All About Our Pets(Pics, Advice, Etc)

[jmo1012]

Leaving the country for 10 days starting Wednesday. Penny hasn't bounced back from her initial break with diarrhea 3 weeks ago, but seems to be happily plowing along with assist feedings q12h and then whatever med combo we happen to be trying at the moment. I'm scared she'll decline while I'm gone. She's staying with my family who is on board for all of her care, but its obviously not the same as her being under my watchful eye. I dont think that whatever is going on is fixable, whether this is related to eating the ribbon a month ago or not. She's not a good surgical candidate and I dont think I'd be willing to do that to her regardless. Right now my days consist of 1.5-2 hours worth of Penny feeding. Obviously this cannot go on forever :-/ She's lost a lot of weight since this all started. The part that has me hanging on is that she's still eating some hay (we've taken away pellets and veggies to keep her on as much fiber as possible, and her appetite isnt what it was but she does readily eat the hay), she still talks to me, she's grooming, she wakes me up at the crack of dawn chewing her cage bars, and she gets mad at me if i ignore her during feeding time. She overall still seems pretty darn happy. I just don't know how long this is going to last. I desperately want more time, want to fix her, want to have the pig that I had a month ago back. Blah.

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[orca2011]

Leaving the country for 10 days starting Wednesday. Penny hasn't bounced back from her initial break with diarrhea 3 weeks ago, but seems to be happily plowing along with assist feedings q12h and then whatever med combo we happen to be trying at the moment. I'm scared she'll decline while I'm gone. She's staying with my family who is on board for all of her care, but its obviously not the same as her being under my watchful eye. I dont think that whatever is going on is fixable, whether this is related to eating the ribbon a month ago or not. She's not a good surgical candidate and I dont think I'd be willing to do that to her regardless. Right now my days consist of 1.5-2 hours worth of Penny feeding. Obviously this cannot go on forever :-/ She's lost a lot of weight since this all started. The part that has me hanging on is that she's still eating some hay (we've taken away pellets and veggies to keep her on as much fiber as possible, and her appetite isnt what it was but she does readily eat the hay), she still talks to me, she's grooming, she wakes me up at the crack of dawn chewing her cage bars, and she gets mad at me if i ignore her during feeding time. She overall still seems pretty darn happy. I just don't know how long this is going to last. I desperately want more time, want to fix her, want to have the pig that I had a month ago back. Blah.

*hugs*

 

[hedgiehog]

I took Zaius to the dog park this morning to place with my friend's dogs--3 yellow lab husky mixes. 2 more yellow dogs come in and they are all playing nice together. Finally a black lab comes into the dog park to play. He spent his time there herding the one black lab away from the five yellow dogs. When the black lab left Zay laid down and watched over his yellow flock. Apparently my dog is against the fraternization of different colored dogs.

 

[WildZoo]

My cats are so weird. Or at least I think they are, maybe it's normal cat behavior. Cindy doesn't cover annything when she uses the litterbox, so Gandalf will go in after her and cover for her. Gandalf also likes socks, and will try to steal them from your feet (he has a bit of a foot fetish in general). Cindy has also taken to licking her right shoulder enough that the fur is soaking wet, usually after she finishes eating. No pieces of food there, I can't see anything wrong with her skin...she just obsessively licks there for some reason. Are all cats this strange?

 

[jmo1012]

My cats are so weird. Or at least I think they are, maybe it's normal cat behavior. Cindy doesn't cover annything when she uses the litterbox, so Gandalf will go in after her and cover for her. Gandalf also likes socks, and will try to steal them from your feet (he has a bit of a foot fetish in general). Cindy has also taken to licking her right shoulder enough that the fur is soaking wet, usually after she finishes eating. No pieces of food there, I can't see anything wrong with her skin...she just obsessively licks there for some reason. Are all cats this strange?

