007
Hooloovoo
So, a bit of setup here; my wife & I were working on crate training our now 11 month old mutt (part Chihuahua, part terrier maybe, part Rhodesian Ridgeback possibly...cute as hell is all we know), but sort of slacked on it. Bed's in the crate, eats his dinner in there with door closed, etc. He'd go in the crate okay, sleep in his bed until it was time for us to sleep, when he'd go to his bed in our room. We'd leave the house and things would be fine, so we figured he's trustworthy in the house and took the crate away over the weekend.

Big mistake, it seems. Two days of freedom, and stuff's chewed and destroyed he hasn't touched in the 3 months we had him (DVDs most noticeably). So we bring the crate back out, and he'll still run to his bed for dinner and pre-leaving Kong, but now he won't go back to his bed to sleep before bed like he used to. I tried calling him to the bed, and he'll come and lay, then get up and follow as soon as I walk away. I pick him up and place him in the bed, pet him and praise him, and he still follows as soon as I go. He's sleeping on the floor next to me now. He still goes to his bed in our bedroom okay, however.

Is this a temporary thing, since I took the crate away then put it back, and he'll readjust to normal again with time, or do I have to teach him where his downstairs bed is all over again? Exercise wise, he's walked for 45 mins (2 miles) twice a day, run usually once a day, and goes to the dog park once a week. I also play with him after his evening walk for about 45 mins to an hour, mostly fetch and tug, and some obedience training (sit, lay down, down-stay, come).

rivals
Apr 5, 2004

REBIRTH OF HARDCORE PRIDE!
I don't have any direct experience but I'm guessing you'll have to more or less start from scratch. Not that you've necessarily ruined all previous crate training but it seems like that will be the quickest way.

Fatty Patty
Nov 30, 2007

How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?


this dog comes up pretty often beside the banner ads. I'm wondering if someone knows whose dog it is...it looks a lot like a mutt I'm thinking of adopting in a month and I was wondering what breed it is. Pic of her:

Bucky Fullminster
Apr 13, 2007

Beichan posted:

Well when I asked about changing his food before, the response I got was that it was VERY important to change his food so he doesn't get bladder crystals again.

Yeah sorry I was referring to my cat who, when I changed his food, starved himself all the way to a thousand dollar vet bill (bottom of last page). I was being flippant, which probably isn't appropriate on a forum asking for serious medical advice, sorry. Good luck and do whatever you need to do.

Update on my cat JF: went to visit him at the Vet yesterday, looking heaps better already. He was like a ghost before, and he's definitely coming back to life. They did blood and urine tests and they came back pretty much fine, he's been on a drip getting his fluids up The vet just called now, apparently today he wolfed down two bowls of food, and is generally much more energetic, so I should be able to pick him up and bring him home tonight in a few hours.

Beichan
Feb 17, 2007

pugs, pugs everywhere

Shenadigins posted:

Yeah sorry I was referring to my cat who, when I changed his food, starved himself all the way to a thousand dollar vet bill (bottom of last page). I was being flippant, which probably isn't appropriate on a forum asking for serious medical advice, sorry. Good luck and do whatever you need to do.

It's okay I should have been more clear. I've been reading so much on calcium and magnesium and bladder crystals that in my head mentioning the calcium and magnesium % of the foods made it obvious they were for bladder crystals, and of course it wasn't.

I'm wondering if they can make him an appointment and try offering some of the different foods to him to see if he takes to any before we spend a lot of money trying out various kinds. Anybody have vets that will do this? When we first took him in he didn't have any trouble starting on the Innova immediately, and I'm pretty sure he was on some generic store brand food + catching whatever he found outside before we took him. Maybe one of the different prescription foods will just magically appeal to him like the Innova did. I can hope?

Bucky Fullminster
Apr 13, 2007

Shenadigins posted:

so I should be able to pick him up and bring him home tonight in a few hours.

he's back home and eating like a champion, hooray :)

ChairmanMeow
Mar 1, 2008

Fire up the grill everyone eats tonight!
Lipstick Apathy

Shenadigins posted:

he's back home and eating like a champion, hooray :)

I'm so glad! Poor little dude! I was hoping for the best for him!

Bucky Fullminster
Apr 13, 2007

Do I need to worry about over feeding him? He had about a third of a can at noon 2 hours ago, i put some more down half an hour ago and that's gone. I think if i put more down he' eat it too, but his tummy must have shrunk and i don't want him to over do it.. or should I just load him up with whatever he wants and let him be the judge?

KilGrey
Mar 13, 2005

You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? Just put your lips together and blow...

Shenadigins posted:

Do I need to worry about over feeding him? He had about a third of a can at noon 2 hours ago, i put some more down half an hour ago and that's gone. I think if i put more down he' eat it too, but his tummy must have shrunk and i don't want him to over do it.. or should I just load him up with whatever he wants and let him be the judge?

