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So never mind about the bird question, they're all gone today. Hopefully that means the babies managed to get their wings under them, and not that something ELSE ate them.JonBent0000 posted:My elderly English Staffordshire has a bad back which we're treating with anti-inflammatories from the Vet. On stroking him I've noticed that the muscles in his front shoulders are very tense. Is there such a thing as dog massage and if so would that make him more comfortable? There absolutely are people who do massage for animals! My old riding instructor had an elderly horse who got frequent massages that she credited with keeping him sound. If you find someone in your area that does it, you should definitely explain exactly what your dog's issue is and make sure it's not something massage can make worse (such things do exist, unfortunately).
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Jul 25, 2010 03:03
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RazorBunny posted:There absolutely are people who do massage for animals! My old riding instructor had an elderly horse who got frequent massages that she credited with keeping him sound. If you find someone in your area that does it, you should definitely explain exactly what your dog's issue is and make sure it's not something massage can make worse (such things do exist, unfortunately). Our city zoo hired an acupuncturist and a massage therapist for an elderly black bear with joint problems. I'm not sure how they did the sessions safely (I'm guessing they caged the bear? maybe a muzzle?), but the zookeepers believed it made the bear more comfortable, and she lived another 3 years before being euthanized due to poor quality of life.
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Jul 25, 2010 04:47
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Cat/flea question: I've got two beasties that ended up with a mild case of fleas after we moved into our current apartment. I got the Advantage and have been doing that for about three months now. They've stopped itching/biting and I'm not seeing the flea dirt anymore. BUT both of them are dropping these little dried sesame-seed-looking things, as in, they'll be lounging on the bed, and then when they get up there's a little pile of seed-things that's collected underneath them. What are they? Are they dead fleas? Dead eggs? Live eggs? I've tried looking for flea-related stuff on Google Images and can't seem to find anything that looks right. I wasn't so concerned during the first month, but now that it's been a few treatments and they're still dropping them, I want to know whether it means the Advantage is working or not - and if not, what I should be using instead.
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Jul 25, 2010 08:14
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The Great Moo posted:Cat/flea question: Tapeworms! Ew, I know. They got them from eating a flea, so they probably got them when they had fleas. To kill them you can either take them to the vet for a shot of droncit or you can buy some praziquantel pills at petsmart and dose them yourself. Just make sure you weigh them if you do it yourself so you give them the right dose, and also make sure the pills are labeled for cats. As long as they don't get fleas again, they shouldn't get them again.
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Jul 25, 2010 16:55
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Enelrahc posted:Tapeworms! Ew, I know. They got them from eating a flea, so they probably got them when they had fleas. To kill them you can either take them to the vet for a shot of droncit or you can buy some praziquantel pills at petsmart and dose them yourself. Just make sure you weigh them if you do it yourself so you give them the right dose, and also make sure the pills are labeled for cats. As long as they don't get fleas again, they shouldn't get them again. Ew gross. But thanks, I'll be getting some of that today.
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Jul 25, 2010 17:18
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Do adult dogs need to be dewormed regularly? I've been getting conflicting information on this and a bit confused because I was always under the impression that adults don't need deworming unless they are presenting symptoms. I use Revolution regularly if that makes a difference.