They are when they belong to vet students and vets

 

[DVMDream]

My cats are so weird. Or at least I think they are, maybe it's normal cat behavior. Cindy doesn't cover annything when she uses the litterbox, so Gandalf will go in after her and cover for her. Gandalf also likes socks, and will try to steal them from your feet (he has a bit of a foot fetish in general). Cindy has also taken to licking her right shoulder enough that the fur is soaking wet, usually after she finishes eating. No pieces of food there, I can't see anything wrong with her skin...she just obsessively licks there for some reason. Are all cats this strange?

My cat licks electrical outlets. I think cats are just weird.

 

[WildZoo]

My cat licks electrical outlets. I think cats are just weird.

Such strange creatures. Cindy also likes to repeatedly eat things that make her throw up. And when she wants to be fed she'll chew on anything and everything in the house except for the cat toys.

 

[EngrSC]

Such strange creatures. Cindy also likes to repeatedly eat things that make her throw up. And when she wants to be fed she'll chew on anything and everything in the house except for the cat toys.

My cat will arbitrarily sit in the middle of a room and yowl/scream at the top of her lungs at super random hours of the day/night. It sounds like she's dying.
We did everything thinking something was wrong with her - labs, rads, blood pressure, Texas GI panel (she's always been a barfer) and everything was completely normal. When she does it now I just say "Katie, stop it, I proved you're not dying!"
Cats

 

[finnickthedog]

This is not a border collie. Why do people keep congratulating me on my new border collie?
Why don't the double dewclaws and the spitz tail clue them in?
*sobs* I'm just being dramatic. I'm so not used to people messing up my dog's breed, my others are Australian Shepherds and pretty much everyone gets those.

Also, does anyone know how to resize photos? Because I skipped out on using a more current one because it was massive.

 

[WildZoo]

This is not a border collie. Why do people keep congratulating me on my new border collie?
Why don't the double dewclaws and the spitz tail clue them in?
*sobs* I'm just being dramatic. I'm so not used to people messing up my dog's breed, my others are Australian Shepherds and pretty much everyone gets those.

Also, does anyone know how to resize photos? Because I skipped out on using a more current one because it was massive.

Use Pixlr!

cute pup by the way people probably just mix up the breed because of the coloring.

 

[finnickthedog]

Use Pixlr!

cute pup by the way people probably just mix up the breed because of the coloring.

Oh, I'm sure that's why they mix it up. And I get it, for the most part.

But it's not just the general public who mess it up, it's also dog savvy people at dog shows and such too. I really thought those people would recognize that she isn't a border even if they don't quite know what she is. (Icelandic Sheepdog btw. I forgot to mention that).

Ah well, at least border collies are pretty. So we'll take it as a compliment

 

[cowgirla]

Oh, I'm sure that's why they mix it up. And I get it, for the most part.

But it's not just the general public who mess it up, it's also dog savvy people at dog shows and such too. I really thought those people would recognize that she isn't a border even if they don't quite know what she is. (Icelandic Sheepdog btw. I forgot to mention that).

Ah well, at least border collies are pretty. So we'll take it as a compliment

Knew it was an icie with one glance if that makes you feel better

My icie gets called a sheltie mix all the time. She hates it! But some random guy in the petstore did get it right a few weeks after he watched Westminster on TV so that gave me hope.

 

[finnickthedog]

Knew it was an icie with one glance if that makes you feel better

My icie gets called a sheltie mix all the time. She hates it! But some random guy in the petstore did get it right a few weeks after he watched Westminster on TV so that gave me hope.

View attachment 192621

That does make me feel better. And your girl is gorgeous!

 

[cowgirla]

That does make me feel better. And your girl is gorgeous!

Thanks. They are a seriously awesome breed. I'd get another in a heartbeat. Had my girl for 8 years now! Enjoy your pup

 

[finnickthedog]

Thanks. They are a seriously awesome breed. I'd get another in a heartbeat. Had my girl for 8 years now! Enjoy your pup

I've only had her a few months but yes, they are super awesome!

I mean, Aussies are still my heart and soul, but I can see myself having an Icie around far into the future.

