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Weebly posted:I feel so odd asking this but what are the strongest dog toys on the market? My dog (a 1 and 1/2 year old siberian husky mix) loves squeaky toys. However, with every single squeaky toy he destroys the squeaky in 2 days max. I want something that will squeak but without me having to worry about him tearing into the toy to try to swallow either the squeaky or part of the toy. You could try sewing a squeaker inside several layers of burlap maybe. Some dogs are good at targeting seams though so if he does that it may not work. Maybe cut a tiny hole in a basketball or football, deflate it, stick some squeakers inside and glue it shut with some non-toxic glue? I'd recommend pre-made toys but I've yet to find one a dog that's really rough on toys can't kill, much less a squeaky one. Moses has murdered just about every "EXTRA TOUGH INDESTRUCTIBLE" dog toy on the market. 
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Jun 26, 2011 00:55
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Kiri koli posted:Is there a door near your desktop or a heavy table nearby? Try to find something nearby that you can tether her to that can't reach that spot. Or perhaps try one of those baby pens for puppies. It sounds like she's developing a habit and it isn't necessarily the smell that keeps her coming back. I bought her a ex-pen today (I'd been meaning to for awhile) and that's helping for now. She's enjoying not having to be tethered, too.
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Jun 26, 2011 03:02
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nvm, situation taken care of.
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Jun 26, 2011 03:20
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Crooked Booty posted:If ticks are a regular problem, you might want to ask your vet about a Preventic Collar. People I know who have used them say they get better results than with Frontline Plus, and the collar lasts several months, so one should be enough to get you through the summer. They are intended to actually prevent tick attachment. They're safe to use in combination with topicals, and unlike flea collars, they're actually made by a legit drug company and not sketchy/dangerous. I think you can get them online without a prescription, but it's always a good idea to run things past your vet first. I guess those collars can cause interactions for dogs on psych meds so I avoid them. I don't know what they would do exactly but I don't want to risk it. Major also wears his DAP collar all the time and there's really only so many collars he can wear at a time. KiriI use K9 Advantix 2 which is supposed to repel ticks and biting flies and have had good luck with it. Of course your mileage may vary based on local resistances but if permethrin can safely keep ticks off my baby sheep I trust it on my dog.
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Jun 26, 2011 06:43
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Instant Jellyfish posted:I guess those collars can cause interactions for dogs on psych meds so I avoid them. I don't know what they would do exactly but I don't want to risk it. Major also wears his DAP collar all the time and there's really only so many collars he can wear at a time. Thanks, both of you. We need to swing by the vet and refill Psyche's prozac, so I'm going to ask the vet what's best for the area (it's mostly deer ticks around here). I'm inclined to switch to Advantix now, though the ticks we found didn't seem to be latching on even after they had a day to find a spot. Maybe they got lost in all that fur... I also read that a study found that Advantix loses ~50% potency over the course of a month as opposed to 5% for Frontline...I didn't see the original study though, so maybe that's not true.
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Jun 26, 2011 14:59
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Post-tick question. We pulled a tick out from behind our dog's ear probably a week ago, but aren't sure if the head got left inside. Now we're thinking it did, because he has a sort of tiny bulge at the tick spot with a little black dot in the center, kind of like a pimple/blackhead kind of thing. I assume his body is just doing what bodies do when there is a splinter/other shallow foreign object and slowly pushing it out by itself. My plan is to wait for it to run its course, keeping an eye on it to make sure there are no signs of infection (redness, super sensitivity, warm to the touch, pus/discharge, am I missing any?), then otherwise calling the vet. Good plan of action? I've never dealt with ticks before.
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Jun 26, 2011 16:48
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I took my dog for a hike a week ago. The next day I found a tick on her and removed it with tweezers like the internet told me too. 2 days later I found another one. I washed her with a flea and tick shampoo on saturday. I just found a HUGE tick on her today (monday) and still feel like throwing up. There were actually 2 in the same spot. So maybe they're breeding? I just went to the vet and got some "vectra 3d". 3 months worth. This stuff will kill ticks already on her right? Do they just fall out when they're dead?