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Jul 26, 2010 09:00
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I have a question  I have a cat who lives with my parents. (Long story short, I raised him in my apartment, he got booted out by the landlady, I took him home to my folks, that was 4 years ago and now he's more theirs than mine.) He has always been an indoor cat; he's never been out for more than maybe an hour or so at a time. He's usually content to stay in, but on occasion he sees an opportunity and makes a break for it. He did that Saturday night, when my folks were trying to get groceries into the house or something and left the screen door open. They haven't seen him since. Needless to say, we are all very worried. We live in a pretty rural area, and normally when he bolts he gets freaked out by all the outside-ness and runs up a tree. But normally we can also find him (often my parents' dog finds and trees him until we can get to him). My folks have been all over the woods and up and down the roads too, and there's no sign of him.I guess what I'm asking is, what are the chances that he will show back up? He is neutered, has all his claws, is in good health (albeit pretty fat, as I can't make my dad stop feeding him bacon bits), but just doesn't seem to know what to do when he gets outside. I am most afraid that one of the drat rednecks living nearby will mistake him for a bobcat and shoot him--he is a very large cat. Somebody reassure me
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Jul 26, 2010 14:46
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Chicken McNobody posted:I have a question Put up fliers around the neighborhood and in mailboxes. Call around to the local vets & any shelters. Ask your neighbors to check their garages, basements, sheds, etc. to see if he could have gotten stuck in there. Wander around the neighborhood saying his name and rattling a can of food. Leave his litterbox out on your porch so he can smell something of "home" to direct himself back toward. Good luck
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Jul 26, 2010 15:15
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Neo_Reloaded posted:the turtle currently lives in Nashua, NH for geographic-dependent follow-ups A specialty rescue will be the best bet for getting him placed appropriately. Contact one of these folks - they're between 2-4 hours away but one of them may have a foster parent closer that can pick him up, if the owner can't transport him.
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Jul 26, 2010 15:52
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What kind of dog is this?  
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Jul 26, 2010 21:08
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Looks like a Doberman to me 
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Jul 26, 2010 21:37
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My old kitty just had a seizure. I heard his claw scratching on the floor and came out to find him spasming and foaming at the mouth and peeing all over himself. He stopped before I could really do much of anything, and seemed okay...he walked a little bit and kind of laid there in shock for a bit. I cleaned him up mostly but he got upset when I tried to wipe his face off, so I let it be and after about 30 minutes he washed his face then went and drank some water. I did call the vet, but he's apparently on a farm call with no real cell reception so I just talked to a tech, who told me just to watch him and got me an appointment first thing in the morning tomorrow. Is this the beginning of the end? He's been in good health before, and the seizure just came out of nowhere. I guess I just want any advice or experiences people might have had. I'm worried about my kitty.
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Jul 27, 2010 22:33
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First off I'm so sorry I know how scary this is. Seizures are a weird thing and it could be a ton of stuff from low potassium to decline. He might vomit, it's good he's drinking try to get him to eat some food his electrolytes are probably all over the place. Just love on him and make him feel secure until the vet can get a look at him tomorrow but he may not be able to tell what brought it on. There are a few PI pets that have had one random seizure and no more. Just love on him and my thoughts are with you.
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Jul 27, 2010 23:06
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I like to be prepared. What do I do if my cat has a seizure? Is it best to leave her alone? Try and comfort her? Point and laugh at her? Put a stick in her mouth so she doesn't swallow her tongue? If she's up high do I move her so she can't fall? 2tomorrow, I really hope your vet is able to diagnose your cat. Even if treatment is not viable, it's so much better to know what's wrong, instead of wondering why.
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Jul 28, 2010 00:30
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luna piena posted:Do adult dogs need to be dewormed regularly? I've been getting conflicting information on this and a bit confused because I was always under the impression that adults don't need deworming unless they are presenting symptoms. I don't think there's any need to deworm an adult dog unless they're showing symptoms. I know that part of our vet's yearly checkup is a fecal exam, so if she had worms it would show up then. Is your vet telling you that your dog needs to be dewormed on a regular schedule?
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Jul 28, 2010 00:45
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GoreJess posted:I don't think there's any need to deworm an adult dog unless they're showing symptoms. I know that part of our vet's yearly checkup is a fecal exam, so if she had worms it would show up then. I know some folks worm farm dogs on a schedule just like they do the horses, but I think most pets aren't getting enough exposure for that to make any sense. I'm curious if a vet recommended this as well, that would be odd.
