All About Our Pets(Pics, Advice, Etc)

[pinkpuppy9]

One of our clinic kitties is on gaba and it has been a miracle drug for her. Hopefully it works for your boy!

Great to hear! I've got my fingers crossed.

Edit: Also, if anyone wants to see his rads for s's and g's, they gave me a hyperlink to them that I can message you!

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[orca2011]

Are you doing a solution or the pill for Gaba? The only issue I have with it from our pharmacy is that the liquid tastes horrible (to both dogs and cats). If you're getting it elsewhere, just make sure it's specifically compounded since the readily available human version has xylitol in it (you may already know this but it's something I seem to keep forgetting).

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Are you doing a solution or the pill for Gaba? The only issue I have with it from our pharmacy is that the liquid tastes horrible (to both dogs and cats). If you're getting it elsewhere, just make sure it's specifically compounded since the readily available human version has xylitol in it (you may already know this but it's something I seem to keep forgetting).

Liquid. It came in the liquid form from the doctor....should I still be concerned? Thank you for telling me, I had no idea! She did mention she could send it out for compounding when I need a refill so I'm glad you gave me a heads up.

 

[orca2011]

Liquid. It came in the liquid form from the doctor....should I still be concerned? Thank you for telling me, I had no idea! She did mention she could send it out for compounding when I need a refill so I'm glad you gave me a heads up.

Not really sure. Our pharmacy here specifically compounds it so I'm honestly not sure what most people in private practice use. A quick VIN search mentioned that it's more of a concern if used as an anti-epileptic vs analgesia. I'm sure you could ask her.

BF also just told me that they're apparently adding xylitol to the liquid children's Benadryl, so that might also no longer be an option for people.

 

[Caiter92]

Great to hear! I've got my fingers crossed.

Edit: Also, if anyone wants to see his rads for s's and g's, they gave me a hyperlink to them that I can message you!

It's become my bosses new go to for arthritis since so many cats have responded well to it. Fingers crossed for you!

(Side note, I know it can be spendy, so if you're looking for a pharmacy to get it at Wedgwood is pretty cheap to order it through even with shipping if you're worried about cost! )

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Not really sure. Our pharmacy here specifically compounds it so I'm honestly not sure what most people in private practice use. A quick VIN search mentioned that it's more of a concern if used as an anti-epileptic vs analgesia. I'm sure you could ask her.

BF also just told me that they're apparently adding xylitol to the liquid children's Benadryl, so that might also no longer be an option for people.

Wow, good to know. I'll look into it, thank you so much for letting me know

 

[dyachei]

I use the gaba tabs. They make flavored small tabs for cats and I have the quarter-able tabs for dogs. If someone wants liquid I will get it compounded for them.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I use the gaba tabs. They make flavored small tabs for cats and I have the quarter-able tabs for dogs. If someone wants liquid I will get it compounded for them.

Honestly, he wouldn't be terrible to pill either. I have to look into pricing and accessibility soon...she only gave me a trial amount. I'm hoping to see less paw shaking/holding soon.

 

[dyachei]

Honestly, he wouldn't be terrible to pill either. I have to look into pricing and accessibility soon...she only gave me a trial amount. I'm hoping to see less paw shaking/holding soon.

forgot to mention I get those compounded via wedgewood. Roadrunner is another good compounding pharmacy. As is VPA.

 

[orca2011]

Not sure what their delivery radius is, but we also use SaveWay a lot here for compounding.

 

[KCgophervet]

Ugh my dog. I was literally not 2 hours out driving here on Saturday when my BF called and informed me that my dog was "eating grass/carpet obsessively, panting, pacing, whining, and attempting to vomit unproductively." My lab/husky/let's eat everything mix has already given me a couple foreign body scares so I told the BF to wait for a couple hours and look for x, y, and z but he may need to go to emergency clinic. Couple hours later I got the call that he threw up a bunch of grass and a cupcake wrapper (note, we have not had cupcakes in our house for at least a year, so no idea where that came from). Then started acting fine, much to my relief.

Sunday I was informed he started doing it again, same signs, but never actually threw up anything and eventually stopped showing symptoms. Meanwhile he's still interested in food, doesn't appear painful, eating drinking pooping peeing a-okay. So of course I'm thinking he has something else stuck in there that is either partially obstructing or moving and then getting stuck and then moving again. He's managed to pass some interesting things so I tell the BF to keep an eye on things and let me know.

Monday was fine, no signs, everything good. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was informed this morning that last night he started up again around 3 am and kept it (and my BF) up for 3 hours. At this point, I would have taken him to the emergency clinic, but BF never called me (and eventually he stopped showing signs again).

