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Yeah I thought something like Vaseline might be okay. I don't think my cat's going to enjoy this whatever I use, but using a scented body cream seems like it would be worse for him :P As for crushing the pills, I've found that this particular cat is a little sod and has a radar for medication. If there's crushed pills in the food, he's not fooled. The only way I can pill him is to pin him down and poke it down his throat. Unfortunately for him he has 2.5 pills in the morning and 1 in the evening at the moment, so I'm not his favourite person. After tomorrow he's down to 0.5 pills per day though, which is manageable enough.
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Sep 23, 2008 10:20
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 Click here for the full 640x480 image. Can anyone tell me what breed the kitten on the left is? That mane is so pretty.
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Sep 23, 2008 15:26
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TheRife posted:Can anyone tell me what breed the kitten on the left is? That mane is so pretty. Probably just a domestic long hair, but could be a Norwegian Forest Cat:  
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Sep 23, 2008 15:31
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OK, so my girlfriend and I got a 10 week old Shiba Inu puppy over the weekend, and we're kind of confused on how exactly we should go about training little Niko. Every guide on crate/potty/litter training that I read seems to say something different. I apologize in advance for probably not being the best pet owner, but this is my first pet so I'm learning as I go. Our schedule is something like this: 06.15 - Get up and let Niko go to the bathroom 06.25 - Food & water 06.35 - Bathroom again 06.45 - Play around a bit with Niko as we get ready for work (one of us showers/gets dressed while the other plays with her) 07.15 - Put Niko in her kennel and leave for work 12.30 - Girlfriend comes home to let Niko out to go to the bathroom and run around a bit (this will probably only happen this week - girlfriend's employer is only temporarily letting her take a long enough lunch, and I work on the opposite side of town) 05.00 - Girlfriend comes home and lets Niko out to go to the bathroom 05.15 - Food & water 05.30 - Bathroom again 06.00 - Take Niko for a walk Rest of the night - whatever 10.00 - Bed time in kennel And our apartment is layed out like so: East side - outdoor balcony, artificial turf floor Southeast corner - main bedroom, carpeted floor and main bathroom, tiled floor Northeast corner - elevated living room (three stairs that span from wall to wall), carpeted floor Middle - kitchen and dining area, cement floor Southwest - Second bedroom, carpeted floor and second bathroom, tiled floor I have all kinds of questions.  Originally we were going to try to train her to go to the bathroom out on the balcony on a Wee Wee pad in a specific spot, but it became quickly apparent that it wouldn't work due to the turf being hard to completely clean when she eliminated in the wrong place. She just kept trying to go back to the spots where she had gone before instead of the spot where we were trying to get her to go. Also, the balcony wouldn't have worked very well in the winter. Now our plan is to make the second bathroom her bathroom and the place where she stays during the day when we're gone. At first we're using Wee Wee pads, and then we will gradually move on to a litter box. Question 1: Right now Niko cannot (or at least is too scared to) go down the living room stairs. Eventually this will change, but for now we have to take her to the bathroom every time. In the last two days we've already had multiple instances where we take her into the bathroom to try to get her to go, to no avail, and then we take her out into the dining area or the living room and as soon as she touches the ground she runs somewhere and lets loose. We have had some successes, for which we've praised her lavishly, but overall it feels like she's heavily resisting it. A lot of times when I take her in the bathroom she just gives me this 'Why are you keeping me in here? I have to go to the bathroom!' look and starts sniffing and scratching at the door. Are we kind of hoping for too much here? Should we be training her to go in the living room and then moving closer and closer to the bathroom? Should we even be training her to use a place that's all the way across the apartment? Or should I just keep working at training her in the bathroom? (It's only been a couple of days, so maybe we're just overreacting.) Question 2: Right now we're keeping her in a small travel kennel when we're gone. She has just enough room to move around. Is leaving her in this overnight in our bedroom, and during the day in the bathroom, OK? I've seen some people say that puppies shouldn't be in kennels for more than two hours, and then other people seem to think it's fine if they're in there all day. Going forward neither my girlfriend nor I will be able to come home during the day, so our only real option right now is to leave Niko in her kennel. This means she cannot go to the bathroom until we get home. My emotional instinct tells me that she needs more space and the ability to eliminate when we're not home. I'm kind of inclined to think that we should get her a crate with bedding and litter areas, and put it in the living room.. The only problem with that idea is that our living room would inevitably end up smelling like dog poop.  Any advice is welcome. Also feel free to scold me if I'm doing things horribly wrong.