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Jul 28, 2010 00:50
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ChairmanMeow posted:First off I'm so sorry I know how scary this is. Seizures are a weird thing and it could be a ton of stuff from low potassium to decline. He might vomit, it's good he's drinking try to get him to eat some food his electrolytes are probably all over the place. Just love on him and make him feel secure until the vet can get a look at him tomorrow but he may not be able to tell what brought it on. There are a few PI pets that have had one random seizure and no more. Just love on him and my thoughts are with you. Thanks for the kind words. I did get him to eat a small amount of his favorite type of wet food but he didn't have the same interest in it he usually does (he normally wolfs this stuff down so fast he can hardly breathe). I know logically that he is very old and probably won't last much longer, but of course no one wants to lose a pet so I'm hoping it's just a one time thing. Meow Cadet, I hope we can figure out what's wrong, too. If he's just falling apart, I may just have him put down so he doesn't suffer. I don't know if it was the right thing to do, but I just sat with him and put my hands very gently on him and talked soothingly to him while he was seizing. I used to work in a group home where one of the residents had epilepsy, and we were always told not to interfere. You should not try to put anything in their mouth because you'll probably wind up hurting them, and the same goes for any type of restraint. Otherwise just make the area they are in as safe as possible and leave them alone. I don't know if you do anything different with cats, though. I'd like to hear if anyone knows, too, in case this happens again.
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Jul 28, 2010 01:39
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I feel bad about constantly asking questions in this thread but I'm stumped on how to change my cats behavior. I live with my boyfriend and a few months ago I took in a stray, who has been mostly wonderful. But for some reason, she keeps attacking my boyfriends ankles. He's actually become scared of her and walks around nervously. She doesn't do this with me, ever. Apparently it hurts pretty badly when she does it. She has a ton of toys to keep her busy and "stimulated" and I try to wear out her hunting instinct with a laser pointer and a "da bird" toy. Why is my cat hunting my boyfriend and how do I stop it?
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Jul 28, 2010 05:21
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Lackadaisical posted:
Is it a game of playful hunting or defensive/aggressive attacking? If the cat is young, it might just be a phase, my cats did that for a few months growing up. All I can suggest is thick socks and heavy long pants. Or just trim her nails or apply some softclaws/softpaws and it won't hurt at all.
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Jul 28, 2010 05:47
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I should have added, she doesn't necessarily attack with her claws. For the most part, she bites. She's also an older cat. Since she was a stray that I just found outside my apartment, I don't know her exact age but she's been estimated to be between 7-12.
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Jul 28, 2010 05:55
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GoreJess posted:I don't think there's any need to deworm an adult dog unless they're showing symptoms. I know that part of our vet's yearly checkup is a fecal exam, so if she had worms it would show up then. Well, kind of. I took her for her annual shots and checkup in May and they put all the relevant stamps and stickers in her health records book like normal. I also mark in the booklet every month to keep track of Revolution. The other day when I was marking for July I noticed that they had put a note for her to be dewormed in June although all fecal exams and whatnot were normal and she's definitely not presenting any symptoms. I tried looking around online and couldn't really get a clear answer. It's a new vet so I'm not sure what to think!
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Jul 28, 2010 08:06
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luna piena posted:Well, kind of. I took her for her annual shots and checkup in May and they put all the relevant stamps and stickers in her health records book like normal. I also mark in the booklet every month to keep track of Revolution. Like RazorBunny said, unless your dog is at a high risk for catching things (farm dog or running around a 3rd world country) deworming on a regular basis is probably unnecessary. I know that personally, neither or nor my family have ever done yearly dewormings. If your vet is recommending it, I would try to get a clear reason why she feels it's necessary if the fecal exams came back clean.
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Jul 28, 2010 13:05
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Chicken McNobody posted:Lost cat Goddamn cat just strolled in last night, as if he'd just been out for a minute and not lost for 3 drat days. Unhurt, unruffled, and not even particularly hungry. Guess I misunderestimated my kitty v  v loving animals, making us worry Even the dog was mopey!
