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Vacuuming + Suspend SC + Precor IGR = Dead fleas throughout your house and yard. Read up on self-spraying, the life-cycle of the flea and how the stuff works. It's easy, safe as long as you keep the dogs/cats put up and 100% effective. Powder can be used as an additional means, but that shouldn't be your main line of control, neither should frontline/topical treatments. Think of the topicals as the "frontdoor" defense: it only kills fleas that ride on your dog into the house that have a chance to eat on the ride. Once they're in your house, you're pretty hosed until you buckle down and purge your house of the current infestation. They can stay in egg form and not hatch for a LONG time.
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Nov 1, 2008 19:04
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This is kind of a question in advance, a just in case really. Apparently there has been a abundance of ticks in my area the past couple of weeks. Where I grew up we didn't have ticks so I don't even really know what to look out for. Anyway, my 7 month old puppy and I do quite a bit of walking in the woods and park trails and things. She's up to date on vaccinations and on Advantage Multi. She's a long haired breed and short to the ground (lhasa apso) so I've started giving her the once over when we get home. If I do spot a tick what should I do? Everything I read pertained to treating humans. It involved the tip of a just lit match, and I don't want to try that with a puppy who refuses to sit still for 10 seconds. I just need to know what the proper course of action should be until we could get to the vet.
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Nov 1, 2008 20:57
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I've gotten to the point where I can pull it out with my fingers if I have a little bit of nail. There are little tick pull tools you can get and tweezers, but whatever you do, just make sure to either roll the tick around in a circle or twist is several times before pulling it out. It's not hard and it won't bit you if you touch it.
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Nov 1, 2008 21:31
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With fleas, you can't get away with just treating the pets. Fleas spend most of their time not physically on the animals. You need to treat the house, yard and the pets, in the way in which Sachiel and MoCookies describe.
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Nov 1, 2008 21:35
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pixel8ed posted:If I do spot a tick what should I do?
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Nov 1, 2008 21:49
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Cuddlebottom posted:If you're not used to ticks, I would get a set of tick pullers since they make them easy to remove. There's a few different types you can find at pet stores, but they all do about the same thing. The idea is you slide it under the tick, close them and pull up. Then flush the tick down the toilet - they're hardy little bastards and a pain to squish, so it's a nice final way of killing them. Thanks! I'll have a look for one of these to have on hand just in case. I'll keep the twisting in mind too. Hopefully I won't need to do this, but it's nice to be prepared.
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Nov 1, 2008 21:59
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rjderouin posted:How are Fancy Rats as pets? I hear they smell (Bad), are really clever, and darn cute. Confirm, deny? Advice? Rats can be wonderful pets. I've had my heart set on a dog for years, but with my current living situation I decided I would be better off with rats for now. I am so glad I got them! They are kind of like little dogs in a way, as in, they are fairly smart and can be fun and goofy. Plus they don't smell that bad at all. Males smell stronger than females, but if you spot-clean regularly you won't have much of a problem. There is more info in the rat FAQ thread if you are curious.
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Nov 2, 2008 04:19
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Lioness posted:With fleas, you can't get away with just treating the pets. Fleas spend most of their time not physically on the animals. You need to treat the house, yard and the pets, in the way in which Sachiel and MoCookies describe. I'm also having a problem with fleas, so thanks for all of the good suggestions. However, I live in an apartment complex and can't treat the yard. Is this a problem, or am I stuck with fleas until we move in a year? Also, I guess Capstar won't work unless you treat the entire house? I have my Maltese on a flea preventative and vacuumed the hell out of the carpets and couches, gave him a flea bath and then a Capstar, and saw absolutely no change. If I try again, do I need to give him several over multiple days, since just one did nothing? Or will spraying the Suspend/Precor around take care of things better? I feel so bad for the itchy little guy  .
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Nov 2, 2008 21:24
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Noumena posted:I'm also having a problem with fleas, so thanks for all of the good suggestions. However, I live in an apartment complex and can't treat the yard. Is this a problem, or am I stuck with fleas until we move in a year? One pill won't do much. The vet seriously only gave you one pill? You have to remember that it kills when they bite, so fleas that aren't born yet or are somewhere else in the house won't die.
