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How should I be affixing sisal rope to a scratching post ideally so as not to injure or poison my cat?
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Apr 25, 2012 12:38
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Superconsndar posted:I use human glucosamine complexes for my dogs because lmao @ paying $45 for the same thing with a picture of a dog on it Pet Naturals makes a joint supplement that's actually on par with human supplements I've seen in terms of price and ratios and comes in a nice stinky dog treat. 
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Apr 25, 2012 13:59
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Psydny posted: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. I just checked, it is also Rimadyl. The pills seem to help her out a great deal right away, but not long overall. Like 10 minutes after I give her her medication she'll be limping way less. But in like 4 or 5 hours she'll be back to hobbling around again.
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Apr 25, 2012 22:22
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Corridor posted: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. Thanks for replying. My little cat, who died years ago, had some extensive testing done when she got really sick, and the vet said her numbers indicated she probably didn't have great kidneys to begin with. She only lasted about five years before going downhill, and I remember my mom feeding our cats Alley Cat (basically the cat food equivalent of french fries seasoned with Sour Patch Kids sugar) and them lasting longer. But you're right, and in the long run it ends up costing the same because the food is more nutritionally sound, so they eat less. Mona is doing a lot better and I'll never buy grocery store cat food again. When my little cat started to get sick she started going in the bed, something she'd never done, I knew something was wrong. So now I'm paranoid that one or both of them have kidney problems, but I doubt that's the case. They're both just really territorial. Do you think my plan of locking both out for a few weeks and gradually letting Mona in will work? I may put down pee pads instead of a litter box, since the spot is right in front of the door and a box would block entry. I just don't want to have to go through this again, and I don't want to be smelling pee. What's worse is when I have guests over, I know they smell it more intensely than I do. I don't want to be one of those people who are so oblivious to cat smells that I don't clean/prevent them.
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Apr 25, 2012 23:56
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Maggie Fletcher posted:Thanks for replying. My little cat, who died years ago, had some extensive testing done when she got really sick, and the vet said her numbers indicated she probably didn't have great kidneys to begin with. She only lasted about five years before going downhill, and I remember my mom feeding our cats Alley Cat (basically the cat food equivalent of french fries seasoned with Sour Patch Kids sugar) and them lasting longer. But you're right, and in the long run it ends up costing the same because the food is more nutritionally sound, so they eat less. Mona is doing a lot better and I'll never buy grocery store cat food again. When my little cat started to get sick she started going in the bed, something she'd never done, I knew something was wrong. So now I'm paranoid that one or both of them have kidney problems, but I doubt that's the case. They're both just really territorial. I'm pretty sure that even a couple weeks later they're still going to be able to smell the urine. I know you can't put a bunch of stuff on top of the spot since it's right in front of a door, but what about like, a welcome mat or something? Something with rubber on the bottom to keep it from seeping into the carpet if they did try to urinate there again. Plus at least you can just hose that off outside.
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Apr 26, 2012 01:29
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Super Aggro Crag posted:I just checked, it is also Rimadyl. The pills seem to help her out a great deal right away, but not long overall. Like 10 minutes after I give her her medication she'll be limping way less. But in like 4 or 5 hours she'll be back to hobbling around again. Ask your vet about Cartrophen. It's given as a series of injections, once a week for four weeks. It is a drug that acts to reduce inflammation in joints and lessen existing arthritis. I've known many dogs personally that it's helped.
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Apr 26, 2012 07:40
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Maggie Fletcher posted:Do you think my plan of locking both out for a few weeks and gradually letting Mona in will work? I may put down pee pads instead of a litter box, since the spot is right in front of the door and a box would block entry. I just don't want to have to go through this again, and I don't want to be smelling pee. What's worse is when I have guests over, I know they smell it more intensely than I do. I don't want to be one of those people who are so oblivious to cat smells that I don't clean/prevent them. Umm... well is there a reason why can't you do what I suggested? You said yourself that Mona has no refuge from Bella. You don't need to put the litterbox right on top of the place where they peed, just in your room somewhere. If you're really worried about her re-peeing on the spot, do what the other poster suggested and put down a rubber sheet or something. The carpet will probably always smell of pee to a cat, not much you can do about that. And if it still smells to you or your guests then you might just need to pay for new carpeting, or for someone to come clean it professionally.