Go back to feeding whatever you were feeding. If he self regulates with free feeding that should be fine, if you feed on a schedule go back to that. If he's getting wet food he should be getting one of those 5.5 cans a day.

fish_cola
Apr 18, 2009
I dunno if this deserves its own thread or not, but I would really appreciate some guidance since it's my roommate's cat and I have no idea what the gently caress to do.

This cat (male, about a year or a year and a half) has really jerky breathing (sort of like hitching sobs, for lack of a better descriptor). They're not audible, and I put my head up to him and there's no crackling in his chest that I can hear. He meows normally and sits down kind of more gingerly than usual? Maybe? I don't know.

Anyway, it's my roommate's cat, and I told her, but she has class all day. Do I wait ~5 hours for her to deal with it or do I take cat to the vet pronto? I don't even know how to take a cat to the vet, but I'm sure I could figure it out.

This cat isn't mine and I have no responsibility for it but if it dies I will be stupidly inconsolable.

Auracounts
Sep 21, 2006

fish_cola posted:

I dunno if this deserves its own thread or not, but I would really appreciate some guidance since it's my roommate's cat and I have no idea what the gently caress to do.

This cat (male, about a year or a year and a half) has really jerky breathing (sort of like hitching sobs, for lack of a better descriptor). They're not audible, and I put my head up to him and there's no crackling in his chest that I can hear. He meows normally and sits down kind of more gingerly than usual? Maybe? I don't know.

Anyway, it's my roommate's cat, and I told her, but she has class all day. Do I wait ~5 hours for her to deal with it or do I take cat to the vet pronto? I don't even know how to take a cat to the vet, but I'm sure I could figure it out.

This cat isn't mine and I have no responsibility for it but if it dies I will be stupidly inconsolable.

Do you have any way to get ahold of her right now so you can authorize a vet trip? Maybe a text message? This really does sound like a situation in which an immediate vet visit is warranted, but I understand that it's not your responsibility and that you might not want to be saddled with potential vet costs if the roommate decides to dick you over on it.

fish_cola
Apr 18, 2009
Nah, roommate's cool. Just wanted to know if this was severe enough that I should go to the vet: sounds like it is, so will do.

Txted roommate, got vet number, have appointment in 30 minutes. I'll edit this post after to tell people what happens, in case of curiosity. Thanks so much!

Edit: Vet found pockets of fluid around his heart, and something that might be a mass or might be more fluid or something. Called my roommate, she left lab and got an appointment with a cat cardiologist in 45 minutes.

I fear the outlook isn't great, but since they're not sure what it is yet they're not really saying. I hope it's just a weird infection or something. Thanks for giving me advice, and I'm happy to have tried, even if I didn't do much.

fish_cola fucked around with this message at 23:03 on May 7, 2010

Auracounts
Sep 21, 2006

fish_cola posted:

Nah, roommate's cool. Just wanted to know if this was severe enough that I should go to the vet: sounds like it is, so will do.

Txted roommate, got vet number, have appointment in 30 minutes. I'll edit this post after to tell people what happens, in case of curiosity. Thanks so much!


Awesome. I really hope everything is ok. In your's and kitty's best interests, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I honestly hope I just made you waste money for nothing and that kitty is just being a hypocondriac.

Insulation is Pink
Aug 20, 2009

..and I hate pink.
My dogs food bowl hasn't needed refilled in two days now. Is there anything wrong with this? Could she just not be hungry (despite having plenty of exercise)? Do some dogs just not eat that much?

She's a shiba inu mix, 3 years old. She was eating prior to the past two days everytime I filled her bowl. She still eats treats (when she doesn't try to bury them).

SSJ2 Goku Wilders
Mar 24, 2010
I don't know whether this classifies as veterinary advice but I'm at the end of my wits.

I have a cat, I don't know what kind of cat it is. I adopted it from a woman who had too many. She's about 1.5 to 2 years old. Has a 'calico' fur. Enjoys eating cheese for some reason, although I keep it away from her out of irrational fear.

Anyway, she's a great cat and all, but she gets this horrible, foul-smelling, staining, gooey liquid come out of her anus every one or two weeks. I've tried looking on the internet for help and it usually boils down either being worms or just her anal glands that are secreting their surplus.

Now I'm almost a hundred percent sure it's not worms, as the lady I got her from had taken her to the vet, and according to the paperwork, she's been deloused and dewormed. That leaves the glands: I was under the impression that this shouldn't really happen every week, or every two weeks. Every month would be tolerable, but every week is getting tiresome. I'm getting kind of sick of waking up to her sleeping on my bed, only to pull her off of it and find (yet another) a stain on my sheets from where something dripped out.

I'm going to take her to the vet on thursday. I've been postponing the visit since the entire family is just low on cash at the moment. I know it's not the cat's fault, and I'm dying inside having to watch her suffer like this. I was wondering whether anyone had similar experiences and whether there is something I'm missing.
Am I feeding her something that she shouldn't be eating? Is it just the glands?