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Nov 2, 2008 21:42
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sucks to ur assmar posted:One pill won't do much. The vet seriously only gave you one pill? You have to remember that it kills when they bite, so fleas that aren't born yet or are somewhere else in the house won't die. A friend who works at a vet's office got the pill for me. I'll definitely buy more next time, thanks. Not sure why she didn't think to give me more!
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Nov 2, 2008 22:53
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Capstar is pretty expensive and I've mostly only seen it used as a one-time "get the fleas off of this animal because we've treated the environment and it's on regular flea prevention" thing rather than a routine flea prevention. For what it's worth, I have seen really good results with Ectokyl IGR spray for the environment and their flea shampoo for the animal as well. See if your vet carries these, or order them from the 'net. Sekhmet fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Nov 2, 2008 |
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Nov 2, 2008 23:32
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rjderouin posted:How are Fancy Rats as pets? I hear they smell (Bad), are really clever, and darn cute. Confirm, deny? Advice? Read the rat FAQ, there's tons and tons of advice there. They're super-duper cute (read the end of the rat faq, there's some really good baby pictures  ), and are smart little buggers. I don't think they really smell any worse than most any other mammal.
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Nov 2, 2008 23:49
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Lioness posted:Capstar is pretty expensive and I've mostly only seen it used as a one-time "get the fleas off of this animal because we've treated the environment and it's on regular flea prevention" thing rather than a routine flea prevention. Great, thank you all so much!
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Nov 3, 2008 01:11
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Little help? My ex-girlfriend is taking our dog to Sarasoota, FL for at least a few months. She (the dog) has a 2-year's-old torn maniscus (sic.) in her right leg that is pretty much reconstructed from scar tissue, and now something similar in the left leg. I would like for the human to know where the best dog vet in that Floridian Gulf Coast area is. Fort Meyers, Sarasota, maybe as far as Tampa if necessary. I'm doing research on other fronts of course, but I thought I'd throw it out here too. Is there a better thread for this? Thank you in advance for any suggestions of vets or resources.
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Nov 4, 2008 05:40
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100 Years in Iraq posted:If he's not just being weird (very normal for cats Just coming back in here to say you were right. A few days ago he stopped eating anything and it became obvious that something is wrong with his mouth. I took him in today and he's got some kind of infection, his gums are all inflamed.
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Nov 4, 2008 06:08
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Anyone else have nightmares about their pets dying? I have my one cat, Riley, living with me and I often have nightmares of him dying in various ways. He's only six, healthy and indoor only. I wake up sobbing about once a week because of him and I have to check to make sure he's okay. I have a life and everything, but I work everyday with animals (pet food sales) and maybe that's way. I've never loved an animal so much, I mean I love animals but this one is especially special. I feel like one of those crazy cat ladies....
somethingawesomer fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Nov 4, 2008 |
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Nov 4, 2008 08:56
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streborzil posted:Anyone else have nightmares about their pets dying? I have my one cat, Riley, living with me and I often have nightmares of him dying in various ways. He's only six, healthy and indoor only. I wake up sobbing about once a week because of him and I have to check to make sure he's okay. I have a life and everything, but I work everyday with animals (pet food sales) and maybe that's way. I've never loved an animal so much, I mean I love animals but this one is especially special. I feel like one of those crazy cat ladies.... Pretty regularly for me. I also convince myself at least twice a week that something horrible has happened to my cats while I've been at work (apartment burning down or something) and just about run home to check on them. My cats are watched carefully and examined all the time; the slightest hint of anything wrong and they're whisked off to the vets. I'm literally at my vet every other week with one of my bunch; I even get a discount these days >.< Just the night before last I noticed one of my kitties had quite hot ears and seemed a little bit off, so he was dragged to the vets yesterday at the earliest available appointment. Sure enough, poor little git had a temperature of 40 degrees C and a UTI again Dreams are the worst though, I always manage to come up with such horrible and creative deaths for them that result in me waking up crying 
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Nov 4, 2008 11:43
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My betta fish keeps kind of sinking, leading me to believe she might have Swim Bladder Disorder so I'm not feeding her today and am going to run to the store for frozen peas and will give her a little tomorrow. Should I lower the water level so she doesn't have to keep struggling to the surface for air?
