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a life less
Jul 12, 2009

We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Babyberry posted:

My 8 month old basset/beagle mix started drooling excessively today- like soaking the couch cushions bad. He is acting normal, eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping with no issues. The only major change with him is i have started taking him and his sister to the dog park, but we have been going for a week and this drooling issue started today. He even let me check his mouth out and his teeth don't seem to be bothering him.

I'm taking him to the vet in the morning regardless, but I was just curious if anyone might be able to give me an idea of what could be wrong with him, or if I am just worrying too much.

It could be something as benign as he's getting his adult molars in. Whatever it is, good for you for taking him in to the vet.

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Fraction
Mar 27, 2010

CATS RULE DOGS DROOL

FERRETS ARE ALSO PRETTY MEH, HONESTLY


Lola's been to a golf course twice in the last few days, and had a blast running in the sandy bits (those paw prints? not my dog's, honest!) so I'm planning on getting a sand pit or something for her.

I don't know whether to get it for indoors or outdoors though as we have a basement that's big and only really used for storage, which'd be perfect. Outdoors the sand would get rain and gross things in like bird poop :saddowns:

Would child's playing sand be suitable in a large, deep plastic tub (like a plastic child's swimming pool) or should I look for a different kind of sand or something? Don't wanna kill my dumb dog.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

They make sand boxes with covers - Little Tikes has sold a model that looks like a turtle forever. I had one as a kid and they're identical as far as I can tell. The lid keeps things dry and keeps cats from making GBS threads in it, which was the big thing for our uncovered one. I think they're about $40.

Play sand should be fine as long as she isn't eating it.

I think you'll regret it if you put it inside, sand tracks everywhere.

Fraction
Mar 27, 2010

CATS RULE DOGS DROOL

FERRETS ARE ALSO PRETTY MEH, HONESTLY


RazorBunny posted:

They make sand boxes with covers - Little Tikes has sold a model that looks like a turtle forever. I had one as a kid and they're identical as far as I can tell. The lid keeps things dry and keeps cats from making GBS threads in it, which was the big thing for our uncovered one. I think they're about $40.

Play sand should be fine as long as she isn't eating it.

I think you'll regret it if you put it inside, sand tracks everywhere.

I'll have to have a look for a cheap kid's pool with a lid then. I have an inflatable one but it's huuuuuuuge.

Either way i'll have to wipe her paws down after! Our back yard is tiny though so there's not much room for her if I put it outside, and if it was in the basement she could play in it in bad weather (which is 99% of the time in England).

I'll have a look for play sand prices, thanks.

wtftastic
Jul 24, 2006

"In private, we will be mercifully free from the opinions of imbeciles and fools."

I asked this in random nonsense, but I figured I'd ask here too. Bailey had a quick physical after I adopted him last year and will be having his first annual this Friday. What do annual exams usually entail?

Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



wtftastic posted:

I asked this in random nonsense, but I figured I'd ask here too. Bailey had a quick physical after I adopted him last year and will be having his first annual this Friday. What do annual exams usually entail?

An annual exam at the vet I go to involves a temp check, weighing/body score, looking in his ears and eyes and mouth, any vaccines that are due, a lyme/heartworm test, and because Major is on a lot of meds he gets a blood test to make sure his liver is still hanging in there. They ask me if he has been acting any differently or if I have any concerns. Generally they ask me for a stool sample but I usually turn it down unless he's been eating a lot of wildlife or has symptoms because his hw prevention is a wormer too. Some places are more or less thorough but its not usually a big deal.

wtftastic
Jul 24, 2006

"In private, we will be mercifully free from the opinions of imbeciles and fools."

Instant Jellyfish posted:

An annual exam at the vet I go to involves a temp check, weighing/body score, looking in his ears and eyes and mouth, any vaccines that are due, a lyme/heartworm test, and because Major is on a lot of meds he gets a blood test to make sure his liver is still hanging in there. They ask me if he has been acting any differently or if I have any concerns. Generally they ask me for a stool sample but I usually turn it down unless he's been eating a lot of wildlife or has symptoms because his hw prevention is a wormer too. Some places are more or less thorough but its not usually a big deal.

