The Pet Info Thread

[Jeepster80125 0]

Also speedz, can you tell me what kind of cat this is? It looks weird.

[speedz99 145]

I'm studying, so this will be quicker than it should be...

Speedz, how do you feel about this?

Of course there are a few bad vets out there and of course the occasional mistake is made by even the best vets. A few examples in an article does not a vast conspiracy make.

Do you feel that your practice would be negatively affected if you had to worry about vet malpractice?

Yes, and patient care would suffer as well.

I guess that would mean that pets would have to be considered something other than property, right?

I really hope that never happens.

Wasn't it RAC who had a dog eat a drug patch or something? Would that apply here? Would the vet who applied the patch be liable for the ER visit later on?

I think it would have applied had RAC not removed the e-collar against instructions.

[Jeepster80125 0]

stuff

Thanks for the response.I wasn't attempting to convey that there is a conspiracy, just shedding some light on what pet-owners are considering the same level as medical malpractice. I am not taking a side on this issue right here.I was unaware that a collar was removed, and I would agree with your assessment.I guess you don't recognize the cat, either.

[ajs510 122]

From a source I trust:Dose: 180mg Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/5kg BWSo that's about 1600mg/day for the big dog, 270mg/day for the little dog (check my math please). I'd have to know the mg/ml of the oil to do the dose in tablespoons.I'd recommend stopping with the non-hypoallergenic treats, at least while he's so miserable this time of year...that could help even though this is more of a seasonal than food allergy thing.Edit: There are some meds that can help if he's really losing his mind...short doses of steroids (cheap), something called Atopica (expensive), but your vet's the one that knows what kind of allergy it is and can give an educated recommendation, I'm just throwing out things that I've seen work before.

Thanks Matt.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Well, I've been in London for most of the past five weeks and am finally back home to spend some time with Bella the recovering Pitbull. She is doing very well. Monday she gets her sutures out. The incision itself is healing nicely and she is putting nearly full weight on the most recently surgically repaired leg. Her attitude is great.

[loogie 115]

Speedz, any experience/thoughts on Natural Dog Snout Soother? Do you recommend any similar products?

[speedz99 145]

Speedz, any experience/thoughts on Natural Dog Snout Soother? Do you recommend any similar products?

No/no and no.Then again..."Ingredients are sourced from the US, Canada, Hawaii, Spain and Ghana Africa (none from China)." As long as none are from China I'm ok with it. I mean, I totally trust ingredients sourced from Ghana. Excuse me, Ghana Africa.

[loogie 115]

No/no and no.Then again..."Ingredients are sourced from the US, Canada, Hawaii, Spain and Ghana Africa (none from China)." As long as none are from China I'm ok with it. I mean, I totally trust ingredients sourced from Ghana. Excuse me, Ghana Africa.

They don't have chemicals in Ghana, do they? That involves some knowledge of chemistry, amirite?

[speedz99 145]

They don't have chemicals in Ghana, do they? That involves some knowledge of chemistry, amirite?

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.Wait...whoa? Is that right? That doesn't look right. Regardless, I don't allow racism/nationalism in the pet thread. You go read about the University of Ghana, which is BY FAR the most prestigious university in ALL of Western Africa, and then try telling me that they can't mix up some nasty chemicals to rub on dog noses. You make me sick.

[JoeyJoJo 18]

You go read about the University of Ghana, which is BY FAR the most prestigious university in ALL of Western Africa, and then try telling me that they can't mix up some nasty chemicals to rub on dog noses. You make me sick.

He probably just knows it as the University College of the Gold Coast.

