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Are there any actions or indications I could be looking for that would say infection? My puppy's pretty well potty trained, but I still have to take her out myself most of the time. She's four months old, so the rule that I read was every four hours. I take her every two. If she's just peed, I'll let her have free reign of the room that I'm in, but after about two hours, she gets the pee-or-crate decision put to her. That was all well and good, but yesterday she peed probably 10 times within a 5 hour span. I could barely keep up. Twice within five minutes, I think. Temperment-wise she's fine, as playful as ever. Like I said though, if this was to be something, what are other things I'd want to look for apart from peeing alot?
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Jun 1, 2009 22:22
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:Are there any actions or indications I could be looking for that would say infection? When my dog had a UTI, you could see that she was straining really hard to pee. She'd empty her bladder & then 30 seconds later she was squatting & trying to pee without any success. She also lost her appetite. Of course, the easiest thing to do is take in a fresh urine sample to your vet & have them test it.
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Jun 1, 2009 22:48
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r. bean posted:Thanks for the advice! I think at this point, getting a sitter makes the most sense. The drive is pretty out of the way for our friends, and we have only lived there for 3 months, so we don't know any neighbors yet. I'd say get a sitter if you can find one. I pet sit for one of my neighbors several times a year and usually get $20/day (but she has 6 cats and I scoop poop, feed, and play with her cats as well as feeding her mini bird sanctuary, bringing in her mail, etc.) I wouldn't ask a friend to scoop poop without getting some kind of compensation, especially if you'll be gone a whole week.
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Jun 2, 2009 00:42
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I bought a compact fluoroscent black light to find the cat pee spots in the bedroom. BUt, the light doesnt show me anything. Does black light need to be long fluorescent light, instead of the compact fluroscent black light? thanks. (the compact fluorscent light looks like a normal light bulb, but it's kinda spiraled)
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Jun 2, 2009 03:40
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pogoman posted:I bought a compact fluoroscent black light to find the cat pee spots in the bedroom. BUt, the light doesnt show me anything. Does black light need to be long fluorescent light, instead of the compact fluroscent black light? I bought a cheapie "normal light bulb" black light last Halloween. It didn't show me poo poo. After reading Wikipedia, I think mine was an incandescent bulb with a different type of glass. So it wasn't fluorescent at all.
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Jun 2, 2009 03:57
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I got my Boxer puppy yesterday afternoon and oh god the noise  She's training easily with the clicker, already comes and sits and takes treats nicely. Doesn't chase the cats too much. Couple of pissing accidents in the house (thanks to the breeder letting her piss on newspaper until 9 weeks old...) but she's mostly going outside already. But she turns into devil puppy the second that crate door closes. I've had almost no sleep, listening to her howling all the drat night. Is there anything I can do to make it better? I've tried giving her stuffed kongs in the crate with her, comfy bed, blankets etc but no luck. She's in there at the moment, howling up a storm.
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Jun 2, 2009 10:20
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Does anyone have experience or know of a good place to find information about keeping a small pig as a pet? My girlfriend is really intent on getting a "house pig" but she has little to no knowledge on them so i thought this would be a good place to ask. Thanks!
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Jun 2, 2009 12:28
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Helanna posted:Is there anything I can do to make it better?
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Jun 2, 2009 14:15
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My cat has fuckin worms in her butt  I just noticed last night she had a stray one clinging on, it looked like a piece of rice so I watched her take a dump later and it was soft, light brown and had a few squiggly grains of rice. I haven't noticed any fleas, itching or stuff like that. I'm taking her to the vet today and I wanted to know if it was kosher to just ask them to give me prescription tapeworm meds or should I go through a checkup? She just had a checkup not long ago and she was in good shape. This is preemptive but would the doc want a stool sample if I did have a checkup because I have little tupperware. I am going to throw up if I have to stare at more squiggly tapeworms though, wretched. I assume the tapeworms came from a stray flea as our first floor neighbors (we're 3rd) let their outdoor cat and dog run up and down the back staircase which is connected to everyone and we come in and out that door a bit. What should I worry about fleawise?
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Jun 2, 2009 14:38
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I got her an appointment and they do want a stool sample. Poor baby!