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Sep 23, 2008 20:20
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Noctone posted:OK, so my girlfriend and I got a 10 week old Shiba Inu puppy over the weekend, and we're kind of confused on how exactly we should go about training little Niko. Every guide on crate/potty/litter training that I read seems to say something different. I apologize in advance for probably not being the best pet owner, but this is my first pet so I'm learning as I go.... Your post really could be its own thread. It sounds like you're a little lost with training and proper housing for this puppy. I'm happy to help, but this'll be a hell of a long post. Well, first off, you guys are leaving your puppy in the crate for far too long. At 2 1/2 months old, a puppy can only "hold it" for about 3 hours tops. The general rule is 1 hour per month of age, and it tops out at adult capacity of ~9 hours max. This is obviously going to be a problem for the next 8 months or so. The issue isn't so much that she's in the crate (crating is great), but that by leaving her in there for longer than she can hold it, you're forcing her to soil the crate (very bad). Ideally, you should have either gotten an older puppy who could hold it long enough to stay in the crate all day, or set up a few times during the day for a dog walker to come by. By teaching your puppy that you want it to pee and poop in your apartment, you're setting a very bad precedent. You really don't want an adult dog peeing and crapping in your apartment. Pee pads, paper training, litter boxes, etc. are all confusing concepts for puppies, not to mention that having all that animal waste just sitting around your apartment is unhealthy for you and your pets. Putting a bored puppy in a bathroom is a recipe for trouble; puppies will chew the wood of your cabinetry, gnaw through the drywall, and destroy anything they can get to. Buy a large exercise pen for your puppy instead; it'll keep her safe, but secure. The best thing is to do traditional pottytraining: take the puppy outside to their potty spot every 1-2 hours, wait however long it takes until they go to the bathroom, and then praise like hell when they go. At night, puppies can generally last a little longer, but you should be getting up at least once during the night to let the dog go pee outside. I honestly don't see how you and your girlfriend are going to be able to potty train this dog until you make some compromises in that schedule. PI tries to talk people out of getting puppies for this very reason; proper pottytraining is time consuming and a major pain in the rear end. Plan of attack: #1) Don't crate Niko during the day until she's old enough to hold it that long. Instead, use an exercise pen for containment during the day, and you can put down newspaper or pee pads until your puppy has better bladder and bowel control. #2) Set-up dogwalker to come by during lunchtime to let Niko out to pee and poop. #3) Set an alarm clock for an early morning pee time (~2:30 am). #4) Purchase and liberally apply Nature's Miracle to all places in your house that Niko has peed or pooped. #5) Buy this book and follow the tether training instructions, as well as the obedience training schedule. Its a great puppy book, especially for people who haven't had puppies before and want to make sure they do it right, particularly in regards to proper training. I wish you the best of luck. Puppies are a gigantic pain in the rear end, but at least they're cute while they're destroying your sleep cycle and your stuff.  Feel free to make your own thread, we've all got lots more puppy advice.
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Sep 23, 2008 20:58
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MoCookies posted:Thanks a million for the advice, I will start a separate thread. I imagine this is how people feel when they have their first baby - nothing can fully prepare you for it.
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Sep 23, 2008 21:24
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Lioness posted:They can certainly test for FIV, but the test can take up to 6 months to show up as positive, so that's probably why they say that. A FIV test at 4 months is very unreliable. However, FeLV can be detected in kittens of that age, so they should have tested for that, at least. This is interesting to me. I just got a kitten about 3 months ago, and they said it was tested for FIV and was negative. It was only 4 months old. Should I get him tested? He is getting neutered on Oct 10th, so I can just have them run the test then... but I have 2 other cats. I am worried!
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Sep 23, 2008 22:12
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is kitty poo supposed to smell rank? I'm bringin my cat (female, 4 yrs old) to a vet on thursday, I would just like to know in the meantime.
