Animal Questions Not Deserving Their Own Thread

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melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Chaco posted:

He's gorgeous! His pattern does look a bit more disorganized than most tabbies--if he was female, I would call him a tortie easily. Since he's male, and male torties or calicos are pretty rare, people will want to call him a tabby. But really, does it matter? He's a pretty boy, and I am super jealous. Don't tell my cats I said that.

Heh, thanks. The secret's between you and Taro. We really lucked out with the fluffy little guy. We were always 5 minutes too late whenever we tried to adopt a kitty. It turns out his original owners got rid of him because he had "spraying problem". He also wasn't neutered when they owned him. :downs:

Sipher posted:

I got two kitties about a month and a half ago. Theyve settled in great and are a load of fun. I just have one question.

They both use a covered litter box, and they both love to paw the hell out of the inside of the box, above the litter, after they do their business. For like 10 minutes. I clean the box at least daily. Is there anything I can do to discourage this behavior? My apartment is a loft and it wakes me up.

Thanks!

We're having a similar issue. The paw'ing isn't as long, but definitely a good few minutes. I'm doing some IKEA-hacking to solve this issue. My prediction- less smell, and probably less sound. That's my hope, at least.

# ? Feb 27, 2011 00:39

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 13:13

badmomrising: Nov 16, 2010; a mari usque ad mare

Does anyone else have pets that don't want you to exercise? I am taking a ballet class, so I'm doing a lot of stretching on the floor (splits when you're old, yay!) and improvised barre stuff, and the animals go absolutely apeshit when I start. Smudge, my big "alpha" cat just about ripped all the ligaments in my groin by knocking me over while in the splits, and persists in curling and rolling himself around my limbs so that I'm sucking cat rear end (NOT OKAY!) while I suffer. Shutting him out has resulted in door damage. Radar (dog) has decided that if my feet leave the ground, or my arms wave, that I'm scaring him, so he lunges at me barking and jumps all over me. If the cat isn't around while I'm stretching, he takes over and slobbers and mouths me while I'm supposed to be very zen. See above re: separation. God, I hate them sometimes.

Any suggestions? Him indoors finds it hilarious, so he's no help.

# ? Feb 27, 2011 05:06

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Taro needs his nails clipped. Any recommendations for a good brand/type of nail clippers?

# ? Feb 27, 2011 07:08

Topoisomerase: Apr 12, 2007; CULTURE OF VICIOUSNESS

I don't think brand really matters but this type of clipper has always been the best for clipping cat nails in my experience: http://www.juliespetmarket.com/images/jw65026_2234b04e67b6cfddf969f3fb1f7e0c77.jpg

# ? Feb 27, 2011 10:12

PurpleJesus: Feb 27, 2008; We all change. When you think about it, we're all different people all through our lives, and that's okay, that's good, you gotta keep moving.

This might be a stupid question but I need to ask anyway. Can puppies sleepwalk? Last night I was sitting on the couch with Violet curled up next to me sleeping. She got up, climbed on my lap, turned a few times and then got back down and went back to sleep. My wife looks over and says "Why is your hoodie all wet?". Violet came over and peed on me. She's been doing really well with potty training and usually lets me know when she needs to go out. And she'd been outside about half an hour before that.

# ? Feb 27, 2011 13:53

Levitate: Sep 30, 2005; randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENI�RE IN ME

eh, she's a puppy, sometimes they just pee on poo poo. Since she was sleeping it could have been one of those half awake half asleep times where they don't have as much control over their bladders. I think that is one of the most common times for dogs with incontinence to pee, so I would think that something similar might hold true for puppies (I think it was something about spay incontinence and the most common times for that to manifest is in that half asleep state)

Could be wrong on that though

# ? Feb 27, 2011 14:57

PurpleJesus: Feb 27, 2008; We all change. When you think about it, we're all different people all through our lives, and that's okay, that's good, you gotta keep moving.

Levitate posted:

eh, she's a puppy, sometimes they just pee on poo poo. Since she was sleeping it could have been one of those half awake half asleep times where they don't have as much control over their bladders. I think that is one of the most common times for dogs with incontinence to pee, so I would think that something similar might hold true for puppies (I think it was something about spay incontinence and the most common times for that to manifest is in that half asleep state)

Could be wrong on that though

You're probably right. I asked because it was just so weird. Usually she wakes up, plays for a bit and then wants to go out. And she usually doesn't go right back to sleep. She was probably just extra worn out, she got some new, less destructible toys and we spent a lot of time playing yesterday.