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Jun 2, 2009 15:08
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Here's a question for all you Dyson owners: due to an incident where my lovely fiance left Merlin uncrated for two work days, (believe me he won't do it again) we discovered that the vacuum was pissed on. We cleaned the outside and he took apart some inner part, but it smells like hot piss whenever we turn it on. This obviously is beyond gross, and before I went calling Dyson to have them laugh at me, I wondred if there was a chance any of you have run into the same problem. Any help is appreciated. 
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Jun 2, 2009 15:53
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maso posted:Here's a question for all you Dyson owners: due to an incident where my lovely fiance left Merlin uncrated for two work days, (believe me he won't do it again) we discovered that the vacuum was pissed on. We cleaned the outside and he took apart some inner part, but it smells like hot piss whenever we turn it on. This obviously is beyond gross, and before I went calling Dyson to have them laugh at me, I wondred if there was a chance any of you have run into the same problem. Any help is appreciated. Unfortunately I cannot help you with this other than to say that you can take apart way more of it than you might think you can, so you might try taking it apart and cleaning it again. In a similar vein though, the dog we tried to adopt that wound up not working out only had one accident in the house....he peed on the steam cleaner.
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Jun 2, 2009 16:20
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Ceridwen posted:Unfortunately I cannot help you with this other than to say that you can take apart way more of it than you might think you can, so you might try taking it apart and cleaning it again. Oh, I hadn't seen that the springer didn't work out. I owe you a PM, I'll get to it now.
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Jun 2, 2009 16:30
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There are some places that will take apart your vacuum and clean all the parts individually. It usually costs about $50 - $80. That's the only thing I can think of that would be certain to get the pee cleaned out of everywhere. Usually the stores are called something along the lines of "Vac 'n' Sew".
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Jun 2, 2009 19:00
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Awww. I just found a seemingly intact robin's egg on my lawn. The tree is too tall, I can't see or reach to put it back. Poor thing.
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Jun 2, 2009 19:29
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kimbo305 posted:My gf's cat has very different lengths of thumb claws. On his left paw it is about a 120 degree arc, but on his right paw it goes 180 degrees, and is grown a bit thicker. Is that variation normal? I dunno anything about how cats maintain their claws and was wondering if he could even keep the right claw worn down regularly. If it matters, the cat is very right handed, and will always use his right paw to bat at stuff or ask for pats Anyone? here's a picture of his right paw:  I highlighted the tip of the claw cuz the picture didn't come out very clearly.
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Jun 2, 2009 19:47
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kimbo305 posted:Anyone? here's a picture of his right paw: The only problem I see is that your cat really needs a nail trim. Do you have scratching posts? If no, get a couple. If yes, some cats just tend to wear down or sharpen certain nails faster than others. Once a nail is that long, your cat probably can't wear it down at all because it's curved so far back. If you leave it alone, it'll probably just keep growing until it hooks back into your cat's foot, which hurts and will be a bloody mess to fix.
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Jun 2, 2009 19:51
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Crooked Booty posted:Do you have scratching posts? If no, get a couple. If yes, some cats just tend to wear down or sharpen certain nails faster than others. Once a nail is that long, your cat probably can't wear it down at all because it's curved so far back. If you leave it alone, it'll probably just keep growing until it hooks back into your cat's foot, which hurts and will be a bloody mess to fix.
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Jun 2, 2009 19:53
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My parents adopted an 8 month old springer spaniel from a couple that really had no idea what they were doing when they got her. We have lots of yard for her to play in and two other dogs to keep her company, along with my grandfather who loves watching them all run around all day. The question is, is there anything in particular I should pass on to them about the breed? I've been reading up on them: medium/high energy, very smart, loves to play with things. My dad is also interested in hunting, and I understand the Spaniel is an excellent flushing dog, but not a pointer. Is that accurate, and is 8 months too old/young for hunting training?