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Sep 24, 2008 00:35
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Cat feces are pretty stinky, less so if they're on a good food and in good health. But no matter how well you feed them or how healthy they are, cat poop smells.
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Sep 24, 2008 01:09
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I'm visiting my parents and they have neighbors that are clearly neglecting their animals. Animal control has been called several times, but in the meanwhile we've been feeding their two cats. One of them was clearly starving but has gained some weight. I'd noticed some tangles in her hair and I was trying to brush them out with a brush that had layers of wet medicated strips to improve coat shine. After I brushed her for a few minutes I realized that the cloth had a decent amount of blood on it, but she wasn't overtly bleeding and I couldn't seem to find a wound although her skin looked quite irritated. I also couldn't look at her for very long. Could flea bites have caused this? She had a lot of flea poop in the fur I was brushing off of her. Maybe the moisture was rehydrating dried blood?
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Sep 24, 2008 06:06
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Noctone posted:10 week old Shiba Inu puppy HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *deep breath* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA  Seriously though Mo gave some good advice, you unfortunately have one of the most difficult dogs there is and he'll need constant and strict training. I'll pop over to your other thread though and not take up space here. Plucky posted:is kitty poo supposed to smell rank? I'm bringin my cat (female, 4 yrs old) to a vet on thursday, I would just like to know in the meantime. Wet food makes cat poop smell worse I've learned. Make sure he's on a high quality food, that will help a bunch as Razorbunny said. Jenkin posted:After I brushed her for a few minutes I realized that the cloth had a decent amount of blood on it How bade were the tangles? Sometimes when a mat gets bad it tangles all the way down to the skin and can pull and irritate the skin. Sometimes it's better to cut out the mats or to cut through them if you can then try to brush a little more. Be really careful though as pulling on the tangles/matts can hurt do to being so close to the skin. Also be careful if you try to cut them out that you aren't nipping her skin in the process due to the pulling. Poor kitty. I'm glad you are standing up and taking care of them. What has animal control said about the situation?
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Sep 24, 2008 06:45
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Jenkin posted:After I brushed her for a few minutes I realized that the cloth had a decent amount of blood on it, but she wasn't overtly bleeding and I couldn't seem to find a wound although her skin looked quite irritated. I also couldn't look at her for very long. Could flea bites have caused this? She had a lot of flea poop in the fur I was brushing off of her. Maybe the moisture was rehydrating dried blood? Flea dirt (aka flea poop) will turn red on a wet paper towel because of all the blood in it - that's actually how you're supposed to tell it apart from regular dirt or something else an animal has gotten in its coat. So if the cloth was actually wet, I'd say that's quite likely where it came from.
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Sep 24, 2008 06:55
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KilGrey posted:How bade were the tangles? Sometimes when a mat gets bad it tangles all the way down to the skin and can pull and irritate the skin. Sometimes it's better to cut out the mats or to cut through them if you can then try to brush a little more. Be really careful though as pulling on the tangles/matts can hurt do to being so close to the skin. Also be careful if you try to cut them out that you aren't nipping her skin in the process due to the pulling. Poor kitty. The tangles were very small; I wouldn't have tried to tackle anything bigger for fear of hurting her. Animal control so far seems indifferent, unfortunately. They've got two cats and several dogs, and they've been called over the dogs barking at all hours of the night among other things. Mom is thinking of flat out taking the cats to the SPCA so that they maybe have a shot of a better life, since we can't take care of them. I doubt the neighbors would even notice. Thanks for the info, maplecheese. Maybe we can get her flea treatment.
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Sep 24, 2008 16:36
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My mom isn't a goon, so I'll ask for her! My mom has 4 cats. She used to have 5 but one of them, Mikey, ran away back in July and hasn't been heard or seen from since. Mikey was best buds with Miroku, who went through a period of "my friend is gone " and has now snapped out of it.Despite there being 3 other cats in the house, Miroku is bored as poo poo during the day. He plays with the dogs at night, and that's fine, but during the day none of the other cats will play with him and the dogs are crated so he just hangs around getting into all kinds of poo poo that he shouldn't. She regularly comes home to find the curtains clawed up, or stuff knocked over. It's not his fault, he just has no one to play with during the day...he used to play with Mikey, but Mikey's gone. Dad has put down a strict "No more loving cats" law on the house, so getting him a more playful friend isn't an option. But the poor cat is just going crazy...what are some options to give him something to do/play with during the day that will keep him occupied.
