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KilGrey posted:What kind of flea treatment? Advantage and Frontline work best, I'd stay way from other brands (Hartz for sure). A cat needs a very different dose than a dog does so don't just go by what you gave your puppy. If it doesn't say it's okay to use on cats along with dosing instructions on the box I wouldn't use it, or at least call your vet and check. Yeah, it's Hartz. Dammit, that sucks. Out of curiosity, What's up with Hartz anyway?
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Sep 4, 2008 13:42
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Mugabe Glasses posted:Yeah, it's Hartz. Dammit, that sucks. Lots. http://www.hartzvictims.org/
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Sep 4, 2008 13:59
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KilGrey posted:Lots. o_O
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Sep 4, 2008 14:13
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My poor baby Jack (male neutered cat, 5 yrs old) has been through a horrible couple of days. On the 2nd, he had his routine vaccine boosters for rabies, etc. He was alright the rest of the evening, just really sleepy. Last night, before going to sleep, we curl up like normal. He is burning up. The hair between his eyes and ears is almost all gone. The skin is very blotchy and red. He is missing all but 1 whisker above his left eye. Immediately, I call the emergency vet. I take him in... and within minutes, they have him on ice. His temp is 105. They give him a large injection of something like saline under his skin to help hydrate him. They explained that it was just similar to an IV. It looked like a massive tumor that was very cool to the touch. They also give him something to make him relax. It is so awful. The vet tells me that from now on - only give him rabies once a year and the other boosters every 3 years. This morning, he is bright eyed and much happier. The liquid they put under his skin has dissolved into his body naturally. I have never had to go to the emergency vet before. My cats have always been super healthy. It was so scary that he had a reaction like that. Anyway, my question, how long does it usually take for his whiskers to grow back? I forgot to ask about it at the vet because I had so much other stuff on my mind. He looks pretty silly right now with whiskers only over one eye. Pragmatica fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Sep 5, 2008 |
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Sep 5, 2008 03:26
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My family got a 10 week old Presa Canario mix from the shelter and I'm interested in eventually getting into some activities with him, like weight pull and obedience- anything that would be good really, since he has the potential to become a very large, powerful dog and the more training he has the better. I'd like to have him trained to even protect one of us if it was needed, and that sort of stuff. But I'm having a hard time finding out how/where to even get started with that sort of thing. Hell I can't even find any basic puppy training classes- they either only have them on an 'as needed' basis and don't plan any soon, or the ones that are being held are 1-2 hours from me. (I'm in Southern Maryland. I am 2 hours from everything worthwhile.) I'm not sure if 1-2 hour drives would be good for such a young puppy who isn't used to a car yet either, I'd imagine it would stress him and I don't think that would be good for training. Should I just go with something like Petco training or should I wait til October for something better to start closer? I'm also not really clear how best to start socializing a young puppy who doesn't have all his shots and doesn't seem keen on going for walks yet.
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Sep 5, 2008 03:57
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Customer Service posted:My family got a 10 week old Presa Canario mix from the shelter and I'm interested in eventually getting into some activities with him, like weight pull and obedience- anything that would be good really, since he has the potential to become a very large, powerful dog and the more training he has the better. I'd like to have him trained to even protect one of us if it was needed, and that sort of stuff. But I'm having a hard time finding out how/where to even get started with that sort of thing. There are more knowledgeable people around here about protection training, but I'm happy to share my research with you. I was obsessed with the idea of having a Schutzhund GSD for awhile, but it didn't take long for me to realize that a dog like that wouldn't fit into my life long-term. Teaching protection behaviors is a double-edged sword; honestly, most dogs will protect you, your "pack", and your home naturally and through instinct alone, provided they have the right temperament for it (some are just wimps and will simply bark or hide). However, if your dog doesn't have the proper temperament, giving it that protection training can be dangerous for everyone your dog interacts with. Many dogs just aren't cut out for it (weak nerves, etc.), and those that choose protection dogs are often near fanatical about finding the right breeding. If you think about it in human terms, it makes sense; not every person has the mental abilities to be a soldier, though they may have the physical abilities. You don't want soldiers who are too quick to fire or don't follow orders 100%. You need to be able to trust that they won't shoot an innocent person because they got trigger-happy, and you need to know that as soon as the commanding officer says "stand down" that it happens. Having an ill-suited protection dog has the exact same problems; trigger-happy, reliable on/off switch, etc. Having a big powerful, athletic dog is responsibility enough, but protection training on top of that IS very serious indeed. Now on the other hand, obedience training is definitely in the cards for you, especially since you're going to have such a big dog on your hands. I suggest getting involved in some sort of training class or puppy play group as soon as possible (assuming he's gotten at least one set of vaccination shots). A lot of the doggy daycare facilities around here have good socialization opportunities for