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Jun 27, 2011 20:53
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I don't know about the tick treatment, but ticks don't function the same way as fleas. They live as individuals, and don't breed and infest homes as groups. Tick season seems to be especially rotten this year, this is the most tick related posts I've seen awhile. I've heard good things on here about new tick collars that are available from vets though.
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Jun 27, 2011 21:50
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Hdip posted:I took my dog for a hike a week ago. The next day I found a tick on her and removed it with tweezers like the internet told me too. 2 days later I found another one. I washed her with a flea and tick shampoo on saturday. I just found a HUGE tick on her today (monday) and still feel like throwing up. There were actually 2 in the same spot. So maybe they're breeding? You might want to check your dog's bedding. If she hasn't been out since the hike but new ticks are showing up, she's getting them from somewhere in your house. If she brought some ticks in that were hiding in her fur but not latched on they may be lurking somewhere that they can then attach to her later. If she goes out regularly, you should give her a quick check every time she comes in to make sure she's not bringing in more houseguests. One year when ticks were really bad in my parents' neighborhood, the living room sofa got infested from the dog always running in and out. You'd sit on the sofa, then stand up and do a tick check and find one or two every time. Finally my mom hit it with a bug bomb, I still maintain she should have just burned it. 
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Jun 28, 2011 10:46
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Hdip posted:I took my dog for a hike a week ago. The next day I found a tick on her and removed it with tweezers like the internet told me too. 2 days later I found another one. I washed her with a flea and tick shampoo on saturday. I just found a HUGE tick on her today (monday) and still feel like throwing up. There were actually 2 in the same spot. So maybe they're breeding? My mom has lived in the same house with dogs for many years and had never seen a single tick before, but one summer we got a lot of rain and she was finding a tick or two on her dogs almost every day, despite topical preventatives. An exterminator treated the yard, and she hasn't seen a tick since.
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Jun 28, 2011 14:20
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wheatpuppy posted:I still maintain she should have just burned it. I would have destroyed that couch. Ticks squick me right the hell out.
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Jun 28, 2011 15:07
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Okay, so I don't think this deserved its own thread, but if it's going to cause a huge derail I'll move it. So, our cat is about a year and a half old, and we apparently did a really great job of socializing her, because up until now she's been incredibly docile. Like, I could pick her up and put her on my face and she'd just lay there, and she has no problems with her legs/paws being touched. But yesterday we had some problems picking her up. She'll twist her body until she's on the ground, and then when you move your hands toward her she'll swipe at you (which she has NEVER done before). The most she'd ever done before was try to gnaw on the hand closest to her mouth, and once she hissed at me. I thought it might have just been her mood that day, maybe something freaked her out, but this morning it's the same deal. Her behavior is otherwise the same, she still comes and sits with us and rubs against our legs and such. Why is she suddenly unwilling to be picked up? And what can we do to retrain her? Here's a picture of the little scamp.  
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Jun 28, 2011 19:07
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Double Plus Good posted:Okay, so I don't think this deserved its own thread, but if it's going to cause a huge derail I'll move it. So, our cat is about a year and a half old, and we apparently did a really great job of socializing her, because up until now she's been incredibly docile. Like, I could pick her up and put her on my face and she'd just lay there, and she has no problems with her legs/paws being touched. But yesterday we had some problems picking her up. She'll twist her body until she's on the ground, and then when you move your hands toward her she'll swipe at you (which she has NEVER done before). The most she'd ever done before was try to gnaw on the hand closest to her mouth, and once she hissed at me. I thought it might have just been her mood that day, maybe something freaked her out, but this morning it's the same deal. Her behavior is otherwise the same, she still comes and sits with us and rubs against our legs and such. Why is she suddenly unwilling to be picked up? And what can we do to retrain her?