Okay, that sounds about like what I expected.

I'm hoping it won't be too much of an ordeal. Bailey still isn't great to handle (its one of the things I've made the least progress on with him) but they know that at the vet's office, so I'm hoping it won't be too stressful for the doctor and his staff.

Lava Lamp Goddess
Feb 19, 2007

So I have a nine year old Golden named Cyrus.

This evening, my mom and I went out for dinner. The goofball was fine before we left, just sleeping on the couch like usual. So we get home an hour later and Cyrus is his usual 'oh my god you are hoooome!!' self except for one difference: his tail was droopy.

He has a big puffy tail and usually always has it either wagging or held fairly high. Now, it just hangs straight down. He isn't holding it between his legs or anything, but he will not raise it. He tries to wag it, but the end just gives a few short little wags and then stops.

So I throw on a pair of gloves and check him out. His butt looks okay, but he really doesn't like me touching his tail. It doesn't seem to have any obvious trauma visually; no blood or lumps. He's still eating and drinking normally.

Could he have strained or broken his tail somehow? Maybe anal gland problems? We're talking him to the vet in the morning regardless, unless he gets magically better.

Any ideas? Anything I could do in the mean time?

Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



Lava Lamp Goddess posted:

Any ideas? Anything I could do in the mean time?

Limber tail syndrome maybe? Definitely talk to the vet to make sure its nothing serious.

Lava Lamp Goddess
Feb 19, 2007

Instant Jellyfish posted:

Limber tail syndrome maybe? Definitely talk to the vet to make sure its nothing serious.

Huh, certainly looks and sounds like what you posted. It says it is common in working breeds like retrievers, etc. so we have that. But it also says it usually effects young dogs and usually after some sort of strenuous activity such as swimming or hunting. As far as I know, Cyrus was just laying around the house while we were gone.

I sure hope it's this, seeing as it came on so acutely.

Angstronaut
Apr 26, 2005

is there no shame?
Okay, so, my mom has a dogsitting situation.

Sugar, the dog in question, will NOT go up the stairs to her house. The dog hasn't had any negative experiences there (first visit!) and just turns into a dense brick at the bottom of the stairs. She must be carried up to the house, no small feat. She doesn't seem fearful or skiddish, doesn't display any perceptible signs of separation anxiety, just stubborness. She doesn't struggle or flip out when carried, Sugar just refuses to go up the stairs. Once in the house, she's fine and everything is gravy. No escape attempts or anything. It's just the gauntlet from the stairs to the door threshold that she absolutely refuses to deal with. And yes, my mom has tried luring her with treats - the dog is completely nonplussed by them.

Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this, if you think there's a thread better suited please point let me know.

JonReremy
Jun 9, 2009

Stiffly penetrating a new era of "bizarro" porn genre

Angstronaut posted:

Sugar, the non stair climbing dog

Could it be that she doesn't really understand stairs? I have a 5 year old lhasa that just doesn't understand how to use her back legs to jump up on to a relatively low couch. She can hop, but never quite makes it and it's clear she just doesn't know how. That's my idea anyway. I'm curious to know the answer to this question as well if anybody has any insight.

I just adopted a 5 year old pit/american bulldog mix and she is just a fantastic dog. She's extremely friendly, affectionate, good with kids, toddlers, not bad with other dogs, cats, etc. She's loyal, very protective of me and my sister and nephew and she is also a total goofball and we all love her. She hates not being around me and will do whatever she can to make sure she has an eye on me, even if it means tearing a set of blinds down in my room and walking all over my nightstand. At night she prefers to sleep on the floor in my room.

However she has some strange behaviors that I think some of you might be able to help me out with by explaining.