Again, if this breaks the vet-advice rule, I'll edit-delete it.

Thanks in advance.

Crooked Booty
Apr 2, 2009
arrr

SSJ2 Goku Wilders posted:

horrible, foul-smelling, staining, gooey liquid come out of her anus
Sounds like anal glands.

Some cats and dogs never have problems with anal glands their whole lives, and others are just unlucky. Is her poop pretty normal? The glands should be sort of self-emptying when she shits, but sometimes if their poo poo is too soft, it doesn't put enough pressure on the glands, so they get full. Sometimes more fiber helps, and sometimes it makes no difference.

I would take her to the vet for two reasons. One, sometimes cats can have weird stuff going on back there, like cysts or tumors that are aggravating the problem, and the vet will be able to tell. And two, the vet can express the glands for you and show you how to do it at home. It's a lot easier to do with dogs, but with two people and some latex gloves, you can probably get that stuff out and onto some toilet paper regularly instead of your bed.

Also :barf: at this whole post. Anal gland juice is the foulest substance around.

SubponticatePoster
Aug 9, 2004

Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.
Slippery Tilde
This is not a question, but I would just like to say gently caress you to my neighbors who got a new puppy and then have left him outside all day barking.

That is all.

Serella
Apr 24, 2008

Is that what you're posting?

100 Years in Iraq posted:

This is not a question, but I would just like to say gently caress you to my neighbors who got a new puppy and then have left him outside all day barking.

That is all.

We would all like to say this to all of our neighbors with dogs of all ages. gently caress those people. Why do you even have a dog. You do not love it. :mad:

Beichan
Feb 17, 2007

pugs, pugs everywhere

Serella posted:

We would all like to say this to all of our neighbors with dogs of all ages. gently caress those people. Why do you even have a dog. You do not love it. :mad:

My neighbors have a dog they leave outside ALL DAY while they're at work then ALL NIGHT while they sleep. It only gets social contact for a few hours in the afternoon every day. The rest of the time it just sits out there barking and whining and crying. The yard is tiny too. I feel horrible for it.

KilGrey
Mar 13, 2005

You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? Just put your lips together and blow...

fish_cola posted:

Nah, roommate's cool. Just wanted to know if this was severe enough that I should go to the vet: sounds like it is, so will do.

Txted roommate, got vet number, have appointment in 30 minutes. I'll edit this post after to tell people what happens, in case of curiosity. Thanks so much!

Edit: Vet found pockets of fluid around his heart, and something that might be a mass or might be more fluid or something. Called my roommate, she left lab and got an appointment with a cat cardiologist in 45 minutes.

I fear the outlook isn't great, but since they're not sure what it is yet they're not really saying. I hope it's just a weird infection or something. Thanks for giving me advice, and I'm happy to have tried, even if I didn't do much.

Wow, that sucks. I hope everything works out for you guys. I just wanted to say that you are awesome for worrying about your roomies kitty and taking her in. A lot of people would just say, "Not my problem" and leave the cat to suffer. You are an awesome person and your roommate is lucky to have a friend like you. Keep us updated on kitties progress please!

Insulation is Pink posted:

My dogs food bowl hasn't needed refilled in two days now. Is there anything wrong with this? Could she just not be hungry (despite having plenty of exercise)? Do some dogs just not eat that much?

She's a shiba inu mix, 3 years old. She was eating prior to the past two days everytime I filled her bowl. She still eats treats (when she doesn't try to bury them).

So she hasn't really eaten for 2 days? It's vet time. A change in eating habits is something indicates there is a problem going on and she needs to be seen.

SSJ2 Goku Wilders posted:

I'm going to take her to the vet on thursday. I've been postponing the visit since the entire family is just low on cash at the moment. I know it's not the cat's fault, and I'm dying inside having to watch her suffer like this. I was wondering whether anyone had similar experiences and whether there is something I'm missing.
Am I feeding her something that she shouldn't be eating? Is it just the glands?

While crappy food can affect their bowel movements, crappy food should not cause a drippy bum. I know times are tight right now but if it's just the anal glands that need to be expressed you'll probably only be charged the exam fee. I think my vet it's only $40-$50 dollars. If they need to do more testing it might cost more than that however if there is a problem it's better to figure it out now than to wait until it becomes a bigger problem which means it will be even more expensive. Most things when caught early are easier and cheaper to treat.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Auracounts
Sep 21, 2006

KilGrey posted:

Wow, that sucks. I hope everything works out for you guys. I just wanted to say that you are awesome for worrying about your roomies kitty and taking her in. A lot of people would just say, "Not my problem" and leave the cat to suffer. You are an awesome person and your roommate is lucky to have a friend like you. Keep us updated on kitties progress please!


Ditto on this. With any luck, maybe catching the problem early will save him. I hope kitty is ok. :(

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply