|
Triangulum posted:My trainer said to buy some knuckle bones because Vecna shouldn't be able to easily chew through them. I got one of them for Dex just because I thought it would be funny to watch a dog carry around a bone bigger than his head. I never expected him to do any damage to it but...  He was so proud 
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 22:09
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 10:35 |
|
|
Serella posted:Well, it's true that unlike dogs, ferrets are generally self-regulators. I'd give Jess the opportunity to eat more, anyway, especially if she's underweight. And honestly, when they get to the point of being on steroids potentially for the rest of their remaining life, I feel justified spoiling them. The thing is, there are times when she looks almost too chubby, and times when she looks real thin. I don't know exactly how much is her and how much is anything bloating out her stomach.  I'm definitely going to up her food further though. I can deal with her being a little bit chubs.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 22:45
|
|
|
Aw Dex is a little buzz saw  Man, my mom is absolutely terrified of Vecna and I don't know what to do about it because he isn't doing anything wrong. If he so much as steps towards her, she gasps and jerks away. She keeps bugging me to get him neutered because he's "so aggressive", which drives me loving nuts. I don't get it, she's normally not afraid of dogs besides Malinois and considers herself a dog person but she's been scared of him since he was 4 months old. I guess I should start giving her a cookie everytime he tries to say hi and she doesn't freak out or something
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 22:56
|
|
|
Triangulum posted:I guess I should start giving her a cookie everytime he tries to say hi and she doesn't freak out or something Not actually a bad idea. Does she give him commands? It might just be that he's not inside her control and is therefore terrifying.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 23:01
|
|
|
Pile of Kittens posted:Not actually a bad idea. Does she give him commands? It might just be that he's not inside her control and is therefore terrifying. No she doesn't give him commands. She tried when she visited us in Germany but Vecna is a weirdo about other people giving him commands. He will not listen unless they pronounce the word correctly or do the hand signal perfectly. He won't respond to "sit" even though it's almost identical to "sitz", won't respond to a hand signal if it's done with the right hand rather than the left etc. He's such a little jerk
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 23:14
|
|
|
Triangulum posted:No she doesn't give him commands. She tried when she visited us in Germany but Vecna is a weirdo about other people giving him commands. He will not listen unless they pronounce the word correctly or do the hand signal perfectly. He won't respond to "sit" even though it's almost identical to "sitz", won't respond to a hand signal if it's done with the right hand rather than the left etc. Does he listen to you or your husband when you mix up the commands?
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 23:23
|
|
|
Engineer Lenk posted:Does he listen to you or your husband when you mix up the commands? I can give him the sloppiest, shittiest hand signals ever and he'll listen and he'll follow physical signals from the incorrect body part (like if I use my head instead of my hand for example). I don't think I've ever tried switching the verbal cues, I tend to have the opposite problem were I think every dog ever speaks German 
Triangulum fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Apr 15, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 23:32
|
|
|
Thats so wierd, Shelby was following commands being given by the nosework instructor the other day while she was in the middle of trying to attack the instructor through the fence. So if shelby ever attacks you just tell her to sit, rofl.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2013 23:39
|
|
|
  I tell you, as someone who has been raising reptiles for a good long while, these land mammals are pretty fun.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 00:29
|
|
|
Fraction posted:
I think it's worth it to find out where the mass is. For example, if it's a big liver tumor, no, you can't remove the whole liver. The spleen, on the other hand, likes to grow big tumors and can be removed entirely. If the tumor was benign (not the type to metastasize), removing the spleen would be curative! If you would potentially follow up with that kind of surgery, then doing the ultrasound would be worth it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 00:58
|
|
|
Triangulum posted:I can give him the sloppiest, shittiest hand signals ever and he'll listen and he'll follow physical signals from the incorrect body part (like if I use my head instead of my hand for example). It's just that he knows the benefit of listening to you, he's used to your communication style, and he's "your" dog. You could try getting her to work with him a bit from square one to learn to listen to her, too, but that's probably more effort than she'll want to put in if he's afraid. If she's afraid of malinois, I can see the stretch. If she won't work with him, the most you can do is teach him to be very polite with strangers in the house and to stay in a bed or something when she's there. That, or keep him in another room with her there. v  v
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 01:05
|
|
|
WolfensteinBag posted:It's just that he knows the benefit of listening to you, he's used to your communication style, and he's "your" dog. You could try getting her to work with him a bit from square one to learn to listen to her, too, but that's probably more effort than she'll want to put in if he's afraid. If she's afraid of malinois, I can see the stretch. If she won't work with him, the most you can do is teach him to be very polite with strangers in the house and to stay in a bed or something when she's there. That, or keep him in another room with her there. v I personally think the first option is your best, long-term, because some day she may really need him to listen to her in an emergency. Have you tried loading her up with high-value treats (omg I keep thinking of cheese whiz when I hear/use that term) and having her essentially be a treat dispensing machine for a day before starting with commands?