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Nov 4, 2008 17:56
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streborzil posted:Anyone else have nightmares about their pets dying? Whenever van Buren doesn't want to come out and be friendly I worry that he's sick. I'm neurotic enough that I put my ear to his chest every day to make sure his breathing isn't labored. Thankfully he's just old and grumpy, not sick. But I definitely know where you're coming from.
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Nov 5, 2008 00:56
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Has anyone ever shipped a pet before, from one home to the next home? My mother is moving and agreed to give the dog to me, but driving may not be an open so we're looking into flying the dog here. From Ohio to Virginia. Any reputable sites if you have done it?
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Nov 5, 2008 18:36
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Lava Lamp posted:Has anyone ever shipped a pet before, from one home to the next home? My mother is moving and agreed to give the dog to me, but driving may not be an open so we're looking into flying the dog here. From Ohio to Virginia.  Seriously, shipping pets is no big deal. Many people get their dogs from breeders that way.
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Nov 5, 2008 20:14
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I just got a second hand hamster cage from someone who had it in storage. It was not cleaned before being put away, hence there are some stains. Most of them soaked off, but there is one stain in one of the 'pods' attached to the cage that won't come off. I've scrubbed at it but can't get it to budge. I'm not comfortable using anything but dishsoap & hot water. Other than that I can't see any way of getting it off other than getting one of those funky brush bits and trying to buzz it off with a Dremel... Anyone know of a safe cleanser or any other ideas?
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Nov 6, 2008 01:16
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I got a kitten about a month ago. He's currently about 4 months old. Yesterday I noticed a small white thing coming out of his butt. By reading descriptions online, I figure it must be worms. I went to PetCo and bought this. I gave him 1 tablet, which is good for a cat 5-11lbs. Should that take care of it? How do I know if the worms are fully gone..should I go thru his poop in a couple days and see if there are any worms? Or should I just go to the vet? Thanks
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Nov 6, 2008 01:28
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Xoobee posted:Anyone know of a safe cleanser or any other ideas? dutchbstrd posted:Or should I just go to the vet?
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Nov 6, 2008 01:35
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Cuddlebottom posted:Ayup. Vet will give you the right meds and tell you what to expect. Worming is generally part of the first kitten/puppy checkups. I believe they have to do stool samples to figure out when they're gone (or what they are, for that matter). Well when I adopted him they said he was worm free, which is the part I don't get. I guess I'll just suck it up and go to the vet.
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Nov 6, 2008 01:38
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Okay, question. We have a 19 week old kitten, and we've had him for a couple weeks. He usually uses the little box, but every now and then he pees in the bathtub. He peed on our bed one time, and we have since banned him from the bedroom. This evening I look over at him and he is peeing on the carpet. Is my kitty broken? I don't know why he isn't using the litter box. We have tried the squirt bottle and telling him "No", but neither of those things are working. I don't know what else to do and I don't want my apartment carpet to stink like kitty pee. Help!