1. When she can hear or see another dog nearby, she perks her ears up, looks at the dog anticipatively, and whimpers a little. She seems to whimper a little louder when she can tell that the dog is bigger. However, she is always very eager to meet these other dogs and pulls hard to them. She just wants to play, but a lot of people are a little alarmed by the sight of a full grown pit pulling me to their dachsund. Alternatively I think this could also be some PTSD from once being attacked by a larger dog maybe? I don't know.

2. I live with my sister and nephew in a sweaty little doublewide for right now and we have no fenced back yard. So I have to take her out on a leash for her to potty. She gets very distracted with her ears up and looking off into the distance to see if anything is amiss here. And I often end up wasting 20 minutes about there standing there, walking around in circles waiting for her to sniff the ground to get comfortable enough and find a good enough spot to go. And then after she comes in, she'll want to go right back out in 10 minutes to poop. Is this just a matter of comfortability and something she may get over with time?

3. A few days ago I had around her about 7 other dogs at a buddie's house. They were all playing and having a good time, including GP. Until I came over and started to pet GP, another very sweet dog named Lexi came over for attention too, within about a foot from GP, GP growled a little at her. So quickly to disarm the situation, I pet Lexi while keeping her a safe distance away and pet GP simultaneously, I guess in attempt to show GP that I'm not going to abandon her just because I pet another dog. Because I'm sure she has abandonment issues. Eventually GP stopped growling and Lexi found something else more interesting. Then another dog, whose owner admits is an rear end in a top hat, came over and started to get in GP's face and bark at her, and she became pretty snarly. She could've hosed that dog up hard if she wanted to. So at that point I took her by her collar and we left. Was this the best thing to do? How can I train my dog to be social around other dogs while I'm showing her affection? I know it's just because I'm like her god now. She really takes on to men quickly and doesn't really find interesting the attention of women, which I find pretty intriguing.

I think that's all I have for now, a huge thanks in advance for anybody who can help answer this about my sweet little dogge.

:siren: :3: :3: :3: CUTE BULLYPIT PICTURE INCOMING :3: :3: :3: :siren:





JonReremy fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Apr 15, 2012

Angstronaut
Apr 26, 2005

is there no shame?

JonReremy posted:

Could it be that she doesn't really understand stairs?

No, she goes up and down other stairs. They are not a foreign concept. There's also only about 6 stairs leading up to the porch.

skoolmunkee
Jun 27, 2004

Tell your friends we're coming for them

Is there anything different about the stairs, like a texture or construction thing? I've known dogs who hated stairs with concrete texturing, or ones who wouldn't go up apartment-style stairs with open backs (if you know what I'm describing).

Maybe she just doesn't want to go inside yet. :]

JonReremy
Jun 9, 2009

Stiffly penetrating a new era of "bizarro" porn genre
Sorry, double post.

Meow Cadet
May 2, 2007


friendship is magic
in a pony paradise
don't you judge me
I'm getting fed up with the cats sitting on my keyboard, constantly interrupting my very important internet surfing. I was thinking that something like the kitty kover would be awesome, but they're apparently out of stock (and probably out of business). How would I go about making one of these on my own, or do you think it's a lame idea that would never work.

Veruca Salt
Jul 19, 2004

i want to lock it all up in my pocket it's my bar of chocolate

Meow Cadet posted:

I'm getting fed up with the cats sitting on my keyboard, constantly interrupting my very important internet surfing. I was thinking that something like the kitty kover would be awesome, but they're apparently out of stock (and probably out of business). How would I go about making one of these on my own, or do you think it's a lame idea that would never work.



Those are like the stands they make for monitors to make them higher, do a search for something like "monitor riser" and you'll come up with stuff like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Acrylic-Monitor-keyboard-Station/dp/B006ZD6O24

TVs Ian
Jun 1, 2000

Such graceful, delicate creatures.

JonReremy posted:


:siren: :3: :3: :3: CUTE BULLYPIT PICTURE INCOMING :3: :3: :3: :siren:




It sounds like she might have some resource guarding and possible separation anxiety issues. Maaaaaaayyyyybbeeee the early vestiges of dog aggression.

