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PotetoFurai posted:Coincidentally I'm looking for a good dog food for dogs with sensitive stomachs. A friend of mine has a puppy that is gassy with runny stools and they are getting fed up with "high quality grain free" diets and are reverting back to purina! Any food brands I can recommend? What have they had the puppy on? Sometimes the really high protein grain free ones can be a little bit too intense and switching to one of the lower protein grain free foods can help... or one of the meat-and-rice varieties.
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Feb 6, 2009 23:51
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She says they started out feeding EVO but decided that it was a little too strong. (And I guess he also had giardia at the time? it's been taken care of now and the fecals being done are clear.) So they switched to Wellness for Puppy and that was still giving him problems. She started adding some canned pumpkin to try and firm him up and that worked. Does she need to downgrade more from the Wellness for Puppy?
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Feb 7, 2009 01:58
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RazorBunny posted:Probiotic yogurt is a pretty solid gas treatment in most animals, since it introduces beneficial flora. Thanks. That also reminded me of kefir, which also contains probiotics, has no or minimal lactose, and I know my cat loves. 
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Feb 7, 2009 02:07
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PotetoFurai posted:She says they started out feeding EVO but decided that it was a little too strong. (And I guess he also had giardia at the time? it's been taken care of now and the fecals being done are clear.) So they switched to Wellness for Puppy and that was still giving him problems. She started adding some canned pumpkin to try and firm him up and that worked. Does she need to downgrade more from the Wellness for Puppy? We went through this with our youngest dog when he was younger. He ate EVO with the older dog and had the same symptoms your dog did. We had done a 24 hour fast followed by bland food, but it wasn't clearing up. The vet then recommended a lower protein food. We switched him to regular Innova (protein ~24%) and the loose stools firmed up. He's older now and is back onto EVO with no problems.
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Feb 7, 2009 02:29
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PotetoFurai posted:She says they started out feeding EVO but decided that it was a little too strong. (And I guess he also had giardia at the time? it's been taken care of now and the fecals being done are clear.) So they switched to Wellness for Puppy and that was still giving him problems. She started adding some canned pumpkin to try and firm him up and that worked. Does she need to downgrade more from the Wellness for Puppy? Well, is he still on the canned pumpkin? And is his poop okay now? EVO is 43% protein, while Wellness Puppy is 28% and crappy old Purina Puppy Chow is 27%... so if he's having trouble, I don't think it's the amount of protein that's doing it.
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Feb 7, 2009 02:47
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I believe he's still on the canned pumpkin to keep them from having to keep wiping his butt with wet ones after he poos. They're looking for a type of food that would require them to not feed him canned pumpkin and not have to wipe him up.
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Feb 7, 2009 03:19
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jbone posted:Thanks. That also reminded me of kefir, which also contains probiotics, has no or minimal lactose, and I know my cat loves. Kefir is a yogurt-drink, last I checked.
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Feb 7, 2009 04:21
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Hopes Fall posted:Kefir is a yogurt-drink, last I checked. It's similar to yogurt, but it's not yogurt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir
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Feb 7, 2009 04:37
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jbone posted:It's similar to yogurt, but it's not yogurt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir My Babushka's been lying to me! All these years!
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Feb 7, 2009 06:10
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For those of you who have given up a pet to a new home, how did you do it? I have too many birds to give them all good care, but I'm worried that a new owner wouldn't take very good care of them. It would also mean separating them from their friends. 