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Jul 28, 2010 14:25
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luna piena posted:Well, kind of. I took her for her annual shots and checkup in May and they put all the relevant stamps and stickers in her health records book like normal. I also mark in the booklet every month to keep track of Revolution. I've noticed this kind of stuff with my vet too. I mean, I like my vet a lot because I think they provide great quality care, but they do tend to tack on extra tests and expensive dietary supplements, and other stuff. We just gotten in the habit of going through each thing they want to do and questioning it politely. For example, our (young) dog had an eye infection and they wanted to test for like a ton of different things, including glaucoma, when I had observed the cat smacking the dog in the face a few days earlier. I told them what I'd seen and asked them to look for a scratch or bacterial infections first before moving on to other tests. Sure enough, it was a bacterial infection, and was remedied by some eye drops. We've seen dewormer pop up on their invoices too, and I usually ask them not to administer it, if she's had a clean fecal exam recently. Now for my question... This is probably totally normal, but we don't take trips much so I thought I'd ask if you guys have had similar experiences. My husband and I just got back from a week-long vacation. Our dog stayed with a friend, and we had another friend house-sit our cats. The dog was apparently very well behaved, and got a ton of exercise, which we're thankful for. Now since we've gotten home (Monday afternoon), she's being incredibly clingy, and doesn't really want to play or go on a walk, just wants to curl up at our feet. She doesn't seem sick, or upset, or anything, just very interested in maintaining physical contact with us, to the exclusion of other activities. I already feel guilty for leaving her for a week, I hope we didn't traumatize her.
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Jul 28, 2010 16:16
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I think my cat who had the seizure my be dying. We took him in to the vet this morning and they couldn't find any cause for the seizure, but also didn't find much wrong with him generally except being old and decrepit. But he's still not very interested in food, just having eaten a few bites here and there, and he's acting kind of strange. He'll find an out of the way corner to lie in, chill out for a bit, then change positions. He does that for a couple of hours, then goes over to another corner and does the same thing. I took him home rather than putting him down this morning because the vet said he didn't seem to be in any pain and since we didn't find a cause for the seizure, I thought it may have just been a one-time thing. But now he seems uncomfortable to me. Any advice? I don't want my kitty to suffer but I love him and I want to keep him as long as I can, provided he has a decent quality of life. It's so hard knowing where to draw the line. I don't want to keep him around when he's suffering just because I'm selfish, though. Also, about the dog worming thing, my vet will sometimes recommend it because fecals don't always give you the full picture. Remember they only show parasites that are at a point in their life cycle where they are being crapped out, and your pet may be carrying a parasite load internally that won't show up yet. So the occasional worming isn't a bad idea, I guess. We worm our dogs routinely but that is because they are farm dogs and eat all sorts of disgusting poo poo.
