The Pet Info Thread

[speedz99 145]

My male cat is getting fat. He isn't huge yet, but obviously will get there if things progress the way they are. Only 18 months old, but we feed him and the female cat from the same dish, so I'm not sure how to put him on a diet.From experience, feeding them from different dishes doesn't work, unless we take drastic steps.I don't think the fatness is affecting him yet. He naps a lot and is generally lethargic...but he's also a cat so I'm not too worried.

You should be worried...stop the weight gain now. If he gets fat, besides being generally unhealthy, he'll probably develop diabetes, which is a huge (and expensive) pain in the ass. What food are they on now? Brand, type, wet or dry, etc...As for the growth, I can't really comment on that one without more information. Except to say that it's generally a bad idea to let growths like that just hang out in the body.

I'd like to know how YOUR pets are doing. i.e. look at lots of new pictures of them.

Well, ok. Just a few. I'll focus on your favorite, since Dewey is everyone else's favorite (man is he a slut when people come over).Just hanging out:But you probably want to see her up close:Maybe not too close though:The Dew's new favorite game is "jump on a door and get stuck there, yell until speedz saves me". Although I know he can get down on his own:Oh, hi:

[speedz99 145]

I have an issue, but first here is a recent pic of my girls. Nesta, the black one, has developed what I believe is called "hot spot", probably as a result of me getting lazy with separating the cords all the way down to the skin. It is an irritated area that also kind of smells bad and was pretty gross when I first discovered it. I cleared the area of hair, and cleaned it off, and I think it is doing better, seems to be maybe scabbing now. I have these antibiotic sort of oxyclean type pads that my dermatologist gave me for my face, I forget exactly what the drug is called, but its a topical antibiotic. Should I use this on her hot spot? Or just leave it to heal on its own? (obviously I'm trying to avoid going to the vet here, as that would mean leaving my house)thanks!

Use any generic triple antibiotic ointment (I don't know about using oxyclean-ish pads). Put it on a few times daily for a week...that should clear it up. If it doesn't clear up or gets worse at any point you should bring her in. She could need systemic antibiotics, but I don't think that's likely. Make sure she's not licking the area.Cool dogs.

[mrdannyg 274]

You should be worried...stop the weight gain now. If he gets fat, besides being generally unhealthy, he'll probably develop diabetes, which is a huge (and expensive) pain in the ass. What food are they on now? Brand, type, wet or dry, etc...As for the growth, I can't really comment on that one without more information. Except to say that it's generally a bad idea to let growths like that just hang out in the body.

To clarify, the growth isn't visible. Cutting it out isn't an option, since it is located on her throat and we're surgery would be extremely risky. Just worried we might need to get her back on to antibiotics.I am going to gracefully avoid the food question. He doesn't eat a ton, but feeding him less would probably just take food out of the female's mouth. We're considering switching to a weight-control food, with smaller portions. The female is not at all picky and loves people food, so we can probably supplement her food with our own, which is probably healthier too.

[speedz99 145]

I am going to gracefully avoid the food question. He doesn't eat a ton, but feeding him less would probably just take food out of the female's mouth. We're considering switching to a weight-control food, with smaller portions. The female is not at all picky and loves people food, so we can probably supplement her food with our own, which is probably healthier too.

Read a lot about proper feline diet before you do this. I'm sure you would have done that without me saying it, but I...feel like I should anyway.

[mrdannyg 274]

Read a lot about proper feline diet before you do this. I'm sure you would have done that without me saying it, but I...feel like I should anyway.

Lots of onion and chocolate right?

[speedz99 145]

Well, yes, those are the easy and obvious ones.Edit: You know, you joke, but any decent vet would...not take it well...if you said your plan for keeping the normal-sized cat in good shape was to feed it table scraps.

[mrdannyg 274]

Well, yes, those are the easy and obvious ones.Edit: You know, you joke, but any decent vet would...not take it well...if you said your plan for keeping the normal-sized cat in good shape was to feed it table scraps.

Go on...The vets I've been to suggested human food (obviously they didn't say scraps) was generally a good thing for them. I mean, I don't give them crumbs, but I'm also not cooking especially for them. Then again, one of the vets was a quack, and the other just seemed pissed I wasn't buying vet food.She friggin loves peach yogurt.