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Apr 26, 2012 08:04
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My dog just had his annual physical and tested positive for anaplasmosis (was perfectly healthy otherwise). He's been prescribed a course of antibiotics (doxycycline) for the next three weeks. I have had both my dogs on Frontline plus, and I have never seen a flea on them, but tick wise it is pretty useless. I mean, I am happy when they are dead, but 24-48 hours after attaching isn't all that useful. Both of my dogs are mostly black, so spotting ticks can be difficult - but I do go over them after every visit outside and murder the bastards (I live in an area with a lot of ticks). I decided to try out K9 Advantix II since it supposedly repels ticks as well (though apparently I will have to re-apply it every two weeks to be effective against ticks -_-). I applied it about 5 days ago now and god drat their fur feels disgusting =\ They are both really itchy too in all the spots I had to apply it. Is this anyone else's experience? Anyone have a better suggestion? I am okay with Frontline, but it honestly isn't that useful for ticks - plus side with the K9 Advantix is that I haven't had to kill more than like 1 tick in the last 5 days (I rarely go a day without killing at least a couple of ticks, so yay!) - but they both seem sort of uncomfortable/petting them is gross. Could it be the antibiotics making their fur nasty (my other dog is on a course of antibiotics as well for something totally unrelated)? I've seen ads for Certifect - anyone tried it yet? (am I being super  for worrying over the amount of insecticides involved  - I already feel this way with Frontline/Advantix soooo) Sorry this got horribly long - basically, any recommendations for good tick preventatives that don't make my dogs itchy and gross and is safe?
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Apr 26, 2012 17:45
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My vet sells "vectra 3d" which prevents ticks and mosquito's also. I had better success with a tick collar though. http://www.amazon.com/Preventic-Tick-Collar-for-Dogs/dp/B00076KR9G
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Apr 26, 2012 18:13
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My boyfriend's cat just got put on k/d cat food. The vet says he's in the very early stages of kidney failure and that it could take years? Has anyone else been through this? What should we expect?
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Apr 26, 2012 19:42
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I think there have been threads on and off here about kidney issues--they're pretty common in older cats. Anyway, one of my family cats from high school developed kidney issues and did very well on his special diet for a few years; eventually he started needing subcutaneous fluids, and did well on them for maybe a year or so more. He was a perfectly happy dude (in his normally weird neurotic way) until the very end. Someone can tell you much more about the medical end, of course--just wanted to chime in to say that if your vet says it's early stages and could be years that's probably completely true and they can be years of absolutely fine quality of life. Andrias Scheuchzeri fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Apr 26, 2012 |
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Apr 26, 2012 20:01
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Our kidney cat suffered a total failure and then recovered and went on to have at least six more years. It's unusual for them to bounce back from a failure, but he serves as an example that CRF cats can have lots more life in them. You absolutely have to keep on it, though. Follow vet instructions for food, don't try to deviate without working with the vet on it. Get their numbers rechecked regularly. Don't ignore any signs of unwellness, even little things. Your boyfriend should talk to the vet about the long term situation and understand what that entails. Eventually the disease will progress, and that may mean giving the cat subcutaneous fluids at home. There are treatments like dialysis and even kidney transplants, but many pet owners see these as prolonging suffering. It's a good idea to start preparing emotionally for those kinds of decisions. He should also start socking away money for emergency care. A major kidney episode can be every expensive, and they come up fast - more of a "Oh God where's an open vet?!" than "I should make an appointment for him tomorrow." Charlie seemed to like to have his flare-ups late in the evening on major holidays, especially when the weather was really bad and getting him to the vet was an ordeal. Murphy's Law, I guess. BUT, even after I say that depressing stuff, it's excellent that it has been diagnosed early and you're beginning to treat it now instead of when things are much worse. As long as the disease is being managed, the cat shouldn't experience any damage to quality of life while he's in the early stages. I would say 350 days of the year it was easy to forget that Charlie had a serious disease.