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Feb 7, 2009 06:26
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I think my cat's blind in her right eye (camera left). How can I tell? I adopted her and another guy over the summer. They've been great cats, very lovable and affectionate. Jenny, the one pictured above, always had this sort-of crap coming out of her eye. I was told it was nothing out of the ordinary, just wipe it up every now and then. She had been taken to a vet when she was young to be looked at, and they were told it was a minor thing that didn't bother the cat. But as I've been spending more and more time with them lately it seems like she doesn't see as well as my other cat. Whether she's just a bit thick-headed (highly possible) or actually blind in her bad eye, I don't know. She's not in any obvious pain. She purrs like a mad woman and has a very happy life, so I'm not sure what to think. I don't really feel like taking her to the vet and dropping $150 or whatever it will cost, but of course I will if this could be something serious. Any thoughts? Edit: Another picture: 
Mannequin fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Feb 7, 2009 |
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Feb 7, 2009 17:14
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Mannequin posted:I think my cat's blind in her right eye (camera left). How can I tell? It's possible Jenny just had an old eye injury that scarred over. I once knew a cat, Otis, who always had q very runny right eye. Does the eye seem to run mostly from one side? Take a look at Jenny's tear duct on the side that runs, see if the duct looks more "open," due to scarring. Otis had an obvious scar around the one tear duct, and it was always too open, so his eye was runny. Otis also has what looked like a sort of cataract on his right eye, like it'd been clawed and then healed over. So take a look at Jenny's eye in good light, if she'll let you - look for any cloudiness or discoloration or anything similar.
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Feb 7, 2009 17:46
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SynthesizerKaiser posted:For those of you who have given up a pet to a new home, how did you do it? I have too many birds to give them all good care, but I'm worried that a new owner wouldn't take very good care of them. It would also mean separating them from their friends. Find a reputable rescue that will help you screen potential adopters. If you let me know where you're located I can help you find a group to work with. Many adopters also offer to keep in contact with surrenderers, so you can always know how the birds are doing, and you can provide a clause in the adoption contract that if the next owner has to get rid of them, they have to be returned to you.
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Feb 7, 2009 20:51
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So I was petting Elwing and she did th typical "cat turns and sticks her rear end in owners face" move and I see something that does not belong. Its a flat, short, white worm. When it streches out its about 1/2 inch. Obviously I will be taking her to the vet. Would a OTC dewormer work? She is an indoor only cat, 8 months old, fed solid gold, and I have two other cats in the house. I hadn't noticed worms in the poo while cleaning the litter box. Any idea what it could be? What are the chances that my other two cats have worms too? Edit: I think its tapeworm. She was infested with fleas when I got her from the shelter (July 08). The vet treated her for the fleas, and she was given a dose of dewormer. Maybe that one dose wasn't enough. Is it possible she has had them that long? VyperRDH fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Feb 7, 2009 |
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Feb 7, 2009 22:03
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VyperRDH posted:So I was petting Elwing and she did th typical "cat turns and sticks her rear end in owners face" move and I see something that does not belong. Its a flat, short, white worm. When it streches out its about 1/2 inch. Obviously I will be taking her to the vet. Would a OTC dewormer work? She is an indoor only cat, 8 months old, fed solid gold, and I have two other cats in the house. I hadn't noticed worms in the poo while cleaning the litter box. Any idea what it could be? What are the chances that my other two cats have worms too? I would just wait & pick up dewormer from the vet on Monday. OTC dewormers don't always work & the one from the vet isn't any more expensive.
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Feb 7, 2009 22:38
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How the gently caress can I get my cats to stop clawing at my goddamn door to get into my bedroom at night? They don't give up, ever.
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Feb 8, 2009 05:05
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Dandy Cat posted:How the gently caress can I get my cats to stop clawing at my goddamn door to get into my bedroom at night? They don't give up, ever. Let them in? But if you're allergic or whatever, somebody suggested the vacuum cleaner trick - put a vacuum or something loud and cat-repelling behind the door, and whenever they claw, turn it on. They'll associate the closed door with the sound and eventually stop.