puppies. I would warn you away from just taking the pup to the dog park though; many people think their dog plays nicely, but are either deluding themselves or just don't know what behaviors are nice vs. rear end in a top hat-y. Bad experiences with other dogs during the crucial socialization period can sometimes cause major problems down the road, so be extra careful. Remember that protecting your dog is the #1 priority, and being nice to other dog owners is far, far down the list. I've made this mistake myself, and I really regret it. There's no reason that you can't get started on obedience training today, even if it takes you a little while to find a good class. I highly recommend You and Your Puppy for new puppy owners. Stupid name, I know, but the advice is excellent. The training guide is segmented so that you not only know how to teach your puppy new commands, but how to progress from something as simple teaching your puppy its name to the more advanced obedience concepts. It also gives you lots of games that you can play with the pup to reinforce the commands in a fun way; the games tended to work better for my dogs since training classes can be pretty boring for a puppy (and for me). Sorry I wrote so much. I hope it helps. Good luck with your new puppy! MoCookies fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Sep 5, 2008 |
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Sep 5, 2008 15:53
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Is there a humane way of dealing with mice caught in glue traps? I work in an isolated area and we have mice problems. We have the cruelty free traps but they don't really work. I feel really bad whenever I see the little guys stuck to the glue and today I learned that it's not easy to get them out and even then, they're still hosed because they're covered in glue. I've heard that putting animals in the freezer is used by some people but that would make me very unpopular at work if I was caught. I had to kill the one I found today, it didn't work out as well as I would have liked it to and the whole thing made me feel pretty sad. 
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Sep 6, 2008 16:54
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Shove its face into the glue (with a stick or something, don't touch it, they have fleas and worse). They suffocate pretty quickly. Also, the newer glue traps have some kind of chemical that is supposed to help anesthetize them. Twice now my cat has brought me dying mice as gifts, and this is how I've disposed of them. Its the most humane thing I could think of, but maybe the freezer is better.
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Sep 6, 2008 18:48
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I'm not sure being put in the freezer is an overly humane way of killing them really Slow death by freezing... urgh. If they have to die, could you not use traps that actually kill them straight off? My parents used to have a couple around the house. It was pretty horrifying finding dead mice in them as a kid but at least it was fairly clear they died immediately from their necks being snapped.
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Sep 6, 2008 20:17
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Helanna posted:I'm not sure being put in the freezer is an overly humane way of killing them really I don't really have many options with the trap choices. We have problems with bugs too so I don't know how well a spring mousetrap would work if the bait attracts bugs. The whole situation is a bit depressing for me because I like most animals. I wish I could figure out a way to trap them so that the foxes that live here could eat them. It sounds mean but they can't be in the building and if they have to die it'd be nice if someone got dinner. I have a picture of a fox with a bunch of mice in it's mouth. I'm probably just overthinking things. It just ruins my day though when I wake up in the morning and see a scared little mouse who is having the worst day of his life, stuck in a trap.
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Sep 6, 2008 20:49
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Arrrgh, you guys are gonna hate me/this family... My friend's family has a ~7 month old dog who is having a hard time going to the bathroom. In their words she can "only get a little bit out at a time and it hurts her". Obvious answer would be go to a loving vet but her parents won't. Is there anything I can tell her that might help, and how potentially terrible is this? They're feeding the dog whatever crappy grocery store dog food is cheapest, and switching suddenly when they get a new food, no gradual mixing or anything. The most recent brand is "Goodlife Recipe", I have no clue what that is and suspect PI doesn't either. Oh, and her mom feeds the dog candy sometimes... apparently she's given her Skittles, M&Ms, and those sugar coated orange slices. I cannot emphasize how stupid this family is. I hope this doesn't count as asking for vet advice, it's not the dog's fault her owners are retarded and I don't know what else to do edit: wait, what the gently caress, I could have sworn she was saying the dog can't poop and now she's saying she's having a hard time peeing and she thinks it's a bladder infection. Well, my question still stands I guess, but somehow this sounds worse... edit AGAIN: her cousin just mentioned that the dog seems to be peeing in the house more too. She WAS housebroken until recently. Silly Hippie fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Sep 7, 2008 |
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Sep 7, 2008 01:14
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Silly Hippie posted:Arrrgh, you guys are gonna hate me/this family... Sounds pretty typical of a bladder infection, but it certainly could be something else. Urinating in the house is also a sign of a potential bladder infection, by the way. The dog REALLY needs to be seen by a vet; maybe if you stress how painful a bladder infection is, then they'll actually capitulate. The vet would need to do a urinanalysis to confirm the infection, and then prescribe antibiotics to cure it. Its mindboggling to me that the owners are just hoping it'll fix itself, but there's really nothing else to be done for the poor dog. Dog in pain = time to see a vet.