Convinced BF to schedule an appointment at the school for tomorrow morning. I'm so nervous that it's going to require something major or drastic and I can't be there to talk over the options and treatment plans. Why does he have to do this to me when I'm not in the same state??? Time to message my classmates and see who's on Primary Care...

 

[EngrSC]

Convinced BF to schedule an appointment at the school for tomorrow morning. I'm so nervous that it's going to require something major or drastic and I can't be there to talk over the options and treatment plans. Why does he have to do this to me when I'm not in the same state??? Time to message my classmates and see who's on Primary Care...

Oh no! Sending good thoughts his way. Keep us posted!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

About how long would it take for gaba to start kicking in (if it ever does)? Something I totally forgot to ask

 

[dyachei]

About how long would it take for gaba to start kicking in (if it ever does)? Something I totally forgot to ask

takes ~30mins-1hr to notice sedation. the pain control I usually notice in a few days to a week

 

[GreenBean2207]

Asking for some advice on moving a parrot cross country. I have Grey and am debating about taking him with me, but he has never flown before nor has he driven distances longer than 4 hours. Does anyone have any prior experience or advice about moving birds for the first time?

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Asking for some advice on moving a parrot cross country. I have Grey and am debating about taking him with me, but he has never flown before nor has he driven distances longer than 4 hours. Does anyone have any prior experience or advice about moving birds for the first time?

@Felixor90 You moved with your bird, right?

 

[orca2011]

I know a few people with birds, but I'm not quite sure where they were living before then. I'll ask around for you.

Speaking of moving with animals. I'm definitely stressing about the 5-7 hour (traffic depending) move I have to make with my guinea pigs. They've done like 2 hours before, but I'm definitely stressing about this since they don't eat/drink a lot when traveling. Will probably make up some Critical Care prior to the move and feed them throughout the trip in addition to their favorite veggies soaked in water.

 

[Felixor90]

Asking for some advice on moving a parrot cross country. I have Grey and am debating about taking him with me, but he has never flown before nor has he driven distances longer than 4 hours. Does anyone have any prior experience or advice about moving birds for the first time?

@Felixor90 You moved with your bird, right?

Yup, I moved from Miami, FL to Lansing, MI with my bird - a 25 hour drive. Your experience will vary greatly depending on how nervous your bird gets. Miko was pretty good for most of the car ride, but as we started going through Kentucky, the sudden increase in elevation really scared her and she screamed through most of that state. Just remember that birds are highly sensitive to changes in altitude and atmospheric pressure, so don't be surprised if your little guy freaks out if he's never experienced it before. Miko doesn't do well in new environments, so I just drove all 25 hours in one go (not recommended if you can avoid doing this) to avoid having to stay in a hotel. I stopped every 4-5 hours to take her travel cage out and let her get some fresh air. I didn't use anything, but you can always talk to your vet to get recommendations on some products/drugs that are designed to lower stress in birds. It's extremely important to make sure they're not in front of any drafts, so close the AC vents on their side of the car and cover them to make sure they don't get too cold. The combination of stress + a draft for hours can lower their immune system significantly. I would also recommend only giving him water during your breaks. If the water spills during the ride and he gets wet, it increases the chance of his body temperature lowering and further stressing his immune system.

My vet recommended keeping her cage covered, but she really enjoyed looking out the window so I kept it uncovered for most of the ride. If you're going to be traveling during the summer, be careful not to leave him in the car while you refill on gas. The car gets hot pretty fast, and there's always the chance of someone stealing him. If you're traveling with someone, I recommend taking turns sitting in the back with him if he's comfortable and familiar with the other person. If not, you can lower his stress by letting him ride up front with you. Either way, make sure you tie down the cage to the seat so it's not bouncing around the car if you have to make a fast stop or steep turn.

If you have any specific questions, just message me.

 

[orca2011]

Anyone have tips for how to desensitize a dog with what appears to be a super high prey drive so that it can live in the same house as a rabbit? My housemate is in love with my foster dog and really wants to adopt him, but she has an older rabbit that lives in her bedroom. Foster dog just fixates entirely on the rabbit to the point that he can't relax at all if he's within the same room with the rabbit.

We just tried moving the rabbit to live in the living room in a hutch (I know not ideal for the rabbit in regards to housing) and if the foster dog is on the main floor where the hutch is he just fixates on the hutch and is pawing, whining and biting at the wires. Since it didn't seem to work, rabbit is back up in his normal housing the room.

Unfortunately, foster dog has still not accepted crating and he would probably drive himself crazy if he happened to be crated in the same room as the rabbit.