 

[hbr1704]

My boyfriend has a mix breed dog that he adopted as a puppy (I suspect she is a pit/beagle mix). She is nearly a year old now and about 2-3 months ago she started peeing and pooping in her crate. I have suggested to him to try and let her outside more often, which he does and she is still doing it (even if she goes pee and poop outside). Does anyone have any advice for getting her to stop going to the bathroom in the crate. Also, I have suggested making the crate size smaller and she will then just lay in her excrement anyways. Earlier today we discovered she eats her poop, so we are in the process of buying the coprophagia pills to eliminate that issue. Has anyone else had to deal with this issue and can offer any advice or have any recommendations on what coprophagia pills to buy.

Thanks!!

 

[derwent2052]

My boyfriend has a mix breed dog that he adopted as a puppy (I suspect she is a pit/beagle mix). She is nearly a year old now and about 2-3 months ago she started peeing and pooping in her crate. I have suggested to him to try and let her outside more often, which he does and she is still doing it (even if she goes pee and poop outside). Does anyone have any advice for getting her to stop going to the bathroom in the crate. Also, I have suggested making the crate size smaller and she will then just lay in her excrement anyways. Earlier today we discovered she eats her poop, so we are in the process of buying the coprophagia pills to eliminate that issue. Has anyone else had to deal with this issue and can offer any advice or have any recommendations on what coprophagia pills to buy.

Thanks!!

Was there any change around when it started, eg a move, change in schedule, etc, or had she ever been left alone for extended periods of time before (or even in the crate)? It could potentially be related to separation anxiety. Do you have a webcam or anything you could use while you/your boyfriend is out to see how she is/what she's doing while alone? If it is separation anxiety, it can be worked on with good positive reinforcement training, building up the dog's confidence at being left on her own. Things like frozen food-stuffed kongs and other interactive toys can also be a good distraction especially initially when you first leave, and help occupy her for a while. Things like DAP/Adaptil diffusers and collars can be helpful (they release calming pheromones to help relax dogs). How long is she left alone for? If it's too long, especially in a small crate, it might also be too long for her to hold it.
A visit with her vet would be helpful, both if it's related to separation anxiety (hopefully the vet would have good behavioural advice to help, and potentially medication if necessary) or if it's a medical issue - if she's been well toilet trained prior to this starting, always a good idea to make sure a medical reason isn't underlying the accidents.
A good thing for copraphagia is really to manage it and reduce her opportunities to practice the behaviour (as it can be very self-reinforcing) - so picking up poo asap both on lead and in the garden/wherever so that she doesn't have time to eat it. If she's eating it while in her crate, really need to figure out why she's pooing in the crate first. I've only heard mixed things about anti-copraphagia tablets, some saying it did nothing and others saying it helped. I don't know if any have actually been studied with a proper trial for effectiveness.

ASPCA has very good info about separation anxiety: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/separation-anxiety

 

[jmo1012]

Said goodbye to my beautiful little girl today. I miss her terribly already. She's been sick for awhile despite all of our best efforts, and it was just time to be humane. I love you Penny. <3

 

[WildZoo]

So sorry for your loss jmo

 

[dyachei]

sorry jmo

 

[Skimble]

I was really hoping she'd turn a corner jmo. I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Lupin21]

sad face and tear, jmo. I still look back on my childhood pig pig with extremely fond memories. Hope you will smile as well every time you help one and even take another one in.

 

[Gwenevre]

So sorry jmo

 

[Gwenevre]

BF's new kitten keeps scratching the furniture, even though he has a scratch board to use. What are some good methods to
A) Dissuade kitten from scratching furniture
B) Encourage kitten to use board to his delight

 

[dyachei]

double sided tape. have appropriate (both vertical and horizontal) scratching surfaces near the offending furniture. positive reinforcement when doing the right thing and no attention when doing the wrong

 

[Skimble]

BF's new kitten keeps scratching the furniture, even though he has a scratch board to use. What are some good methods to
A) Dissuade kitten from scratching furniture
B) Encourage kitten to use board to his delight

If kitten in cat nip reactive, rub cat nip on the scratching post and use dangly toys to entice scratching post use.