# ? Feb 27, 2011 15:35

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Topoisomerase posted:

I don't think brand really matters but this type of clipper has always been the best for clipping cat nails in my experience: http://www.juliespetmarket.com/images/jw65026_2234b04e67b6cfddf969f3fb1f7e0c77.jpg

That's the one I'm using, but I find that it has a tendency to split the nails. :/

\/I see what you're saying. I'll try that method in a few weeks (wasn't doing it before). Thanks!

melon cat fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Feb 27, 2011

# ? Feb 27, 2011 19:08

Braki: Aug 9, 2006; Happy birthday!

I find there's less splitting if you rotate it when you cut.

Trying to explain this... when you open the clippers, it makes an oval shape. When I first got it, I'd put the claw through and clip so the oval was horizontal, if that makes sense. That led to splitting. However, if I rotated the clippers so the oval was vertical, it leads to less splitting. So when you look at it, it looks like a 0. That way, the blades are closing in on the sides of the nails, instead of the top and bottom.

# ? Feb 27, 2011 19:17

Damn Bananas: Jul 1, 2007; You humans bore me

I'm surprised the pet nutrition thread is closed, I guess I haven't checked in PI in a while, soooo I hope it's okay if I ask for a reccomendation in here?

My dad is a champion at listening to what I say about what I've learned about pets, and doing the exact opposite. He has a ~2 year old poorly bred golden retriever with absolutely atrocious skin allergies that require daily strong doses of Benadryl, and is also probably an 8, pushing 9, on that dog fatness scale. Out of the blue yesterday he messages me asking if I would do a little research on diet dog foods, admitting that poor Samson is indeed massive and in dire need of an intervention. Also he has terrible manners and knocks people over with his lard when greeting them. In the morning he is fed a big unmeasured bowl of kibble and is not allowed inside until he eats it all. (!) Same at night, I believe.

His exercise consists of a large privacy-fenced backyard with free access to the pool (I know this is dangerous but I'm just trying to tackle one issue at a time). Very little walking, and no dog parks in the area. He LOVES the pool, and decided to go swimming a few days ago for the first time in a couple months. Hopefully as it warms up he will go swimming every day like he did last spring/summer/fall. A good low/no-impact exercise that requires little to no human participation, hooray!

We are looking for something in the similar price range of Canidae All Life Stages (his current food) but in a weight-management formula. Preferrably something found commonly in stores, but the zip code is 75070 if you wanna plug it into a website's locations thing.

So, I guess my points to give to my dad are
1. Stress that exercise is important so more walking, swimming, and fetch.
2. Stress portion size (anyone got a good calorie calculator for dog height/weight/food or similar?)
3. Recommend a brand (need help here)

Thanks, and I'm sorry this turned into such a long post.

Damn Bananas fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Feb 27, 2011

# ? Feb 27, 2011 22:13

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

drat Bananas posted:

I'm surprised the pet nutrition thread is closed, I guess I haven't checked in PI in a while, soooo I hope it's okay if I ask for a reccomendation in here?

My dad is a champion at listening to what I say about what I've learned about pets, and doing the exact opposite. He has a poorly bred golden retriever with absolutely atrocious skin allergies that require daily strong doses of Benadryl, and is also probably an 8, pushing 9, on that dog fatness scale. Out of the blue yesterday he messages me asking if I would do a little research on diet dog foods, admitting that poor Samson is indeed massive and in dire need of an intervention. Also he has terrible manners and knocks people over with his lard when greeting them. In the morning he is fed a big unmeasured bowl of kibble and is not allowed inside until he eats it all. (!) Same at night, I believe.

His exercise consists of a large privacy-fenced backyard with free access to the pool (I know this is dangerous but I'm just trying to tackle one issue at a time). Very little walking, and no dog parks in the area. He LOVES the pool, and decided to go swimming a few days ago for the first time in a couple months. Hopefully as it warms up he will go swimming every day like he did last spring/summer/fall. A good low/no-impact exercise that requires little to no human participation, hooray!

We are looking for something in the similar price range of Canidae All Life Stages (his current food) but in a weight-management formula. Preferrably something found commonly in stores, but the zip code is 75070 if you wanna plug it into a website's locations thing.

