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Helanna posted:I saw my cat vet today (she's a cat only vet practise) when I took in my sick foster kitten and we ended up discussing my puppy. She assured me that Boxers do "really well" on a vegetarian diet once over a year old. I've had my dogs on the Natural Balance Vegetarian formula for about a month now, and they seem to be doing great. Skin looks healthy, coat looks the same, etc. http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/Vegetarian.html So its possible to feed vegan/vegetarian, but I honestly don't know why you'd want to if your Boxer doesn't have issues with meat. The veggie formula is the only food so far that keeps my Border Collie from itching all day long, and the other dogs seem to like it just fine. I supplement my other dogs' food with meat occasionally, because I think its far healthier for them to have a balanced diet.
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Jul 24, 2009 15:01
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Semisponge posted:I have two cats. One has a very sensitive stomach and barfs if I give her anything but grain-free food (Solid Gold Indigo Moon). 
Helanna fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Jul 24, 2009 |
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Jul 24, 2009 15:14
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Semisponge posted:I have two cats. One has a very sensitive stomach and barfs if I give her anything but grain-free food (Solid Gold Indigo Moon). Unfortunately, my other cat refuses to eat it and has gone on a weeks-long hunger strike. He's lost a ton of weight (and yes I've got an appointment with the vet to make sure he's not sick) but even the most desperate of hunger won't move him to eat this food. I've been giving him wet food, which involves standing over him and making sure the other cat doesn't get any of it because she'll barf if she does. Is it going to be this way forever? Must I resign myself to being pestered by a loud siamese every time I walk into the kitchen? Maybe there's a way to train a cat to only eat its own food... I agree with trying other grain-free foods. Not mentioned so far is Innova EVO, which is what I feed my cats. Previously, I had always thought that my cats were seafood-only cats, but it turns out that they think EVO's the best thing ever made.
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Jul 24, 2009 16:03
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I've taken in a ~1 year old bitch that may currently be pregnant (yes, I know..). We also do not know long ago her last heat was. Is it OK to get her spayed now or do we need to wait and see? I really don't want puppies but I am worried about her health. The vet wants me to do an ultrasound now, then an ultrasound in 3 weeks. If she is pregnant, e-spay then, if not, spay in September via the earliest appointment the low-cost place.
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Jul 24, 2009 18:26
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lionskull posted:The vet wants me to do an ultrasound now, then an ultrasound in 3 weeks. If she is pregnant, e-spay then, if not, spay in September via the earliest appointment the low-cost place. That seems a weird way of doing it. Why not just spay her now and get it over with? If she is pregnant, she's obviously not too far along.
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Jul 24, 2009 18:28
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If that's an option that's great, but I believe the issue is that we don't know when her last heat was and you're supposed to wait a certain amount of weeks after that. I just don't know which is the least risky option. It's probably time to call the vet.
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Jul 24, 2009 18:31
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lionskull posted:If that's an option that's great, but I believe the issue is that we don't know when her last heat was and you're supposed to wait a certain amount of weeks after that. You can do the spay at any point during the cycle, even while pregnant or in heat, it's just a little more complicated due to the uterus being full of fetuses or if she's in heat or was recently in heat there may be more bleeding to deal with. It comes down to what the vet is comfortable with, but most places I've seen will do it any time, they may just charge a little more if it's a more complicated procedure.
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Jul 24, 2009 20:39
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lionskull posted:If that's an option that's great, but I believe the issue is that we don't know when her last heat was and you're supposed to wait a certain amount of weeks after that. You only need to wait a couple weeks past the last heat, and even that is just to be cautious. Pregnancy would be more dangerous than an in-heat spay.
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Jul 24, 2009 20:52
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Took my cat to the vet today for a particularly nasty abscess, and the vet gave him an injection of some antibiotic and gave us Amoxicillin to give twice a day. Will it hurt him to give him the first dose of antibiotics tonight, or should I start them in the morning? I'd call the vet but they're closed for the night. Also, what's the best way to give liquid meds to a cat who is not a fan of them? In the past I've used the kitty burrito method but I'm scared of him choking or inhaling it.