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Sep 25, 2008 22:05
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Anyone familiar with service dogs? I was just wondering how you train a dog to call 911 for emergencies, without annoying the gently caress out of emergency operators.
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Sep 26, 2008 02:35
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I don't know anything about training service dogs, but I would either use a disconnected phone or program a speed dial going into my cell into the target phone and then change it to 911 after training was done.
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Sep 26, 2008 04:32
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Jenkin posted:I don't know anything about training service dogs, but I would either use a disconnected phone or program a speed dial going into my cell into the target phone and then change it to 911 after training was done. Durrr, speed dial! I feel so dumb.
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Sep 26, 2008 05:08
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Meow Cadet posted:Durrr, speed dial! I feel so dumb. If you have one of those "old people" phones with the giant buttons, they usually have the 3 emergency ones at the bottom. Unplug the phone and use it to train the dog with. A paw or nose wouldn't have too much trouble with giantfuckingbutton, and if they're all programmed 911 then you don't have to worry about the dog dialing Aunt Daisy or the proctologist.
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Sep 26, 2008 18:28
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My fiancee and I are looking to go out of town for 6-7 days around christmas time, but can't find anyone we both trust to take care of our two cats. Orion and Indy spend a lot of time each day either alone or unsupervised while one of us sleeps. I would guess that from about 5 or 6 am until 11 they are doing whatever while I sleep after she leaves for the day. I leave at noon and they're alone until she gets home, usually 6 or 7 at night. She goes to bed and I don't get home until 10pm or so. So between being unsupervised or alone they're on their own about 12-14 hours a day. We've talked about leaving them with lots of food and water for the 6-7 days, making sure all the breakable stuff is put away, and just letting them ride it out. My only concerns in this case are 1) if something happens to one of them we won't be there to take them to the vet, and 2) if the litterboxes fill up. Am I forgetting anything major? And how likely are my kitties to be able to handle that long on their own?
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Sep 26, 2008 20:57
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I personally wouldn't leave my cats that long on their own. I'm going away on Monday morning, and will be back Thursday afternoon next week, but I won't even leave them that long in case one of them gets injured somehow or is sick. What if they pine and stop eating? Fatty liver disease can kick in fast, and at least if someone's there they would likely notice the cat acting oddly. In my case, I persuaded a colleague to come and live in my appartment for 3 nights to keep them company, and I leave a credit card for in cases of vet emergencies. If you can't get someone to look after them, I would recommend booking them into a cattery.
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Sep 26, 2008 21:17
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Another option is to have someone take the cats for a couple days - if your concern is someone having access to your house. Even a local goon with a spare bedroom would probably be an option. But don't leave those cats alone for that long. Too much can happen.
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Sep 26, 2008 22:07
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My worry with taking them anywhere outside the apartment is that Orion is going to flip out. He's not a big fan of people that aren't myself, my fiancee, and one or two other people he's met before. He tends to run and hide when people show up at the apartment, but he'll eventually come out to see whats going on. We have leashes and harnesses for them, but if he even so much as sees an unfamiliar person when he's outside the apartment he flips his poo poo. Runs and hides in the nearest bush/whatever or makes a break for the stairs at full tilt. Combining a new person and a new place seems like a pretty terrible idea for him. He even loses his normally very good claw manners in these situations and turns into a ball of hurt in his haste to find safety. Indy on the other hand will just try to cuddle with you. Bottle kitties are weird.
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Sep 27, 2008 00:51
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if you could get some one to look in to make sure the water hasn't been knocked over and do the litter you will be OK. It's not great or ideal but odds are you will be ok. I have to go out of town every other weekend leaving friday around noon and coming back monday morning and my 2 cats are fine. They pout but they are ok. There is a goon who posts on here who leaves his cats for 5 days while he travels. IT's not a first choice, I don't think you need a sleep over sitter at all but you have until christmas to fins some one who can pop in.
