|
Etheldreda posted:James Bond the cat has had diarrhea for about a day. He's otherwise fine; affectionate and playful as always. I wouldn't be too concerned except he's had it twice before in the past two years or so and now I'm wondering what's going on. It always goes away after a couple of days. I haven't pinpointed a cause. At what point should I become more concerned than I am? What kind of plants do you have in your house?
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2011 20:07
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 21:01 |
|
|
wraithgar posted:What kind of plants do you have in your house? The only plants left in the house are two Phalaenopsis orchids. They appear entirely un-chewed. No plantlike bits in the barf or poop either...
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2011 20:37
|
|
|
So, after months of Nova being awesome, I came home today to find a small portion of the wall chewed, the paint torn off, and a 3" square piece of carpet destroyed. When I'm gone during the days I have class (3 days a week, generally 4-5 hours) she's kept locked in a room with water, a bunch of her favorite toys, and generally a stuffed kong. This has worked for about the past month with no problems, no accidents, no destructiveness. Today I came home to that. How can I deter this? I can crate her, but then I feel a bit bad because either she's locked up all night, taken out, and then locked up again for 5 hours, or locked up for 5 hours, taken out, and then locked up all night, depending on the day. She was fine. Is this separation anxiety or just boredom or just puppy destructiveness? She's nearly 7 months old, so I was prepared for the difficult stage to be hitting soon, at least. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2011 00:46
|
|
|
I would go back to crating her for at least a brief period. For all you know a truck backfired and spooked her (or, well, something). I would crate to try and stop it from becoming a habit, but I wouldn't automatically jump to assuming it's SA after one incident. Fade the crate after a few weeks of regular crating and then reassess. Do the typical heavy exercise to wear her out as best you can before you leave too, so she's likely to sleep happily through the hours you're away.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2011 00:57
|
|
|
In a little under two weeks my girlfriend and I are going to my parents' place in Ann Arbor for Thanksgiving. We have a dog but my parents don't want him in the house (1 1/2 year old Corgi) so we're looking to board him for a few days. Does anyone know of a good place to board him? I think last time I was home I checked out Karnik Pet Lodge and it seemed nice enough. Advice?
C-Euro fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Nov 12, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2011 03:43
|
|
|
Etheldreda posted:Tangent: what is it about prescription urinary food that makes it help with pee stuff? Could I make something myself? Nope. Only two brands make the Rx stuff and it's not something you can replicate. Part of what makes it effective is that it's lower protein, but you'd probably have to look into the actual studies done by Hill's and such to get the full details on exactly how their formula is balanced to prevent urinary issues -- if those studies are even made available to the public, I don't know.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2011 04:06
|
|
|
a life less posted:I would go back to crating her for at least a brief period. For all you know a truck backfired and spooked her (or, well, something). I would crate to try and stop it from becoming a habit, but I wouldn't automatically jump to assuming it's SA after one incident. Fade the crate after a few weeks of regular crating and then reassess. This is going to be a long post. I'm giving you information so you can make the best decision possible - though some of it sounds really scary - separation anxiety (if this is what really is happening) is treatable. Think about how your dog acts throughout the rest of the day. Can you see any other possible signs of anxiety? Does she readily eat the kong when you put it down when you leave? Do you notice lots of saliva in the room? Does she drink lots of water when you come home? Depending on those answers, they may be a sign of generalized anxiety and a behavioral consultation may be necessary, as this may get worse. Crating a dog that may have separation anxiety could be very bad - it tends to come in a trio with confinement anxiety and some sort of noise phobia. They could hurt themselves seriously by trying to break out of the crate. Yes, if a loud sound set her off, then it may not happen again for a while. It may have even been set off by that event. Dogs that are fine their entire life then experience a thunderstorm without their parents home can quite suddenly 'break' with separation anxiety that only gets worse. Separation anxiety is not a habit, it is an anxiety disorder. There is no 'habit to keep them from forming.' Physical activity only works if it is due to boredom. If it is separation anxiety, then they may start relating the physical activity (long walk, fetch, w/e) to 'OMG THIS MEANS YOU'RE LEAVING AAHHHHHHH.' I have seen a patient that appeared to generalize to the extent that the sun coming up caused them anxiety... Dog's Mind: Sun coming up -> dad wakes up -> dad eats something -> dad takes me for fetch -> dad... LEAVES OMG THE SUN IS THE CRUX I AM ANXIOUS ABOUT THE SUN! You have two choices here. Write down everything you can about this incident (noting specially where the damage was done), what was different about the day, anything... Or go to the vet. It may be an isolated incident, or it may be showing you that your dog has an anxiety disorder.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2011 05:07
|
|
|