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Sep 7, 2008 01:58
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MoCookies posted:Sounds pretty typical of a bladder infection, but it certainly could be something else. Urinating in the house is also a sign of a potential bladder infection, by the way. The dog REALLY needs to be seen by a vet; maybe if you stress how painful a bladder infection is, then they'll actually capitulate. The vet would need to do a urinanalysis to confirm the infection, and then prescribe antibiotics to cure it. Its mindboggling to me that the owners are just hoping it'll fix itself, but there's really nothing else to be done for the poor dog. Dog in pain = time to see a vet. Bladder infections can be life threatening too. The infection can travel up the kidneys, and if that isn't treated I know a human would probably lose a kidney or die from it, so with a dog it is life threatening and probably becomes life threatening more quickly. I think if I knew a dog was having those kind of symptoms, I'd offer to take the dog to the vet myself. Or call the Humane Society, so that they can convince the owner to let them take the dog and treat it. I hope you can talk some sense into your friend Silly Hippie.
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Sep 7, 2008 02:05
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Silly Hippie posted:
That poor dog. Bladder/urinary tract infections are incredibly painful for people. I can't even imagine how awful it must be for a dog that can't rationalize where the pain is coming from. Can't you just play on their emotions & explain how much it hurts to feel like you constantly have to pee??? And honestly, a visit for a urinalysis, some antibiotics & pain meds shouldn't run more than a $100-150. If they let it go on, the dog will most likely die of a kidney infection. Do they really want to let their dog die because of a simple uti?
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Sep 7, 2008 03:12
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:I've heard that putting animals in the freezer is used by some people but that would make me very unpopular at work if I was caught. I had to kill the one I found today, it didn't work out as well as I would have liked it to and the whole thing made me feel pretty sad. I'd also go for using a trap that would snap the neck quickly. That's much more humane than freezing.
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Sep 7, 2008 03:17
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Silly Hippie posted:horrible people with dog problems Once they get this urinary thing treated (I really really really really hope they do) you could suggest that they switch to Kirkland Signature dog food from Costco. It's pretty cheap (something like $27 for 40 lb), pretty good (no corn or byproducts, ingredients begin with meat) and... cheap people really like Costco, right? Tell them it'll make her shed less and have poop that doesn't stink as much.
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Sep 7, 2008 03:43
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Metricula posted:I'd also go for using a trap that would snap the neck quickly. That's much more humane than freezing. Don't worry, I don't think that the freezer would make anyone happy. Is anyone familiar with cervical disloaction? It sounds like the best way to kill a mouse but I don't want to screw it up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervical_dislocation I apologize for dwelling on this unpleasant topic but it's the sort of thing that I worry about. I work with a guy who likes to kill the mice in a pretty cruel manner when he finds them and I feel terrible for the rest of the day. Here's one of the local foxes and a few of the local mice: 
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Sep 7, 2008 04:03
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Thanks for all the replies, guys. That's pretty much what I expected  Chances of them going to a vet are slim. Things these people have done with pets in the past include: 1. Getting cat, letting cat run around outside, not feeding cat or her subsequent 20+ offspring, not keeping track of any of them whatsoever. 2. Losing a dog and making no effort to find it. 3. Getting this puppy from a relative who breeds his dogs to his neighbors dogs whenever he thinks, heck, I just need more dogs. I'm sure it's partially a cost issue, keeping in mind that they're a family of 7 living in a 2 bedroom house and I don't know if any of them have jobs... but mostly they have a lovely attitude towards pets. I asked when they got the dog if they were getting her fixed and if she was going to get her shots. They said yes, but I haven't heard about it happening yet. The friend in question does indeed know what a UTI is like, she had one. She was in a lot of pain at school for a loooong time and I don't remember if her parents ever took her to the doctor. I assume they did eventually and they probably didn't like it. That's why she thought the dog has one, and why she's showing concern as they shrug it off and keep feeding the dog Skittles. I'd offer to take the dog to the vet but I can't even drive, nor do I have any money, and the chances of me recieving parental to permission to do that (or call the Humane Society) are very low. My mom hates animals. edit: forgot to mention, maplecheese, that you recommended that food before. I passed the info on and apparently whoever buys the food really didn't care. Thanks, though 
Silly Hippie fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Sep 7, 2008 |
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Sep 7, 2008 04:33
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Silly Hippie posted:edit: forgot to mention, maplecheese, that you recommended that food before. I passed the info on and apparently whoever buys the food really didn't care. Thanks, though Oh, right! I thought I recognized your username from something. Oh well...