Just seeing if anyone has any housing ideas or things that have worked. We'll definitely try treats for calm behavior and such, but open to suggestions. I'm not sure if raising him off the ground even more would help at all since even the noise of movement sets foster dog off.

 

[jmo1012]

Anyone have tips for how to desensitize a dog with what appears to be a super high prey drive so that it can live in the same house as a rabbit? My housemate is in love with my foster dog and really wants to adopt him, but she has an older rabbit that lives in her bedroom. Foster dog just fixates entirely on the rabbit to the point that he can't relax at all if he's within the same room with the rabbit.

We just tried moving the rabbit to live in the living room in a hutch (I know not ideal for the rabbit in regards to housing) and if the foster dog is on the main floor where the hutch is he just fixates on the hutch and is pawing, whining and biting at the wires. Since it didn't seem to work, rabbit is back up in his normal housing the room.

Unfortunately, foster dog has still not accepted crating and he would probably drive himself crazy if he happened to be crated in the same room as the rabbit.

Just seeing if anyone has any housing ideas or things that have worked. We'll definitely try treats for calm behavior and such, but open to suggestions. I'm not sure if raising him off the ground even more would help at all since even the noise of movement sets foster dog off.

I don't have any suggestions :-/ Lucy was obsessed with Penny, and I had to keep Penny in another room while I had Lucy. Penny lived at home while I was in grenada, so the separation was only for a few months but it was really hard. I'm not sure what I would have done when I started clinics if I had both, it would have been completely irresponsible to have them ever be in the same room together. Your roommate needs to decide if she's willing to take that risk, because even if he calms down and decides to live in harmony, you will always run the risk that he reverts, and it could be while no one is home.

 

[orca2011]

I don't have any suggestions :-/ Lucy was obsessed with Penny, and I had to keep Penny in another room while I had Lucy. Penny lived at home while I was in grenada, so the separation was only for a few months but it was really hard. I'm not sure what I would have done when I started clinics if I had both, it would have been completely irresponsible to have them ever be in the same room together. Your roommate needs to decide if she's willing to take that risk, because even if he calms down and decides to live in harmony, you will always run the risk that he reverts, and it could be while no one is home.

Yeah that's what she's thinking about. I just wasn't sure if anyone had any luck.

He's a smaller dog (cocker mix of some sort) so I dunno if doing more of a raised cage out of his vision would work. But he's also set off by the sound so I'm not sure.

Fostering him has made me realize how lucky I got when I adopted my dog. I'm probably ruined by him for further adoptions (I'll still adopt...just need to remember that they'll likely be more work than he was)

 

[Caiter92]

My old lady kitties are 18 today! (Well, todayish, the person we got them from never told us their real birthday)

I've had them since I was five and they were 5/6 weeks old when a coworker of my mom had an (unspayed and outdoor!) cat get pregnant and they weren't able to keep all the kittens.

The little brats didn't like their birthday toys, so now I feel like a bad cat mom and I'm shopping on Amazon for them. They may be just a little spoiled....

 

[WildZoo]

My old lady kitties are 18 today! (Well, todayish, the person we got them from never told us their real birthday)

I've had them since I was five and they were 5/6 weeks old when a coworker of my mom had an (unspayed and outdoor!) cat get pregnant and they weren't able to keep all the kittens.

The little brats didn't like their birthday toys, so now I feel like a bad cat mom and I'm shopping on Amazon for them. They may be just a little spoiled....

My old lady doesn't play with any of the toys I buy her ever
Happy birthday to your golden girls

 

[Caiter92]

My old lady doesn't play with any of the toys I buy her ever
Happy birthday to your golden girls

Haha, yeah it's been a long time since they've really played with toys by themselves (though they do still like their toy wand), but normally they love to roll around on and lick anything new stuffed with catnip. Not today apparently though

 

[Posey]

I don't know whether to be impressed or frustrated. My cat saw bread magically pop out of the toaster a few minutes ago and stole it. Since I'm trying to make a sandwich, I put a fresh slice in the toaster, turned it on, and walked away. He figured out there was more bread in there, and I found him with the bread between his teeth about to pull the toaster off the counter. The toaster was still plugged in, and the bread was cold.
He learned that toaster = bread but (thankfully) not that toaster = electric shock.


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[dyachei]

My cat once stole a piece of toast off my husband's plate while he was washing his hands. Got it all the way under the sofa, too, before being caught.

He also stole my husband's wedding ring. He doesn't like my husband much.