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Sep 27, 2008 05:59
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If your cats are scared of being taken out (and all of mine are, with the exception of one) you may wish to consider taking them in a cat carrier like this which they can't escape from: Only one of my cats is calm enough to take out on a leash, the others all flip so need to be in a box. Once in a cattery/someone else's place, they'd calm down eventually. In a cattery, they'd be left to their own devices, more or less, so that might be a better choice if they flip out around new people. I really wouldn't advise leaving them alone for 6-7 days if there's any other way around it. Maybe I worry too much, but if I hadn't been able to find someone to take care of my cats next week, I would be staying at home with them. I'd never forgive myself if I went away and came back to find one of them injured/sick/dead
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Sep 27, 2008 08:36
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Olothreutes posted:My fiancee and I are looking to go out of town for 6-7 days around christmas time, but can't find anyone we both trust to take care of our two cats. Like ChairmanMeow said, is there anyone who can stop in and check on them and change the litter if need be? Even if they couldn't make it Christmas Eve and Day it's still better than leaving them alone. Helanna also mentioned boarding. There are lots of boarding places that are cat only. They'll be nervous the first day or so but will calm down. They can be kept in the same cage. Most boarding places also have 'play time' where they are taken out and can romp around either just with each other or with other cats if they are socialized. My mom used to take her cat to one by our house and the cat actually loved it. She was scared as hell the first time but when she came to pick miss kitty up she found her in the romper room playing with 5 other cats and there were three attendants in there all entertaining different groups of cats. She had a grand old time. I'd check out a few of them and tour them to make sure they are nice.
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Sep 27, 2008 16:59
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And when I said cattery, I meant a nice place like we used to leave our animals when we went on vacation when I was a kid. Something where they have lots of space and toys like this: Not like this, where I imagine they would be bored/frustrated:  Click here for the full 1104x828 image.
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Sep 27, 2008 17:45
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Helanna posted:And when I said cattery, I meant a nice place like we used to leave our animals when we went on vacation when I was a kid. That looks loving awesome. So they are boarders that just have one big area for cats? Helanna posted:Not like this, where I imagine they would be bored/frustrated Those don't look bad at all. It really depends what else they do with the cats. The place my moms cat was at looked like that. The rooms were a little larger and had danglies and toys in them. Not a whole lot of room, but they could get some playing in. They were take out multiple times a day though to play for hours at a time. They had one large romper room with every toy/contraption imaginable in it, and attendants whose job it was just to play with them and then two smaller rooms for cats who weren't socialized and got one on one play. They also had outside areas that were netted off so they could go sun themselves and play. Not bad for kitty boarding. My moms cat never was bothered by going there after that first time. I'm sure not all were awesome like that, that's why it's important to check around. The Cattery you posted is cool, but unfortunately not all cats get along with other cats and need separate quarters. Even if it's just for stress and anxiety of having to be there.
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Sep 27, 2008 18:23
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KilGrey posted:That looks loving awesome. So they are boarders that just have one big area for cats? Thats a random image I pulled up online, not of the actual place that we used to leave our pets, but the place in question was a farm in rural England with boarding for dogs and cats. They would only take like a maximum of 8 cats and 6 dogs or something, and they had large enclosures for both, with the option of separate or shared quarters (so the two dogs would stay together, and the cat would be in his own cage). They played and walked the dogs, and spent time with the cats too, but even when left alone they had plenty to entertain them and space to move around. I haven't put any of my current pets in a cattery because once you're up to 5 cats and 2 ferrets thats a lot of fees even for a few days away! I end up bribing colleagues with beer and home-cooked food (redeemable after my vacation!) to come and live in my place for a few days. Quite a few of them are amenable to the idea, as they mostly live in tiny appartments on their own, don't cook much and like animals but have none of their own; I have a large place which is conveniently close to work so it works out.