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 01:17
|
|
|
I've been coveting the collars at Ella's Lead and a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to ordering one. I got the Meiko in a 1 1/2" width and with jade green stones instead of pink rhinestones for my Slytherin dog: I am really, really impressed with it. I've had problems with him slipping flat collars before because he has a lot of loose skin on his neck and a little head, but this collar is heavy duty enough that it won't pull over his ears. It's also gorgeous (and even better looking in real life, sorry he wouldn't stay still enough for a better picture). I also ordered one of their rope leashes. I was concerned that the heaviness of the snap and clamp would cause the snap to bang into his chest while he was walking, even worse than a normal leash, but the weight of the rope and collar actually kept the snap from moving at all. The rope itself balanced really well in my hand, to the point that I could just lay it over my hand instead of holding it and it wouldn't budge (Quaffle doesn't pull). I got a ten foot rope so when he decides he needs to go into a ditch or behind a tree I don't have to follow him. I was afraid the extra length would drag on the ground and he'd get his legs tangled up, but again the weight of the rope keeps it from doing any of that. I bought the collar and leash mostly because I liked the looks of them, but after actually using them on a walk I decided that even if they were the ugliest things I'd ever seen they would be worth every penny because they work SO MUCH BETTER than a normal collar and leash with him. I need to get more dogs so I can buy more collars and leashes from them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 01:47
|
|
|
Pile of Kittens posted:I personally think the first option is your best, long-term, because some day she may really need him to listen to her in an emergency. Have you tried loading her up with high-value treats (omg I keep thinking of cheese whiz when I hear/use that term) and having her essentially be a treat dispensing machine for a day before starting with commands? I think this is a good idea. Do you do any shaping with him, Triangulum? Having her dole out the treats for a really simple shaping exercise (turning a head, lifting a paw, pawing a toy, whatever easy behavior you don't actually care about) will teach him to work for her and your mom can watch him figure it out without worrying about cues or an already set behavior. She might enjoy it as more structured than just throwing treats (though just dispensing treats is great, some people seem to oppose it cuz bribes or whatever) . Hell, if she's that scared of him, she could do it from behind a babygate or something and just throw the treats. We do shaping through an ex-pen with Psyche and our trainer all the time.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 02:00
|
|
|
I want one of those awesome collars from Ella's Lead or Rollover Leatherworks SO BAD, but with all the mud, water, and brush Shadow drags his collars through it would be ruined pretty quickly I think. When I am rich (so, never) I will be buy him one just to wear for fancy occasions. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 02:04
|
|
|
Kiri koli posted:I think this is a good idea. Do you do any shaping with him, Triangulum? Having her dole out the treats for a really simple shaping exercise (turning a head, lifting a paw, pawing a toy, whatever easy behavior you don't actually care about) will teach him to work for her and your mom can watch him figure it out without worrying about cues or an already set behavior. She might enjoy it as more structured than just throwing treats (though just dispensing treats is great, some people seem to oppose it cuz bribes or whatever) . Hell, if she's that scared of him, she could do it from behind a babygate or something and just throw the treats. We do shaping through an ex-pen with Psyche and our trainer all the time. I really don't understand the bribe thing. I get to become a cheese vending machine. Every dog loves cheese vending machines. Therefore, every dog loves me. It's some weird hangup people have about placing physical value on that initial round of affection. It's not like I have to keep feeding them cheese forever to get them to love me.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 02:05