[Jeepster80125 0]

This is also the cat thread, right?http://www.kittehroulette.com/

[SlapStick 0]

Update/trip report.My girlfriend got a half price discount from my vet for a dog trainer. The dogs aggressiveness died down while she was away but shes back and gets stressed and hes even more aggressive. Most of the stuff was common knowledge but it was nice for it to be reinforced, be alpha etc.As good as he was, I had to drill him with questions to find out how he really approaches it as I'm sure he wants as many lessons as possible. He was a dreamboat, I wasn't planning on taking part until I seen how dreamy he was. Edit: errr, to protect the woman Obvious tips like the choke chain, one quick snap so you never actually choke and it works better anyway. For the first dog he encountered he put the lead around the dogs body, right around his stomach. He said to let the dog feel more free and to get him use to being pulled there so when a dog tries to hump him he doesn't attack. He flipped the dog twice when yanking on the leash when he attacked a dog, girlfriend got upset immediately, dog was fine of course.He also told us that if the dog was in an extreme fight to kick him right in the end of his body, where he put the leash. He said he had too many customers with bite marks on their hands trying to stop a fight and there is no bones there so he'll be OK. His words not mine.If we saw a dog he didn't force our dog to go near it but he let him go near him if he wanted to, Its crazy how much influence confidence has on a dog. The trainer recognised I was a lot more confident with him and got me to approach a few dogs with ours showing her that it wasn't just him calming the dog. Obviously afterwards I gloated "Even the dog trainer knew I was alpha male bitches"We spent about 30 minutes in a dog park letting him interact, he had mixed results.When gf went to run after the dog I said "well, what do you think" he responded "Dog, lots of potential, your girlfriend, less"He brought some weird contraption with him and explained it was a cage, he used it to get a pitbull and a cat to get along, he made a point of not telling my gf but basically he put the cat in the cage and let the pitbull go at it while putting an electric collar on the pitbull......so apparently it worked....but yea.He also said "Ahhhhh Bulldogs, a vets best friend"Turns out he does other things with dogs, the dog involved here is his. The girl wanted to get married and the guy backed out a few times, he finally decided to do it and did this. Her face throughout all of it is just great and for me one of those "life worth living" moments

[speedz99 145]

He also told us that if the dog was in an extreme fight to kick him right in the end of his body, where he put the leash. He said he had too many customers with bite marks on their hands trying to stop a fight and there is no bones there so he'll be OK. His words not mine.

That's true...just some internal organs, but what kind of pussy dog needs those anyway.

When gf went to run after the dog I said "well, what do you think" he responded "Dog, lots of potential, your girlfriend, less"He also said "Ahhhhh Bulldogs, a vets best friend"

Funny guy. I'm betting putting a pitbull and a cat in a cage together, even with the electric collar, ends up with a dead cat more often than not.

[SlapStick 0]

Funny guy. I'm betting putting a pitbull and a cat in a cage together, even with the electric collar, ends up with a dead cat more often than not.

He was a hotty, anything he said was funny.He put the cat in the cage and let the dog outside the cage have at it, cat was only in danger of being traumatised

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Bella the Pitbull continues her recovery.Tomorrow is one month since her second Surgery and about three months since the first. Leg #1 is starting to regain some muscle tone while Leg #2 has good & bad days. The Vet said that he could detect significant arthritis in both knees during surgery, so good & bad days will likely be part of her life. The Vet recommends waiting a full four months before allowing her to romp off leash with the other dogs.We have an older dog (Fargo the Elk Hound) with severe hip issues. She is pretty unstable on her feet - a strong wind can literally cause her to lose her balance. She is mostly deaf and has poor eyesight. Her heart and will, however, are strong. She has always been the dominant dog in the house, and she has continued to teach Bella about dominance. Even though Bella could easily rip Fargo to ribbons - Fargo can get Bella to drop any toy or back down from play. Fascinating how dominance works.I am trying to socialize Bella as much as possible. On Saturday we were working around my Late Mother's house - attacking a backyard that hadn't been touched in the two years since her death - it was a small jungle. Some friends volunteered to help. Bella came to get some experience with new faces. At first she was VERY apprehensive, particularly around women - shying away with her tail between her legs and giving a low growl. She has shown this fear and even a little aggression towards women in the past and it leads me to believe that she was neglected/abused in her former life by a woman (yeah, I know, join the club). Luckily her core temperament is so good, she quickly became accustomed to meeting new people throughout the day. The 8 year old girl from next door quickly made friends - Bella immediately flopped on her back to expose her belly for the girl to rub. I was on High Alert since I've never seen Bella interact with a child before this. It was remarkable how quickly the two of them bonded. Bella was the same with the girl's mother - no apprehension nor aggression issues.This is a dog who was neglected, perhaps abused, in the first six months of her life, then rescued by the Animal Cops and spent a few weeks with a temporary foster family, and finally came to us when she was perhaps 8 or 9 months old. She almost immediately blew out both knees and endured two painful surgeries (and two resulting Fentanyl overdoses!) and recoveries. She is finally mostly pain free and able to begin to establish and enjoy a routine. As she continues to recover I am thrilled to see her personality emerge. Mostly thrilled - I didn't care for her eating an antique chair the other day when we left her unattended and uncrated on the first floor of the house - a reminder that young dogs should be supervised. She is still very much a work in progress and will require patience and work to earn mutual trust - but so far so good. I am looking forward to giving her a safe & happy doggie lifetime with her new family.