HelloSailorSign posted:This is going to be a long post. I'm giving you information so you can make the best decision possible - though some of it sounds really scary - separation anxiety (if this is what really is happening) is treatable. While I don't disagree with anything you've said, I think it's premature to automatically jump into assuming it's SA before looking at other possibilities. SA is a diagnosis made through exclusion. I don't think a behaviourist would diagnose a dog with separation anxiety without trying some other tactics to address the visible symptoms. That is, check to see if the 7 month old pup is teething, or under exercised, or not given appropriate outlets for energy when the handler is away, etc. If the other tactics have no effect then it's time to seriously tackle the issue of anxiety. Meds, behaviour modification and daycare are all viable options in treating/managing it. Also the booklet I'll Be Home Soon by Patricia McConnell covers most of what you need to know about addressing SA. So if I were in Kerafyrm's shoes I would watch the situation closely, but not automatically run off to find a vet.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2011 14:27
|
|
|
Serella posted:Nope. Only two brands make the Rx stuff and it's not something you can replicate. Part of what makes it effective is that it's lower protein, but you'd probably have to look into the actual studies done by Hill's and such to get the full details on exactly how their formula is balanced to prevent urinary issues -- if those studies are even made available to the public, I don't know. Actually, I think there are 4 that make a urinary brand now. I have a picky cat with urinary issues so I've tried a few. But there is the Hill's C/D, the Royal Canin SO, the Purina UR, and Iam's Urinary-S(or O for oxalate, I think??? I don't have as much experience with the Iam's one). But you would need to talk to your vet before doing any kind of changes.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2011 17:54
|
|
|
hhgtrillian posted:the Purina UR, and Iam's Urinary-S(or O for oxalate, I think??? Are these actually Rx-only, though? I didn't know these two brands made Rx foods. As much as I dislike Hill's and Royal Canin, Purina and Iams are even worse.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 01:19
|
|
|
Yes, in that they are supposed to be sold only by veterinarians--in reality, it appears you can buy both Purina and Iams veterinary diets online pretty easily. You may dislike the companies, or think their regular diets are crap, but that doesn't have any bearing on whether or not the prescription diets work on the conditions they are intended to manage.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 02:07
|
|
|
You can check them out for yourself if you want. Their websites: http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/ http://www.iams.com/cat-food/formula/veterinary-formula-cat-food And really, from just comparing ingredients I'm not sure if one is any worse than the other, so I don't think can really judge unless you have checked them out. Are they lovely ingredients compared to things like EVO (that I did have him on), yeah, but is it keeping him from having struvites and getting another life threatening blockage...so far so good. And if you have a picky cat, and they have a condition that requires a diet like this, it's nice to have a lot of options. I started out trying SO and C/D and my cat ate them for a little while, but then refused to eat, so now he is on the Purina and doing great on it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 02:58
|
|
|
a life less posted:While I don't disagree with anything you've said, I think it's premature to automatically jump into assuming it's SA before looking at other possibilities. SA is a diagnosis made through exclusion. I don't think a behaviourist would diagnose a dog with separation anxiety without trying some other tactics to address the visible symptoms. That is, check to see if the 7 month old pup is teething, or under exercised, or not given appropriate outlets for energy when the handler is away, etc. The reason I made it very serious was because putting a dog that has SA into a crate could be a bad thing. We don't know if it's SA, but there's a distinct possibility that it could be. Knowing where the damage was done would make it a bit easier to theorize about it. If the damage was random, I'd lean more towards your idea. If it was at the door/exit path, I'd lean more towards mine. Doing something that 'might help, won't hurt' is one thing, doing something that 'might help, might hurt' is another, particularly with behavior.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 03:36
|
|
|
It was at the door, but it was only blocked with a baby gate she could have very, very easily knocked over if she was frantic, so I don't know. I kept her in her ex-pen today while I was gone and she did fine, so maybe it's just boredom. I repaired the damaged area and am gonna buy bitter apple tomorrow.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 04:01
|
|
|
We're taking one of the dogs on a long road trip (only one dog is suitable for the trip, house sitter is taking care of the others) and we're taking my husband's brand new car. We need a cover for the back seat to keep dog claws from digging in, and secondarily to catch any hair/slobber/etc. The biggest problem is that there aren't real headrests on the back seats, which is how most of the commercial seat covers are held on to the seat. These are the kind of seat protectors I've been looking at, that I just don't think will work:  canine_econo_taupe  kurgo_wander_dog_hammock_khaki I particularly worry that the hammock type won't work as well because the back seat of the car is so drat small to begin with. For reference, the car is a 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, with a backseat that looks like this:  2010-hyundai-genesis-coupe-3-8-back-seats The headrests are one solid piece with the back of the seat. For further reference, the dog is a very silly 2008 yellow mutt, weighing in at about 70 pounds  trumanshakes by dangermouth, on Flickr TL;DR: Please help me find a car seat protector so my really cute dog can come to Florida with us! All hosting my own.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 07:43