So, I guess my points to give to my dad are
1. Stress that exercise is important so more walking, swimming, and fetch.
2. Stress portion size (anyone got a good calorie calculator for dog height/weight/food or similar?)
3. Recommend a brand (need help here)

Thanks, and I'm sorry this turned into such a long post.

The Nutrition thread is closed while the new one gets written. Bam got tired of the back and forth sperging over the value of corn in foods. Hopefully the new one will be up soon.

Here's a decent dog food calculator for you: http://www.goldendoodles.com/care/food_calculator.htm

As you might already be aware, the dog's skin allergies may very well be a reaction to the food he eats. Some dogs have sensitivities to wheat, chicken, etc.

# ? Feb 27, 2011 22:27

Damn Bananas: Jul 1, 2007; You humans bore me

a life less posted:

The Nutrition thread is closed while the new one gets written. Bam got tired of the back and forth sperging over the value of corn in foods. Hopefully the new one will be up soon.

Here's a decent dog food calculator for you: http://www.goldendoodles.com/care/food_calculator.htm

As you might already be aware, the dog's skin allergies may very well be a reaction to the food he eats. Some dogs have sensitivities to wheat, chicken, etc.

Thanks for the link (goldendoodles.com though, really? hah) I believe the vet diagnosed the allergies to be of the seasonal-outdoorsy variety though. poo poo-ton of landscaping plants in their backyard alone, let alone neighborhood. Also he doesn't chew on his feet, which I've seen almost exclusively with food-allergies. Absolutely no idea if this observation is backed by science or coincadink though, so eh.

Edit: Is there a good way to weigh a dog without that lovely vet office-visit fee? I mean, holding him and weighing yourself with a bathroom scale would probably work for dogs up to about corgi-sized but uh. Giant golden. Yikes.

Damn Bananas fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Feb 27, 2011

# ? Feb 27, 2011 22:35

Dr. Chaco: Mar 30, 2005

drat Bananas posted:

So, I guess my points to give to my dad are
1. Stress that exercise is important so more walking, swimming, and fetch.
2. Stress portion size (anyone got a good calorie calculator for dog height/weight/food or similar?)
3. Recommend a brand (need help here)

Thanks, and I'm sorry this turned into such a long post.

A good way to figure out how much food would be to figure out how much is currently being fed, and feed about 80% of that. You can do that with the regular food.

Even better, you can figure out what volume of the current food is being fed, figure out how many calories that is, and then feed 80% of that amount but of a diet food, either a prescription weight-loss food or an over-the-counter lower-calorie food. The over-the-counter route may require extra effort on your part to read labels, as there isn't very much regulation of label claims concerning "weight control formula," "low calorie," and other similar phrases.

The value of prescription weight loss foods like R/D is two-fold--the massive amount of fiber is supposed to keep the dog full even though his total calorie intake is lower, and the other vital nutrients (vitamins, essential fatty acids, etc) are increased in density, so that feeding fewer calories doesn't result in a deficiency of something else.

Edit: I checked out the goldendoodles calculator, and it actually uses the less-preferred caloric requirement formula. (They use the formula (30*weight in kg) + 70, and the more accurate formula, especially for very small or very large animals, is 70*(weight in kg)^0.75, and then multiplied by a factor that depends on age, neuter status, exercise level, etc. ) Regardless, there can be an enormous amount of individual variability in calorie requirements, so the best way to figure out how much you need to feed is a) measure the food accurately and b) weigh the dog to determine if he is losing weight or not, and adjust accordingly. The general guideline is to aim for 1-2% weight loss per week.

Dr. Chaco fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Feb 27, 2011

# ? Feb 27, 2011 22:44

HelloSailorSign: Jan 27, 2011

drat Bananas posted:

Edit: Is there a good way to weigh a dog without that lovely vet office-visit fee? I mean, holding him and weighing yourself with a bathroom scale would probably work for dogs up to about corgi-sized but uh. Giant golden. Yikes.

Where I used to work, if a client was working on helping their pet lose weight, we wouldn't charge for the quick walk back to the weight scale. Maybe your vet will do the same... tbh, I don't really see why not, as it doesn't take much time at all, in addition to helping your dog get healthier by losing the weight.

If Goldendoodle scares you, http://balanceit.com/ficalculator/p01_index.php works as well. It's a company owned/run by veterinary nutritionists, fyi. As long as the calculator works though, it doesn't really matter who has the calculator.