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Jun 2, 2009 20:36
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EnsGDT posted:My parents adopted an 8 month old springer spaniel from a couple that really had no idea what they were doing when they got her. We have lots of yard for her to play in and two other dogs to keep her company, along with my grandfather who loves watching them all run around all day. They should work with the dog to get it used to grooming. It should be brushed at least several times a week to prevent matting. Make sure they pay close attention to the backs of the thighs, belly, and ears. Also, for the ears, make sure to keep the hair trimmed and keep an eye out for ear infections. If the dog goes in the water it's a good idea to clean out their ears (talk to the vet about it and they can give you a solution to use) afterwards. Springers are prone to ear infections, which can lead to a lot of pain and potentially the dog biting someone (often a child) who messes with their ears. Springers have two very different lines, show and field, and if your parent's dog is show/bench type it may not have much hunting drive. It can't hurt to try though, and as far as I know 8 months is definitely not too young to start basics of hunt training (my boss does hunting with labs and I know they start them quite young, I assume the same would be true of springers).
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Jun 2, 2009 21:12
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GoreJess posted:When my dog had a UTI, you could see that she was straining really hard to pee. She'd empty her bladder & then 30 seconds later she was squatting & trying to pee without any success. She also lost her appetite.
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Jun 3, 2009 04:49
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My cat had a scab on her nose, and thinking it was just a piece of food or a booger or something, I picked it off. She's got a little raw spot just above her nostril now. It's not bleeding or anything, just raw. Is this vet-visit worthy or should I just leave it alone and try to keep it clean? I read somewhere that this can be a type of skin cancer but this is the only time I've noticed it. Thoughts?
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Jun 3, 2009 04:57
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My cat recently starting standing up when he poops. We have been slowly transitioning him over to a new (from clay to a corn-based flushable) litter, so that could be the problem, but I'm wondering if it might be that he's constipated since this all started fairly suddenly, and he wasn't doing it when we started transitioning his litter (we've been mixing progressively more corn litter into the clay for the past several weeks). Obviously I don't care if he poops standing up, but I'm just worried it could be a sign of some physiological problem - anything I need to check for, and any suggestions on making sure he's not constipated? His stool seems fairly normal, but perhaps a little bit drier and darker than normal. He's fed Orijen and he also gets smaller amounts of Holistic Select wet food 4 or 5 times a week.
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Jun 3, 2009 05:57
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Sad event at the dog park today. I was walking Milo on his lead as usual when one of the regular puppies runs up and starts playing with him. His owner runs up behind and we chat while her puppy is goofing around. I say to her "I don't let Milo off leash around here, I'm worried he'll just run off somewhere." literally 3 seconds after I say that I here a screech of tyres and see a cyclist run straight over the puppy that was running around off leash. The cyclist didn't stop, which is pretty lovely, but that's his business really. So sad and avoidable, these people think they are doing their puppies a favour by letting them run around off-leash on a shared dog / bike track.
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Jun 3, 2009 08:58
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RyanNotBrian posted:Sad event at the dog park today. God how awful. It's never ceases to baffle me how offended people get when you imply they aren't taking perfect care of their animals when they let them off leash. It only takes one accident. 
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Jun 3, 2009 13:38
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Long e/n story short: my parents are cat hoarders and my sister and I are going to finally do something about it this weekend. My dad will be out of town Saturday so she and I are going to go to their house and remove as many cats as possible (mom is a barely mobile alcoholic so she's not an issue). Can someone please recommend some good literature (online) regarding cat hoarding, possibly written FOR a cat hoarder to read? We always thought mom was the biggest problem but upon confronting my dad this past weekend found out that he has made up all these crazy loving excuses in his head ranging from, "the feral cats don't need to be taken away, they need to go outside!" to "I brought those feral kittens inside because they were 'sick.'" Once again, sorry for going all e/n here but I'm pissed at my dad and upset that (for their own good) I'm going to be giving away a couple of cats that I raised from birth and love. Thanks for any info you can provide.
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Jun 3, 2009 19:30
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Have a few questions about the lighting for my ball python. I have been doing a 12/12 cycle of a basking spot lamp during the day and a black nite glow during the night. I was doing some research and read about 24 hour infrared lighting, as well as 12 hour lighting/heating with 12 hours of no light, using heating pads instead. What is the best method? I live in Texas and daytime temps and humidity are very high and night time temps in my room reach about 75F.