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Sep 7, 2008 05:04
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:I work with a guy who likes to kill the mice in a pretty cruel manner when he finds them and I feel terrible for the rest of the day. Please report him to management or something. It might just be a field mouse but that is no excuse. People who enjoy doing cruel things to animals are pretty hosed up in the head. I wouldn't want to work with him even if the mice problem disappeared.
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Sep 7, 2008 05:39
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KilGrey posted:Please report him to management or something. When I transfer next year I'll bring it up but I don't want to make my life miserable until then.
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Sep 7, 2008 05:56
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I feel like a moron for asking this, but how can I tell if my cats are playfighting or real fighting? My older cat, Jim (just over 12 months old) doesn't really seem to know what to think of Luke, the kitten I found at a cottage last weekend (about 4 months old, now vaccinated and given a clean bill of heath by the vet). They spend half of their time sleeping happily in the same room, and the rest of the time they chase each other around at full speed and wrestle. I haven't heard the kitten yelping, which I imagine he would if he was being hurt, but I'm worried because I think that Jim could really hurt him if he wanted to.
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Sep 7, 2008 14:09
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It will be a lot louder and may involve hissing and arching their backs.
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Sep 7, 2008 17:37
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While this might be a silly question, it's not a troll I promise. I've always been curious, what would happen if something small like a chihuahua bred with something large like a great dane? For sake of simplicity the bigger dog would be the female. I've always wondered but never really been crazy enough to try it and find out.
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Sep 7, 2008 19:00
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Cuddlebottom posted:It will be a lot louder and may involve hissing and arching their backs.
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Sep 7, 2008 19:02
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Silly Hippie posted:bad dog stuff Cranberry juice works in people to help control bladder/UTI's. I don't think it's toxic to dogs. Maybe see if she can get some of that in him, either if he'll drink it outright or soak his food in it. If worse comes to worse, anonymously report them to animal control. Sounds like they need a good rear end-kicking.
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Sep 7, 2008 19:12
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What to do with a mouse found live? I don't want to kill it and I know my landlord will kill it if I hand it over. I just put it in my hamster's cage, then immediately googled about this situation, and it seems that a hamster and mouse would kill each other. So far my hamster sniffed the air and then went back to running contentedly on her wheel... while the mouse chills out directly below her. Can this actually be OK? I wanna dump the mouse outside but I'm afraid it will crawl right back in. I live in a city so there aren't any parks within walking distance that would be safe to walk to at this hour.
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Sep 8, 2008 01:53
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hitension posted:What to do with a mouse found live? Not a good idea. Might give the hamster diseases, or they might fight later even if they didn't fight right away. Get the mouse into a big covered garbage can and dump it in a nearby place that provides the best mouse habitat that isn't a human home - somebody's yard, in some bushes, in a garden with lots of plants to hide under, under a tree that has some ground cover near it, whatever.
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Sep 8, 2008 02:04
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An update on my friend's dog who may have a bladder infection... I asked how the dog is doing. Same. But one thing led to another and THIS info got out: she threw up a pair of panties this morning. Well, I thought, that might add another factor to this. Then... well, I'll just show you... friend: they're usually always dirty panties after she takes a shower me: wait, what do you mean usually? friend: sometimes if she can get ahold of them she'll eat a clean pair of panties but most of the time she'll eat a dirty pair me: How many times has this dog eaten underwear?! Answer? A vague "I have no idea". So for another question! What is eating then puking up panties doing to this dog? Could this have anything to do with her problems going to the bathroom (I'm thinking a definitive "duh")? Would it be legal to shoot my friend's parents?
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Sep 8, 2008 03:31
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One of my cats caught a mouse and ate it. I'm kinda worried about parasites. What kind of nasties can a cat pick up from eating a mouse?
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Sep 8, 2008 04:24
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Lareine posted:One of my cats caught a mouse and ate it. I'm kinda worried about parasites. What kind of nasties can a cat pick up from eating a mouse? Tapeworms, roundworms... you can talk to your vet about deworming options if you'd like. But worms aren't necessarily THAT bad for an otherwise healthy adult cat that has plenty to eat. Still gross, though.
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Sep 8, 2008 05:59
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hitension posted:What to do with a mouse found live? One problem is that mice have a homing instinct and will probably come back unless you take them more than a mile or two away. Theres a live mouse in one of my traps right now I think I'm going to try cervical dislocation. Does anyone know the best way of breaking a mouse's neck?