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Jul 25, 2009 00:34
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My dog (9 year old Labrador Retriever, good weight, plucky) has not been feeling too well the past few days , since roughly Tuesday night. Edit:Looks like it was a case of Colitis and will clear up and she should be fine in a few days. Phew! E.G.G.S. fucked around with this message at 14:18 on Jul 25, 2009 |
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Jul 25, 2009 04:22
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Safe Driver posted:My dog (9 year old Labrador Retriever, good weight, plucky) has not been feeling too well the past few days , since roughly Tuesday night. I have no thoughts to ease your mind. I think you should be taking the dog to the emergency vet NOW. Also, stop feeding rawhide unless you intend to supervise her closely so she can't eat big pieces and block her intestinal tract.
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Jul 25, 2009 04:32
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Hey siamese (and I guess burmese and tonkinese) owners! I've been wondering something for a while... Point coloration on a cat results from a form of temperature-sensitive albinism - the pigment fails at normal body temperature but works right when it's just a little colder. Thus, you get cats with light bodies and dark ears, faces, tails, and limbs. What I'm wondering about is if pointed cats change color according to the temperature. Do they get lighter in the summer and darker in the winter?
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Jul 25, 2009 06:40
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MoCookies posted:The veggie formula is the only food so far that keeps my Border Collie from itching all day long, and the other dogs seem to like it just fine. I can see that being a good solution in the case of a genuine medical reason / allergy, but I was a bit  when the vet suggested a veggie diet for a healthy, active Boxer who has no allergies (afaik!) and is getting on great with a grain-free premium food (Orijen).It was doubly wierd because she seems to be unusually educated on cat nutrition; she feeds her own cats raw, and advised me to give my own cats more actual meat/fish to supplement their dried food. I don't understand how she can promote a raw diet for cats, then tell me to give my dog only vegetables 
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Jul 25, 2009 10:36
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Helanna posted:It was doubly wierd because she seems to be unusually educated on cat nutrition; she feeds her own cats raw, and advised me to give my own cats more actual meat/fish to supplement their dried food. I don't understand how she can promote a raw diet for cats, then tell me to give my dog only vegetables Might want to stick to cat-only discussions with this woman...
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Jul 25, 2009 15:13
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My Silent Spinner wheel seems to have gotten kind of stiff over the last week or two; sometimes my mouse can turn it and sometimes she can't. So I put her old wire wheel (I know  ) in for now so she doesn't go bonkers without any exercise..Anyway, does anyone know how these wheels are put together? Wondering if anyone's had a similar problem that was maybe able to "pop" it back into place somehow. I'm just reluctant to buy another, they're about $15 and this one's only lasted me ~3 or 4 months. Damn Bananas fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Jul 26, 2009 |
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Jul 26, 2009 03:46
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I am looking for a cat-friendly way to get rid of ants. For some reason, I have a small army of tiny black ants attacking the cat food/water area. I found where they are coming in, but I am scared to use a trap or some sort of bug spray because it is close to the food/water area. As of right now, I have moved the food dishes to another part of the kitchen. The water fountain, however, kinda needs to stay there because it is the only place I really have to plug it in. I will move it if I need to, maybe in the dining room until this issue gets resolved. I free feed if that is important. So..... any suggestions? I looked at ant traps at Wal-Mart, but the box says they are dangerous around domestic animals. I really have no idea what else to use. Thanks!
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Jul 26, 2009 13:27
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Pragmatica posted:
This might help: http://www.eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm Although again you'd have to make sure none of the natural solutions are also a problem for cats.
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Jul 26, 2009 13:36
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Pragmatica posted:I am looking for a cat-friendly way to get rid of ants. How about vaseline smeared around the base of the food bowl?
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Jul 26, 2009 14:00
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Pragmatica posted:I am looking for a cat-friendly way to get rid of ants. Diatomaceous earth is what I use on ants. Since the problem is near your cat's food, I'd make sure to get food-grade DE.
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Jul 26, 2009 14:27
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Pragmatica posted:I am looking for a cat-friendly way to get rid of ants. DE, like MoCookies said, is probably your best bet. Also, if you know where they're coming in, you can go outside and use the heavy duty stuff by that area; this is what I ended up having to do at my old place, which was beyond infested with ants. In the meantime, you can try this: Take a large cookie pan with edges and put the water fountain and food dish on it. Then fill it with water. Your cats can reach the food and water still, but ants will drown themselves trying to get there.