|
|
|
Do the seats fold down to give you access to the trunk? If so, you could probably wedge the end handles in there.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 15:06
|
|
|
Kiri koli posted:Do the seats fold down to give you access to the trunk? If so, you could probably wedge the end handles in there. I'll have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 16:16
|
|
|
Just get a few blankets and wedge them about as needed. Seriously. This is all I do with Asa. And the back seat in that car ~should~ have the baby-seat-clip-thingies that, afaik, are mandated into everything that has a rear seat like that. If so, clip/tie/somehow attach blankets/covers to those.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 16:16
|
|
|
Siochain posted:Just get a few blankets and wedge them about as needed. Seriously. This is all I do with Asa. And the back seat in that car ~should~ have the baby-seat-clip-thingies that, afaik, are mandated into everything that has a rear seat like that. If so, clip/tie/somehow attach blankets/covers to those. I just want to do it right because any damage to those seats and my husband will be a sad panda.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 17:09
|
|
|
mixed medifor posted:I just want to do it right because any damage to those seats and my husband will be a sad panda. Fair enough  How's the dog in a crate? If he's crate trained, put him in that and just give him lots of quick stops and 10-15 minute walkies.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 19:21
|
|
|
Siochain posted:Fair enough Crates are not as safe in cars as a proper car harness. It really can't be recommended for long distance travel unless you absolutely need to (like your dog will go nuts if not covered). Plus for big dogs with big crates, they usually don't work very well in small cars. We had a hard time even getting my 25 lb dog's crate in the backseat of our Mazda (we bought a hatchback for our next car  ).
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 19:39
|
|
|
Here's a brain teaser: -$700 worth of pills need to be taken twice a day, for a month (CIBO treatment) -Without taking them with food, the dog throws them up -The dog refuses to eat his own food (being picky) -He is currently taking B12 injections for IBS/Small intestine overgrowth -B12 injections are supposed to increase appetite, they do not -Because of IBS, we cannot change his food or make any modification (one carb/one protein) <- strict order from vet -Cannot exercise (to make hungry) because of on-going seizure diagnosis We started the pills friday night and will be calling the vet tomorrow for ideas, but I wanted to see if anyone else had something similar with solutions. This has been such a frustrating weekend, we feel so helpless since every possible solution we cannot do.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 21:12
|
|
|
Siochain posted:Fair enough The dog is perfect in a crate. A crate is not perfect in a small sports coupe. Most car seat covers have openings for seat belts so that a seatbelt harness could be used no problem. It's going to be an 18+ hour drive. We do know he has to stop and stretch his legs and go to the bathroom a bunch of times....surprisingly, so do we.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 21:13
|
|
|
VerySolidSnake posted:Here's a brain teaser: Have you tried hand feeding? It might not be great longterm, but making a huge fuss about e-v-e-r-y single piece of kibble might encourage your dog to eat. A dog with health issues really doesn't want to be missing meals.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 21:16
|
|
|
Fraction posted:Have you tried hand feeding? It might not be great longterm, but making a huge fuss about e-v-e-r-y single piece of kibble might encourage your dog to eat. A dog with health issues really doesn't want to be missing meals. Tried that, he sniffs it then looks away. So I've tried putting it into his mouth, spits it out. Put it into mouth, hold mouth closed, then he refuses to swallow only to spit it out. I've tried everything but eat it myself or putting a funnel in his throat and shooting it down. I normally would just put the bowl away if he refuses to eat after several minutes (can't leave it out because of second dog), but now there's no choice.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 21:20
|
|
|
VerySolidSnake posted:Tried that, he sniffs it then looks away. So I've tried putting it into his mouth, spits it out. Put it into mouth, hold mouth closed, then he refuses to swallow only to spit it out. I've tried everything but eat it myself or putting a funnel in his throat and shooting it down. Do you get really really really excited? Like giddy jumping around, 'oh look what I have, mmmmmmm! so tasty!' kind of thing? How about a kong or other sort of food dispensing thing? Can he have any treats at all? I know you said can't modify the food, but does that mean no treats whatsoever? If not I have no other ideas really 
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 21:24
|
|
|
Forcing him to eat the food can make the problem worse by him developing a food aversion, so I would stop trying that. What's the protein source in the food? Can you get a chunk of that to hide pills in? If it's kangaroo that probably won't work, but a chunk of duck or venison or rabbit, while not commonplace, might be doable. Even the carb source might work, depending on what it is. Does he vomit every time he gets the pill without a meal? It's not ideal, but you might just have to pill him when he won't eat. Of course, the problem there is that if the pills consistently make him nauseous he may eat even less. What are the pills? Have you asked your vet about alternatives?