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Feb 8, 2009 05:32
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Anyone have any tips to get an abused dog to stop it with the thousand-yard stare and actually enjoy being a dog? Problem dog is a kelpie who was found at roughly four months old, emaciated after being locked in an empty house and abandoned. Inbetween really high-interest activities, she just stares into nothingness. Affection, food, normal things dogs should enjoy = sits there blankly, staring into the middle distance. It's like there's absolutely nothing going on between her ears. I'm fairly confident with dealing with behavioural issues, but this is like a behavioural lack. She's not scared or in pain or anything, but I'd like to see her enjoy life more.
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Feb 8, 2009 16:48
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Khukuri posted:Anyone have any tips to get an abused dog to stop it with the thousand-yard stare and actually enjoy being a dog? Do you have other dogs/access to other dogs? I know with one of our kitties who had a rough start it did her a lot of good to introduce her to the rest of the clan, and since dogs are so much more social, I'd assume it would only be more so for them. Another dog who has a happy and adjusted personality might snap her out of it?
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Feb 8, 2009 22:07
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I have a question about dog dandruff. I noticed today one of ours has it really bad after we gave him a bath (oh god it went everywhere  ). He's on a high quality food (Wellness wet and Solid Gold dry). It's very dry here, but I don't think this is normal at all. Is there anything we can do? Is it something to be worried about (say, allergy wise)?
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Feb 8, 2009 22:51
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Cuddlebottom posted:I have a question about dog dandruff. I noticed today one of ours has it really bad after we gave him a bath (oh god it went everywhere
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Feb 8, 2009 23:36
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sucks to ur assmar posted:When my dogs get flakey it's usually because I get lazy about the brushing. How often do you brush them?
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Feb 9, 2009 00:18
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What are these pies posted:But it is bed time for this human- I'm coming down with a nasty cold that half my family and half my class has... And I have a job interview tomorrow. Thank you for all the help though. I really really appreciate it. Are you not currently employed? If not, why are you getting a sugar glider? I'd also specifically ask the vet about gilders, not just 'do you do exotics'. The vet you take the ferret to makes me leery due to what he had originally told you about the food and not recommending something more high protein while she was blocked. Maybe I missed something in all your posts, but how come your family can get you a sugar glider but couldn't get the ferret surgery? Seems like you guys should be fixing the animals you have before getting new ones. Someone else mentioned this as well, but ferrets are predators and sugar gliders are prey. Living in the same area with them can stress them out. You handling the ferret and then the sugar glider will stress them out as well due to the smell of them on you. I don't know how well they'd do living together or if they can, how close it so close for the gliders to not smell them and not be stressed. Maybe someone else can answer that. Also, check you state laws because sugar gliders are banned in certain states. I know California is one of them. I have a friend who owns and works with a sugar glider breeder and they will not ship a glider because they want to meet and interview the person adopting. I'm not as familiar with sugar gilder breeding but I know in other animals a breeder that will adopt out to someone without meeting them is one to be leery off. Perhaps it's different with sugar gilders.
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Feb 9, 2009 01:46
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KilGrey posted:It looks like sugar gliders are legal in Michigan, so that's ok. The ferrets belong to the family, while a sugar glider would belong to him (her?) alone... and the family saving up to get a sugar glider in a few months is considerably different from the family immediately shelling out a couple thousand to get surgery for the ferret. He mentioned passing the EMS-Basic exam, so that indicates some level of employability even in Michigan, even if the pay may not be really great. I still wouldn't recommend getting a sugar glider before he gets the job, of course. ...but MAN do I not have confidence in that vet. All of this advice from Pet Island on getting calories into the ferret, replenishing her electrolytes, and stopping her diarrhea is stuff that the vet should have been saying. Advising that a weak, sick animal with terrible diarrhea be given plain water only, with no electrolyte replenishment or actual nourishment, is so ridiculous I wonder if What are these pies (or whichever family member took the ferret to the vet) forgot something, because I can't imagine an actual vet saying that. maplecheese fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Feb 9, 2009 |
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Feb 9, 2009 05:42
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I'm going to toot the horn of my favorite sugar glider information website: https://www.glidercentral.net This is absolutely the best place I've found on the internet for anything glider related. For specific information on glider care, if you haven't found this website already, is https://www.suzsugargliders.com I'd also like to note that sugar glider vet bills can be EXTREMELY expensive. Gliders actually don't get sick that often, but when they do it's usually something dramatic like "help his back legs won't work" or "help his tail got stuck in his wheel and it's hanging by a thread" or "help my glider was fine an hour ago but now he won't move and won't drink and I can't find a vet that will see him what do I doooo" In short, call the vets in your area, make sure they specifically see sugar gliders, ask them how much experience they have with sugar gliders, and find a 24 hour emergency vet that will see sugar gliders. The emergency vet is very important because since sugar gliders are nocturnal animals, they often won't show their illness until the middle of the night when your regular vet is closed. Get all of this information and put the contact info and driving directions in an easy to locate place. If you have any more specific questions you can PM me on glidercentral, my username there is the same as it is here.