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Jul 26, 2009 16:13
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Fire In The Disco posted:Take a large cookie pan with edges and put the water fountain and food dish on it. Then fill it with water. Your cats can reach the food and water still, but ants will drown themselves trying to get there. Downside of this, if your cats are anything like mine, is that they'll make a hell of a mess playing with the water 
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Jul 26, 2009 16:30
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Hahaha, yeah, mine did that too, but I figured cleaning up water was an okay side effect when the trick meant I wasn't cleaning ants from their food dishes every five minutes. 
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Jul 26, 2009 17:55
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I recently noticed a bunch of spiders living in my apartment complex. The bodies are pretty small, maybe about the size of a dime. With legs, they're about 2" long. They bodies are brownish, either dark brown or light brown, and the legs appear to be hairless. I didn't notice any distinctive markings. Also, I'm kinda grossed out by spiders so I didn't look too hard at their eyes or anything. I'm in central North Carolina. Does anyone have ideas as to what these spiders are? I live with two playful cats that love to eat bugs, is it OK for my cats to eat the spiders? I can get a pic if needed, or I can look harder at the spiders if anyone knows specific identifiers for me to look for. I looked online to try to identify them, but the spider ID guides were filled with West Coast spiders  .
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Jul 26, 2009 18:28
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Just regular house spiders, they are harmless, don't let them bother you. And the cats will be fine.
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Jul 26, 2009 18:41
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Xaranx posted:Just regular house spiders, they are harmless, don't let them bother you. And the cats will be fine. OK cool. Thanks for the quick response, I'm not really into spiders so you can imagine my surprise when I started seeing them show up. Hopefully the spiders will keep the other pests at bay, and my cats will keep the spiders hiding
andretti fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Jul 26, 2009 |
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Jul 26, 2009 18:53
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Xaranx posted:And the cats will be fine. Yes and no. House spiders can still bite. It won't kill your cat, but they won't like it! One of my cats was scared off spider eating for a good month after one bit her tongue while she tried to eat it.
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Jul 26, 2009 20:07
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Our Leonberger gets a lot of feathered/frayed hair around his rear end/tail area... it basically looks like an unkempt mess no matter how often we brush it. We'd like to start clipping the hair there ourselves and I've read that thinning shears are the best bet for that... Are there better options out there? If not are thinning shears relatively easy to use? Should we use them before bathing the dog or after?
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Jul 27, 2009 19:17
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My four month old kitten has started to disown her litter box. She still goes in the room it's in just not in the box, though she has urinated in two other places. What should I do to get her back in the box, and yes I do clean it frequently.
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Jul 27, 2009 20:40
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doom posted:My four month old kitten has started to disown her litter box. She still goes in the room it's in just not in the box, though she has urinated in two other places. What should I do to get her back in the box, and yes I do clean it frequently. Urinating in the wrong place can be a sign of serious health problems, so I'd go get her checked out and let the vet know what is going on. What's changed in your household recently? Anything at all, from brand of litter to new pet to new baby.
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Jul 27, 2009 22:18
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if it's not a health related issue (don't dismiss random urinating!) look into a litter called "Cat Attract". Also be sure to clean the urinated spots well with a pet odor remover.
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Jul 27, 2009 22:21
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Misanthrope posted:Our Leonberger gets a lot of feathered/frayed hair around his rear end/tail area... it basically looks like an unkempt mess no matter how often we brush it. Thinning shears are used for a more "natural" look when clipping things down, but they can be expensive and if you don't cut things evenly, they can cause matting because the hair is all different lengths. You can just use any old regular scissors, if you're not doing any hardcore grooming, and it's just for the one dog, I'd personally save my money. When you're cutting, you'll want to comb the hair up and out (so you get it as horizontal as possible) and trim with the scissors pointed down, in as smooth, long a cut as possible (as opposed to using lots of small cuts). Eventually you'll get into the habit of shaping everything up very nicely. Also, Leonbergers are awesome. 