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 21:27
|
|
|
Can you try adding some warm water to it? Sometimes when you make it a big warm and mushy it smells better for them.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2011 13:14
|
|
|
Kiri koli posted:Crates are not as safe in cars as a proper car harness. It really can't be recommended for long distance travel unless you absolutely need to (like your dog will go nuts if not covered). Huh, interesting. I've heard the opposite, but my first instinct was that the crate, although it will keep your dog from becoming a missile, wouldn't be all that safe for the dog in event of a crash, etc. Well, good thing Asa finds the tightest spot between the back of the front seat and front of the back seat and wedges herself in there on the floor - she has no room to fly anywhere.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2011 14:43
|
|
|
Update: Spent hours trying to feed the dog, tried playing games, warm water, turned it into soup, cold water, mixed in ice cubes, everything. No alternatives for the pills, it's a Texas A&M issued treatment for the illness (the only actual treatment). So we have to stick to it. What makes me so mad is that he's doing this in protest. He will walk outside and eat anything off the ground. We got wet food of the same brand (bad idea, horrible diarrhea even with a tiny amount) and mixed barely any of it in with his food, and walked away. We could hear him eating which was exciting, so we came back after a couple of minutes and there was dry food everywhere. He licked off all the juice and water off the food and left the dry food. I'm starting to think he understands he's in a power position, and is willing to go hungry for a long time until we get him better food (a stretch but I'd rather believe I'm dealing with a mastermind then some stupid animal) We're left to our final option which is going to be very sad. We're staying with family for the next several weeks who just got white carpet put in. So tomorrow we will not feed him in the morning and cage him all day. After he pukes up the pills we're going to put them back in. Try to feed him again at night and give him a couple of minutes, but if he refuses we're going to feed pills again and he goes back into the cage until next morning. He's got enough fat on him to last for a long time, and his stubbornness is going to hit a limit.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 06:19
|
|
|
I have a question about my family dog. I've been away from home for 6-7 years, so this is all relayed from my mom who I was talking to last night. Dog's Name: Niki (female) Breed: Bichon/Poodle cross Age: 17 - deaf, mostly blind, walks stiffly Last vet visit: Probably sometime in the summer, I think. She's been having on/off health problems for a while. Minor ones, like anxiety, arthritis, a big sore on her butt, etc. Talking to my mom yesterday, Niki's back legs have been kind of giving out on her randomly. I guess she'll just be standing there and suddenly her back legs will give out and she'll be sitting on her butt. She doesn't yelp or otherwise show pain when this happens, but when she deliberately sits or lies down, she will let herself down very slowly, almost like she's really stiff. Sometimes she will lean against the wall when she's standing there, which she has never done before. Also now that it's colder out, she is definitely more arthritic. My mom has to carry her outside to her pee spot when she has to go on the colder days, as she can't always make it up and down the deck stairs. My brother thinks some of the "spark" has left her eyes, but she's still overall acting happy. Is this the end for my dog? I told mom to bring her to the vet in case it's something easily fixable, but I think we're all starting to try to get used to the idea that she might not be around for much longer. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has an experience like this, and could provide some insight? Is there anything we can do besides make her comfortable? She's still really happy, just really really old.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 18:40
|
|
|
A friend recently had some blood work done on a 6-8 year old cat that was very lethargic, I told him to get that cat eating and drinking anything ASAP. He did, then took it to the vet a couple hours later. The cat got an IV and a lot of blood work done, and they are now saying they want to keep the cat for 3 days, hooked up to an IV, and monitor it. They're basically saying "kidney failure" but I have no idea how to read any of this info, and I figured someone else could verify that it is kidney failure. The reason I ask is because the vet said "Kidney Failure" and then in the next sentence said "Liver Failure" and followed that with "muscle failure" which I am pretty confused on.  Edit: They are talking $900 for the 3-day stay at the vets, followed by weekly IV's and a complete diet/lifestyle change. Is this anywhere near normal procedure? The 2 other vets he called wont even read the blood work without a full exam. Spermy Smurf fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Nov 15, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 19:01