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Jun 3, 2009 19:35
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Baby_Hippo posted:Long e/n story short: my parents are cat hoarders and my sister and I are going to finally do something about it this weekend. My dad will be out of town Saturday so she and I are going to go to their house and remove as many cats as possible (mom is a barely mobile alcoholic so she's not an issue). I can't help with the literature, but how many cats are we talking here? I've had people call ME a hoarder, just because I have 5 cats of my own and am currently fostering a litter of 3 feral kittens. Crazy cat lady who likes spending all her time and money on animals is a bit different to cat hoarder. Also remember you may be on dodgy legal ground entering their property and removing their possessions (pets) without their permission, even if they are your parents. If they really are cat hoarders, you should either talk them around to see their problem, or get animal control involved. Helanna fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Jun 3, 2009 |
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Jun 3, 2009 19:40
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So I'm going to take my dad & his girlfriend's 4 year old lab/shep male and a 1 year old lab female. They are unfixed outside dogs ATM (yes, I know...). The male was also kicked by a utility guy years ago so he does not like strange males. These will also be my BF & my first dogs, outside of our parents' dogs growing up. I already plan to vet, spay/neuter, crate, tether if needed to get them housebroken, good food, and NILF. We do have a decent backyard and the dogs would only be left alone about 4 hours 3 days each week. I've read the FAQ on dogs. Any training book recs, special tips etc would be greatly appreciated. I also know about low-cost spay/neuter but any other $ saving pointers would be great. I have a month or two to get ready.
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Jun 3, 2009 19:42
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Helanna posted:I can't help with the literature, but how many cats are we talking here? I've had people call ME a hoarder, just because I have 5 cats of my own and am currently fostering a litter of 3 feral kittens. We're talking at LEAST thirty cats, half of which are visibly ill and/or feral. I'm not loving around on this one. Their house is DISGUSTING in ways I can't even begin to describe here. (They also have other pets) Talking is NOT an option with them (as evidenced by our attempts this past Sunday) and I do NOT want to get animal control involved because I know they would end up putting a lot of the cats down. I'd like them to at least have a chance at a normal life (we'll be taking them to two no-kill shelters and yes I understand that no kill shelters often do not really mean NO kill but it gives me peace of mind). I honestly don't think they will call the police, nor do I care at this point. Main priority: get cats out of that house for their own good.
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Jun 3, 2009 19:52
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Baby_Hippo posted:We're talking at LEAST thirty cats, half of which are visibly ill and/or feral. I'm not loving around on this one. Their house is DISGUSTING in ways I can't even begin to describe here. Have you made arrangements with the no-kill shelters? Most have waiting lists and would need some notice before accepting that many cats. As for hoarding info, this website has a lot of good, official-looking information. I don't see anything for actual hoarders to read, but they do have some pretty clear definitions and symptoms that might hit home with your parents. I hope you're able to help your parents and those cats. What you're doing takes a lot of guts, especially since it's your parents, but it sounds like you're doing the right thing. Good luck.
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Jun 3, 2009 19:58
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Baby_Hippo posted:We're talking at LEAST thirty cats Ok, fair point there. I can see myself getting a couple more rescues in the long run, but that's scary numbers even if they were all healthy, which apparently they aren't.Baby_Hippo posted:I know they would end up putting a lot of the cats down. I'd like them to at least have a chance at a normal life Bearing in mind that for a lot of them, that may be the best option. I work for a no kill shelter myself in free time, and I know that in cat hoarder cases, due to extreme nutritional problems and other issues, a good number do unfortunately get put to sleep. Baby_Hippo posted:I honestly don't think they will call the police, nor do I care at this point. Main priority: get cats out of that house for their own good. It's a nice sentiment, but for all that you say you don't want to get animal control involved it sounds like that's what you NEED to do. They can then fix the issue, possibly fine your parents, and possibly even make psychological treatment necessary. Removing the current cats with no repercussions will not fix the situation, it will just clear out the current residents, and your parents WILL repeat, with other unfortunate animals. It's a psychological problem, and these people need proper help.
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Jun 3, 2009 20:01
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Thanks to both of you for your responses, and the info. Helanna, you are right about animal control but the thought still makes me uneasy. For example, how can I be sure they will actually DO something? I guess my biggest fear is that, despite the absolute MESS of their house and the conditions of the cats, they will just fine my parents and not do anything FOR the cats. A fine would just mean less money for them to spend on vet bills. Or that they will show up to cart off the cats and not want to deal with my bat poo poo crazy mother and just blow the situation off. Dumb question but just how SERIOUS is animal control about these situations? How can I be sure they will DEAL with it? It'd probably be best if I change my plan of action to A) remove cats I care about to reliable shelters then B) call animal control to do a clean sweep of the place.