|
|
|
I just accidentally dropped a highlighter on the dog's paw under the desk and he gave me a look as if I had killed everything he ever loved and then sadly stumbled over to my bed and collapsed on the blanket with a sigh. He lives a horrible life.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 02:13
|
|
|
Skizzles posted:I want one of those awesome collars from Ella's Lead or Rollover Leatherworks SO BAD, but with all the mud, water, and brush Shadow drags his collars through it would be ruined pretty quickly I think. I was worried about this but my EL leather collar has held up really well and is still dapper as hell.  I've also heard good things about the vegan leather collars that are supposedly way more water and mudproof than regular leather. Quaffle's collar is really nice Aravenna! Major's jaw has gone from softball sized to tennis ball sized so we're moving in the right direction. I'm still going to call the vet tomorrow and give them up an update. Hopefully it just goes away without him needing another face tube. I'm still cleaning dog blood off my walls from that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 02:13
|
|
|
Pile of Kittens posted:I really don't understand the bribe thing. I get to become a cheese vending machine. Every dog loves cheese vending machines. Therefore, every dog loves me. It's some weird hangup people have about placing physical value on that initial round of affection. It's not like I have to keep feeding them cheese forever to get them to love me. I don't get it either. I was so happy when Psyche took easy cheese from the trainer the first time through her muzzle that we fed her the entire can. I'm all for "bribing" my dog to like other people. Uh oh tonight was frontline night. I think we broke her brain, she just keeps turning in circles looking all sad.  sorry pup, maybe I'll look for a frontline alternative when we run out.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 03:44
|
|
|
Kiri koli posted:I think this is a good idea. Do you do any shaping with him, Triangulum? Having her dole out the treats for a really simple shaping exercise (turning a head, lifting a paw, pawing a toy, whatever easy behavior you don't actually care about) will teach him to work for her and your mom can watch him figure it out without worrying about cues or an already set behavior. She might enjoy it as more structured than just throwing treats (though just dispensing treats is great, some people seem to oppose it cuz bribes or whatever) . Hell, if she's that scared of him, she could do it from behind a babygate or something and just throw the treats. We do shaping through an ex-pen with Psyche and our trainer all the time. I have done shaping with him but she's really not going to do that. She stayed with me for a week and a half when he was four months old and she wasn't interested in doing any sort of training with him at all outside of telling me I needed to tell him "no" and punish him more. She really prefers he just ignore her so that's what we're working on. Plus I'd prefer he ignore visitors unless they invite his attention anyways so it's not that bad, I just get frustrated with some of the stuff she says sometimes.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 03:48
|
|
|
I've never understood how people can be so afraid of such beautiful sail eared pointy faced fluff butts, but I'm admittedly biased. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 05:53
|
|
|
I had to search, but I found those pictures of griff and moses, and my mom said 'what a beautiful dog' about Griff. I also found some old pictures of Frankie posted in the PYF dog thread, and she just kept laughing every time I'd switch from griff/moses pictures to Frankie. She said 'with a face like that, he's gotta be super sweet.' :iamafag: She talks smack but she'd snuggle the hell outta Frankie if given the chance.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 06:50
|
|
|