I would suggest reading the training thread here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3364451&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

There are a lot of other goons going through similar issues with their dogs and it's really helpful to have one central thread for commiserating and advice. The OP links to specific topics but if you repost there, people can chime in with specific options for your and your dog :)

skoolmunkee
Jun 27, 2004

Tell your friends we're coming for them

In the last couple of months my greyhound has had one of her nails pull off the quick four times. The first two were her dewclaws and the vet wasn't concerned (no infection), but this week she's got one nail (front paw) which she won't stop licking (and I think might smell a little bad, infection or just constant licking?) and another (other front paw) which just tonight the nail is pulling off the quick.

It looks painful, poor girl, and I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow. I'm just not sure what's going on here. I've been raw feeding her for years and she's not had this problem before. I'm really worried about her. :[

Niemat
Mar 21, 2011

I gave that pitch vibrato. Pitches love vibrato.

wheatpuppy posted:

Are your cats catnip-motivated? You could try sprinkling some catnip on it or spraying it with catnip oil to get their attention,

I will definitely try this! Thanks!

Corridor posted:

This may seem obvious, but have you tried just brushing them? Just buy a regular hairbrush, the kind with hard bristles, and go at them for a few minutes every couple of days. Keep a wastepaper bin nearby to dispose of the masses and masses of seemingly infinite cat hair. Cats also love being brushed, it's a key social element to them, like apes picking nits off each other. They will adore the crap out of you for it.

No worries! We do brush them--they're just really dedicated to the cause, apparently. :(

Drugs
Jul 16, 2010

I don't like people who take drugs. Customs agents, for example - Albert Einstein
After falling in love with my girlfriends Eclectus Parrot, I decided to get a bird of my own.

I've settled on a Quaker, but was wanting to know a bit about the ease/difficulty of taming a parent-reared Quaker. Ideally I would like a hand-reared one, but I'm having a lot of difficulty finding one for a reasonable price that doesn't involve a 6 hour round-trip. I found a dealer that can do a good deal on a 9 week old baby Quaker that has been parent-reared. The dealer assures me that he won't be TOO difficult to tame, as he's had regular human contact inside his aviary from birth, but has still been reared by his parents.

What do you think? I'm prepared to do the work to tame him, and don't mind if it takes quite a few months before he starts to warm to me, but I don't want to get him if it's unlikely that he's ever going to be properly tamed.

Thanks!

Andrias Scheuchzeri
Mar 6, 2010

They're very good and intelligent, these tapa-boys...
Honestly, 6-hour round trip doesn't sound bad to me, if there's a breeder that you like. That's about what we did to pick up Pinto. I'm kind of wary of a situation where someone is saying "oh, sure, he'll tame down just fine" when what you want is a hand-tame baby.

Parent-raised doesn't necessarily mean untame, I should add--but it could cover a pretty big range of situations, from "oh, yes, we leave the babies with the parents but we handle them and play with them throughout the day" to "well, they see people pretty often to feed them and clean the cages."

e. Check out the bird crazies thread!

Andrias Scheuchzeri fucked around with this message at 14:46 on Apr 22, 2012

Veruca Salt
Jul 19, 2004

i want to lock it all up in my pocket it's my bar of chocolate
So I'm fostering this orange and white male cat who is super shy but recently started coming out of his shell. I was petting him the other day and when he flipped over for a belly rub, I realized that he has a patch of black fur on his belly. It's the weirdest thing ever. Does this make him a calico? If so, how is that possible since he is most definitely male?

EDIT: Okay upon researching a little, a male calico means that there are 2 X chromosomes present, making them XXY. But would my cat be considered calico from one black patch?