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Jul 28, 2010 23:52
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Do you feel comfortable with this vet? Have you been with him for a long time? If you do and the vet says there is nothing obviously wrong with the cat and he is not in pain I wouldn't be in a hurry to put him down yet. If you aren't sure about the vet, get a second opinion. Try giving him some unflavored pedialyte and anything he will eat, the more nutritious the better, but anything. links http://www.petplace.com/cats/seizure-disorders-in-cats/page1.aspx http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1321&articleid=224 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=560 Good luck
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Jul 29, 2010 00:28
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I don't really trust this vet. I've had problems in the past, most notably with this particular cat having trouble eating and the vet not doing everything he should have for a dental exam (we took him to another vet who fixed the problem and the cat went back to being a chow hound) and with an old horse of mine with Cushing's who he diagnosed as "just getting old." He's an old school farm vet with all that implies both good and bad. We do have a new vet clinic opening up next week with a vet who has an excellent reputation, and I may schedule an appointment with her for a second opinion. My only other option for a vet I trust is to drive him up to my family's vet about 4 hours away. I'm willing to do it, but I'm not sure I can get him up there before next week anyway. We only have one vehicle at the moment and that's a long drive. Thanks for the great links and the reassurance that I'm not being a bad pet owner by waiting a bit. My husband is out in town and I just called him to ask him to bring home some unflavored Pedialyte and some tuna and more of the cat's favorite wet food, so hopefully we'll be able to get him the nutrients he needs. I swear, these cats are going to be the death of me. My dogs and livestock make sense. The cats are a constant source of 
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Jul 29, 2010 01:06
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You might find a good cat vet near by through this, the American Association of Feline Practitioners. http://www.catvets.com/
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Jul 29, 2010 01:12
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No results found in my area, unfortunately. We live in the middle of nowhere (my local vet is almost an hour away, for example, and my neighbors are about 10 miles out) so it's hard. I'm a city girl with city attitudes about pets, and most people around here, vets included, don't really understand it. I'm wondering after reading those articles, is it possible a tick-borne disease could cause it? I found a tick on him Monday and removed it (that was the day before the seizure), but it was pretty full. I'm guessing it must have tagged along on one of us humans or the dogs and I didn't notice it on him because it was on his belly, where usually he doesn't like to be rubbed. I only noticed it because he was sprawled out on the tile to cool down and I saw an odd hairless lump sticking out of him. I'm also wondering if all of this is just post-seizure disorientation. The links you provided said it usually only lasts a few hours and it's been just over 24 now, but he has gotten a bit better in that time. I think at the very least I'm going to call my family's vet in the morning and ask him some questions. He's pretty used to my "Local vets suck and I KNOW something is wrong with my animal" calls by now. I make sure to give him lots of referrals and a very nice Christmas present every year, so I don't think he minds too much--at least I hope not.
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Jul 29, 2010 01:26
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I think he just had another seizure. I didn't see all of it like the last time, but I came in from feeding the livestock and saw his tail and hindquarters in the bathroom twitching oddly. I went over to him but by that time he stopped, but started meowing exactly like he did last time and seems disoriented again. I think he must be failing. We have no emergency vet and I've put in calls to all the regular vets (even the lovely one whose ignorance caused a horse of mine to die--a fact backed up by other vets afterwards during the investigation for the insurance company), but can't reach any of them. We also only have one vehicle right now as the other one is in the shop, and my husband is probably an hour or two out still. I can't stop crying, this is so awful. I don't want to lose him like this. If this is how it is going to go I wish I had had him put down at the vet's office this morning. I just don't know what to do.
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Jul 29, 2010 03:16
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Argh. My stupid dog just got herself skunked. Of course it's almost 11:30 now and there's nothing open within walking distance where we could buy even an effective home remedy (no peroxide in the house). Is there anything that would help even a little? I already opene some canned tomatoes just to drain the juice but it barely made a dent. Luckily it doesn't seem to have gotten her in the eyes but drat... I don't think I can stomach that smell in my house. This is probably a *really* stupid question but can I use Nature's Miracle on her if I avoid her eyes? I'm desperate!
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Jul 29, 2010 04:26
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2tomorrow posted:I think he just had another seizure. I didn't see all of it like the last time, but I came in from feeding the livestock and saw his tail and hindquarters in the bathroom twitching oddly. I went over to him but by that time he stopped, but started meowing exactly like he did last time and seems disoriented again. Get him into the other vets as soon as you can, I know your trying. The seizures aren't painful for him as long as he isn't hurting himself during, he doesn't even know he had them, he just feels disoriented. Just try to make him feel safe and loved. Keep him off stuff. I'm so sorry.
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Jul 29, 2010 05:06
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helpful posters posted:stuff about deworming Thanks for the replies! My dog is definitely not a farm dog and is not the type to eat weird things. I will ask the vet about it.