# ? Feb 27, 2011 22:59

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Question about male cats and spraying- how effective is neutering in reducing/eliminating spraying habits? Apparently our cat's original owners got rid of him because he had "a spraying problem". He also wasn't neutered- for 2 years ( :downs:

). He was neutered about a week ago by the rescue agency, and we adopted him not too long after. So he basically went two years spraying to his heart's content- probably worked up a nice little spraying habit. I think he sprayed a tiny bit on the couch not long ago, but we cleaned it right up. Any thoughts? And what's the best clean-up product to use on a suspected "spray area"?

Second question concerns cat breath. Our new cat's adorable, but his breath is a bit smelly. Smells like stinky cat food. He's on Taste of the Wild dry + a bit of Go wet. Is there a better food that we could be using?

\/ That's good to hear. I'll pick up some Nature's Miracle tomorrow. We still haven't taken him to the vet yet- we wanted to give him some time to settle in before he makes the trip. We'll probably drop by the vet over the weekend.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 01:38 on Feb 28, 2011

# ? Feb 28, 2011 00:47

Crooked Booty: Apr 2, 2009; arrr

melon cat posted:

Question about male cats and spraying- how effective is neutering in reducing/eliminating spraying habits? Apparently our cat's original owners got rid of him because he had "a spraying problem". He also wasn't neutered- for 2 years (). He was neutered about a week ago by the rescue agency, and we adopted him not too long after. So he basically went two years spraying to his heart's content- probably worked up a nice little spraying habit. I think he sprayed a tiny bit on the couch not long ago, but we cleaned it right up. Any thoughts? And what's the best clean-up product to use on a suspected "spray area"?

Second question concerns cat breath. Our new cat's adorable, but his breath is a bit smelly. Smells like stinky cat food. He's on Taste of the Wild dry + a bit of Go wet. Is there a better food that we could be using?

Neutering is extremely effective at stopping spraying -- something like 90%+ of cats will simply stop. I believe studies have shown that the age of neutering has no effect on this outcome, so basically cats won't just spray out of habit. It's hormones. But because it's hormones, it can take a few weeks for everything to get out of his system, so I wouldn't panic yet. You should use an enzymatic cleaner on any pee spots. Some others may be just as good, but Nature's Miracle is the one that gets recommended all the time.

Have you had your vet check out his mouth? Different food probably won't have much effect on his breath unless you think his food smells particularly awful. A lot of cats with stinky breath have dental disease or gingivitis that won't go away without a dental cleaning by your vet or at-home tooth brushing. I'd talk to your vet about it.

# ? Feb 28, 2011 01:18

LordNat: May 16, 2009

So, what do you wash your cat with when he decides taking a swim in the toilet? More importantly, are there any products out there that won't require the cat to sprayed with water?

Secondly, any one has a good pair of clippers for cat claws? I've finally had enough of the one I'm using because of the splitting (I can see it, and it is disturbing to me). Or is it normal that there will be splitting when trimming cat claws?

# ? Feb 28, 2011 19:20

Topoisomerase: Apr 12, 2007; CULTURE OF VICIOUSNESS

LordNat posted:

Secondly, any one has a good pair of clippers for cat claws? I've finally had enough of the one I'm using because of the splitting (I can see it, and it is disturbing to me). Or is it normal that there will be splitting when trimming cat claws?

Literally this question has been talked about on THIS VERY PAGE.

Honestly...

# ? Feb 28, 2011 21:43

whaam: Mar 18, 2008

My dog (black lab/daschund mix) has a few quirks that I'm curious about. He seems to be licking his lips whenever we are around, as well as yawning constantly. I've read this can be a "calming signal" and he is a very submissive dog (from a shelter, was abused in previous home). Is this something that could be a sign of medical problems or should I just attribute it to his personality?

Also, he has breath that smells like a fishy garbage dump. He has fairly poor dental hygiene from his previous owners, a fair bit of tartar but the vet checked for absessed teeth and what not and he came up clear. We've been brushing his teeth daily, using that dog-listerine and even feeding him this pro-biotic powder that is supposed to help oral health. Nothing seems to be working. One thing I did notice is when he was on anti-biotics for a hot-spot on his leg, his breath improved 500% until the treatment ran its course, then returned. Is there some bacterial stomach thing that might explain it?

# ? Feb 28, 2011 22:03

RazorBunny: May 23, 2007; Sometimes I feel like this.

