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Jive One posted:By their nature Great Pyrenees are gentle dogs, but of course those at a rescue may have had a less than perfect upbringing. It will vary with the individual dog of course, but for the most part, assuming it wasn't abused, would a breed such as this retain its sweet temperment even without formal obedience training? I adopted a 4-5 year old Great Pyrenees from the Sierra Pacific Great Pyrenees Club rescue almost 6 months ago. Now, keep in mind that I selected a "difficult" dog in the first place, one who had been in rescue for 2 years because he is dominant and male dog aggressive. That said, I don't know where you are getting "easy to train" out of a Pyr - they are super stubborn and due to their purpose as livestock guardian dogs they don't really have much of a drive to please you. They were bred to be independent thinkers and any breed like that requires a pretty firm hand and rigid rules in training. With that philosophy (using NILIF and not allowing him to push the boundaries) my dog is easy to handle for the most part. He still has things that need to be worked on, even after 6 months, but he is an enjoyable and obedient pet most of the time. You won't ever be able to walk a Pyr off leash or expect his butt to hit the ground the second you say "sit." You just have to be more stubborn than the dog and have an ounce of patience. He'll sit eventually, on his own terms, it just might take a couple of seconds. quote:These breeds have a very low heat tolerance. Can anyone who has had experience with a cold-climate dog give an indication as to how long walks should be in typical summer weather(70-90 degrees)? I'm thinking a slow walk for 30 minutes wouldn't be too bad in 70 degree weather, but there's no way I'm going to even approach the threshold with how dangerous heat stroke can be. Still, exercise is important for a healthy dog so I don't want to keep the dog constantly indoors either. It gets much, much hotter than that in the summer here, and a lot of people in my area have these dogs and work with them during the summer. Just take cues from the dog as to when he's had enough and talk to the rescue about it before you decide on a dog. They will know how to answer this question in your specific area for your climate. quote:Hopefully someone here has some experience with these dogs in at least some capacity. I'm well aware of the expense of food and the constant shedding and drooling, but these are things I'm happy to accept. Actually, Sam does not drool at all. He is a bit of a messy drinker, but the rest of the day there is no drool. And he doesn't really eat a lot either. We feed Solid Gold Barking at the Moon and if there is more than 3.5 cups in the bowl he will not finish it. The shedding though, oh man the shedding. I recommend investing in a very good top of the line vacuum cleaner - you will NEED it!
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Apr 2, 2008 18:06
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Not really a question, but I am trying to head off some separation anxiety in my new dog, and it is HARD not to pick him up and tell him it is ok. He was being bad when I got back, its been about 30 minutes but he is still whining and such. Very tough  , how do you all handle it.
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Apr 2, 2008 21:09
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RazorBunny and Lioness posted:Good tips and advice. Extremely helpful. As far as the ease of training goes most of the research I've done has been on Saints and Newfoundlands, and I might have mixed up the facts between breeds. I do recall reading for one of them that training works best during a certain age range, and although this may be the case for the Pyrenees I imagine they would still be somewhat stubborn, definitely more so if I adopt an adult. I'll be walking him where there's lots of people and other animals, so even with an extremely obedient dog I'm still going to use a leash due to their size. My main concern is having a docile dog if and when people(especially kids) come up to ask about it. As was said, I'll just have to gauge the various dogs up for adoption and exercise a good deal of effort and patience. Regnevelc posted:Not really a question, but I am trying to head off some separation anxiety in my new dog, and it is HARD not to pick him up and tell him it is ok. He was being bad when I got back, its been about 30 minutes but he is still whining and such. Very tough, how do you all handle it. Although it's hard not to comfort your dog, he still needs to learn he'll be ok when you're not around. I'm not sure what you specifically meant by "being bad", but not picking him up while he's doing it could discourage the behavior. For the long-term, teaching him a variety of commands might give him some structure. More important would be crate training, as it would give him a sense of security somewhere other than with you. Given some time these techniques would probably alleviate the problem, but there looks to be tons of sites out there that would also be helpful in addressing seperation anxiety in dogs. To keep yourself from comforting him in a way that undermines your efforts, just think long-term. That is, it will probably be better for him to temporarily be upset than it would be to stress out everytime you're gone.
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Apr 2, 2008 23:14
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I came the Oprah thread and figured I wouldn't derail it. Always kind of wondered, what exactly defines (and differentiates, if anything) a "puppy mill" and a "backyard breeder"? All I know is both are pretty drat sick.