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Feb 9, 2009 17:00
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My brother is loving dumb and he needs to hear it from actual sources and not just from me. He and his girlfriend are in loooooove and want to get a puppy. This is the stupidest idea possible. First off they've been going out for two months, hardly a stable relationship that's destined to make it long term, and they're not living together. Second they're both in their early twenties, she doesn't have a job and his hours keep getting cut down further and further - if it goes down much more he's going to have to move back home. Third, the puppy they want to get, which is apparently the cutest little dog in the whole wide world or something, is an australian shephard/corgi mix. Fourth, my brother is lazy as poo poo, and although his girlfriend seems more responsible and level headed she's right now living with her very ill grandfather. If the puppy lives with my brother he'll fall into a "It's great for two weeks and I'm going to ignore it all the days after" pattern, and a very sick grandfather who can barely walk is no kind of environment for a puppy. Now me just telling them all of this has been met with my being accused of being mean, of not believing in their looooooove for each other, and not having any faith in my brother. He's a great guy, and he really does love animals, but he is in NO WAY ready emotionally or financially for a puppy. Does anyone have any links or anecdotes about just how much energy australian shephards or corgis have? My telling them that this dog is a disaster waiting to be happen was met with "But you should've seen him in the shelter, he was so calm and snuggly!"
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Feb 9, 2009 18:44
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My 7-month-old Beagle Henry used to be a champ at going to the bathroom outside, until it got icy/snowy/supercold outside. Normally, as soon as I get up in the morning, I take him outside and he'll pee almost right away. I know that sometimes a poo needs to be worked out of his system, so I walk him around for 20-25 minutes, and sometimes even up to 40 minutes, but he refuses to poop at all. At that point, I bring him inside to make his food..... and he'll poop in the kitchen. Yesterday I took him out for 35 minutes without a poop, brought him back inside and gated off all the rooms except for the living room, and as soon as he squatted to poop on the floor, I whisked him outside for another 15 minutes, to no avail. I could almost understand not wanting to potty outside in the 6 inches of snow we had for about a week, even though I'd take him to areas where the snow was tramped down, but now that it's beautiful and 50-60 degrees out, I don't know why he won't go to the bathroom like he used to back in the fall. I've heard that dogs feel vulnerable when pooping, but I always make sure to get him to an area that is "defended", with a wall or bushes blocking two or more sides, hoping it would make him feel safer. When he actually does poop (now it's only on our daily 30-40 minute walks), I make sure to heap on the praise. I don't yell at him when he poops inside (except for a loud "AH!" or "HEY!" to distract him long enough that I can bring him outside), so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Do you folks have any advice?