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Sep 8, 2008 08:47
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pie.rat posted:Ok, that's what I figured. I haven't heard any hissing or snarling so I think all is well. I've been dealing with this too as I just rescued a stray kitten. I know what to tell other people but it's hard when it's happening to you sometime with your beloved bets as you can turn into a nervous nelly. Cats playing and cats fighting can look the same. Even a few hisses doesn't mean it's mean fighting. I try to pay attention to the ears and make sure they aren't flat against the head, no prolonged deep growling and the 'fight' changes sides. I think that's one of the biggest indicators. Cat A will chase Cat B, they'll tumble around on the floor in a ball of fur and then it will turn around and Cat B will chase Cat A *repeat until you have tired kitties* A fight will be more one sided. I do try to pay attention as during the 'tumble around in a ball of fur' part my older cat always ends up on top due to being bigger and I want to make sure the kitten is still interested in it and not feeling over played. Sometimes he looks a little played out and I just cuddle him a moment and set him down and he goes right back into it. If something does to bad the best way to break up a cat fight is to make a loud noise, like dropping a book on the floor. They'll usually shoot in opposite directions. Silly Hippie posted:friend: they're usually always dirty panties after she takes a shower Please beat them senseless. Or at the very least shove three pairs of underwear down their throats and ask them how they loving feel then deny them a trip to the doctor. If the dogs system is blocked by her dirty panties it can die, and pretty painfully too. God people piss me off.
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Sep 8, 2008 08:47
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Lareine posted:One of my cats caught a mouse and ate it. I'm kinda worried about parasites. What kind of nasties can a cat pick up from eating a mouse? Cats rarely get leptospirosis, but its something I'd look into if you have dogs or other pets around.
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Sep 8, 2008 16:55
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KilGrey posted:Please beat them senseless. Or at the very least shove three pairs of underwear down their throats and ask them how they loving feel then deny them a trip to the doctor. I would love to, honestly, for this and so many other things. I'm copying all the replies I've gotten and sending them to that friend so that hopefully she can convince her parents to take the poor puppy to a vet. God, I can just imagine the look on a vet's face when they hear "Well, we thought she was fine! We feed her a good steady diet of grocery store kibble and cotton panties!" Jesus. They managed to scrape together the money for a Wii and some other video game system this year... apparently that takes up the dog budget. And the feeding their kids budget, btw, so I'm not really shocked at this latest turn of events.
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Sep 8, 2008 21:32
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Silly Hippie posted:I would love to, honestly, for this and so many other things. I'm copying all the replies I've gotten and sending them to that friend so that hopefully she can convince her parents to take the poor puppy to a vet. God, I can just imagine the look on a vet's face when they hear "Well, we thought she was fine! We feed her a good steady diet of grocery store kibble and cotton panties!" Jesus. They managed to scrape together the money for a Wii and some other video game system this year... apparently that takes up the dog budget. And the feeding their kids budget, btw, so I'm not really shocked at this latest turn of events. Where do they live? Lets see if we can maybe find some free to low cost animal aid places.
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Sep 8, 2008 21:47
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KilGrey posted:Where do they live? Lets see if we can maybe find some free to low cost animal aid places. Arlington, Texas. It definitely can't hurt, they're cheapskates for sure, and I know they're too lazy to research anything like that... hell, so was I, apparently, oops. I actually asked again and she said the main reason behind not taking the dog to the vet (and two people in the family not getting medical treatment they need right now) is lack of money. Their priorities are INSANE. Video games, cable, anime DVDs... those they can afford. Ughhh I hate people
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Sep 8, 2008 22:02
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Lareine posted:One of my cats caught a mouse and ate it. I'm kinda worried about parasites. What kind of nasties can a cat pick up from eating a mouse?
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Sep 8, 2008 22:39
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Recently a lot of moths have been coming into my appartment, via the balcony in the evenings. My cats, of course, think this is superb, and Frijj always catches any insects, and Mango promptly steals and eats them. Are moths liable to upset her stomach / cause any problems? She's eating quite a few of them. This is in Europe for the record, so I don't think we have many exotic bugs.
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Sep 8, 2008 22:52
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Silly Hippie posted:Arlington, Texas. Try the Arlington Humane Society: 817-468-0444 It looks like they'll work with people if they call ahead and ask. If they can't help they should refer them to somewhere that can help. ...maybe call for them since they seem like lazy assholes that wont do any extra work.
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Sep 8, 2008 22:54
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