Veruca Salt fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Apr 23, 2012

6-Ethyl Bearcat
Apr 27, 2008

Go out
Yup, he would be considered a calico/tortie. Males can only be orange or black, except in cases of chromosome abnormality (XXY etc) or if he has mosaicism. Your foster kitty is very special. :)

Vet nurses I've worked with have mentioned that if you shave a cat, sometimes its fur will grow back a different colour. Apparently this is common in pointed cats. The gene which causes the pointing means that fur grows darker in cooler places, the extremities of the cat. If you shave a spot, like for surgery, the skin will be colder and so the fur will grow back darker.

Your kitty doesn't sound pointed though so it probably isn't because of that. :)

6-Ethyl Bearcat fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Apr 23, 2012

Corridor
Oct 19, 2006

Niemat posted:

No worries! We do brush them--they're just really dedicated to the cause, apparently. :(

My cat ignores grass unless I pick off a blade and feed it to her by hand. Then she's all over that poo poo. Still pukes hairballs though, so... yeah.

A Frosty Witch
Apr 21, 2005

I was just looking at it and I suddenly got this urge to get inside. No, not just an urge - more than that. It was my destiny to be here; in the box.
Two questions:

First:

A beagle-mix showed up at our house about a week ago. He was kind of scrawny and is really skittish. He instinctively cowers behind the nearest leg and looks at the ground and flinches whenever you reach out to him. Other than that he's really playful and has a great personality. He has a collar with contact information on it, but he also came with half of a really old, crappy restraint that had been chewed through, so he was tied up somewhere and it looks like he got so hungry he chewed through his leash and took off.

We called the number on the tag and it has been disconnected, and my wife's friend says she knows the guy whose name is on the tag and says he is a horrible person who treats his animals just as horribly. The dog has obviously been abused/neglected from his reaction to people and how skinny he is.

My parents-in-law want to keep the dog, and they have been feeding him and he stays on their carport pretty much all day and night. They put a dog found notice in the newspaper, but pulled it when they heard about the owner. I know we can't legally keep this dog if it belongs to someone, but there is evidence of abuse. How should we go ahead with this?

Second:

The house at the end of our street is about as trashy as they come, literally. The people seem to have picked up and moved at some point in the last few weeks and all that remains are gigantic piles of garbage on the front lawn. I don't know specifically who these people were, because I never saw them, but they did have several dogs and cats on their property.

I find it really coincidental that this dog showed up when he did. I have a suspicion that the dog belonged to those people, but I can't prove it. However, if he did, it means the people left him tied up when they moved. I'm worried that they may have left other animals behind. I've tried to call the sheriff's department to see if they could send someone out there to investigate, but I keep getting the runaround and haven't gotten to speak to anyone about it yet; I just keep getting pawned off on someone else.

Should I just call 911 and report animal neglect and explain that I have a suspicion the people moved out and left animals behind? Would I get in trouble for calling 911 for something that may not technically be an emergency?

Bonus picture of new doggy (he's impossible to photograph):

Duckie
Sep 12, 2010

This is sewious!
How much do you guys give for pet sitting? We are leaving to FL for a week. We live with a roommate, who is feeding/watering, but the idiot refuses to take out the litter robot trash bag(you don't even TOUCH or SCOOP cat poop at all!). So we are hiring a friend to come twice that week to change out the bags.

What is a reasonable amount you'd give them for doing that?

malcriada
Mar 21, 2012

Duckie posted:

How much do you guys give for pet sitting? We are leaving to FL for a week. We live with a roommate, who is feeding/watering, but the idiot refuses to take out the litter robot trash bag(you don't even TOUCH or SCOOP cat poop at all!). So we are hiring a friend to come twice that week to change out the bags.

What is a reasonable amount you'd give them for doing that?

40 bucks, not a penny more.

Ceridwen
Dec 11, 2004
Of course... If the Jell-O gets moldy, the whole thing should be set aflame.

larchesdanrew posted:

Two questions:

First:

A beagle-mix showed up at our house about a week ago. He was kind of scrawny and is really skittish. He instinctively cowers behind the nearest leg and looks at the ground and flinches whenever you reach out to him. Other than that he's really playful and has a great personality. He has a collar with contact information on it, but he also came with half of a really old, crappy restraint that had been chewed through, so he was tied up somewhere and it looks like he got so hungry he chewed through his leash and took off.