[speedz99 145]

Well, I don't really want to go against what your vet(s) told you, so whatever. Just keep in mind the fact that she's a carnivore.

[mrdannyg 274]

Well, I don't really want to go against what your vet(s) told you, so whatever. Just keep in mind the fact that she's a carnivore.

Cool. My vets suck, so no worries there. Still don't get the fascination with yogurt, but we do feed her almost exclusively meat, so good there. Only time she's ever been noticeably sick from human food was when we left out a whole package of ham by accident. Happiest puking kitty I've ever seen.

[El Guapo 8]

FWIW my mom had a cat that had either kidney or liver failure (forget which one) and decided to feed the cat raw organic chicken and tuna and the cat lived for a couple more years, gained weight back and it's fur was shiny and soft as it had ever been. It was expensive as hell for her, and she had to hand feed the cat for weeks until it got it strength back, but ya, they are carnivores.

[speedz99 145]

For the record, since I only want good information in this extremely serious and important thread, canned tuna meant for human should not regularly be fed to cats.

[vonteego3 0]

Speedz, how much experience do you have with heartworm disease? I'm struggling about a rescue right now, and it's too late to call my vet (although she'd totally answer and talk to me all night about it).

[El Guapo 8]

For the record, since I only want good information in this extremely serious and important thread, canned tuna meant for human should not regularly be fed to cats.

I said she gave he cat fresh chicken and fresh tuna, unless you were just making a blanket statement.

[SlapStick 0]

My leash aggression dog update: She never got a trainer as shes flat broke until March. We took an empty can of coke, cut it open, threw about 6 coins in there and taped it up. Whenever he starts to get aggro we just shake the can at him and he snaps back into happy cute puppy. Its quite funny the transformation in him. Sometimes it takes a few shakes.Not sure if it will last but he was getting out of control and my roommates were having trouble controlling him(he listens more to me for some reason) so anyway, so far its a success.And yes we do get the "What the hell are you doing retard?" look from many onlookers.

[speedz99 145]

Speedz, how much experience do you have with heartworm disease? I'm struggling about a rescue right now, and it's too late to call my vet (although she'd totally answer and talk to me all night about it).

Sorry I didn't catch this last night...I assume you called the vet this morning. Anyways, I don't know all that much about dealing with heartworm positive dogs.

I said she gave he cat fresh chicken and fresh tuna, unless you were just making a blanket statement.

Blanket statement.

And yes we do get the "What the hell are you doing retard?" look from many onlookers.

At least it's working.

[SweetDee 0]

Cool thread. FWIW, my solution to my two 15 plus pound males cats scratching problem was to buy new couches every two years and let em go apeshit. They only claw 2 spots, and it's annoying but they are my babies. Now, one of them for whatever reason every 2 months or so gets the runs real bad and just shits everywhere, I have to keep him outside and basically wipe his ass when I let him in. Sometimes I hold him down in the sink and spray his butt with the sprayer attachment, he growls but seems to know what needs to be done. Any ideas as to why he (and I) go through this?

[speedz99 145]

I...do not know. Is he typically an indoor/outdoor cat? How long does it usually last? Guesses:1. Parasites...have you had a fecal sample tested? I don't know of any that have a cycle of every few months within a system, but I suppose it's possible. 2. He might like eating stuff outside that he shouldn't be eating, and it just happens to catch up with him once in a while. Not much you can do about that aside from keeping him inside and making sure there's nothing around for him to get into.3. He has some form of IBD. You could try a bland diet, but it would probably just make the flare-ups less frequent, not get rid of them altogether.Sorry, that's the best I can do.

[uncooper 1]

I have 2 male cats that are fully indoors. One is 7 years old and the other is 5. The older one does this hissing/hiccuping/barf thing every few months. Sometimes more than once, but never for more than a 24 hour period. I'm currently feeding them Iams Original/Chicken (dry). I want to switch to one the high end brands, and get the older cat special food to aid in digestion. Is there a specific one I should seek out? Can I give it to both cats? And is there any merit to mixing the old food with the new one at first to acclimate them to it?