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Apr 26, 2012 20:14
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RurouNNy posted:Sorry this got horribly long - basically, any recommendations for good tick preventatives that don't make my dogs itchy and gross and is safe? Crooked Booty fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Apr 27, 2012 |
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Apr 27, 2012 01:53
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Corridor posted:Umm... well is there a reason why can't you do what I suggested? You said yourself that Mona has no refuge from Bella. You don't need to put the litterbox right on top of the place where they peed, just in your room somewhere. If you're really worried about her re-peeing on the spot, do what the other poster suggested and put down a rubber sheet or something. I was thinking of this too; a welcome mat or something I could just remove and clean or throw away if it gets soiled again. I know you're right about it always smelling of urine to the cats, even if we can't smell it. As of right now I can't smell anything, but I'm sure they can, and it's possible that non-cat people can. As far as replacing the carpet, there's a spectacular old hardwood floor underneath that I'd love to refinish and get rid of the carpet altogether, but I'm renting the room and my roommates/the owners don't really like the hardwood. They opted to cover it over with "laminate" hardwood in other parts of the house. Basically I just want it liveable while I'm here. The only thing about putting a mat down is that it might make it hard to open the door. But I'll figure out something...I hope!
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Apr 27, 2012 07:02
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Hdip posted:My vet sells "vectra 3d" which prevents ticks and mosquito's also. I had better success with a tick collar though. Crooked Booty posted:Seconding the recommendation for Preventic collars. Unlike flea collars, they work really well. They last ~3 months and prevent attachment. Most vets around here recommend/sell them, but if your vet doesn't have any, you can also get them online. Thanks guys, I totally forgot about these collars. I'll check with our vet to see if they have them on hand.
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Apr 27, 2012 12:16
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Veruca Salt posted: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? It's difficult to say with certainty without looking at it. It could be a somatic mutation that occurred during development if there is only one patch of fur like this. I'm particularly suspicious of this in your cat's case because of the location near (I assume, please correct if I'm wrong) the ventral midline. Or it could be from some kind of thing that happened later in life that caused a somatic mutation. The other possibility that 6-EB suggested that I could see causing this phenotype would be mosaicism, more specifically chimerism. I do think it's likely to be localized to that area though, rather than a generalized XXY or that every cell has XY/XX.
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Apr 27, 2012 19:46
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RurouNNy posted:Thanks guys, I totally forgot about these collars. I'll check with our vet to see if they have them on hand. If they don't have the "Vectra 3d". See if they have "Simple Guard 3". Same poo poo. Different Name. Keep in mind, don't use these if you have cats around. The Permethrin in it is super duper toxic to cats.
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Apr 27, 2012 20:13
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Topoisomerase posted:It's difficult to say with certainty without looking at it. It could be a somatic mutation that occurred during development if there is only one patch of fur like this. I'm particularly suspicious of this in your cat's case because of the location near (I assume, please correct if I'm wrong) the ventral midline. Or it could be from some kind of thing that happened later in life that caused a somatic mutation. I actually took a couple crappy camera phone pictures of him this morning:   Such a weird little spot.
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Apr 27, 2012 22:28
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Hi guys could anyone tell me what kind of cat this is: http://www.gifday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/16a2t7s.gif I've looked on Wikipedia and google but it doesn't seem to be a breed that I can see anyway. It looks awesome!
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Apr 28, 2012 23:12
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concerned mom posted:Hi guys could anyone tell me what kind of cat this is: http://www.gifday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/16a2t7s.gif According to the owner's youtube page, Max-Arthur is a snowshoe cat.
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Apr 28, 2012 23:26
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Awesome thankyou, it looks amazing. Im in two minds about getting a cat, I live in a flat on the 2nd floor (ground, 1st, 2nd) so there's literally no way it'll ever be able to go outside. It has two bedrooms and a reasonable amount of space for it to run around but it's no substitute for ranging and singing on top of fenceposts. Would you guys think a cat is a bad idea in these situations? What about one with 3 legs and an eyepatch who sleeps 20 hours a day. A young cat woul be preferable though and those snowshoes look great.