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Sep 27, 2008 20:23
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We're right in the path of tropical storm Kyle, which is supposed to hit later today and Sadie, my five month old dog, has been snaky all morning and an absolute terror to deal with. I read that dogs and cats might get a little irritated before a storm because the electricity in the air causes their hair to stand up. One solution was to rub a dryer sheet on them, but that doesn't really seem safe to me because of the chemicals in a dryer sheet. Any other way to make her feel comfortable and calm down some before she destroys everything we own? I tried a two hour walk earlier before the wind really picked up hoping it would tire her out enough that she would calm down somewhat, but no go.
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Sep 28, 2008 15:25
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pixel8ed posted:We're right in the path of tropical storm Kyle, which is supposed to hit later today and Sadie, my five month old dog, has been snaky all morning and an absolute terror to deal with. I read that dogs and cats might get a little irritated before a storm because the electricity in the air causes their hair to stand up. One solution was to rub a dryer sheet on them, but that doesn't really seem safe to me because of the chemicals in a dryer sheet. Any other way to make her feel comfortable and calm down some before she destroys everything we own? I tried a two hour walk earlier before the wind really picked up hoping it would tire her out enough that she would calm down somewhat, but no go. My dog ate a whole package of them once. She has this thing with paper. If we drop a napkin at dinner she's all over it. I've even caught her digging in the bathroom trash can for used tissues. (ew) I had some grocery bags on the floor of the kitchen as I was unpacking them and she snitched a box of dryer sheets out and by the time I was done putting the stuff away she was pretty much done with it. She'll also nab them when the clothes come out of the dryer if it stuck to something. So *I* would use one on my dog as she made a meal out of a whole box. But my dog is not your dog. I did some googling and I also found sources that say to use the dryer sheet method. I couldn't find anywhere that said they were harmful or not harmful specifically. *I* don't think it would be particularly harmful to her but you might want to weigh how terrified she is of the oncoming storm versus what you fear might be the risk. Dogs do get nervous, anxious or scared when storms are coming due to the electrical energy as well as the sudden drop in air pressure so you are certainly right on that. You can find an emergency vet and give them a call to ask for advice as well on if it's okay or not. They might have some other ideas too. Does she have a crate? I'd pull it out and put some soft blankies in it along with a shirt you've warn so she can smell you. Don't lock her in it but encourage her to get in it and leave the door open. Sometimes that can help them feel more secure. If she wants to hide under a bed or somewhere let her hide. Be as reassuring as you can. Maybe turn the TV or radio on for her.
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Sep 28, 2008 17:49
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Thanks! I think I will try the dryer sheet, especially on her head and neck as she can't reach those areas to lick anyway. I did put her crate here in the living room where I am with her favorite toys and some blankets, but she just went in and took out the toys and came back out, but at least its there if she wants to hide.
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Sep 28, 2008 18:10
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My cat has been throwing up this morning--but he's not actually producing anything. The first time, sure enough, he puked up this greenish gravy-looking barf--now he [every so often, it's not constant] goes through the full vomit routine and acts as though he has thrown up, but nothing comes out. He hasn't eaten this morning--has kibble, ignores it--and he's got plenty of fresh water around. How worried should I be/what should I do?
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Sep 28, 2008 20:25
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pixel8ed posted:Thanks! I think I will try the dryer sheet, especially on her head and neck as she can't reach those areas to lick anyway.
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Sep 28, 2008 23:46
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When I give my dog a bath at home he doesn't smell as "clean" as he does when he goes to the groomers. I bath him in the shower with hypoallergenic puppy shampoo. I do have a hard time drying him. What could be causing the problem or what am I doing wrong?
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Sep 29, 2008 15:35
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I am looking to get another dog to go along with Gilbert, my fiance' and I. I saw a Shepherd/Beagle mix, what would the shedding be like on this animal? I dont want something that sheds a ton, but a medium amount is ok.