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Apr 3, 2008 00:32
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Roommate's cat tipped over a candle sitting on a candle warmer, resulting in me coming home to a very pissed off but lovely smelling cat. What would be my best course of action in removing said wax?
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Apr 3, 2008 00:39
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DJExile posted:I came the Oprah thread and figured I wouldn't derail it. Always kind of wondered, what exactly defines (and differentiates, if anything) a "puppy mill" and a "backyard breeder"? A backyard breeder is generally someone who breeds from their own pets, whereas a puppy mill is a large-scale operation, usually in a rural location, that can have dozens or more breeding pairs. eta: Beaten, and by a much better reply.
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Apr 3, 2008 01:33
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DJExile posted:I came the Oprah thread and figured I wouldn't derail it. Always kind of wondered, what exactly defines (and differentiates, if anything) a "puppy mill" and a "backyard breeder"? A Puppy Mill is a place designed to breed as many dogs as they can as quickly as they can. Quality be damned, it's quantity they're after. The dogs are kept in horrific conditions, inbreeding is prevelant, and they ship the puppies out as quickly as they can to avoid anyone noticing how sickly the dogs are. These bastards don't give half a poo poo about the dogs and cut every corner that they can, from food to pens. Backyard Breeders are the people who go "OMG my labradoodle is so cute let's breed him to your peekapoo and we'll have labapoopeedoodles!" They pay no attention to genetics, breed confirmations, or any sort of standards. They breed their dogs frequently with the full intention of selling off the pups. These are the people who promote "hybrid vigor" like it's an actual thing. These people aren't AS bad as puppy mills, but they're very misguided and are in it to make money as opposed to trying to better the breed.
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Apr 3, 2008 01:33
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Here's one thing I want to know. Why the hell does my cat claw my head while I'm trying to sleep? Seriously, he lays behind my head on my pillow, and slowly stretches his paw out until it's pressed against my scalp. Then he extends one claw until it's embedded in my skull and I wake up howling in pain and swinging at him. He usually gets slapped around a bit when he does it because I'm groggily flailing my arms in an attempt to get the claws out of my head, and it never results in any other attention because I promptly go back to sleep afterwards. So why does he continue to do it? Is the hilarity of causing me pain worth getting knocked sideways off the bed due to my freakout? That's the thing with this cat, he always does poo poo he knows he's not supposed to do and he knows is going to earn him a boot to the butt to scoot him away from the crimescene or a one-way trip to the bedroom to sit by himself. But he keeps doing it. From knocking over cups to eating my plants (HE KILLED ALL MY SWEET PEAS GAH) to going behind the couch to knock all the plugs out of the outlet, he does it no matter what the negative consequences. He's smart and I know he knows better. So why keep doing it? My other cat doesn't. When my other cat gets told in a stern voice to knock something off, he slinks away and lays down. Also, he's neutered and humps my older cat. I suppose he does it for the same reason I think he pulls all his other poo poo: He just thinks it's hilarious to break rules and do poo poo he knows pisses everyone off. I'm not the only one to have a cat like this, am I? I love him but I want to skin him and turn him into a decorative rug sometimes.