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Apr 29, 2012 16:04
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Most people in PI, myself included, are pretty against outdoor cats. They're at a high risk of disease and injury (such as being attacked by other animals, hit by a car, etc.) and wreak havoc on the local ecosystem (yes, this is still a concern in urban areas). Most cats do just fine inside. Vertical space is more important than horizontal space, so invest in a cat tree and let your cat climb around on any bookshelves or other tall furniture you might have. Depending on its age and energy level you might have to be sure to play with it daily, but if you get an older cat you might not have to do that even. My 6 year old cat just sleeps a lot and gets mad if you try to play with her. So yeah, your place should be just fine. I've kept cats in smaller areas than that before and they're quite content if they have some stuff to climb on and get enough stimulation.
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Apr 29, 2012 17:32
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Also, windows are an indoor cat's best friend. As long as you have a wide enough window sill, or some sort of table/shelf at window height, you'll be fine. They like to sit in the sun, and watching the birds/people/whatever outside is like TV for them. My cats love sitting on the window sill meowing at the birds on the fire escape.
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Apr 29, 2012 17:45
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This seems to be the best place on the forum to ask, because I sure don't want to make a new thread: My dog recently died, and I have to start thinking about another dog because the lowered stress has very measurable health benefits with my situation. The biggest thing that I loved about my last dog (border collie, probably cut with some lab or something because the dude was nearly 3 foot tall to the shoulder and 80 pounds) was that he was clever and empathic as hell. I don't mean 'smart, easy to train', I mean perceptive, understanding, and able to figure things out all on his own. I'd like to try to find another really clever dog. Obviously border collies have a reputation for being really bright, but beyond that I have no idea. I like mutts, but I need to be aware of which breeds to look for beyond border.
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Apr 29, 2012 17:58
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Most any of the herders, I should think. Standard poodles are actually also very bright and perceptive. I've met a lot of very clever huskies, too, but they tend to use their cleverness to get into trouble in my experience.
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Apr 29, 2012 18:07
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RazorBunny posted:Most any of the herders, I should think.
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Apr 29, 2012 19:31
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Coolguye posted:Are there any qualifications for this? My first dog was a bearded collie, and while I loved that dog to death he was dumb as a brick in every sense of the term. Just a particularly dumb dog, or are beardies just not as bright as some of their brethren? Breeds that are still commonly worked (like aussies and border collies) are going to be, in general, smarter/higher energy than dogs that are mostly bred just for the show ring, like bearded collies.
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Apr 29, 2012 19:38
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I'm hoping someone has had a previous experience and can weigh in...My dog ate a 8oz box of mixed chocolates this morning around 11. At 11:40 I gave him some hydrogen peroxide and induced vomiting about 10 minutes later. It was full of chocolate, kibble, and the plastic wrapper from the box of chocolates. However, in my panic I went with the first online recommendation I read, 1 tablespoon per 10 pounds, so I gave him 5 tablespoons. After the fact, I read more and most sites recommend 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds. I don't think I poisoned him, but how long will need to have passed before I can feel confident that he'll be okay?
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Apr 29, 2012 23:44
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Emasculatrix posted:I'm hoping someone has had a previous experience and can weigh in...My dog ate a 8oz box of mixed chocolates this morning around 11. At 11:40 I gave him some hydrogen peroxide and induced vomiting about 10 minutes later. It was full of chocolate, kibble, and the plastic wrapper from the box of chocolates. Call your vet and ask them. Next time you should probably ask your vet for a dose before you ask Dr. Google. e: You should probably talk to your vet anyways as you didn't induce barfing until almost an hour after he ate the chocolate. Enelrahc fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Apr 30, 2012 |
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Apr 30, 2012 02:04
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Enelrahc posted:Call your vet and ask them. Next time you should probably ask your vet for a dose before you ask Dr. Google. Not to sound too much like an idiot, but it didn't even occur to me to do that. I just called the e-vet and the nurse said that he'll be fine at this point.