 

[Gwenevre]

double sided tape. have appropriate (both vertical and horizontal) scratching surfaces near the offending furniture. positive reinforcement when doing the right thing and no attention when doing the wrong

So far they yell at him to stop on the furniture. Is that helping or hurting?

 

[dyachei]

So far they yell at him to stop on the furniture. Is that helping or hurting?

attention is attention to some cats

 

[Rainheart]

@jmo1012 Sorry for your loss, I know how special she was to you.

 

[orca2011]

A little late, but I am soooo sorry to hear about Penny @jmo1012 . Pigs really know how to steal your heart.

 

[Gwenevre]

Taking in a 2y old male cat for the summer as a foster/sitting job. My cat is being hissy from a distance, but non-aggressive, and both cats have retreated to their respective corners of the apartment. Will place Juniper's blanket into his room so he can get used to her scent, and will place some of his toys near Juniper for the same effect. Is there anything else I should be watching for or doing to help ease the introduction process?
And a slight rant, one of my roommates keeps going off on how my cat is apparently being extremely aggressive with the hissing and growling and that "this is all going to end in blood."

 

[WildZoo]

Taking in a 2y old male cat for the summer as a foster/sitting job. My cat is being hissy from a distance, but non-aggressive, and both cats have retreated to their respective corners of the apartment. Will place Juniper's blanket into his room so he can get used to her scent, and will place some of his toys near Juniper for the same effect. Is there anything else I should be watching for or doing to help ease the introduction process?
And a slight rant, one of my roommates keeps going off on how my cat is apparently being extremely aggressive with the hissing and growling and that "this is all going to end in blood."

This is specifically about fighting cats, but the recommendations for feeding are basically what I followed for introduction sessions with my cats
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/feuding_felines

Scent swapping, site swapping, and all of that is good too (more in depth stuff here http://www.wvcats.com/integrating_cats.htm). Above all else you want to go slow and don't progress to the next step of the introductions until they are consistently ok with whatever step you're on. Trust me, being impatient will only set you back.

Just quoted the post since pink puppy had a similar question a little bit ago.

 

[WildZoo]

Hissing/growling is an indication of aggression or fear, but it doesn't necessarily mean blood will follow. My older girl still gets hissy at the boy sometimes, and growls at him when they play fight, but they never hurt each other. Every cat relationship is different though so I would be careful about moving too quickly in the introduction process.

 

[Gwenevre]

Thanks for the links WZ! Must have missed them earlier

 

[that redhead]

@jmo1012 I'm so sorry I know how special she was to you and it sounds like she was extremely spoiled

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I never did end up updating you guys...turns out everyone got along just fine. My family doesn't quite understand what "Don't allow his cat to leave the spare room" means, so it ended up being a free-for-all while I was at work. Mutual grooming and playtime happened. I guess it's good to know that his cat can get along with everyone I'd have with me when we move in together in the future. I did also do the scent swapping so maybe that helped things along?

So incredibly sorry, @jmo1012 .

 

[WildZoo]

I never did end up updating you guys...turns out everyone got along just fine. My family doesn't quite understand what "Don't allow his cat to leave the spare room" means, so it ended up being a free-for-all while I was at work. Mutual grooming and playtime happened. I guess it's good to know that his cat can get along with everyone I'd have with me when we move in together in the future. I did also do the scent swapping so maybe that helped things along?

So incredibly sorry, @jmo1012 .