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Jun 3, 2009 20:11
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^^^^ Likely what will happen is they will show up, see the situation, and give your parents a chance to get rid of all but X number of animals. Then they'll come back in a week or whatever and if there haven't been changes, take the cats. Not only what Helanna said but what if your parents decide to press charges? It's a possibility, even though they are your parents, that you don't want to allow room for. You really do need to call animal control. It's a hard decision, I know, but you've already made the hardest decision of taking action. I have nothing but respect for you for taking hold of the situation, by the way.
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Jun 3, 2009 20:12
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maso posted:^^^^ Likely what will happen is they will show up, see the situation, and give your parents a chance to get rid of all but X number of animals. Then they'll come back in a week or whatever and if there haven't been changes, take the cats. Thanks for that. Seriously though, for lack of a better description my parents are...completely retarded. Even if they had the money to press charges against my sister and I they completely lack the gumption and follow through to do so. Really. On the phone with county animal control right now to find out what their policies are.
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Jun 3, 2009 20:25
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Baby_Hippo posted:Thanks for that. Seriously though, for lack of a better description my parents are...completely retarded. Even if they had the money to press charges against my sister and I they completely lack the gumption and follow through to do so. Really. If you say so, but crazier poo poo has happened. Plus like what was said before, animal control can help to put legal restrictions on how many animals your parents can have in the future, and give possible counseling. Taking the cats away really won't stop the problem, unfortunately.
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Jun 3, 2009 20:57
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maso posted:Plus like what was said before, animal control can help to put legal restrictions on how many animals your parents can have in the future, and give possible counseling. Taking the cats away really won't stop the problem, unfortunately. That's the best case scenario. More likely where I live, animal control will take most of the cats and you'll never hear from them again. I'm sure this can vary a lot in different areas, where animal control has more/less authority and manpower, but where I live, they rarely do follow-ups on hoarders, and if they actually do get charged with cruelty/neglect (rare -- tends to only happen when animals are being tortured or starved, or there are dead animals on the property), it'll take months for anything to actually happen, and a small fine is the worst they'll get. I worked for a rescue for a while that frequently took cats in from cruelty/hoarding seizures, and it was really revolting how quickly these people were able to get their hands on more animals to neglect -- and except for the most extreme cruelty cases, no AC follow-ups ever happened. Restrictions on the number of animals they could have were put into effect sometimes, but enforced even less. But then again I live in Texas, where cats get about as much legal protection as a pair of shoes.  At the same time, I agree with Maso. Animal Control is used to dealing with people with these problems, and you should take full advantage of their resources if only because the presence and insistence of official-looking people in animal control uniforms may be more successful in conveying the seriousness of this problem to your parents.
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Jun 3, 2009 21:33
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Baby_Hippo posted:Thanks to both of you for your responses, and the info. You really need to get animal control or some law authority involved. Hoarding is a sign of serious mental illness. More than just having the animals removed, the hoarder needs HELP. Hoarding comes with almost a 100% relapse rate... We had a thread a short while ago with a similar situation - you should read through it. Give me two seconds and I will find it and edit a link in here. EDIT - Here! Please read this thread, and please read the literature, websites, and links given in it. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3140310&highlight=
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Jun 3, 2009 21:57
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Zombiesinmyshower! posted:You really need to get animal control or some law authority involved. Hoarding is a sign of serious mental illness. More than just having the animals removed, the hoarder needs HELP. Hoarding comes with almost a 100% relapse rate... Oh wow thanks for that! My sister and I have been discussing over the day and we plan on reporting them in the next two weeks. As I said before, it's still really hard for me because a couple of cats I raised and am still fond of live there. I just keep telling myself that no matter the outcome this is in their best interest. Also, it's not like I have seen them very often over the last four years because I refuse to go into that disgusting poo poo hole of a house. Uggghhh.
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Jun 3, 2009 22:16
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Baby_Hippo posted:Oh wow thanks for that! Seriously report them. I wish I had reported my friend's mom. poo poo really hit the fan over the weekend and now I have no proof to get her as a documented hoarder.
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Jun 3, 2009 22:26
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