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Jul 27, 2009 22:29
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exactduckwoman posted:Urinating in the wrong place can be a sign of serious health problems, so I'd go get her checked out and let the vet know what is going on. The only thing that's changed recently is I got a second cat but that was weeks ago and this just started a couple days ago. I think she still urinates mostly in the box she just did it once right outside and one on my futon. She's mostly poopin' a couple feet from the box, been using the same kind of litter and food since I got her.
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Jul 27, 2009 22:31
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The pooping sounds behavioral. Look into that litter.
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Jul 27, 2009 22:32
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bamzilla posted:The pooping sounds behavioral. Look into that litter. Hope you're right, does wal-mart or pet co carry that stuff?
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Jul 27, 2009 22:35
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PetCo does, I think. But don't dismiss this as ONLY behavioral. You should really schedule an appointment with your vet. An office visit never hurts.
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Jul 27, 2009 23:24
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Indeed. We are pretty sure what set off Zeus' urinary issues was having to share a litterbox, leading to him holding it longer than he should have. Vet check first, then treat it as behavioral.
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Jul 27, 2009 23:28
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My dog looooves squeaky toys more than anything else in the world, but he will straight up destroy most cloth or thin rubber toys in under a day. Does anyone have a suggestion for tough squeaky toys they may have found for their own dogs?
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Jul 28, 2009 00:01
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doom posted:My four month old kitten has started to disown her litter box. She still goes in the room it's in just not in the box, though she has urinated in two other places. What should I do to get her back in the box, and yes I do clean it frequently. Also, I don't think you've said how many boxes you have? If it's just one or two for two cats, you might want to even think about adding a third, especially since the one having the problem is the already established cat.
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Jul 28, 2009 00:32
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Kitten Kisses posted:My dog looooves squeaky toys more than anything else in the world, but he will straight up destroy most cloth or thin rubber toys in under a day. Does anyone have a suggestion for tough squeaky toys they may have found for their own dogs? My dogs don't really tear things up, but mine really seem to like these tennis balls that have squeakers in them. I think they Air Dog by Kong maybe??? Not sure if your dog would tear those up or not. They make a few different sizes. I just got the normal sized tennis ball ones. I've also heard good things about the Bad Cuz toys. The little rubber ball guys with feet. There are also the Tuffy's, which are toughly built stuffed toys. I got one for my dogs though and they didn't like it because it was too heavy for them to carry around and not really easy to squeak. I got them the medium sized octopus. They may have liked a smaller one.
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Jul 28, 2009 00:50
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Ok, so I've read some stuff in the past about cats with urinary crystals and all of that, but I never really absorbed any of it because I don't have a cat. v vI just spoke with my aunt, whom I am going to visit for a family event in a few days, and their cat of ~15 years is suddenly going outside the litter box. From what I've read, this sounds like it's a urinary issue, probably crystals (another info dump on the condition would be appreciated and absorbed this time!). I won't be going for another two weeks and the family is going through a bad spot and can't take the cat to the vet right now, but he will be going. You see, my cousin found the cat out in the pouring rain when he was little and ever since he has been my cousin's cat. The cat runs through the house meowing when he's not home, and will sit on his lap preferably over anyone else. His parents always took all responsibility for the animal as they should, but now that my cousin is of age and still living at home with two jobs, I feel like it's his duty to help out his family and his cat by taking the poor kitty to a vet. I will be making this happen, any way I can. Until I get there and can get on to take his cat to the vet (if phone calls and emails do not work in the meantime), what can I recommend for this cat? I can't imagine he's eating great food, but should I mention one of the specific Science Diets formulated for this kind of thing? I don't even remember which that would be.  I know it's kind of jumping the gun since he hasn't been to the vet, but the SD would probably be equivalent to what he's eating now (or better), and the sooner something gets done, the better.So any advice on how to help this cat before I can get him to a vet would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure it'll be better than my uncle's suggestion to "drop him off at the farm" like he did with a cat they had previously who had several serious issues. My aunt won't let that happen again and she's always taken the animals to the vet when they needed care, but now they've fallen on hard times and so I'm trying to do what I can to make the situation work.
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Jul 28, 2009 02:16
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