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Apr 30, 2012 02:48
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Coolguye posted:This seems to be the best place on the forum to ask, because I sure don't want to make a new thread: My family has had two German Shepherds, and they are smart as gently caress. They also talk and emote all the time, like Chewbacca. They require a ton of work though, physical stimulation and mental.
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Apr 30, 2012 04:35
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Short question involving my dog, a 10-year-old German short hair pointer/blue heeler mix. Yesterday or the day before, it appears he's chewed a small patch on his back thigh. The area is maybe an inch and a half in diameter, and it appears he's chewed off all the fur in that spot, and there's some scabbing on it. Doesn't look or smell infected, and it isn't weeping or full of pus or anything. It seems pretty minor, but I'm also kind of neurotic. I'm wondering why he might chew his leg raw in one single spot, since he doesn't appear to have any other itchy spots and he has no history of obsessive chewing of his own body. He does have a thyroid condition that's being treated to good effect, and he does sometimes get skin infections, but he doesn't seem to have one at the moment. Picture of the chewed patch, linked so no one has to look at anything icky unless they feel like it. And here's a nice picture of the big lug just for fun: 
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Apr 30, 2012 06:34
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Gonna go out on a limb and guess he got bitten by something irritating, like a tick or a spider, and went to town on the itchy spot...? e: lookit dat big nosey
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Apr 30, 2012 15:08
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RazorBunny posted:I've met a lot of very clever huskies, too, but they tend to use their cleverness to get into trouble in my experience. They sure do. (I just wanted an excuse to post this picture again) 
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Apr 30, 2012 16:58
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Sudden Guts Pill posted:Short question involving my dog, a 10-year-old German short hair pointer/blue heeler mix. Yesterday or the day before, it appears he's chewed a small patch on his back thigh. The area is maybe an inch and a half in diameter, and it appears he's chewed off all the fur in that spot, and there's some scabbing on it. Doesn't look or smell infected, and it isn't weeping or full of pus or anything.
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Apr 30, 2012 18:42
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I suppose not. I just figured it was too minor to warrant a vet visit, but since it's so unusual I'll try to take him this week. Shouldn't your avatar be able to diagnose it? 
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May 1, 2012 02:00
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Sudden Guts Pill posted:I suppose not. I just figured it was too minor to warrant a vet visit, but since it's so unusual I'll try to take him this week.  This cartoonist makes hilarious stuff.
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May 1, 2012 03:49
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Looking for some breeder referral assistance if anyone has it. I have had 6 dachshunds so far in my life and now that I am ready for another I am trying to find a good place to get one. I have to start from scratch since the previous dogs were all from the northern midwest region while living in Wisconsin. Being in Philadelphia now I have to sort of start over with finding good breeders. I know, dachshunds are all over the place, but I am looking specifically for standard size with either a wirehair or short dapple coat. Those qualities make the hunt a bit more difficult. I have reached out to some groups, namely the Dachshund Fanciers Association of Berks County, and have had a few possibilities come up but want to make sure I cover everything. Does anyone have any recommendations on specific breeders or other organizations I can check with that are within about a 250 mile radius of Philadelphia?
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May 1, 2012 20:31
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My cat might have the herpes virus (he's a rescue. 24-hours in a shelter usually does that). This has caused some gasping/wheezing fits during flare-ups, or so my vet says. It's made worse by the fact that he's a brachycephalic breed. We'll probably be administering Lysene on a regular basis to build up his immune system so as to keep the herpes flare-ups at bay. My vet recommended Feliway as a means of relaxing my cat, since stress tends to lead to flare-ups. Is anyone familiar with this product? Does it actually work? It sounds a bit... hokey to me.
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May 2, 2012 05:39
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Lots of people seem to use Feliway and the dog equivalent, (DAP - dog appeasing pheromones). Most accounts seem to be that it works quite well. They often have a Feliway diffuser plugged in in the cat ward at my work.
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May 2, 2012 06:17
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