Lip-licking can be a sign of nausea. I would definitely get a second opinion on him, it sounds like there is definitely something medically wrong with him.

# ? Feb 28, 2011 22:04

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Thanks for the info so far, guys. But another issue has popped up: Poo and fluffy cats.

Every time Taro, my fluffy little Persian, takes a dump some poop gets stuck on his fur (usually on his tail), and he comes out smelling like rear end. We're currently using the Omega Roll'in Clean Litter Box. My hunch- the bin might be a bit of a tight squeeze for him, being such a fluffy cat. Is this a possibility, or does my cat have poor cleaning habits? I'm really thinking about selling this bin, and just buying a more spacious one.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Mar 1, 2011

# ? Feb 28, 2011 22:10

2tomorrow: Oct 28, 2005; Two of us are magical.
One of us is real.

whaam posted:

My dog (black lab/daschund mix) has a few quirks that I'm curious about. He seems to be licking his lips whenever we are around, as well as yawning constantly. I've read this can be a "calming signal" and he is a very submissive dog (from a shelter, was abused in previous home). Is this something that could be a sign of medical problems or should I just attribute it to his personality?

Also, he has breath that smells like a fishy garbage dump. He has fairly poor dental hygiene from his previous owners, a fair bit of tartar but the vet checked for absessed teeth and what not and he came up clear. We've been brushing his teeth daily, using that dog-listerine and even feeding him this pro-biotic powder that is supposed to help oral health. Nothing seems to be working. One thing I did notice is when he was on anti-biotics for a hot-spot on his leg, his breath improved 500% until the treatment ran its course, then returned. Is there some bacterial stomach thing that might explain it?

That sounds like one of my dogs. When we got him in he had awful breath and I noticed that he was constantly licking his lips and/or yawning, but he had been seriously abused in his previous home so I thought it was submission, too. He developed a skin issue a couple of weeks later and a course of antibiotics cleared everything up.

He was never diagnosed with anything except the particular skin problem but I think there was a more systemic infection. All the other submissive behaviors except the lip-licking and yawning continued, and his breath cleared up. I don't know what it was but I am pretty sure there was something.

I don't recommend indiscriminate antibiotic use (I think many vets, large animal in particular, overuse them and I worry about drug resistance) but I think you should take your dog in for a thorough checkup. It may require a longer course of antibiotics than the one you had him on for the hot spot.

# ? Mar 1, 2011 02:49

FretforyourLatte: Sep 16, 2010; Put you in my oven!

whaam posted:

(black lab/daschund mix)

How the hell did THAT happen?

# ? Mar 1, 2011 04:39

Monicro: Oct 21, 2010; And you could feel his features in the air
A wide smile and perfect hair
He had complete control of the rising tides
And a medicine bag hanging at his side

In the flowing blue world of the death-dealing physician

So I've been thinking about getting a pet, and I after a few weeks of thinking about it I decided I wanted a Leopard Gecko. I've spent the last couple of days looking up proper care of them online and talking with vets, and I think I know enough to properly own one now, but I felt it would be a good idea to check with you guys if there are any other things I should know about.

Do any of you gecko owners have any tips they'd like to share? Where I should get one, what brand of crickets is best, that sort of thing?

# ? Mar 1, 2011 10:21

LordNat: May 16, 2009

Topoisomerase posted:

Literally this question has been talked about on THIS VERY PAGE.

Honestly...

I know that the question was talked about on this page, still didn't answer the question of: will there always be splitting?

Honestly...

# ? Mar 1, 2011 17:07

le chat: Jul 24, 2008; by Fistgrrl

has anyone here ever tried giving their cat with kidney troubles Specific stuff? Any opinions?
(first link from google)
http://www.bestpetpharmacy.co.uk/detailed_product.asp?id=68753

# ? Mar 1, 2011 17:19

El Gar: Apr 12, 2007; Hey Trophy...

LordNat posted:

I know that the question was talked about on this page, still didn't answer the question of: will there always be splitting?

Honestly...

Your question was asking for a good pair of clippers because of the splitting, don't go pretending you asked a different question.

Braki posted:

I find there's less splitting if you rotate it when you cut.

Trying to explain this... when you open the clippers, it makes an oval shape. When I first got it, I'd put the claw through and clip so the oval was horizontal, if that makes sense. That led to splitting. However, if I rotated the clippers so the oval was vertical, it leads to less splitting. So when you look at it, it looks like a 0. That way, the blades are closing in on the sides of the nails, instead of the top and bottom.