We called the number on the tag and it has been disconnected, and my wife's friend says she knows the guy whose name is on the tag and says he is a horrible person who treats his animals just as horribly. The dog has obviously been abused/neglected from his reaction to people and how skinny he is.

My parents-in-law want to keep the dog, and they have been feeding him and he stays on their carport pretty much all day and night. They put a dog found notice in the newspaper, but pulled it when they heard about the owner. I know we can't legally keep this dog if it belongs to someone, but there is evidence of abuse. How should we go ahead with this?

Second:

The house at the end of our street is about as trashy as they come, literally. The people seem to have picked up and moved at some point in the last few weeks and all that remains are gigantic piles of garbage on the front lawn. I don't know specifically who these people were, because I never saw them, but they did have several dogs and cats on their property.

I find it really coincidental that this dog showed up when he did. I have a suspicion that the dog belonged to those people, but I can't prove it. However, if he did, it means the people left him tied up when they moved. I'm worried that they may have left other animals behind. I've tried to call the sheriff's department to see if they could send someone out there to investigate, but I keep getting the runaround and haven't gotten to speak to anyone about it yet; I just keep getting pawned off on someone else.

Should I just call 911 and report animal neglect and explain that I have a suspicion the people moved out and left animals behind? Would I get in trouble for calling 911 for something that may not technically be an emergency?

Bonus picture of new doggy (he's impossible to photograph):



Don't call 911.

Have you taken the dog to the vet or shelter to be scanned for a chip?

Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



larchesdanrew posted:

Should I just call 911 and report animal neglect and explain that I have a suspicion the people moved out and left animals behind? Would I get in trouble for calling 911 for something that may not technically be an emergency?

Bonus picture of new doggy (he's impossible to photograph):



Call your local non-emergency police number or the dog warden/animal control and explain that you are worried that some animals have been abandoned. They should send someone to check it out or connect you with someone who can help.

Also that is a drat cute dog snout :3:

Super Aggro Crag
Apr 23, 2008




And, of course as always, kill Hitler.


I have a 12 year old yellow lab and recently she started limping. Specifically from her back right leg. Her vet prescribed her an anti inflammatory which seems to work short-term. I know she's getting old and labs are known for their bad hips. But she still acts like a puppy and still runs around! The other day she was running around with a tennis ball in her mouth hopping on three legs! She still runs and jumps off our 3ft. high deck steps (although she struggles to get back up them).

Is there anything we can do to get her to chill out and not run around so much and risk hurting her leg even more? Is there any over the counter joint medication for dogs that I could buy at Petco or something?

InEscape
Nov 10, 2006

stuck.

Super Aggro Crag posted:

I have a 12 year old yellow lab and recently she started limping. Specifically from her back right leg. Her vet prescribed her an anti inflammatory which seems to work short-term. I know she's getting old and labs are known for their bad hips. But she still acts like a puppy and still runs around! The other day she was running around with a tennis ball in her mouth hopping on three legs! She still runs and jumps off our 3ft. high deck steps (although she struggles to get back up them).

Is there anything we can do to get her to chill out and not run around so much and risk hurting her leg even more? Is there any over the counter joint medication for dogs that I could buy at Petco or something?

Petco or your vet or feed store should sell dog-specific glucosamine/chondroitin tables, I think the one my parents' old lab gets is called Cosequin. That should help pain manage (people take it too) but it won't reverse long-term degeneration and if she's that bad may not be nearly enough. I have no idea how to restrict movement, though, their lab hops around all the time and gets miserable and bored if he's stuck idle.

Dr. Chaco
Mar 30, 2005

Super Aggro Crag posted:

I have a 12 year old yellow lab and recently she started limping. Specifically from her back right leg. Her vet prescribed her an anti inflammatory which seems to work short-term. I know she's getting old and labs are known for their bad hips. But she still acts like a puppy and still runs around! The other day she was running around with a tennis ball in her mouth hopping on three legs! She still runs and jumps off our 3ft. high deck steps (although she struggles to get back up them).