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Apr 3, 2008 01:47
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I've had 7 cats in my life and there's only one thing I've learned. Cats are assholes. Hope this answers all your questions  I have a question about rocks or minerals you can put in fish tanks, particularly a 2 gallon beta tank, no filter. What won't disintegrate or poison my fish? I have a bunch of pyrite granules which I think would make kickass gravel, but, I don't want to kill poor fishy. Wikipedia tells me it's insoluble in water, yet says when mined it's exposed to oxygen and water which forms sulfuric acid so I'm confused. I didn't do so hot in chemistry. Fishy doesn't actually exist yet, but I'm just planning ahead. If a site exists with a big mega-list of safe but interesting rocks that'd be wonderful. Edit: Well, googling tells me pyrite isn't safe. Still curious of what is though. Damn Bananas fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Apr 3, 2008 |
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Apr 3, 2008 03:24
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My mum has been considering getting a dog - if we get one, it will probably be a Japanese Chin. I haven't started looking into reputable breeders yet, that comes later. We live in an apartment. Will this be a problem for the dog? It will be going on regular walks, there is a park nearby. Is it possible to litter-train the dog? Most of the guidebooks I read said that it should be relieving itself outdoors, but we do not have a yard and it might be inconvenient for the dog to constantly go downstairs. Are these major problems? Thank you for the advice. Sorry if they seem like really obvious questions, we have never owned a dog before. If they are major problems, we will reconsider getting a dog. Thirty-Five Minutes fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Apr 3, 2008 |
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Apr 3, 2008 11:18
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A friend of the family has just recently had puppies and my boyfriend and I went to pick which one we wanted two days ago. I was worried at first about the whole BYB/puppy mill thing, but they were going to give the puppies to the RSPCA to be adopted and weren't looking for money, just that the pups went to a good home, so I took this to be a good thing. They aren't purebred, it was simply a mistake that the she got pregnant. I have a few questions that are probably going to sound quite silly as it's been a very long time since I've had a puppy. What is the best way to go about toilet training? For the first two weeks I'm going to stay at home to make sure everything is okay and I'm going to purchase a crate for the dog. I've read that pee pads are good for an apartment? And that you can gradually use them to get the dog to pee outside but I'm not sure if this is the best way to go about it. I'm also worried about when I do eventually have to go back to college, and the dog is home alone will he be scared? Or will he be okay if he's in his big crate with his bed and toys and everything? Also what if he needs the toilet when we are out? Should the crate door be left open? Lot's of questions I know, but I just want to make sure everything is okay and that he's a happy puppy. Thanks in advance!
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Apr 3, 2008 11:30
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tiddlez posted:A friend of the family has just recently had puppies and my boyfriend and I went to pick which one we wanted two days ago. I was worried at first about the whole BYB/puppy mill thing, but they were going to give the puppies to the RSPCA to be adopted and weren't looking for money, just that the pups went to a good home, so I took this to be a good thing. They aren't purebred, it was simply a mistake that the she got pregnant.
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Apr 3, 2008 15:00
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drat Bananas posted:I have a question about rocks or minerals you can put in fish tanks, particularly a 2 gallon beta tank, no filter. What won't disintegrate or poison my fish? I have a bunch of pyrite granules which I think would make kickass gravel, but, I don't want to kill poor fishy. Wikipedia tells me it's insoluble in water, yet says when mined it's exposed to oxygen and water which forms sulfuric acid so I'm confused. I didn't do so hot in chemistry. Yeah, you already found out that pyrite or markasite (both are FeS2) will leach iron and sulfur into the water (as iron hydroxide and sulfuric acid). Low concentrations, but high enough to bother fish. What you want is the kind of gravel that you'd find in an actual river or stream. Quartz is good, granite is OK, some basalts will be OK, most metamorphic rocks will be OK. The further downstream you go, the more stable the pebbles will be, so look towards the mouth of a river rather than at its source. Also, most of what you'd find being sold as gravel at a hardware store should be OK. I'd wash and disinfect it though. I used to boil my gravel for 10-15 minutes back when I kept fish. Of course you could go artificial and use marbles in any color you like. Research labs use marbles in cases where they need gravel.
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Apr 3, 2008 16:16
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Jive One posted:For the long-term, teaching him a variety of commands might give him some structure. More important would be crate training, as it would give him a sense of security somewhere other than with you. Yeah, I am working on crate training. I stated in another thread that when I put him in the crate he starts shaking and yelping. I cannot have this as I am in an apartment, if he keeps doing it I will need to get a barking collar. I do not want to do that to him .I am going to try tiring him out big-time tonight and this weekend. It has only been 6 days that he has been with me though. Could having him sleep in my bed with me counter act the crate training?
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Apr 3, 2008 16:26
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sucks to ur assmar posted:If the breeding wasn't an accident they aren't a BYB, just lovely owners who should have spayed their dog. FORGET PEE PADS. They are disgusting and just confuse the dog. What's your schedule like when you go back to school, honestly? I only go 2 days a week, Thursday and Friday. The house is next to college so I can go home at 10:30, 12 and 2:30. So really the longest he'd be alone is 2 and half hours. At the weekend I work, but my boyfriend is off then so he'll be home. It would really only be once in a blue moon that he was home alone for longer than a few hours. I just wanted to know if he'll be okay and about what will happen when he needs the toilet.