Rotate the clippers you dork.

le chat posted:

has anyone here ever tried giving their cat with kidney troubles Specific stuff? Any opinions?
(first link from google)

My last cat had kidney problems and my vet prescribed her a k/d food. Ask your vet, kidney problems are serious and choosing a diet for a cat w/ renal issues is best left to them.

# ? Mar 1, 2011 17:33

le chat: Jul 24, 2008; by Fistgrrl

wraithgar posted:

My last cat had kidney problems and my vet prescribed her a k/d food. Ask your vet, kidney problems are serious and choosing a diet for a cat w/ renal issues is best left to them.

yeah but they didn't recommend any specific foods just one suitable for cats with kidney disease and I was just wondering if anybody had tried the Specific stuff I linked to

# ? Mar 1, 2011 17:55

Dr. Chaco: Mar 30, 2005

That site doesn't give much specific information about that food, like the exact amount of protein/phosphorus/etc. It does, however, make very similar claims to other good kidney foods, like reduced protein and phosphorus levels, reduced sodium, and extra omega-3 fatty acids. If your vet doesn't have a particular brand they recommend, maybe you can find more information about this food and compare it to the nutritional data available for Hill's k/d (http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-kd-feline-renal-health-dry.html) or Purina NF (http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/Product/NFKidneyFunctionCatFood.aspx). Both of those are used frequently for the management of chronic renal disease in the US.

# ? Mar 1, 2011 18:42

Dr. Chaco: Mar 30, 2005

Monicro posted:

So I've been thinking about getting a pet, and I after a few weeks of thinking about it I decided I wanted a Leopard Gecko. I've spent the last couple of days looking up proper care of them online and talking with vets, and I think I know enough to properly own one now, but I felt it would be a good idea to check with you guys if there are any other things I should know about.

Do any of you gecko owners have any tips they'd like to share? Where I should get one, what brand of crickets is best, that sort of thing?

You'd probably get more responses if you post in the Reptile/Amphibian thread. I can tell you that the most common mistakes I see leopard gecko owners make are too little humidity, resulting in shedding problems, and using sand substrate, which causes GI blockages and can get stuck in their eyes.

# ? Mar 1, 2011 19:38

Monicro: Oct 21, 2010; And you could feel his features in the air
A wide smile and perfect hair
He had complete control of the rising tides
And a medicine bag hanging at his side

In the flowing blue world of the death-dealing physician

Chaco posted:

You'd probably get more responses if you post in the Reptile/Amphibian thread. I can tell you that the most common mistakes I see leopard gecko owners make are too little humidity, resulting in shedding problems, and using sand substrate, which causes GI blockages and can get stuck in their eyes.

Alright, I'll post it there then. Thanks anyway

# ? Mar 1, 2011 21:56

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

Really weird dog question incoming:

Our 7 year old Border Collie has always been a bit skittish around various objects. For background, she was a rescue that we got when she was 2 and we suspect there may have been "rough discipline" or perhaps outright abuse. She gets freaked out by long items (rake, shovel, etc) and is semi-afraid/hesitant around items that make noise (full length window blinds for example). However much praise/treats/exposure has made her much, much better than when we first got her.

Last year we moved to a new house with those old-style heat vents along the baseboards. She would never really hang around them, but unless she was a foot away from one and it kicked on it didn't really freak her out (she doesn't like fans either). Within the last couple of days she won't even go within 5-10 feet of them. Like, terrified. There are hallways that she used to romp around with no problem that now seem to have some invisible barrier thanks to the vents. As a Border Collie, she is addicted to her ball and you could get her to do ANYTHING for that item. Now even that won't tempt her to go past a vent.

What could have possible caused this sudden change in her behavior? The ONLY thing that has changed recently is that I installed a new furnace filter. Is it possible that there is a new smell that is terrifying to her? Other than the fear of the vents she is 100% normal, urinating/defecating/eating/drinking/etc.

I'm so confused and I feel terrible that she's so freaked out. It's winter in Michigan so not running the heater really isn't an option...

# ? Mar 2, 2011 02:15

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

RexSS345 posted:

Really weird dog question incoming:

Our 7 year old Border Collie has always been a bit skittish around various objects. For background, she was a rescue that we got when she was 2 and we suspect there may have been "rough discipline" or perhaps outright abuse. She gets freaked out by long items (rake, shovel, etc) and is semi-afraid/hesitant around items that make noise (full length window blinds for example). However much praise/treats/exposure has made her much, much better than when we first got her.