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Sep 29, 2008 15:52
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Nannypea posted:When I give my dog a bath at home he doesn't smell as "clean" as he does when he goes to the groomers. I bath him in the shower with hypoallergenic puppy shampoo. I do have a hard time drying him. What could be causing the problem or what am I doing wrong? its really, really hard to give your dog the kind of quality bath you're going to get at the groomers. What type of dog is he? If he's any type of dog with a lot of hair, you simply don't have the tools to really get down to the skin to get him clean. Groomers also use very high quality shampoo, much better stuff than you're going to get at the local petco. Also, if you aren't able to get the dog completely dry at the time of the bath, it is going to leave a skunky smell. Groomers have high velocity dryers that can dry the dog at the time of bathing and cage dryers that they use shortly afterwards. Getting out all the lose hair is also quintessential to getting the dog really clean. Long story short, if people could do what the groomers do (oh my god and ive seen people try) than there wouldn't be groomers 
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Sep 29, 2008 16:17
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Ms. Fabulosity! posted:Long story short, if people could do what the groomers do (oh my god and ive seen people try) than there wouldn't be groomers "people" can do what groomers do, it only takes a little $$, work and patience. http://www.petedge.com/ Shampoo. Then go to a beauty store, get a gallon pumper, stick that in there, and use an old shampoo bottle to dilute the shampoo. I can guarantee that this shampoo will be cheaper than buying dog shampoo from PetCo or even Pantene from Walmart. Make sure to really work the shampoo to the skin and well into the coat. Rinse VERY well. I'd get a hand sprayer shower head from Lowe's or something so you can get all of the shampoo out as that's really a source of irritation if not properly rinsed. If you're having trouble breaking down the oils so the dog doesn't smell as good, dump the hypoallergenic crap and use a standard shampoo that will work through the coat. Get a good conditioner to put healthy oils back into the coat to prevent the skin from over-reacting to a lack of oils, producing dry, flaky skin. Force Dryer - Good for shedding too, do this outside or somewhere easy to clean. Figure up how much you spend at the groomers, how much the cost of equipment will cost you and how long it'd take you to recoup the difference to where you're saving money. You might find a used force dryer on ebay too. SachielDVangel fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Sep 29, 2008 |
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Sep 29, 2008 17:03
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I have a question about litter and cat poo. I have two kittens both around 6 weeks old (found them in the street at a week old) They were using Tidy Cats and doing really well until I read that they can eat the litter, have it clump inside them and die. I changed to Feline Pine right way and they are peeing in it, but not pooping in it. I tried putting the poop in the litter, but they aren't getting it. Plus, I'm having a hard time scooping it and my god it does nothing for the smell. I really need some litter advice. I'm looking for something that will help with the smell and flushable if possible. Oh and they need to poop in it, too. Thanks!
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Sep 29, 2008 19:01
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tsuki posted:I have a question about litter and cat poo. I just changed my cats litter too. Bf refused to scoop the clay (he's a pussy and hated the dust). I picked up a bag of Nature's Miracle clumping non clay litter and its.....AMAZING. It doesn't expand at all, it's awesome and wonderful and I highly suggest you try it. Flushable? UMMMM...I wouldn't suggest that with any litter. Sounds like an astronomical plumbing bill when it backs up your system and a lot of potentially angry neighbors if you live in an apt building http://www.petco.com/product/12016/Nature-s-Miracle-Odor-Control-Clumping-Cat-Litter.aspx
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Sep 29, 2008 19:07
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This isn't as much of a question as it is a tip... Enjoy. My dogs love Kong-type toys, and Busy Buddy Toys... doggie pacifiers. If you put bits of their dry food in either, it ends up falling out too quickly, and it doesn't provide entertainment for more than 30 minutes. If you try to stuff soft food in them, it gets messy, and the Kong refill bottles are expensive, and not on my pooch's sensitive stomach diet. Solution: Take your soft food of choice (for me: Natural Balance L.I.D. canned food) Empty the can into a gallon freezer bag, smoosh the food up a bit to break up the big chunks. Cut off a corner of the bag so there's about a 1-2 cm opening. Use the bag to pipe the food into whatever toy you' d like (much like you would use an icing bag to ice a cake). I would recommend using a heavy duty plastic bag, and letting the air out at the top before you squeeze away. You can always save the leftovers for later too. I often put the items in the freezer overnight to make it a bit more challenging to get the food, but some dogs do not appreciate cold things. This gives me peace and quiet for a few hours, and most of the rubber toys are dishwasher safe if you can't seem to get the food out either.
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Sep 29, 2008 20:36
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