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

Question regarding canine athleticism:I'm considering a puppy to replace my cat. Such a puppy would be required to grow into a dog that's not a fag, though. I am looking for a particularly cute, well-behaved, trainable breed, but one that is capable of comfortably running 80+ miles in a week consistently, at <6minute miles paces, in brutally humid conditions. Recommendations?

[speedz99 145]

I have 2 male cats that are fully indoors. One is 7 years old and the other is 5. The older one does this hissing/hiccuping/barf thing every few months. Sometimes more than once, but never for more than a 24 hour period. I'm currently feeding them Iams Original/Chicken (dry). I want to switch to one the high end brands, and get the older cat special food to aid in digestion. Is there a specific one I should seek out? Can I give it to both cats? And is there any merit to mixing the old food with the new one at first to acclimate them to it?

The hiccup/barf thing at a low frequency is usually more of hairball issue than a digestion issue. I'd recommend mixing in a "hairball formula" food with whatever high end food you switch to if you're worried about the puking every few months...or you could just deal with cleaning some puke 6 times a year. Any of the top brands are fine, and yes, you should absolutely be mixing the new stuff with the old food to get them used to it. This usually works:3/4 old, 1/4 new for a week1/2 and 1/2 for a week1/4 old, 3/4 new for a weekIt's a bit cautious, but better safe than sorry*, and it's not that hard to do. Oh, and having the hairball formula worked in as 1/4 of their food is fine for both cats if that's the way you want to go. No guarantees though...some cats will still puke every once in a while as par for the course.*In this case, "sorry" is what you'd be if one or both cats had diarrhea all over the house.

Question regarding canine athleticism:I'm considering a puppy to replace my cat. Such a puppy would be required to grow into a dog that's not a fag, though. I am looking for a particularly cute, well-behaved, trainable breed, but one that is capable of comfortably running 80+ miles in a week consistently, at <6minute miles paces, in brutally humid conditions. Recommendations?

Dogs aren't made to run that fast for that far in those conditions. Talk to some breeders and your vet before trying to make a dog keep up with that routine. Look at the German Shorthaired Pointer and other hunting/working dogs. If you run on cement you'd have to train them to run with dog shoes on...that kind of distance and speed would destroy their pads. All of those breeds require a lot of work with training since they're so high energy. I mean, I think you're bullshitting me about this, but that's my answer.

[Dirtydutch 8]

I mean, I think you're bullshitting me about this, but that's my answer.

Well, I mean, I'm not going to be running at that pace. But is it so wrong to demand it of a pet? I was under the false impression that dogs were elite endurance athletes; like I thought sleigh dogs ran like 130miles in a day and shit. Maybe a horse is what I want? Or some manner of prehistoric bird, like an ostrich?

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

My Pitbull ruptured a ligament in her knee. Friday afternoon she wasn't putting any weight on her right rear leg. Later in the afternoon she seemed fine. Then Saturday AM the same thing. Only she never got better this time. Took her to the vet and they said it is a ruptured ligament and will require surgery. They sedated her so they could manipulate the leg to confirm the diagnosis. She is just a pup (11 months) and has gained 12 pounds of muscle in the 7 weeks we have had her. I think she just got too strong too fast. I hate seeing her hobbled. She is just a great dog.No real questions. Just felt like talking about it.

[speedz99 145]

Well, I mean, I'm not going to be running at that pace. But is it so wrong to demand it of a pet? I was under the false impression that dogs were elite endurance athletes; like I thought sleigh dogs ran like 130miles in a day and shit.

Hunting and herd dogs are good endurance runners, but not at that pace, and not on pavement. But since you're not actually going to be doing that with them, maybe it'll make you happy to know that they could do it if they absolutely had to. Surprisingly, sleigh dogs don't do well in "brutally humid" weather. What you're looking for (if you were actually looking for a dog) is in the realm of:German Shorthaired PointerVizslaAustralian Cattle Dog

Maybe a horse is what I want? Or some manner of prehistoric bird, like an ostrich?

[speedz99 145]

No real questions. Just felt like talking about it.

Yeah, that sucks, and it's pretty common. Fair warning: she'll probably blow out the other knee as well.

[speedz99 145]

What you're looking for (if you were actually looking for a dog) is in the realm of:

To clarify, that's the kind of dog you described. You wouldn't actually want one.