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Jun 28, 2011 20:11
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a life less posted:Any time an animal's behaviour switches to grumpy, sensitive or testy the first step is always taking them to the vet. Irritability can be a sign of pain.
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Jun 28, 2011 20:18
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Double Plus Good posted:See, we thought that, but she is otherwise lively and playful, and she isn't hiding in small places. Do you think maybe she is constipated? She's had minor stomach trouble before, and that would explain why she wouldn't want to be held. She's eating and drinking normally, though. Take the cat to the vet. It could be any number of things. Behavior changes are a huge red flag.
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Jun 28, 2011 22:05
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We took our dog for his kennel cough vaccination today (the one that goes up the nose) and he tried to bite the vet. I'm told he did this last year too. We've had two dogs before him and six years of uneventful vaccinations with this dog, always going to the same vet, but they hired this new girl last year and it seems like she just doesn't know how to do kennel cough properly. Is it possible she's hurting him? Should we find a new vet? :\ He's normally a very docile dog but he freaks out now when he sees her coming.
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Jun 28, 2011 23:00
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Hey P.I. Goons! I have a 2.5yr old spayed female cat, who as far as I know prior to this has only displayed aggression to the vet, and a friend who brought a dog over. Otherwise she's affectionate, or aloof. Last month, my BF and I decided to rent out one of the rooms in our condo to someone else to bring in a little extra money and bring our rent down. A nice girl moved in, and everyone gets along well. Everyone that is, except her, and my cat. Recently-- within the past two weeks, we've noticed an increase in aggression in cat's behavior around new room-mate. Angry meowing, swatting, etc. I wasn't present at the time, but roomie says cat hissed at her before as well. She behaves no differently around me or BF, no changes in eating/drinking, litterbox usage or activity level otherwise. Today I was playing on my xbox and the cat was laying next to me in bed and roommate walked in to ask me a question, immediately cat started with the drawn out meows, which eventually escalated into growling. She didn't actually change postures, remained laying on her side next to me, but did try to lazily swat at roommate. I got up and grabbed a bag of treats and handed them to roommate to dole out to cat. Cat ate treats, all seemed well, roommate went back to room. I wonder what's causing this? I know that roomie is a heavy user of perfumes and other scents, is her smell somewhat off putting? Is it territorial aggression, since she does not seem to be displaying fear? How can I try to make things more amicable between them, since I'd rather not have my feline friend chase out our new housemate? I'm thinking to give roomie her own stash of treats, and try to give one or two to cat whenever she passes by, so cat associates her as a bringer of tasty things? Will this work, do you think? Sorry if this has been answered before, but the thread is 200+ pages.
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Jun 29, 2011 08:03
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Duckbill posted:We took our dog for his kennel cough vaccination today (the one that goes up the nose) and he tried to bite the vet. I'm told he did this last year too. We've had two dogs before him and six years of uneventful vaccinations with this dog, always going to the same vet, but they hired this new girl last year and it seems like she just doesn't know how to do kennel cough properly. Is it possible she's hurting him? Should we find a new vet? :\ He's normally a very docile dog but he freaks out now when he sees her coming. This might be a behaviour you could try to train out of your dog using some positive reinforcement techniques but unless you see this vet regularly (more than 1/month) it probably wouldn't stick. Honestly to me it sounds like at some point your dog created a negative association with this vet (vet tech?). If you can request a different tech give the vaccine with a polite, aloof "my dog just seems to respond really negatively, must be a weird dog quirk" then I'd recommend that. If she has to be the one doing it though, I would probably find a new vet. It's a pity you need so many cert papers for kennel cough, it's pretty easy to do yourself, way cheaper and lots of city animal shelters etc. have some education/outreach programs that can teach you, but you need the papers if you wanna board the dog ever. The chances of a properly trained vet tech hurting your pup on a regular basis with that vaccine is pretty low, it's more likely she pinched/jammed him once and he has negative associations with it. She could just be terrible, though if she was scaring/scarring/hurting dogs on a regular basis (even if she's only done yours twice she probably does the vaccine more than once a week) it would probably have been noticed and got her fired at this point.