[mrdannyg 274]

So. You may recall I had a question about my female cat (about 2 years old) not being spayed. She is still not spayed, though not for lack of effort. The first vet refused to do it out of concern for her health. The second has a 4-month waiting list. Since she is the one that originally diagnosed the problem as non-serious, she is the only one who will do it. I realize the last 2 sentences raise a lot of questions. I'll answer them if you want, but better to trust me that there are reasonable answers and we'll move on. She's scheduled to be spayed. Our male cat of the same age is fixed.For the second time, we have found what appears to be urine on our bed. Neither has ever had problems missing the litterbox. Both times occured while she was in heat. More telling perhaps, the urine smells pretty strong, like it might be hormone-related. I thought that only male cats sprayed. True? If so, is it possible for a stressed-out neutered male cat to spray?If it is the female cat I doubt there's much we can do. It seems to be a reaction to her being in heat, and I don't know what else we'd be able to do other than locking her out of rooms that we don't want to have pee in while she's in heat.Thoughts?

[speedz99 145]

The second has a 4-month waiting list.

I had no idea that the issues relating to health care in Canada apply to veterinary care as well.

I thought that only male cats sprayed. True? If so, is it possible for a stressed-out neutered male cat to spray?

False, it is not uncommon for intact female cats to spray. Neutered male cats can spray as well...the hormones involved are obviously different, so it's really more "marking" than true "spraying" in most cases, but regardless, it's possible.So, I'd say it's about 50/50 for who's doing it.

If it is the female cat I doubt there's much we can do. It seems to be a reaction to her being in heat, and I don't know what else we'd be able to do other than locking her out of rooms that we don't want to have pee in while she's in heat.

Well, you could put either or both of them on anti-anxiety meds, but that would be ridiculous. You're right, just wait it out and close the doors to the important rooms while she's in heat. Hopefully after she gets spayed it'll stop.

[mrdannyg 274]

I had no idea that the issues relating to health care in Canada apply to veterinary care as well.

Heh.

False, it is not uncommon for intact female cats to spray. Neutered male cats can spray as well...the hormones involved are obviously different, so it's really more "marking" than true "spraying" in most cases, but regardless, it's possible.So, I'd say it's about 50/50 for who's doing it.Well, you could put either or both of them on anti-anxiety meds, but that would be ridiculous. You're right, just wait it out and close the doors to the important rooms while she's in heat. Hopefully after she gets spayed it'll stop.

Thank you sir. Not the answer I wanted since I hoped we could at least narrow it down to which cat. Oh well, they certainly won't be going on meds or anything extreme like that.

[Roll the Bones 74]

Heh.Thank you sir. Not the answer I wanted since I hoped we could at least narrow it down to which cat. Oh well, they certainly won't be going on meds or anything extreme like that.

Cat Maxi pads?