|
|
|
VerySolidSnake posted:No alternatives for the pills, it's a Texas A&M issued treatment for the illness (the only actual treatment). So we have to stick to it. Although I can't give any further advice on what to do, I'm really curious as to what that medication is, if you happen to know the name.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 19:02
|
|
|
VerySolidSnake posted:Update: Spent hours trying to feed the dog, tried playing games, warm water, turned it into soup, cold water, mixed in ice cubes, everything. No alternatives for the pills, it's a Texas A&M issued treatment for the illness (the only actual treatment). So we have to stick to it. Sorry if I missed why you can't, but could you grind the pills and mix them with the wet food? Even if it gives him the runs, it's better than nothing. Most long-release or "timed release" type pills can't be ground, but tablets or regular medication usually can be. You could also try smashing the kibble, adding enough water to make a dough, and pilling him forcibly (shoving the little balls of dough wrapped around pills down his throat.) Either way shouldn't introduce any forbidden proteins, etc. And it could help him keep them down, unless he's retching out of cussedness, in case you have my sympathies!
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 21:58
|
|
|
badmomrising posted:Sorry if I missed why you can't, but could you grind the pills and mix them with the wet food? Even if it gives him the runs, it's better than nothing. Most long-release or "timed release" type pills can't be ground, but tablets or regular medication usually can be. We were actually told that giving him different food is worse than him throwing up, so there's that haha. He hasn't had a bite to eat since Monday night, even though ever hour or two we present the food. He sits there and licks his lips, and goes down and sniffs it, but he just pops back up and looks at us. I put the foot in his mouth and he spits it back out. I won't let him starve to death, but I will go another 2 days of trying to get him eat until I get really worried and switch the food. But then he wins, and his intestines lose.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 19:36
|
|
|
VerySolidSnake posted:We were actually told that giving him different food is worse than him throwing up, so there's that haha. He hasn't had a bite to eat since Monday night, even though ever hour or two we present the food. He sits there and licks his lips, and goes down and sniffs it, but he just pops back up and looks at us. I put the foot in his mouth and he spits it back out. I won't let him starve to death, but I will go another 2 days of trying to get him eat until I get really worried and switch the food. Okay, so no wet food. I thought it was just the same food, but the wet formulation. Well, try the kibble dough and literally put it down his throat; granted, you need a brave helper, but he can't spit it out if it's already past his tongue! Oh, and I only recommend this because I've done it myself on a dog with an attitude problem, and it worked. It did make my hands slimy, though!
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 20:18
|
|
|
Are there other decent pet focused forums anyone can recommend? Want to find someone that my mom can read.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 23:42
|
|
|
madpanda posted:Are there other decent pet focused forums anyone can recommend? Want to find someone that my mom can read. I don't think I've heard anyone on PI mention other general pet forums that are as critical as PI in terms of information accuracy. But is there anything in particular you want her to read about? There's a variety of useful pdfs and papers and such out there.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 01:11
|
|
|
Kerfuffle posted:I don't think I've heard anyone on PI mention other general pet forums that are as critical as PI in terms of information accuracy. But is there anything in particular you want her to read about? There's a variety of useful pdfs and papers and such out there. Basically the cat food section of the nutrition thread OP. Also I've seen a site mentioned in regards to food a few times, it might have had to do with discounts or bulk purchase/shipping combining, does anyone know what I am talking about or did I hallucinate the whole thing?
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 02:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 21:01 |
|
|
Would it be possible to make a decently-strong free standing spring pole out of PVC pipe? It's only for a ~14lb terrier, so it doesn't have to be a huge thing like it would be for a bigger dog.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 09:06
|
|