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Jun 29, 2011 08:38
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PsychoTiyal posted:Recently-- within the past two weeks, we've noticed an increase in aggression in cat's behavior around new room-mate. Angry meowing, swatting, etc. I wasn't present at the time, but roomie says cat hissed at her before as well. So all the cat has done is hiss/growl and swat? That's not aggression. Not really. Your cat doesn't know or trust this person and is probably trying to feel them out. Something you guys could try is just having the roommate sit in the same room and ignore the cat. Cats love people who ignore them.
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Jun 29, 2011 14:18
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PsychoTiyal posted:Hey P.I. Goons!
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Jun 29, 2011 16:18
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I didn't want to make a thread about this since I don't really know weather it was serious or not, but what do you guys think of this...? I'm a little worried. Our 9 mo old cat was sleeping in my lap for about an hour or so and acted very strangely when he woke up. He was having trouble opening his right eye and was making these weird motions with his head, holding his head up and swaying from side to side. He was finally able to open his eye and seemed to snap out of it, but he was shaking his head and holding his ears flat out. I have never seen him do something like this before and he seems fine now, but I don't want to get too comfortable. He has no health issues as of his last vet visit. He has a smaller eyelid on his right eye than his left, which is the only think I can think of that might cause this reaction.
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Jun 29, 2011 21:34
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Was he tilting to one side and did he scratch the ear on that side? Sounds like he may have had an itchy inner ear. Try sniffing his ear to see if it smells bad - could be an ear infection. Also try rubbing his ears. If he goes into some sort of fit of ecstasy they're probably itchy. (if his ears are fine, it's best to call a vet. It's best to call anyway since I'm not a vet at all, but it could be much more serious than itchy ears)
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Jun 29, 2011 21:52
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Has his walking/balance changed at all? The not being able to open an eye thing would freak me out
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Jun 29, 2011 21:54
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2508084 posted:I'm inherently suspicious, but make sure she's not retaliating against your cat. I know people who consider it acceptable to hit cats who hiss at them. I highly doubt it. While she isn't really a 'cat person' when I've just been around, she and the cat tend to ignore one another. The problem crops up when she gets close to the cat, like when the cat is laying on the floor and she has to step over/walk around her, or like last night when she came in to ask me a question and the cat was lying on the bed. When I saw the cat growling, roomie just sort of looked at her briefly but didn't otherwise react aside from continuing to talk to me. I've seen roomie just standing for example in the kitchen and the cat will just cruise right past her. I am confused. Maybe cat just wants personal space? I've gotten roomie to feed her treats, but maybe I should just advocate she try to avoid cat as best as possible? I don't want to reinforce the negative behavior by having roomie have to leave the room whenever cat decides to get huffy.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:20
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I don't think cats are smart enough to pick up on that kind of subtle behavior. Like someone suggested, have her feed the cat and give it treats. Did your new roomie have animals in her last place? If so there could be residual animal smells on her clothes that she can't smell.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:23
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2508084 posted:Has his walking/balance changed at all? The not being able to open an eye thing would freak me out His walking/balance is fine. He's acting totally normal now, but I'm keeping close eye on him. Any more signs of strange behavior and I'm definitely calling a vet.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:35
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Duckbill posted:We took our dog for his kennel cough vaccination today (the one that goes up the nose) and he tried to bite the vet. I'm told he did this last year too. We've had two dogs before him and six years of uneventful vaccinations with this dog, always going to the same vet, but they hired this new girl last year and it seems like she just doesn't know how to do kennel cough properly. Is it possible she's hurting him? Should we find a new vet? :\ He's normally a very docile dog but he freaks out now when he sees her coming. My Beagle, Jax, hates the intranasal kennel cough vaccination, too. Its honestly hard to blame him; if my life revolved around my nose, I wouldn't want people shooting things up there either. So we get him the shot instead - problem solved, and no muzzling required.