Last year we moved to a new house with those old-style heat vents along the baseboards. She would never really hang around them, but unless she was a foot away from one and it kicked on it didn't really freak her out (she doesn't like fans either). Within the last couple of days she won't even go within 5-10 feet of them. Like, terrified. There are hallways that she used to romp around with no problem that now seem to have some invisible barrier thanks to the vents. As a Border Collie, she is addicted to her ball and you could get her to do ANYTHING for that item. Now even that won't tempt her to go past a vent.

What could have possible caused this sudden change in her behavior? The ONLY thing that has changed recently is that I installed a new furnace filter. Is it possible that there is a new smell that is terrifying to her? Other than the fear of the vents she is 100% normal, urinating/defecating/eating/drinking/etc.

I'm so confused and I feel terrible that she's so freaked out. It's winter in Michigan so not running the heater really isn't an option...

I wouldn't be surprised if the new filter was pumping some strange scents into the house. Border Collies are incredibly sensitive as a breed, and it sounds like yours is especially so.

Do you know about desensitization and counter conditioning? It will take some time, but you can actively work on this new phobia and probably get some moderately fast results.

Desensitization is the process where you find the dog's threshold where she feels okay, and just hang out there and make it a happy place -- use food, play, whatever. If she continues to feel okay move a bit closer and continue with the exercise. Only decrease the distance if she's showing zero-to-minimal stress signs at the one previous. All the while you'll be feeding her (heck, feed her her meals this way). Utilizing the food and other rewards is the counterconditioning, essentially using a high value item in conjunction with a lower-stress situation to add value to and elicit a positive emotional association with the stimulus. I talk about this a lot more in the Dog Training Megathread.

Note: Take this slowly. Aim for this to take you at least a week, if not more. It's always tempting to rush it, but you get best results when you go at your dog's pace.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 03:58

LordNat: May 16, 2009

wraithgar posted:

Your question was asking for a good pair of clippers because of the splitting, don't go pretending you asked a different question.

Secondly, any one has a good pair of clippers for cat claws? I've finally had enough of the one I'm using because of the splitting (I can see it, and it is disturbing to me). Or is it normal that there will be splitting when trimming cat claws?

How was that a different question? Reading comprehension much?

# ? Mar 2, 2011 16:30

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Any recommendations for a good clipper for cat's fur?" We need to clip the fur around our cat's butt to make his poop less messy (FUN!), but we need a small clipper that doesn't sound like a lawnmower, and is designed for softer cat's fur.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Feb 5, 2024

# ? Mar 2, 2011 18:05

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

a life less posted:

I wouldn't be surprised if the new filter was pumping some strange scents into the house. Border Collies are incredibly sensitive as a breed, and it sounds like yours is especially so.

Do you know about desensitization and counter conditioning? It will take some time, but you can actively work on this new phobia and probably get some moderately fast results.

Desensitization is the process where you find the dog's threshold where she feels okay, and just hang out there and make it a happy place -- use food, play, whatever. If she continues to feel okay move a bit closer and continue with the exercise. Only decrease the distance if she's showing zero-to-minimal stress signs at the one previous. All the while you'll be feeding her (heck, feed her her meals this way). Utilizing the food and other rewards is the counterconditioning, essentially using a high value item in conjunction with a lower-stress situation to add value to and elicit a positive emotional association with the stimulus. I talk about this a lot more in the Dog Training Megathread.

Note: Take this slowly. Aim for this to take you at least a week, if not more. It's always tempting to rush it, but you get best results when you go at your dog's pace.

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I've actually been working on the desensitization and have seen moderate results in the few days since this started, I'll keep at it.

I was just worried that this was SO SUDDEN that maybe she had like a brain tumor or something. Good to at least have someone agree that odor could be the culprit.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 18:08

Dr. Chaco: Mar 30, 2005

LordNat posted:

Secondly, any one has a good pair of clippers for cat claws? I've finally had enough of the one I'm using because of the splitting (I can see it, and it is disturbing to me). Or is it normal that there will be splitting when trimming cat claws?

I like using human nail clippers for cats because the cat's nail is flat (vertically) and pet clippers are generally more oval-shaped. I feel like it bothers the cat less, and I haven't noticed a lot of splitting.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 19:01