 

[genny]

I used to store my bread on my kitchen counter, and none of my pets bothered it. Then I put my fat kitten on a diet, and I was awakened in the middle of the night to the horrible sounds of a cat fighting my 85lb black lab. Went downstairs, and the lab was cowering the corner. The fat kitten had pulled the bread off the counter and put little kitty fang marks all over it, but didn't actually eat it, she just rendered it inedible for me. It looked like a cat vampire went after the loaf of bread. And she apparently kicked my dog's ass when he came over to see what she was getting into. Don't mess with fat kitty on a diet.

 

[orca2011]

Foster dog finally got in for an appointment for his right hind limb lameness. Turns out it's bad hip dysplasia and they're recommending a FHO. I can only foster him for the next week, so if this is going to happen, he's going to need a new foster.

 

[cowgirla]

Ugh. My rescue dog has had behavioral issues for as long as I've had him. Started as being occasionally dog reactive + situational anxiety. wasn't a big deal, we were just careful about walking near other dogs- any closer than 10 yards to large breed dogs and he'd start getting worked up and vocal. Has progressed to being so reactive he bites indiscriminately every time he gets worked up. Used to just be on walks- He'd get worked up on leash and nip at me while making fool out of himself, so we stopped going for walks unless I could control the environment, started drugs and modification and training. And he's only getting worse. Now I cant even have him in the backyard while the other dogs are playing, or when the neighbors might walk their dogs down the street. Progression started long before I got the new dog, and surprisingly enough, he's better with the pup than he is with my old dog. But every time he gets worked up, and happens to be near me, he's taken to biting me. Three minor nips in the past three weeks, two bites (blood drawn) in the past two years. He usually goes for the back of my legs but he almost bit my face earlier while I was working in the garden and the neighbor let his dog out- probably a hundred yards away from where we were. I don't know what to do with him . Theres a behaviorist a little over an hour away but I'm so short on money the past few months. Already tried multiple different drugs and have worked with a trainer trying to desensitize. I can introduce him to most new dogs in the right environment and he does fine. But he's unpredictable now. Hes generally a sweet dog but these issues are scaring me. He was happy enough being a house dog and not going on many walks, but now if I cant even have him out in the yard with me? Ugh. Bloodwork, urine, xrays, abdominal ultrasound all normal but the past six months or so, he's had three episodes of intermittent ataxia, plus occasional loss of house breaking. So maybe its a neuro issue not strictly behavioral. I don't know. I just needed to vent while I try to find the money for a consult somewhere.


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[pinkpuppy9]

BID Gaba seems to be giving Bobo some relief! Nothing crazy of course, but I've noticed less paw lifting. Plus, it comes in chicken or chicken + marshmallow flavors. He actually went to go break up the two girls while they were bickering, he usually just stays on his pillow and doesn't get up. That tells me he must be feeling alright if he's back to being the boss.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Got another package yesterday. Was making dinner and heard rustling. Corky ate half the box of packing peanuts. Second time that's happened, fool me twice.

He gets this dissolved packing peanut beard which is entertaining when I stop him and he looks up like "What? These things are awesome."

I wonder if it's just the crunch or they're a little sweet.

 

[hazelmoo]

Got another package yesterday. Was making dinner and heard rustling. Corky ate half the box of packing peanuts. Second time that's happened, fool me twice.

He gets this dissolved packing peanut beard which is entertaining when I stop him and he looks up like "What? These things are awesome."

I wonder if it's just the crunch or they're a little sweet.

You should try one

 

[Trilt]

If they're the starch ones I've definitely tried them and they don't taste like much.

 

[Skimble]

Got another package yesterday. Was making dinner and heard rustling. Corky ate half the box of packing peanuts. Second time that's happened, fool me twice.

He gets this dissolved packing peanut beard which is entertaining when I stop him and he looks up like "What? These things are awesome."

I wonder if it's just the crunch or they're a little sweet.

There are ones that kind of taste like popcorn.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Ugh. My rescue dog has had behavioral issues for as long as I've had him. Started as being occasionally dog reactive + situational anxiety. wasn't a big deal, we were just careful about walking near other dogs- any closer than 10 yards to large breed dogs and he'd start getting worked up and vocal. Has progressed to being so reactive he bites indiscriminately every time he gets worked up. Used to just be on walks- He'd get worked up on leash and nip at me while making fool out of himself, so we stopped going for walks unless I could control the environment, started drugs and modification and training. And he's only getting worse. Now I cant even have him in the backyard while the other dogs are playing, or when the neighbors might walk their dogs down the street. Progression started long before I got the new dog, and surprisingly enough, he's better with the pup than he is with my old dog. But every time he gets worked up, and happens to be near me, he's taken to biting me. Three minor nips in the past three weeks, two bites (blood drawn) in the past two years. He usually goes for the back of my legs but he almost bit my face earlier while I was working in the garden and the neighbor let his dog out- probably a hundred yards away from where we were. I don't know what to do with him . Theres a behaviorist a little over an hour away but I'm so short on money the past few months. Already tried multiple different drugs and have worked with a trainer trying to desensitize. I can introduce him to most new dogs in the right environment and he does fine. But he's unpredictable now. Hes generally a sweet dog but these issues are scaring me. He was happy enough being a house dog and not going on many walks, but now if I cant even have him out in the yard with me? Ugh. Bloodwork, urine, xrays, abdominal ultrasound all normal but the past six months or so, he's had three episodes of intermittent ataxia, plus occasional loss of house breaking. So maybe its a neuro issue not strictly behavioral. I don't know. I just needed to vent while I try to find the money for a consult somewhere.