Dr. Chaco posted:I think it's worth it to find out where the mass is. For example, if it's a big liver tumor, no, you can't remove the whole liver. The spleen, on the other hand, likes to grow big tumors and can be removed entirely. If the tumor was benign (not the type to metastasize), removing the spleen would be curative! If you would potentially follow up with that kind of surgery, then doing the ultrasound would be worth it. The vet pretty much said that operating would not be an option. I'll ask exactly why on Thursday - it's kind of a blur. There's also the issue of cost, to be frank I'm not sure if I could afford ultrasound & blood test & operation & the consultation fees each time. E: I remember that he mentioned that when she had her teeth pulled last year, that was surgery but it made the problem go away. He said that couldn't happen in this case. Would it be anything to do with her blood? He was concerned about how pale her gums are. Fraction fucked around with this message at 07:36 on Apr 16, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 07:18
|
|
|
I like derpy photos of my dog.   Fraction, thinking of you and Jess.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 13:45
|
|
|
You really have a pretty dog. Cohen is gorgeous.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 14:45
|
|
|
Cohen does both elegant and derpy so well      
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 15:44
|
|
|
Fraction posted:The vet pretty much said that operating would not be an option. I'll ask exactly why on Thursday - it's kind of a blur. There's also the issue of cost, to be frank I'm not sure if I could afford ultrasound & blood test & operation & the consultation fees each time. If your vet said surgery was not an option, maybe they were referring to something else health-wise that made the prospect of surgery really risky, since they don't know exactly where or what the tumor is? If she is anemic, they may have been worried about her needing a transfusion prior to or during surgery, which not all clinics are set up to do.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 16:00
|
|
|
Alright, after vet visit #3 Major's tennis ball sized face lump is either a giant abscess or a salivary mucocele. The vet took a sample and is culturing it and Maj is on a week of (wildly expensive) antibiotics and we're crossing our fingers that its just an abscess. It's more likely that its the mucocele and if the antibiotics don't do anything he'll need surgery next week to fix it. This dog and his face lumps, I swear. It's even in the same place as the last one.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 20:35
|
|
|
Dr. Chaco posted:If your vet said surgery was not an option, maybe they were referring to something else health-wise that made the prospect of surgery really risky, since they don't know exactly where or what the tumor is? If she is anemic, they may have been worried about her needing a transfusion prior to or during surgery, which not all clinics are set up to do. Would anemia explain the pale gums?  I'm going back on Thursday morning anyway so will ask about everything then.I don't think she's responding to/affected by the metacam. Instant Jellyfish posted:Alright, after vet visit #3 Major's tennis ball sized face lump is either a giant abscess or a salivary mucocele. The vet took a sample and is culturing it and Maj is on a week of (wildly expensive) antibiotics and we're crossing our fingers that its just an abscess. It's more likely that its the mucocele and if the antibiotics don't do anything he'll need surgery next week to fix it. This dog and his face lumps, I swear. It's even in the same place as the last one. Good luck with Major. PI dogs need to sort their poo poo out.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 20:38
|
|
|
Fraction posted:Would anemia explain the pale gums? Is an ultrasound absolutely out of the question? IIRC they're not terribly expensive and the results could answer a lot of the questions you have. I went through this almost exact scenario with Rufus a while back (holy poo poo, it's already been over a year since his death) and with the right cocktail of liver support vitamins, antibiotics and steroids, he had nearly a year and a half of extra quality life from the onset of symptoms. We tried several steroids before we finally hit on prednisone, and after two days on it he was like a kitten again and remained so until the end. Don't get bummed by the metacam...try something else! 