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Apr 3, 2008 23:15
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tiddlez posted:I just wanted to know if he'll be okay and about what will happen when he needs the toilet.  Well, uh, he'll go to the bathroom. Wherever he can get to. Dogs will try to avoid peeing in their crate, but puppies obviously need to go more often and may not be able to hold it.Plan on one hour of bladder power per month of age of the puppy. Pee pads are generally not worth it. Most dogs have a hard time grasping the concept that it's okay to pee here in the house but not there and even the smartest dog doesn't exactly aim. I also wouldn't expect a young puppy to "get it" in only a week or two, especially if you're not there to watch him. The best method for housetraining is really all-or-nothing. The puppy is doing one of three things: being directly supervised by you, on a leash with you outside, or in its crate. When he goes outside, praise him until you feel stupid. If he goes inside, ignore him and clean up the mess. Don't fuss about it, don't react to it at all. If you catch him in the act of going inside, you can give a brief no and then take him outside, then praise. Great that you're looking into crate training. As for leaving the door open...for a puppy, it's not safe to let them romp around the house unsupervised. Too many things they can get into. Doesn't matter how much you puppy proof the room - one of our dogs took up chewing on door corners as a hobby. Most dogs take a few days to a week or two to adjust to their crate and then will happily snooze in there when left with toys, a bed and water. He won't be scared by himself if you handle it properly and in short enough intervals.
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Apr 4, 2008 05:05
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I volunteer at as a dog walker at a nearby animal shelter. Long story short, this boxer/lab guy is real nice and everyone loves him, but he was adopted once and returned 2 weeks later for being crazy etc, I didn't get the details. Anyway, today he was eating a branch so I tried to take it from him and he growled a bit. I wasn't sure if he was playing or not, so I pressed the issue and got a nip on my hand. Okay, I deserved it, and it's a totally minor injury, but it's also something that will turn off potential adopters (if/when they find out). So: any suggestions on how I can help straighten this guy out? I'm only there maybe 5 hours a week and he gets walked by a bunch of different people, which I'm sure complicates the issue for him.
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Apr 6, 2008 05:07
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Sutureself posted:I volunteer at as a dog walker at a nearby animal shelter. Long story short, this boxer/lab guy is real nice and everyone loves him, but he was adopted once and returned 2 weeks later for being crazy etc, I didn't get the details. Yikes. I'm doubtful that resource aggression can be fixed while the dog is in such a stressful living situation. Everything that I can think of would work best in a home environment with a consistent caretaker. Some people tackle this by teaching the dog the command "gimme", and initially I taught my dogs this by offering a treat that they wanted more than whatever they had in their mouth. We phased out the treats, and now it's old hat for me to ask to see whatever they've got and they don't complain about giving it up. Still, that behavior is based on trust and a history of training, neither of which is going to be easy in a shelter situation. I think you should probably talk to whoever handles the adoption files and let them know that the adopter will need to work on resource aggression with the dog, and that a house with young children should be a no-go. I'd honestly chalk up his reaction to stress and maybe a nervous temperament and it wouldn't keep me from adopting him, but inexperienced dog owners would be a bad fit for this dog who clearly needs some rehabilitation. MoCookies fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Apr 6, 2008 |
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Apr 6, 2008 05:36
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I've been thinking about getting a pet for a long time now. Twice over the past year, people have adopted kittens (a friend and my sister) but have decided they can't keep them. They ask if I would like to take them, I debate for a day, then say yes... then they change their mind! That kind of twisted my emotions a little, because once you say "yes", you're expecting to have a pet in your life soon. It's very disappointing. I've finally been actively trying to get a kitten in the last few weeks, and I keep getting the run around, it's frustrating. I've already got all the supplies I need and have been kitten-proofing my house. The SPCA only had older cats, and I've dealt with two adoption agencies who jerked me around. The first one called back wanting to know more and more information they weren't satisfied with on my application, I stopped calling them back when they wanted the deed to my home to prove I lived there to process it! The next one I played phone tag with, informed me they only adopted kittens in pairs (which I debated and decided I would be ok with). I waited two hours before their drivers bothered to show up late, and I selected a pair when I submitted my application. After waiting a week and not hearing anything, then calling the lady, she finally emails me back: "[the committee] feel that the kittens need to be in a family environment and that an older cat is a more appropriate choice for your situation. Please let me know if you would like a mature cat instead and I will go ahead and arrange a home visit and call the references." They want to inspect my home to adopt me the cat that's way older than the ones I decided to get? Why is this such a pain in the rear end?