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Nov 6, 2008 05:27
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(reposted from a thread I created) Greetings. Well I've had little Hiro since early July. He's a Kai-ken, a non AKC recognized breed thats indigenous to Japan(UKC recognized though). He's about 6 months old btw, just got nuetured. Just a few quick questions (I wish there was a sticky where I could ask questions that don't really deserve their own thread): 1. Leash training - we have an electric fence, but when I want to take him for a walk, the little guy tugs and tugs on the godamn leash. I got a "prong" collar, but I guess I haven't been vigilant enough about using it. Should I just start using it on walks, or does anyone have any other tips? 2. Digging - Hiro will dig in the yard occasionly, not usually a big deal, but when we leave him outside for 5-10 minutes to run around he might start digging. Kinda a pain in the rear end, any tips for this? I figure if I can take him for walks more he might have less digging energy, not too sure though. 3. Re-naming - I love little Hiro. I'm half Japanese, and the dogs Japanese, so I decided to name him a Japanese name: Hiroshi, Hiro for short. Well I didn't think so many people would find it amusing. I think the "cute" connotation of the name effects the way people interact with my dog, he picks up on their "energy" or something. I've been considering renaming him, but I don't know if that messes with the dogs psyche, or if it's really even feasible for the same owner to rename his dog. Well TIA, again I feel kinda dumb making my own thread about this but it doesn't seem there's another means, if anyone knows a better place to put this question please let me know. Also I'm about to go out, so I may not respond to any responses quickly. Thanks all Also I can show pics if anyone lets me know how...
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Nov 7, 2008 09:38
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I don't know about the first two, but for #3, it's common for owners of adopted dogs to change their names. My boy was named Draco, and as a Harry Potter fan I just couldn't let that slide, so his name became Rowan.  My dogs also have lots of silly nicknames, and they both respond to them as well as their given names. About nine years ago I nicknamed Lucky "Pupper" and that's pretty much all I called him for about six months. I finally realized that he stopped responding to Lucky completely so I changed it back. It didn't seem to affect him at all. I think, for dogs, it's more the fact that you're talking to them rather than what you're actually calling them.
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Nov 7, 2008 11:30
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Ambellina posted:Okay, question. How often are you cleaning the litter box? Some cats are extremely prissy about a dirty litter box - Rin will pee right infront of me if I get lazy about it out of protest, and my brother's cat Lacey will howl at him until he gets up and cleans it. Have you taken your kitten to the vet lately? Peeing in odd places can be a sign of sickness, and cats hide their sickness really well. How many litter boxes do you have, and what kind do you have? Some cats hate open litter boxes, and some cats hate the closed ones. Is your litter box too deep or too shallow? Are you using scented litter?
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Nov 7, 2008 15:13
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cereal eater posted:3. Re-naming - I love little Hiro. I'm half Japanese, and the dogs Japanese, so I decided to name him a Japanese name: Hiroshi, Hiro for short. Well I didn't think so many people would find it amusing. I think the "cute" connotation of the name effects the way people interact with my dog, he picks up on their "energy" or something. I've been considering renaming him, but I don't know if that messes with the dogs psyche, or if it's really even feasible for the same owner to rename his dog. Dogs don't get emotionally attached to their names in the same way humans do. It's just a noise you make that means "hey look at your human!" My dog gets a new nickname every couple of months, and she'll respond to the nickname or her real name in exactly the same way. Just transition over and he'll be fine. Like if you want to rename him Bruiser, call him "Hiro-bruiser" for a while then just Bruiser.
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Nov 7, 2008 15:44
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OK, my turn! My fiancee and I just purchased a little Boston Terrier puppy from a local breeder. He is quite young (only 7 weeks now). The first thing we did when we got him a few days ago was to slap a collar around his neck. Just a standard nylon collar, with a metal tag that has his name and our number. The puppy is doing great so far, but he just absolutely can't seem to stand his collar. He is constantly stopping to scratch at it. Unless he is sleeping, he can't go more than about 15 seconds without trying to scratch it again. Is this normal? Will he grow out of it in the next few days/weeks? It definitely is not too tight and there is no irritation as far as I can tell.
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Nov 7, 2008 15:59
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"[panic posted:"] Your dog isn't used to a collar. It is going to have to get used to a collar. Give it time.
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Nov 7, 2008 16:02
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"[panic posted:"] Whoa wait. Why did someone sell you a puppy that young?
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Nov 7, 2008 16:05
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sucks to ur assmar posted:Good job. Your puppy is too young to have been taken home, fyi. You bought from a bad breeder and it would be in you interest if you research to find out what you did wrong so you won't screw it up next time you get a dog. Thanks.