Is there anything we can do to get her to chill out and not run around so much and risk hurting her leg even more? Is there any over the counter joint medication for dogs that I could buy at Petco or something?

Was the vet able to localize the pain to a specific bone or joint? Did they do any x-rays of the affected leg? It's sort of important to know, if possible, what is causing the pain, as the treatment and level of exercise restriction necessary might be different.

As for medications to make her chill out, your options are likely another type of pain medication that also sometimes causes sedation, but it might make her feel even better and let her run more, or a sedative like acepromazine. Your vet can recommend one or the other or both. For joints, if it is joint pain, NSAIDs and rest (and weight loss if she isn't already skinny) are likely to do more than glucosamine chondroitin supplements, but they can't hurt. There are a variety of dog supplements out there, and some people will also use the human ones thinking that there might be more quality control in the human supplements than those meant for pets. Check with your vet and see if they recommend or carry a specific brand.

Kerfuffle
Aug 16, 2007

The sky calls to us~

InEscape posted:

Petco or your vet or feed store should sell dog-specific glucosamine/chondroitin tables, I think the one my parents' old lab gets is called Cosequin. That should help pain manage (people take it too) but it won't reverse long-term degeneration and if she's that bad may not be nearly enough. I have no idea how to restrict movement, though, their lab hops around all the time and gets miserable and bored if he's stuck idle.

Not a vet but is there any reason glucosamine should be animal-specific? (just because it's probably much cheaper to give a smaller dose of people glucosamine)

Aggro Crag: Does she like swimming? I think it's supposed to be much easier on joints.

Super Aggro Crag
Apr 23, 2008




And, of course as always, kill Hitler.


My mother took her to the vet before my parents went on vacation so I'll have to ask about the x-rays when they get back in a few days. As for swimming, she doesn't particularly care of it more or less. We have an above ground pool so she can't swim in it. Her hobbies include sleeping and playing tug-of-war.

Psydny
Apr 27, 2011

Super Aggro Crag posted:

I have a 12 year old yellow lab and recently she started limping. Specifically from her back right leg. Her vet prescribed her an anti inflammatory which seems to work short-term. I know she's getting old and labs are known for their bad hips. But she still acts like a puppy and still runs around! The other day she was running around with a tennis ball in her mouth hopping on three legs! She still runs and jumps off our 3ft. high deck steps (although she struggles to get back up them).

Is there anything we can do to get her to chill out and not run around so much and risk hurting her leg even more? Is there any over the counter joint medication for dogs that I could buy at Petco or something?

My parents had a wonderful Golden Retriever who got pretty old (13 maybe?) and started having trouble getting her back legs under her. Finally, my dad called to tell me he was taking her that day to have her put down. I was really sad and called my parents a few days later to chat. Suddenly, I heard Angelina being silly playing with my dad! I was too happy that she was still alive to yell at my dad for not calling me back. Anyway, my point is that she lived happily for more than a year after that because she had been put on Rimadyl.

After Angelina finally did pass away, I had a friend with a husky mix who was having trouble getting around. I gave him the last few Rimadyl pills my parents had and he said she was like a new dog.

My 16 year old Beagle and my old Beagle/Basset with a bad hip have also taken it with great results. I don't know what anti-inflammatory your vet gave you, but you might ask for this if it was something else. It is super expensive so I recommend the generic.

I don't know of anything available over the counter that works so well.

Serella
Apr 24, 2008

Is that what you're posting?

Kerfuffle posted:

Not a vet but is there any reason glucosamine should be animal-specific? (just because it's probably much cheaper to give a smaller dose of people glucosamine)

I'm sure it has to do with giving the appropriate dose. I doubt many people would know how to break down human-sized doses for dogs.