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Apr 6, 2008 06:44
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Elijya posted:They want to inspect my home to adopt me the cat that's way older than the ones I decided to get? Why is this such a pain in the rear end? Simply put, most rescues are pains in the rear end because of people like your friend and your sister. It's to keep them from getting animals they've adopted out dumped back onto them because the adopters didn't think their situation through before taking in that animal. People surrender dogs and cats for lots of reasons, so rescues give you the run-around to help cut back on that - they want to make sure you own the house, have permission from landlords, know a good vet, don't live in a pig-sty, have realistic expectations, and aren't expecting major life changes in the near future (having a baby, new job, moving, starting/stopping school). Granted, some rescues are much more anal than others, but that's typically because they've been through many of the same scenario that causes people to give back their adopted pets, so they tighten their requirements accordingly. Do you mind if I ask why you're so dead-set on a kitten? Most of us on this forum will seriously recommend an older cat. And "older" is not the same as "old," just "not really a kitten." Most of the cats I've seen in shelters are under the age of 5, which for an animal that lives roughly 15 years is still quite young. I've had a kitten and will never do that poo poo again. Sure kittens are cute, but they are a pain in the rear end. Not only that, but it's usually a crapshoot as to how they will behave when grown. Mine was the sweetest, lovingest thing in the world when he was a kitten, but he grew up to be a total rear end in a top hat who didn't want anything to do with anybody. An adult or near-adult cat will pretty much already have its personality in place. Definitely not trying to preach here, just wondering if you'd ever considered the benefits of adopting a young adult instead of a kitten (or two). There are plenty of wonderful adult cats who are homeless, but they are harder to place because everyone just wants a kitten.. but please don't let your frustrating experiences so far scare you away from rescue. You're doing a great thing, kitten or otherwise 
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Apr 6, 2008 07:23
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MoCookies posted:I'm doubtful that resource aggression can be fixed while the dog is in such a stressful living situation. Thanks! Also, I like the term resource aggression. Kinda like ascertain and delineate!
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Apr 6, 2008 16:09
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The Hoobit posted:
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Apr 6, 2008 18:50
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Elijya posted:Several people have mentioned it, but reading your post was the first time I've ever actually considered it. 99% of the time anyone else has mentioned it, I feel their primary motivation for saying it is knowing the older cats move slower than kittens, not because they're thinking of all the points you just made. That's cool. Try going back to your local animal shelter and hanging out with the cats for a while, without any age bias. Keep your mind open and look at the cats on an individual level. If you find one that you think you really like, the shelter should have a place where you can interact with it one-on-one. If you go in just thinking "I want a kitten," you never know what you could be missing. Kittens are lots of fun. They're cute, playful, cute, and loving adorable. But they take a lot more time, energy and patience. A lot of people think that the older an animal is, the less is will "bond" with you, which couldn't be further from the truth. Plus, most adolescent or adult cats are already litter-box trained. Yeah. Think about that for a minute. I guess all I'm really saying is that you should try to keep your mind open. It's fine if you ultimately end up with a kitten (or two, which is a generally recommended as well), but the perfect cat for you could be the black 3-year-old in cage #28 and you'd never know it if you were only looking for kittens. Definitely keep us updated and good luck on your search!
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Apr 7, 2008 01:20
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I'm just wondering why my kitten is obsessed with towels. Whenever I come out of the bathroom with a towel on she tries to climb onto my lap while I'm standing up and when I sit down she comes and sits on my lap with the loudest purr I have ever heard from a cat and gets really affectionate and fidgety and won't lie still. She doesn't really do this at any other time. She will sit on my lap and purr at other times but not like this. Has anyone experienced this before?
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Apr 7, 2008 13:15
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So this is probably a pretty common question in this forum, but I couldn't find an answer in the FAQ... I just got a neutered male cat a little over a month ago. He was already litter box trained and for the first week or two he did a great job of using his litterbox with no problems. However, in the past couple weeks he has been picking a couple different spots in the house to continually pee right on the carpet. I think he's actually peeing, not spraying, because it doesn't seem he's in the spraying position. I want to redirect him to use his litterbox, but my girlfriend and I are both pretty new to cats and we're not quite sure what to do. Help? edit: he poops in his litterbox just fine
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Apr 11, 2008 06:05
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Colonel Whitey posted:So this is probably a pretty common question in this forum, but I couldn't find an answer in the FAQ... Honestly? The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > PET ISLAND FAQ or MY CAT PEES EVERYWHERE HELP [updated 03/22/2008] THE FAQ posted:MY CAT IS PEEING EVERYWHERE AND I WANT TO TELL THE INTERNET ABOUT IT
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Apr 11, 2008 07:14
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My friend has some birds, but they chew up his computer wires. If I was to get a bird, how could I prevent this? Coat some of the cables with hot sauce or something a bird wouldn't like to eat?