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Jul 29, 2010 09:15
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Longpig posted:Argh. My stupid dog just got herself skunked. Of course it's almost 11:30 now and there's nothing open within walking distance where we could buy even an effective home remedy (no peroxide in the house). Is there anything that would help even a little? I already opene some canned tomatoes just to drain the juice but it barely made a dent. Luckily it doesn't seem to have gotten her in the eyes but drat... I don't think I can stomach that smell in my house. I know its probably too late, but you can't use that stuff directly on an animal: "Prolonged skin contact may cause skin irritation. Do not spray directly on animal."
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Jul 29, 2010 15:57
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Longpig posted:Argh. My stupid dog just got herself skunked. Of course it's almost 11:30 now and there's nothing open within walking distance where we could buy even an effective home remedy (no peroxide in the house). Is there anything that would help even a little? I already opene some canned tomatoes just to drain the juice but it barely made a dent. Luckily it doesn't seem to have gotten her in the eyes but drat... I don't think I can stomach that smell in my house. http://www.petedge.com/product/Natures-Miracle-Skunk-Odor-Remover-32-oz/43310.uts  Careful if you decide to try peroxide, it actually lightens hair, remember!! Funny story, a dog at my work actually got "highlights" because his owner didn't think about it before actually using it.  You can use stuff like that Nature's Miracle and other skunk shampoos, but unfortunately no matter what you do, the smell is going to hang around for awhile. After you do your initial baths to get rid of the smell, wait awhile before bathing again (about 3-4 weeks, to get your dog's natural oils back and help the smell work its way out on its own) and try to keep your dog dry in the mean time since getting the hair wet will make the smell worse.Oh yeah, & if you want a good shampoo for before the nature's miracle stuff, I really like this one: http://www.petedge.com/product/PPP-SOS-Skunk-Odor-Pet-Shampoo-16-oz/43376.uts but I don't know how easy it would be to get, since I'm sure you'd rather take care of the situation sooner rather than later.
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Jul 29, 2010 16:23
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I ended up sending Mr. Longpig on a 35 dollar round trip cab ride to the 24 hour pharmacy to get peroxide. *Most* of the smell came out with one go around of that (and she still seems pretty black) - it's just on her face and chest now, and it's not so bad that you can smell her at all unless you get your face close to her. I bought some thiotrol spray at the vet that I'm hoping will take care of the rest. We hardly bathe her as it is (only if she's actually covered in filth) but thanks for the heads up on that.
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Jul 29, 2010 17:45
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My dog is limping around the house today. Won't put any weight on her back left leg. I checked it out, and there are no thorns or cuts or anything on her pad. I did a ton of poking, proding, and just moving her leg around and what not, and cannot make her cry or whimper as if i found the spot that hurts. She also doesn't seem to really care. She wants to go play, go in the car, chase the ball, etc. She just wont stop limping. She has a vet appt tomorrow, but I was hoping I could possibly get some insight?
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Jul 30, 2010 00:20
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kryptonik posted:My dog is limping around the house today. Won't put any weight on her back left leg. I checked it out, and there are no thorns or cuts or anything on her pad. I did a ton of poking, proding, and just moving her leg around and what not, and cannot make her cry or whimper as if i found the spot that hurts. She also doesn't seem to really care. She wants to go play, go in the car, chase the ball, etc. She just wont stop limping. Could be a hotspot or an allergic reaction. My girlfriends sisters dog is wearing a cone for that exact reason, and had similar symptoms-no visible wounds, just limping and being a big sucky baby.
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Jul 30, 2010 01:10
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We may have to put my dachshund to sleep in the near future, and I don't think I've ever been this sad about something in my life. Not even other family members. My question is what blood god do I have to sacrifice myself to to make her live longer, she deserves it.
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Jul 30, 2010 05:07
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SeraphSlaughter posted:We may have to put my dachshund to sleep in the near future, and I don't think I've ever been this sad about something in my life. Not even other family members.
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Jul 30, 2010 05:25
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