Also, it's probably poop-flavored or something to get them to eat it easily. Dogs like poop, right?

Supercondescending
Jul 4, 2007

ok frankies now lets get in formation
I use human glucosamine complexes for my dogs because lmao @ paying $45 for the same thing with a picture of a dog on it

Same for everything else I supplement with (a lot of things)

Maggie Fletcher
Jul 19, 2009
Getting brunch is more important to me than other peoples lives.
Hey PI! I have a marking question. Hopefully this question gets some replies; it seemed common enough to not need its own thread. Awhile ago I posted about my cat Mona, who's 13 now. She's been cranky for the past few years, and was chewing off her fur in several places. She was also fat and walked stiff-legged. I started feeding her better food and got her a Feliway diffuser and her hair grew back and she lost a little weight. She walks normally and the stiffness in her back legs seems to be gone. She now looks healthy, beautiful, bright-eyed, and lithe.

The problem? Last September my roommates got a kitten, about five months old at the time. Belle is an adult now but still quite kittenish, and not as submissive as the other younger cat I used to have (she died of kidney failure several years ago, unfortunately). Belle thinks she is hot poo poo, and while Mona used to be the big personality among the pets in the house, now Belle is running the place, which Mona does not like.

My bedroom used to be Mona's sanctuary; no other pets allowed. But try telling a kitten she can't go somewhere. Belle started sleeping on my bed and I didn't think Mona minded too much. But then I started smelling urine. For a long time I thought it was the litterbox across the hall, but then I got down on the floor and it almost hit me in the face. I knew it was a problem for the past few weeks and tried to solve it with run-of-the-mill carpet cleaner, spot treatments, pet-oriented powders, etc. Last night my roommate Bisselled the problem area, and since I'd just bought some Nature's Miracle, I decided today that I would pull up the carpet and use that on the pad and underside of the carpet. When I did, I found probably months' worth of urine. Somewhere along the way, one of them marked their territory, and the other one followed suit, and they've been trading urine spots for god knows how long. What's funny is they're both using both of the litterboxes as well; they get cleaned out daily. So instead of using Nature's Miracle, I used the Bissell on the underside of the carpet and the pad. I pulled up so much disgusting urine it took me two hours and the carpet is finally clean. I left it pulled up and put a fan on it to dry. But before I could, I found fresh urine on it! So I've shut the door and I'm sleeping on the couch tonight because the pulled-up carpet and chemical/pee smell (which doesn't exist when the door is open) make it hard to sleep in there.

Here's what I've used: Shout spot cleaner foam, Nature's Miracle, Love My Pet powder, Arm & Hammer pet deodorizer powder, baking soda, and Keep Off! As well as the Bissell to get the actual urine out. I think once it's dry it won't smell anymore, but my question is how to keep them from using it as a potty again.

What I'd ultimately like is to allow Mona but not Belle back in the bedroom. Belle has my roommate's bedroom safe and private from Mona, but Mona has no sanctuary from Belle (Mona is best as a solo pet and at least needs her own space). But I don't want to have to repeat this process. My plan was to lock both of them out of the bedroom for a few weeks, then gradually let Mona in while I'm in there, then gradually let her in overnight, assuming she doesn't mark again. Any tips on how to keep this from happening again?

Thanks for reading my wall of text, hopefully the backstory provides some perspective on the situation.

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Corridor
Oct 19, 2006

You may have to just shut Mona in your room at night or when you're out. Like you said, there's no other real way to stop a cat going where it wants to go. If Mona wants a refuge from Bella then she may not mind so much. That means having the litterbox in your room, but it can't be worse than your carpet's been.

And this has absolutely nothing to do with your problem, but I wanted to point out that when a cat dies of urinary or kidney problems it's almost always due to what they were being fed. You might be aware of this already, but the majority of cat food is actively bad for them. If you own a cat you pretty much *need* to get the expensive stuff. Sorry if I'm preaching to the choir but nearly everyone I know feeds their cats garbage, and I did for a long time.

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