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Feb 9, 2009 19:10
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Semper Ubi Sub Ubi posted:My 7-month-old Beagle Henry used to be a champ at going to the bathroom outside, until it got icy/snowy/supercold outside. Normally, as soon as I get up in the morning, I take him outside and he'll pee almost right away. I know that sometimes a poo needs to be worked out of his system, so I walk him around for 20-25 minutes, and sometimes even up to 40 minutes, but he refuses to poop at all. At that point, I bring him inside to make his food..... and he'll poop in the kitchen. Yesterday I took him out for 35 minutes without a poop, brought him back inside and gated off all the rooms except for the living room, and as soon as he squatted to poop on the floor, I whisked him outside for another 15 minutes, to no avail. You might want to change his routine so that you feed him before you take him out to poop. I would suggest taking him out so he can pee since he's been holding it all night and then crate him while you get his food ready, feed him, and then take him out again. Most dogs need to poop within 10 minutes of eating, so he should be less likely to hold it in once you take him out on his longer poop-walk. Chances are if you get/have a properly sized crate for him he won't feel comfortable pooping in it. If you haven't done crate training or at least looked through the technique in the FAQ you should check it out.
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Feb 9, 2009 22:33
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Stickbug posted:You might want to change his routine so that you feed him before you take him out to poop. I would suggest taking him out so he can pee since he's been holding it all night and then crate him while you get his food ready, feed him, and then take him out again.
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Feb 9, 2009 23:17
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Women's Rights? posted:My brother is loving dumb and he needs to hear it from actual sources and not just from me. We have one of these dogs. He is the worst dog. He is manic depressive, very territorial, dog agressive, and will bite new people. He sometimes has very high energy, zooming around in the backyard and biting all the other dogs. But then, he sits on the couch and mopes and nothing can ever ever make him happy. He barks a lot, and he's killed a flying squirrel, two mice, and a two week old kitten. My parents have worked very very hard with obedience and socialization, and he is still the worst dog. I love him, but I would never ever want another one. Why don't you ask them to make a checklist of everything they need to buy, look for prices for it, add the cost of the adoption fee and any vet visits for subsequent vaccinations, any other puppy junk, and have them work their finances out and see how they're going to pay for it all. If it's as dire as you say, they'll probably realize that they just can't afford it at all. Just the basic supplies for a puppy are usually $200+. Plus, a breed like that would definately need obedience, at least another $100 there.
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Feb 9, 2009 23:51
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Women's Rights? posted:My brother's an idiot. Your brother is pretty special, I remember some other stories you've told me about him. The cost of dog ownership in the first year alone makes the adoption fee look like pennies. Let alone the fact that you are going to have this dog for, at bare minimum, 10 years. Does he realize how long he's going to have this dog? I looked online and found a couple sites that tally up costs for a year of dog ownership and give little 'fill it in yourself' grids: http://dogs.about.com/cs/newtodogs/a/free_puppy.htm http://www.loveyourdog.com/lifetime.html http://www.moneyunder30.com/the-true-cost-of-pet-ownership Your brother, as long as I've known you, has never had a stable living situation. If I recall, he's always bouncing in and out of your moms house. That's not fair to your mom or the dog. Not to mention how is it going to work with the girlfriend? Are they going to pass the dog back and forth? That's going to such for him and really hinder any sort of training. Even if they both have 'stable' living conditions passing the dog back and forth means the dog wont. This has nothing to do with what you think of their 'LOOOOOOVE' but what is best for the animal they want to adopt. From what I remember hearing from the Corgi owners here they can be complete handfuls. So the fact that they dog isn't going to have consistent training is just going to make them hate the dog. Just because it was snuggly and calm in the shelter means NOTHING about what the dog will be like. First off, in the shelter the dog might have been scared or not comfortable in that environment so it wasn't active and they only saw the dog for a few moments during a day, that says nothing about what the dog will be like during the course of 24 hours. Puppies, regardless of breeds, are assholes. Yes they are cute and we love them to bits but they take a lot of loving work. My mom has a King Charles Cavalier which were basically bred to be a lap warmers for royalty and she still takes constant supervision, training and energy because puppies are just like that. My mom was laid off right before she got the dog and one of the biggest reasons they decided to get her then was so my mom could be home with her 24 hours a day because puppies take so much time, consistency and energy she knew she personally wouldn't be able to do it while working. I can't imagine them passing the dog back and forth will work for them, especially with a corgi//collie mix that is high energy. Also stress how much exercise both breeds will need. A herding dog is happiest when it's herding that means they'll need to take it out on frequent walks so it can expend as much energy as possible. Especially before it goes into a crate. Here is an article on exercise and what can happen if you don't: http://www.examiner.com/x-321-Dog-Training-Examiner~topic18016-dog-exercise Remind him that not only does he need to take the dog out for at least an hour of exercise a day there are also potty trips on top of that. And intelligent dogs even when exercised can get bored or destructive. That article even mentions the breed of dog he's looking at as 'high energy' which requires more than the average dog. This does not work with lazy people. Lazy people don't like to trail around their dog picking up dog poo let alone all the exercise they need to give it. I hope you can beat some sense into him.