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 21:56
|
|
|
Ultrasound + blood test definitely isn't out of the question, it's just whether or not really the vet thinks it'd be worth it? The vet definitely didn't say like, 'we can ultrasound and see if it's operable' or 'we can check if it's benign or cancerous'. We're going to ask on Thursday. It's kind of difficult to judge how much pain she's in, and I don't know if I'm personally okay with potentially extending that while we try to find a cocktail of some kind that would help her. I'll know more after my appointment on Thursday anyway. This time it won't just be me going in either so hopefully things that the vet says won't whoosh over my head quite so much. I've forgotten a *lot* of details from the consultation on Monday - just wasn't expecting it, and I didn't even really register what he was saying he thinks she has until I'd gotten out of the vets. She's been breathing really heavily all day and yesterday. I hope she's not in pain 
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 22:41
|
|
|
Dog rear end: NOT OK Linked because  .Of course, my boyfriend got home JUST as I was finishing scrubbing partially dried assmud off the floor. She's booked for the vet tomorrow, as she's been having sporadic diarrhea/loose stools for a few months, and this is apparently what it took to convince him that she needs to go to the vet (which I've been saying for ages). I never wanted a dog, you guys.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 23:01
|
|
|
Fraction posted:Ultrasound + blood test definitely isn't out of the question, it's just whether or not really the vet thinks it'd be worth it? The vet definitely didn't say like, 'we can ultrasound and see if it's operable' or 'we can check if it's benign or cancerous'. We're going to ask on Thursday. It's kind of difficult to judge how much pain she's in, and I don't know if I'm personally okay with potentially extending that while we try to find a cocktail of some kind that would help her. I'll know more after my appointment on Thursday anyway. This time it won't just be me going in either so hopefully things that the vet says won't whoosh over my head quite so much. I've forgotten a *lot* of details from the consultation on Monday - just wasn't expecting it, and I didn't even really register what he was saying he thinks she has until I'd gotten out of the vets. I understand the whole "going over your head" thing--there is an awful lot of information to be relayed in cases like these. Don't be afraid to take notes during the appointment, and especially to write down your questions before you go in. And don't feel bad if you decide you can't/won't purse more diagnostics or treatment trials--in the end, you know your dog and your situation and you'll know when it's time. If anything, when it comes to the decision to euthanize a pet, I think more people regret waiting too long than deciding too soon. One of my very wise technicians says that "you'll never be able to know that today was the right day, only that yesterday was."
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2013 23:04
|
|
|
I watched Balen while he laid outside in the dirt today and sunbathed. I never saw a spider/scorpion near him. We have fire ants. He has a sore spot on his paw that looks like he's been licking it (no thorns, no debris, etc). I am pretty sure my giant 140 pound dog is hobbling everywhere because he was bitten by one fire ant. Amy likes garbage. Amy eats old spaghetti my husband throws out and every single time, exactly that. Fraction, at worst the ultrasound will confirm the vet's worst suspicions. That top picture makes me wanna feed that poor lady dog hamburgers though.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 00:13
|
|
|
Fluffy Bunnies posted:I watched Balen while he laid outside in the dirt today and sunbathed. I never saw a spider/scorpion near him. We have fire ants. He has a sore spot on his paw that looks like he's been licking it (no thorns, no debris, etc). I am pretty sure my giant 140 pound dog is hobbling everywhere because he was bitten by one fire ant. Fire ants suck pretty hard though, can't blame him. Also I want a dog I can feed a 'burg to. My dog gets the shits if he eats dog food, so it'd be nice to have a dog with a regular stomach. He's actually doing okay on this honest kitchen envision which is nice.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 00:15
|
|
|
The tracking field I go to has a fire ant problem. It's really going to suck in the summer, I hope Vecna's to the point where he doesn't need tons of food on the track by then. Today Vecna was chasing bugs and let out a huge, loud fart and then fell over trying to sniff his own rear end  VVVVV I bet he's afraid of the poop ghosts Triangulum fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Apr 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 00:22
|
|
|
Triangulum posted:The tracking field I go to has a fire ant problem. It's really going to suck in the summer, I hope Vecna's to the point where he doesn't need tons of food on the track by then. Ahaha, Feldman is afraid of HIS farts. He tries to run away from them. But if I fart, he tries to sniff my butt. Why?
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 00:41
|
|
|
This morning some guy saw me walking Shadow and asked, "is he a working shepherd?" 
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 01:48
|
|
|
Fluffy Bunnies posted:Amy likes garbage. Amy eats old spaghetti my husband throws out and every single time, exactly that. Yeah, this was on her regular food. If it was a matter of garbage causing issues, it'd be understandable. But coming home to a surprise like this...ugh. And I always get home first, by several hours. So sick of broken dog rear end.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 01:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 10:35 |
|
|
Fire ant bites are completely awful. They hurt and burn and itch for days. I'd recommend seeing if you can get your yard/house treated for them. They can probably tell you over the phone if they're pet-safe.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2013 02:11
|
|