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Jul 1, 2011 00:47
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Azrael Alexander posted:His walking/balance is fine. He's acting totally normal now, but I'm keeping close eye on him. Any more signs of strange behavior and I'm definitely calling a vet. Was he somehow unable to use his eyelid muscles, or was his eye maybe stuck shut with eye-goo? My Murphy is prone to eye infections, and he acts like that if his eye is starting to get goopy. For some reason he loses his balance if he can't see out of both eyes.
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Jul 1, 2011 09:01
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Is it normal for a cat to lick herself almost constantly? I adopted a cat when my dad died. She went to the vet before I noticed this. But basically she seems to lick herself practically all day long. I'm not sure if I should be concerned. I looked it up and most of the results were about cats that lick their fur off, which she doesn't appear to do. Thanks.
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Jul 2, 2011 20:13
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I have a puppy exercise question. We recently adopted a German Shephard / Husky / other stuff mix from the shelter at 8 months old (she is 9 months now). She has really been a terrific dog through and through except for some barking while on leash which we are working on. Needless to say, both my GF and I work so her weekly exercise schedule is as follows: Monday through Friday she gets a 20 min walk at 5:15am on hard pavement / lawn grass around the neighborhood. If we are feeling particularly perky that morning we might jog for a minute or two on the home stretch. In the evenings we take her out for a longer walk on the bayou trail near our house. This is a dirt path and the walk can sometimes push 2 miles. Usually takes about an hour. On the weekends she either gets longer walks on the bayou path or we take her to the dog park and just let her have fun for a couple of hours. She never seems to tire out until we actually go home where she just lays down and goes to sleep. She also just learned how to swim so now she can fetch the ball in the doggy pool at the dog park. I have two questions: 1) How do I know if we are over-exercising her for her age? Our hope was that because she spends most of the walk on a dirt trail the distance wouldn't be an issue but there is a lot of conflicting information online. Should I be worried about the amount of time we spend at the dog park? Now that she is swimming I am less concerned about our time there but before she could bound around for hours. My primary concern is that we are letting her go all out on the weekends and it could be hurting her long term joint health. 2) When will she be ready for hikes. I was thinking about taking her on a short (5-8 mile) day hike tomorrow, but wanted to make sure that this wouldn't be too much on her joints. I know her energy level could handle it fine. Some pictures because pet posts are always better with pictures.  
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Jul 2, 2011 22:45
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Chachikoala posted:I have a puppy exercise question. Without x-rays, there's not really a way to confirm how closed those growth plates are. It varies by breed, and also by individual dog. You probably have another 6 months before you can be pretty sure the growth plates are closed. It's definitely a balance between being cautious to protect her joints and bones, vs. having a GSD adolescent who will bounce off the walls if they don't get enough exercise. I had the same issues with my Border Collie. I feel like moderate exercise and a sane, happy dog is important, even though there is a risk. Dirt, grass, and natural surfaces are best for exercising. Easier on her body (and yours too) since natural surfaces have a certain amount of 'give' to them. I'd say you're ready for hikes already - though I would personally start with something a bit shorter (3-4 miles) this weekend, and build up gradually (+10% each week) to the longer hikes. I personally avoid dog parks (I've seen way too many unaltered, stressed, or out-of-control dogs with ineffective owners to feel confident taking my dog(s) to the ones around here), but a mid-week dog class like agility, flyball, rally obedience, etc. can be a fantastic way to really wear out a smart, athletic dog. The combination of mental and physical exercise will wear out a dog like nothing else.
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Jul 3, 2011 00:09
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Mt cat won't stop pissing in two spots, one of which being my primary vent in the living room. I have kicked him out many times, he doesn't get it. He tends to be a dick when I leave for work or if the other male cat is a jerk. Tried an experiment throwing the other cat out and he still pissed. It's been going on for a year now, and I adore this cat more than anything in the world (Hence the stupid separation anxiety), but not only is cat piss loving foul, but I am also in the process of selling my house. Animal info: 3 cats, all male, all fixed, and one dog. The cat that is mean is his brother (And it isn't often they truly fight), both are almost 5 and have been together since birth. How do you make a spiteful rear end in a top hat cat stop pissing?