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Apr 11, 2008 19:23
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The Hoobit posted:Simply put, most rescues are pains in the rear end because of people like your friend and your sister. It's to keep them from getting animals they've adopted out dumped back onto them because the adopters didn't think their situation through before taking in that animal. People surrender dogs and cats for lots of reasons, so rescues give you the run-around to help cut back on that - they want to make sure you own the house, have permission from landlords, know a good vet, don't live in a pig-sty, have realistic expectations, and aren't expecting major life changes in the near future (having a baby, new job, moving, starting/stopping school). Granted, some rescues are much more anal than others, but that's typically because they've been through many of the same scenario that causes people to give back their adopted pets, so they tighten their requirements accordingly. I know this is a few days old, but thanks for the explanation on rescues. I figured some of the ones we looked at before we adopted our last cat were just run by borderline hoarders who didn't really want to give the pets up, because holy poo poo were they a pain in the rear end. I completely gave up on a couple of them before we went to the local humane society, which was only slightly less difficult. It felt especially ridiculous since our first cat was one of those "Hey, you know anyone who wants a free kitten?" deals where a friend of a friend had a bunch they couldn't take care of. Drive over and pick it up, done deal. We thought it would be nice to adopt an older cat from a shelter the second time around, and ended up with weird ladies asking for interviews and character references, wanting to come over and pick apart our house, etc. like they were doing us a huge favor letting us adopt a cat someone else had given up. It's good to know they're not just doing it because they're crazy. Edit: It's probably a factor, but at least it's not the only one. gross fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Apr 11, 2008 |
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Apr 11, 2008 19:47
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gnrk posted:My friend has some birds, but they chew up his computer wires. Supervise your bird and just don't allow them near wires in the first place.
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Apr 12, 2008 03:32
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Long story short, I'm looking into exercise pens for my fence-less backyard. Specifically, I'm looking at this one or something akin to it. Currently, I have two shih tzus and a toy poodle; my question is pretty much if the pen will be big enough for all three of them? My instinct is no, but I wonder if anyone with pens like this (most pens seem to use approximately the same dimensions) has any advice. I think I can link them together to make bigger pens, but I'm not sure how many I ought to get for them to be comfortable...
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Apr 12, 2008 04:11
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chuchumeister posted:Long story short, I'm looking into exercise pens for my fence-less backyard. You can definitely link the pens together, its a piece of cake, and there are plenty of hardware options that would work just fine. Zipties might be the cheapest and easiest option to connect the pens. I'd get at least two, if not three pens for the dogs to play. They won't be squished in a two pen arrangement, but they won't really have much room to run around either.
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Apr 13, 2008 10:04
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Sorry to bring this thread's mood down with a sad story, but I'll try to keep it short. On Monday I adopted two eight-week-old puppies from our local shelter. They're Jack Russel/pom, about three pounds each if that helps any. One of them, Ringo, is energetic. His brother, Indigo? Not so much. Both were playful until Thursday. Thursday morning, I noticed they weren't as lively as they usually are. When I got home from work that afternoon, they were vomiting, lethargic, and refusing food. Long story short, both have parvo. Apparently there's multiple strains of the virus, and they have the severe intestinal one with the 50% mortality rate. They're still at the vet's, on quarantine, and receiving their fluid treatments. I visited them yesterday afternoon, and both were lively enough to sit up, lick me enthusiastically, and cry loudly when they realized I was leaving. They couldn't stand up, but both drat well tried. Not enough strength to match the excitement, I guess. Ringo is holding his fluids like a champ, but Indigo had a small amount of loose stool on Saturday morning. I forgot to ask if it was bloody, so I'll just assume the worst and say it was. So, my questions. 1. Have the odds increased any since they started treatment? They said the first three days are the worst, but I'm afraid to start hoping just because it's Sunday. I've gone into this hoping for the best but not expecting much. Puppies can go downhill so quickly; anything could have happened overnight. I haven't called them yet today. 2. IF they pull through, will they have any immunity period? Not that we haven't already set to work destroying the parvo in the house, which brings me to my next question. 3. We already bleached the christ out of the carpet where they were sick and the crate they slept in, and we just threw away the puppy bed with most of the puke on it (after washing it off). But there are all kinds of piles in the yard that are solid but unusually dark. This is my first experience with parvo, and my first thought was that something they were fed at the shelter was causing the discoloration. I feel like an idiot now. Anyway, am I going to have to kill my grass too, or is the waste uninfected because it's not diarrhea? I hate to have a pockmarked lawn, but I'd hate to have a yard crawling with disease for months on end even more. 4. I only had them Monday - Thursday. I'm not sure how long parvo incubates. Did they catch it here, or were we given sick puppies?