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Nov 7, 2008 16:08
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Noctone posted:Whoa wait. Why did someone sell you a puppy that young? I actually just looked, he is a couple days short of 9 weeks. So a little better at least. His mother was having health issues nursing the puppies and weaned the puppies off quite early. Due to my job, the puppy not left alone and we are socializing him regularly. He is actually doing very well, outside of the minor collar issue.
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Nov 7, 2008 16:13
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"[panic posted:"] Was this a registered breeder? If the mother has "health issues" they shouldn't be breeding her. Sounds like BYB behavior to me.
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Nov 7, 2008 16:31
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Drunkboxer posted:Just coming back in here to say you were right. A few days ago he stopped eating anything and it became obvious that something is wrong with his mouth. I took him in today and he's got some kind of infection, his gums are all inflamed. Well, glad I could help
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Nov 7, 2008 16:39
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cereal eater posted:1. Leash training - we have an electric fence, but when I want to take him for a walk, the little guy tugs and tugs on the godamn leash. I got a "prong" collar, but I guess I haven't been vigilant enough about using it. Should I just start using it on walks, or does anyone have any other tips? It sounds like you're either got a "hard" dog (i.e. resistant to correction) or you're not using the prong collar correctly. You've got to remember to take control on walks, and not let your little guy take charge. Keep in mind to make the correction as quickly as possible after the undesired action; if its more than 2 seconds or so, the dog isn't going to get it. Also, you ought to pair the prong collar with a treat bag, so that you're rewarding good behavior as well as discouraging the bad. quote:2. Digging - Hiro will dig in the yard occasionly, not usually a big deal, but when we leave him outside for 5-10 minutes to run around he might start digging. Kinda a pain in the rear end, any tips for this? I figure if I can take him for walks more he might have less digging energy, not too sure though. quote:3. Re-naming - I love little Hiro. If you haven't already enrolled in a dog training class, now is a great time to do it. By 6 months old, they're ready to learn the obedience skills that you'll want him to have as an adult. Asian spitz breeds can be tough little buggers, so you'll want to get crackin. Also, waffleimages rocks for uploading and displaying pics. Everyone likes a puppy picture.
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Nov 7, 2008 16:42
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porkchoppie posted:Was this a registered breeder? If the mother has "health issues" they shouldn't be breeding her. Sounds like BYB behavior to me. Yes they are registered, we actually found this breeder on the American Kennel Club website. The puppy is registered with AKC and CKC. The breeder has been ultra-diligent with his shots and treatments and gave us a full log of everything that has been done to this point. The mother weaned the breed early because she developed a mild case of mastitis after giving birth. The mother was put on antibodies as a precaution (vet didn't think it was 100% necessary but said it wasn't a terrible idea either). As far as socialization, we were/are somewhat concerned with the puppy's young age, so once we have the go-ahead after the vet visit tomorrow, he will be spending at least a few hours a day with a couple of other neighborhood dogs we know to be safe. We live 2 miles from a dog park but we would rather keep him away from there until at least 12 weeks. Anyway, thanks again for the help. I am relatively new to dogs, but my fiancee is quite knowledgeable having formerly managed a specialty pet supply store for 6 years. I asked her about the collar and she said the exact same thing that has been posted in this thread -- I really should just listen to her, she knows what she is talking about.
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Nov 7, 2008 21:01
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Women's Rights? posted:How often are you cleaning the litter box? Some cats are extremely prissy about a dirty litter box - Rin will pee right infront of me if I get lazy about it out of protest, and my brother's cat Lacey will howl at him until he gets up and cleans it. I clean the litter box every night before bed. We were at the vet about a week and a half ago for his rabies shot and the vet said he looked very healthy. I was using scented litter but I just bought some unscented Arm and Hammer stuff for him in case that is the issue. We only have one litter box. He is our only cat and our apartment is only 650 square feet. Its a covered litter box and its pretty much standard sized. He has no problem pooping in the box, just peeing. Since I bought the unscented litter, we haven't noticed him peeing anywhere but in the box, so I don't know if he didn't just like the litter or what his deal was. Hopefully all is solved here!
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Nov 8, 2008 01:34
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