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Jul 3, 2011 13:23
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Mathematics posted:Is it normal for a cat to lick herself almost constantly? If my cats aren't eating or sleeping, they are bathing. You lucked out and got a clean kitty with no kitty butt stink!
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Jul 3, 2011 13:25
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1) Make sure their litter area(s) are clean and safe and quiet. Cats won't go in a dirty box or in a place they feel unsafe and may prefer to have their own box. Mine share, thank god. 2) Make sure you clean the places he's been peeing properly to get the scent out they can smell. He just keeps smelling where's he gone and just goes again. 3) Take him to the vet. Cat's don't really do that because the are "spiteful assholes". A lot of times when the pee in places we don't want them too they are either uncomfortable with their litter set up or having urinary issues. If it's been going on for a year, I would definitely take him in. A bonus 4) Try some Feliway, maybe. I use the diffuser. Keeps my females from fighting and keeps the mean one calm. I always know when I'm out, because Tabitha just starts being a little bitch. He's a cat. His mind doesn't work like your mind. He's not going to understand that by 'kicking him out' that means 'don't pee here'.
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Jul 3, 2011 14:36
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Insignificunt posted:Mt cat won't stop pissing in two spots, one of which being my primary vent in the living room. I have kicked him out many times, he doesn't get it. He tends to be a dick when I leave for work or if the other male cat is a jerk. Tried an experiment throwing the other cat out and he still pissed. It's been going on for a year now, and I adore this cat more than anything in the world (Hence the stupid separation anxiety), but not only is cat piss loving foul, but I am also in the process of selling my house. Vet first. Male cats can die from urinary crystals left unattended, I'm being so serious here. How old were they when they were fixed?
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Jul 3, 2011 15:03
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I dunno where else to ask this, but I was wondering if it'd be possible for me to get geckos for my NSW house in Australia? There's a roach problem due to a lot of mud in the yard and wilderness outside, and I hate using traps and poo poo. I never had any bug problems in my Brisbane apartment because the place was infested with geckos... they were so awesome, I hardly never saw them and they only chirped occasionally at night, and I don't think my cat every managed to catch one since they can climb walls. I know I read somewhere on here about a dude getting geckos somehow for his bug problems. No idea how he did it though.
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Jul 3, 2011 15:40
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I just discovered that there's a dozen tiny bumps on my cat's head. I'm positive that they weren't there just a few hours ago. I don't really know what they look like underneath the fur, but they're really small, and I don't think they contain fluid. What should I do?
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Jul 3, 2011 17:24
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Wsobchak posted:I just discovered that there's a dozen tiny bumps on my cat's head. I'm positive that they weren't there just a few hours ago. I don't really know what they look like underneath the fur, but they're really small, and I don't think they contain fluid. What should I do?
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Jul 3, 2011 17:48
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Crooked Booty posted:Take your cat to the vet. Tiny bumps could be a million different things, and no one on the internet is going to be able to tell you which they are. Well, I'm pretty much positive that it's an case of food allergy. I told them not to feed her KFC, goddamit. It is going to subside on it's own?
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Jul 3, 2011 18:56
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Corridor posted:I dunno where else to ask this, but I was wondering if it'd be possible for me to get geckos for my NSW house in Australia? There's a roach problem due to a lot of mud in the yard and wilderness outside, and I hate using traps and poo poo. I never had any bug problems in my Brisbane apartment because the place was infested with geckos... they were so awesome, I hardly never saw them and they only chirped occasionally at night, and I don't think my cat every managed to catch one since they can climb walls. Unless the geckos are naturally existing directly in your area I highly doubt it. I imagine Australasia is extremely strict with such things because of their painful track record with previous species introductions.
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Jul 3, 2011 21:14
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