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Apr 13, 2008 16:04
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little green jewel posted:
Sorry man, parvo really sucks. 1. Any treatment is better than nothing. How much it increases the survival rate has to do with how nasty the virus is and other factors you have no control over. 2. Ask your vet about this. Even if they do now have an immunity to parvo, their immune systems will probably be compromised and weak until they fully recover. 3. Clean up all the waste, but you can't sterilize dirt. There's no point in pouring bleach all over the lawn. Should the worst happen and your pups not survive, you won't be able to let another puppy or unvaccinated dog out there for a long time. A healthy, vaccinated adult dog would probably be ok, but nothing very young or old or with a compromised immune system. 4. The dogs were probably sick when you adopted them. You should contact the shelter tomorrow and let them know. Municipal shelters in particular get all sorts of strays that can have all kinds of diseases and a really bad outbreak can wipe out an entire shelter population if they don't get on top of it quickly.
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Apr 13, 2008 18:17
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Thanks, Iraq. I guess it's just a waiting game followed by even more cleaning. God, I hope my little boys make it. And the clinic that's treating them is actually on the same lot as the shelter where we adopted them. It's not our usual vet, but ours was closed by the time we realized we had a problem. Plus, the pups already had a record there since that's where they were neutered, so yeah. We told them to tell the shelter about the parvo, but then I went ahead and called them myself just to make sure they got the word. I feel pretty terrible about this whole thing. They were only for three days before they were offered up for adoption, which seems a little short to me. With such young puppies and an actual epidemic of this virus sweeping through our local kennels and shelters (ain't hindsight a bitch?), you'd think they'd hold new dogs longer to be sure they're not, say, incubating anything deadly and highly contagious. But that could be unreasonable of me. I've never worked or volunteered at a shelter, so what do I know. EDIT: quote:With a crowded shelter they may not have longer than that to hold dogs. There is a limit to the number of dogs you can have at any given time, and if they want to save as many as possible they need to keep the dogs going through pretty quickly. Also it's just as likely that they picked up the virus at the shelter itself, rather than being infected already when they got there. It's a tough thing to deal with, but it happens sometimes. Sorry about your pups, hope they pull through. Yeah, that's why I said I don't know for sure what shelter policies are for how long they have to hold the animals. I'm not trying to come across as self-righteous; I'm just frustrated and upset. Anyway, the damage has been done. For what it's worth, the puppy room was about half empty before, and I guess there's a lot more free space in it now. EDIT 2: quote:I hope your pups pull through, or you have the fortitude to euthanize before they suffer too much more. Just quickly, so I don't derail the thread too badly. The day they went in, I told their vet that if it becomes obvious that they're suffering and the odds look bad, she should go ahead and put them down. They're the stubborn terrier type who would hold on, and I can't put an animal through that. I had to let my old girl go in January when she became unable to walk and started refusing food. So I know it's a hard decision, but there's no question in my mind that sometimes it's the right one. I'd like to work or volunteer at a rescue, but I think the constant heartbreak of human cruelty and ignorance would affect me the way it did you. Thanks for spending as much time as you did making their lives easier. EDIT 3: In case anyone here gives a drat, they both made it! They're on a boiled chicken and rice diet with no trimmings whatsoever, and they have antibiotics for an annoying cold they just keep passing back and forth. They're a bit thin and refuse to let us out of their sight, but that's okay since all I want to do is spend time with them anyway. There's been some gross clear discharge, but the vet said that's actually normal for recovering puppies. I'm sure I'll still be watching until the 1st, when they get their next set of shots. little green jewel fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Apr 16, 2008 |
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Apr 13, 2008 20:17
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little green jewel posted:I feel pretty terrible about this whole thing. They were only for three days before they were offered up for adoption, which seems a little short to me. With such young puppies and an actual epidemic of this virus sweeping through our local kennels and shelters (ain't hindsight a bitch?), you'd think they'd hold new dogs longer to be sure they're not, say, incubating anything deadly and highly contagious. But that could be unreasonable of me. I've never worked or volunteered at a shelter, so what do I know. With a crowded shelter they may not have longer than that to hold dogs. There is a limit to the number of dogs you can have at any given time, and if they want to save as many as possible they need to keep the dogs going through pretty quickly. Also it's just as likely that they picked up the virus at the shelter itself, rather than being infected already when they got there. It's a tough thing to deal with, but it happens sometimes. Sorry about your pups, hope they pull through.