My family was the same way. I wish mutual grooming and friendly playtime had been the result

 

[hbr1704]

Was there any change around when it started, eg a move, change in schedule, etc, or had she ever been left alone for extended periods of time before (or even in the crate)? It could potentially be related to separation anxiety. Do you have a webcam or anything you could use while you/your boyfriend is out to see how she is/what she's doing while alone? If it is separation anxiety, it can be worked on with good positive reinforcement training, building up the dog's confidence at being left on her own. Things like frozen food-stuffed kongs and other interactive toys can also be a good distraction especially initially when you first leave, and help occupy her for a while. Things like DAP/Adaptil diffusers and collars can be helpful (they release calming pheromones to help relax dogs). How long is she left alone for? If it's too long, especially in a small crate, it might also be too long for her to hold it.
A visit with her vet would be helpful, both if it's related to separation anxiety (hopefully the vet would have good behavioural advice to help, and potentially medication if necessary) or if it's a medical issue - if she's been well toilet trained prior to this starting, always a good idea to make sure a medical reason isn't underlying the accidents.
A good thing for copraphagia is really to manage it and reduce her opportunities to practice the behaviour (as it can be very self-reinforcing) - so picking up poo asap both on lead and in the garden/wherever so that she doesn't have time to eat it. If she's eating it while in her crate, really need to figure out why she's pooing in the crate first. I've only heard mixed things about anti-copraphagia tablets, some saying it did nothing and others saying it helped. I don't know if any have actually been studied with a proper trial for effectiveness.

ASPCA has very good info about separation anxiety: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/separation-anxiety

Thank you for the suggestions and I already passed it on. Sorry it took me some time to respond I was out of town.

side note: he has not moved, but will be moving in July.

 

[Gwenevre]

Tried some treat-motivation with the cats today. Juniper will inch closer and closer to hiss, but no contact as of yet.

 

[WildZoo]

Cindy had a scab on her ear that I noticed had fallen off this morning, leaving her with a little bald pink/red spot (I think she may have scratched if off early). I later found Gandalf playing with something small and fuzzy on the ground. Yup, it was Cindy's scab, with the hair that came out with it

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Cindy had a scab on her ear that I noticed had fallen off this morning, leaving her with a little bald pink/red spot (I think she may have scratched if off early). I later found Gandalf playing with something small and fuzzy on the ground. Yup, it was Cindy's scab, with the hair that came out with it

oh my god

 

[WildZoo]

oh my god

I'm just glad he didn't eat it. He usually eats anything he finds on the ground. Ugh.

 

[finnickthedog]

Cindy had a scab on her ear that I noticed had fallen off this morning, leaving her with a little bald pink/red spot (I think she may have scratched if off early). I later found Gandalf playing with something small and fuzzy on the ground. Yup, it was Cindy's scab, with the hair that came out with it

I'm just glad he didn't eat it. He usually eats anything he finds on the ground. Ugh.

Ew. No. If he were mine I think I would almost rather he ate it just so I didn't have to discover him playing with it.

 

[WildZoo]

Ew. No. If he were mine I think I would almost rather he ate it just so I didn't have to discover him playing with it.

Hmm...good point. The idea makes my stomach turn, but if he had eaten it I probably wouldn't have known about it.

 

[WildZoo]

How can such a cute cat be so gross?

 

[Gwenevre]

Had to put Juniper's food bowl up on top of one of my bookcases. Tobi is overweight and on a low calorie diet, and he kept getting into Juniper's food when she wasn't looking.
Juniper can get up to her food just fine, I'm just worried about her getting tummy aches or something because she has to jump up and down to her food. I don't want to find more vomit piles on my bed.

 

[finnickthedog]

How can such a cute cat be so gross?
View attachment 193145

It's always the cute ones.

 

[orca2011]

My dog's need to eat everything (not like furniture) but every other animal in the house's food, litter, poop is driving me insane. Just found him in the one cat's covered litter box, which means he's going to poop 20 million times again tomorrow like he did last time this happened. I'm getting so frustrated by this. I know it's a common thing, but you seriously can't turn your back on him or he'll find something to eat. I'm sure part of it is because he was on a diet (now trying to hold the weight he's currently at) but ugh. Although he always has had no impulse control when it's come to food or things like this.

 

[Gwenevre]

Mr. Fat cat who's on a diet found Juniper's kitten food today on top of my 6ft bookshelf. Time to find a new place to hide the goods.

 

[Gwenevre]

Will it affect Juniper in any way if I switcher her from free feeding to a 2x a day feeding schedule for a couple months? Just until the foster cat goes back home.