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Feb 10, 2009 02:00
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By the way I am not sure where this would belong but I have a handy cat trick! If your cat ever gets stuck in a tree and won't come down. Get the hose with a spray nozzle attached... It'll find a way down right quick.
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Feb 10, 2009 02:30
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Bum the Sad posted:By the way I am not sure where this would belong but I have a handy cat trick! If your cat ever gets stuck in a tree and won't come down. Get the hose with a spray nozzle attached... It'll find a way down right quick. Or, you know, get hypothermia, because the ONLY time our cats ever seemed to get stuck in trees was in the dead of winter. Catsicle.
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Feb 10, 2009 02:34
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RazorBunny posted:Or, you know, get hypothermia, because the ONLY time our cats ever seemed to get stuck in trees was in the dead of winter. My solution was to call the fire department where my dad volunteers. When they wouldn't come, we sent my step-brother up the tree. When he got stuck and couldn't get down, we called the fire dept. again. Voila, cat (and man) out of tree. This was after she'd been up there about 5 days.
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Feb 10, 2009 06:56
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KilGrey posted:http://dogs.about.com/cs/newtodogs/a/free_puppy.htm These are exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I knew you'd come through for me KilGrey 
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Feb 10, 2009 14:06
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My girlfriend and I are moving in with a mutual friend soon. She has two cats, he has one. She'd actually be moving in a few months later, though, so here's the question: would it be better to move all the cats in at once so it's all neutral territory, or can they be introduced later?
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Feb 10, 2009 19:24
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My 5 month old puppy just peed herself laying down (awake) and is acting pretty drowsy for the time of night. Is this 24 emergency vet level of a problem?
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Feb 11, 2009 04:46
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Macht posted:My 5 month old puppy just peed herself laying down (awake) and is acting pretty drowsy for the time of night. I would be on the way to the e-vet, yes, unless I could get her to perk up in the next couple of minutes (and I mean SERIOUSLY perk up and run around) by showing her treats or toys. Dogs of that age really really really shouldn't be peeing themselves.
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Feb 11, 2009 04:52
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maplecheese posted:I would be on the way to the e-vet, yes, unless I could get her to perk up in the next couple of minutes (and I mean SERIOUSLY perk up and run around) by showing her treats or toys. Dogs of that age really really really shouldn't be peeing themselves. I ended up leaving right after I posted because she started wobbling and having trouble standing. They did a bunch of tests, but still dont know whats wrong . She has really high phosphorus levels and almost too high calcium levels. The vet is hoping that she doesn't have some kind of shunt(I think thats what he said, the papers he gave me are in the car on the way to the pharmacy to pick up aluminum hydroxide) or a thyroid problem. I'm going to a vet in 8 hours to get her endocrine tests.He ruled out parvo and digestive bugs at least I guess.
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Feb 11, 2009 06:17
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Someone get in here and say shes going to be ok because some of the things he guessed were untreatable... 
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Feb 11, 2009 06:32
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