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Apr 13, 2008 21:51
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I've seen a lot of puppies suffer through parvo, and it sucks a lot. Its one of the reasons I quit my job at the shelter. Its my opinion that the virus gets spread because well-meaning people who ignore sanitation protocols without understanding why those protocols are in place.  The pups that I've seen with it were all euthanized or died from the disease. I hope your pups pull through, or you have the fortitude to euthanize before they suffer too much more. I applaud you cleaning the heck out of your house, but the truth of the matter is that you'll be unable to get it all, and it'll be nigh impossible to get it out of your yard as well. I've heard estimates that the virus can last up to a year or more in the environment, so just go ahead and consider your house and yard contaminated for at least the next two years. As far as the shelter situation goes, I think its in the best interest of the puppies to get them adopted and out of the shelter as fast as possible. The longer they stay in the shelter the more likely it is that they'll catch something. Even if you vaccinate the pups as soon as they come in, there's no guarantee that they'll be protected after just one round of shots. Its frustrating as hell. I remember a few weeks when more puppies died of parvo than got adopted out. It was so awful that I ended up fostering a young litter at my house just to keep them from catching parvo in the shelter.
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Apr 13, 2008 23:46
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MoCookies posted:As far as the shelter situation goes, I think its in the best interest of the puppies to get them adopted and out of the shelter as fast as possible. The longer they stay in the shelter the more likely it is that they'll catch something. Even if you vaccinate the pups as soon as they come in, there's no guarantee that they'll be protected after just one round of shots. Its frustrating as hell. I remember a few weeks when more puppies died of parvo than got adopted out. It was so awful that I ended up fostering a young litter at my house just to keep them from catching parvo in the shelter. This is what ours is like. We try to get the out ASAP and if a mom comes in pregnant, we'll try to get her spayed or into foster, too. Unfortunately, it's just so drat hard to avoid, and if you keep the little guys there to "quarantine", they're just more likely to pick it up
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Apr 14, 2008 01:01
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Does anybody use this? And if so, do you recommend it?
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Apr 14, 2008 21:37
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I'm having a pet behavior problem. I have two cats who are about three years old - a boy and a girl, littermates. They don't get along the way they used to - when they fight now, it seems more "real" than when they were kittens. I'm not sure if this is relevant to what's been going on, but I suppose the more information, the better. Lately, the male has developed something of a separation anxiety problem. I tend to close them out of the bedroom at night, because otherwise they will keep me awake by chasing each other over the bed. This used to work well. But for the past few weeks or so, the male has been waking me up in the middle of the night. He'll cry and scratch on the door until I let him in, then cry to be let back out an hour later. It's only the male that does this. The female seems to be fine spending the night in the rest of the apartment. Any idea what's going on here, or how to curb this behavior? It's really annoying. I can't exactly just let him cry, as I share an apartment and he wakes the whole place up. And I know, pet behavior problems are usually the result of bad owners, blah blah. I totally accept that I might be doing something to cause this, I just want to know what so I can stop it.
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Apr 15, 2008 01:20
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| # ? May 15, 2024 00:38 |
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I skimmed the nutrition megathread but didn't see this addressed - apologies if it has been. So, cat food. When I was growing up, I was always under the impression that dry food was healthy and wet food was "junk food." Now I know a lot of what I thought was healthy food is actually corn- and byproduct-filled crap, and that a good canned food is nutritionally complete. So I'm guessing the benefit of dry food (besides cost) is...fiber? Dental workout? Nothing at all? My question is, is there any consensus on how cats should be fed? All dry? All wet? Alternating? Mixing the two together?
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Apr 16, 2008 20:44
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