[Napa_Don 688]

Speedz,I saw this in another forum and wanted your opinion on it, because if it is true, I would feel a lot better about getting a dog (lab-ish) while living in an apartment...

do the dog owners who live in major cities have simply no compassion for the dog being cooped up for 23 hours/day, or how do they justify it in their minds (obviously speaking about dogs of any significant size)? just seems so f cruel to do that to a dog who naturally would want to run around/play most of the day...it's disgusting to see HUGE dogs walking around in nyc knowing they are absolutely miserable 95% of the day...dogs>catssmall dogs>catscats>dogs (in major cities) imodefinitely some misconceptions here. dogs sleep 16 hrs a day and are animals that live in dens. an apartment is just a big den to a dog. a house with a yard is the same thing. leaving a dog in a yard to "play" is the same as leaving them in an apartment. their is little to no stimulation for them. they need to walk, preferably twice a day for at least 30 minutes at a time. there is no substitute for this.

XOXO,Napa

[speedz99 145]

Well, there are big dogs that need a ton of exercise, and there are big lazy dogs that are more than happy to walk twice a day. I think it's silly to say that an apartment is just as good as a house with a large yard...the advantage of the yard isn't that a dog is going to run in circles all day long, but that a dog can be let out regularly to sprint around for a while, pee, and come back inside at his/her pleasure. That said, a motivated person with some time on his hands can certainly get away with keeping a high-energy dog in the city, as long as he can do stuff like going for hour runs in the morning and long walks in the evening. And I do agree that having a big house doesn't make much of a difference in terms of the actual space...dogs typically don't exercise themselves much indoors regardless of how much room they have.Again, the basic answer is that it depends on the dog. A young german shorthaired pointer would be a wreck living in a small apartment and only getting 60 minutes of low impact walking per day, while that would probably be enough for your typical middle aged lab. And so on. And so forth. Etcetera.If you want a lab while living in an apartment, talk to rescue groups and find one that's maybe 2-4 years old and they already know has a medium activity level.

[vonteego3 0]

speedz, I know this is your thread, but I'm gonna disagree with you here.In a perfect world, maybe an apartment wouldn't be the most ideal place for a high energy dog; however, in a world where millions of dogs are killed every year because there aren't enough homes, an apartment is pretty ideal. I mean, if the dog is only gonna go outside for 2 minutes to do his business, an apartment sucks; however, as long as you're willing to take them for long walks everyday and they get the one thing even more important to a dog than exercise, which is being a part of a pack (even if it's just the two of you), that's going to be a happy dog.Of course, this is all under the assumption that the discussion regards adopting a dog from a rescue, rather than buying one from a breeder. If you're looking at a breeder, don't do it. But I guess you kinda said that, so I'm not really disagreeing with you, am I?However... a dog that gets 2 30-minute walks a day while living in an apartment is really getting more exercise than a dog with a big yard that goes out alone and never gets any real attention or any walks.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

...in a world where millions of dogs are killed every year because there aren't enough homes, an apartment is pretty ideal...

But you're mixing two different issues. The question was regarding how appropriate is it to keep a large high energy dog in a small living space. Even you agree that you'd need to compensate with things like long walks for this to work. Yeah, a lousy life is perhaps better than no life, but that part of the Soap Box is different consideration.

[speedz99 145]

speedz, I know this is your thread, but I'm gonna disagree with you here.

I'm not sure you really disagree with me, although I wouldn't mind if you did. I think I tried to be clear in saying that a mid-high energy dog can be perfectly happy in an apartment as long as it's cared for properly. I don't think it's fair to start in on the "an imperfect home is better than being euthanized" argument since he wasn't specifically saying it's a crazy high energy dog or no dog at all.

Of course, this is all under the assumption that the discussion regards adopting a dog from a rescue, rather than buying one from a breeder. If you're looking at a breeder, don't do it.

I'll always adopt, but I don't think that (good) breeders are the root of all evil.

[LadyGrey 6]

I'm not sure you really disagree with me, although I wouldn't mind if you did. I think I tried to be clear in saying that a mid-high energy dog can be perfectly happy in an apartment as long as it's cared for properly. I don't think it's fair to start in on the "an imperfect home is better than being euthanized" argument since he wasn't specifically saying it's a crazy high energy dog or no dog at all. I'll always adopt, but I don't think that (good) breeders are the root of all evil.

Haha, you're trying to rationalise with vonteego about dogs? Didn't you see this article about him in the news?