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Do you think you could redirect the biting onto a toy? Like have an "angry toy" you take with you on walks that he can bite at when he gets anxious?

Sucks man. As the owner of a reactive dog myself, I feel you. She's a rescue too and just never got comfortable with any other dogs except a very, very select few, and after years of trying to desensitize her I just had to end up accepting that she would never play well with others, as fine as she is around people, cats, rabbits, etc. The neuro thing is interesting though, sounds almost like a sort of mild seizure.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

My parents surprised me with a graduation present today, and completely interrupted my finals studying. But that's okay with me.

She's so sweet! Her name is Millie, and she's a 5-year old rescue kitty. I've been wanting a kitten, but she's a pretty good alternative.

 

[WildZoo]

I moved my tiny betta into a tank of his own and a couple days later he made the biggest bubble nest I have ever seen. Yay happy fish

 

[WulfpackChica]

no room for me on the couch. But I will accept it since they are snuggling


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[alohacat319]

I moved my tiny betta into a tank of his own and a couple days later he made the biggest bubble nest I have ever seen. Yay happy fish

What is a bubble nest?

 

[Kam325]

What is a bubble nest?

Googled it (whoa, by the way) and got distracted by this beautiful Bubble Nest Frog:

 

[WildZoo]

What is a bubble nest?

Bettas (and probably other fish too) build little structures made of bubbles, usually at the edges of the tank. It supposedly means they're healthy/happy but some sources say it's really just an instinct thing, because that's how they first attract a mate. It at least is agreed that in most circumstances a sick or stressed fish isn't going to build one.
I'll post a pick of my little guy's later, lights aren't on yet, but this is what they look like:

The male (usually) builds the nest, female comes over and checks it out, if she likes it they mate, she lays her eggs, and he gathers them up and puts them in the nest. When they hatch, you get this:

 

[Skimble]

I kind of want to breed bettas. I have 3 that are supposed to be females in my 65gal tank. One I know is a female because she has the horizontal lines on her, the other two I'm not sure. They fought for a little while when they reached full size, now they each seem to have established a territory and they just avoid each other, while the known female hides in the plants until feeding time (she's still on the small side).

 

[WildZoo]

What should I get my kitties for their birthday?

 

[EngrSC]

What should I get my kitties for their birthday?

A crinkle tunnel if you don't already have one!

 

[WildZoo]

A crinkle tunnel if you don't already have one!

I ended up getting them a water fountain. Almost went for the tunnel but I wanted to get something they would both use and my old lady has very little interest in toys. She took to the fountain immediately though meanwhile my boy just stares at it and likes to be near it, but hasn't drank from it yet that I've seen.

 

[vetmedhead]

I ended up getting them a water fountain. Almost went for the tunnel but I wanted to get something they would both use and my old lady has very little interest in toys. She took to the fountain immediately though meanwhile my boy just stares at it and likes to be near it, but hasn't drank from it yet that I've seem.

I had a cat like that! He was obsessed with water fountains/water in general and would stalk around the house looking for any sort of new water source he could find.

 

[EngrSC]

I ended up getting them a water fountain. Almost went for the tunnel but I wanted to get something they would both use and my old lady has very little interest in toys. She took to the fountain immediately though meanwhile my boy just stares at it and likes to be near it, but hasn't drank from it yet that I've seem.

Good choice!!

My younger cat is crazy about rolling around in the crinkle tunnel. My older cat looks at him distastefully then leaves the room

 

[Caiter92]

@WildZoo

How's your little lady doing, by the way? Any more episodes? It seems like she is doing well now!

Happy birthday to your kitties

 

[WildZoo]

@WildZoo

How's your little lady doing, by the way? Any more episodes? It seems like she is doing well now!

Happy birthday to your kitties

No more episodes official theory is really weird Revolution reaction based on the timing and that she only had those two episodes. She's doing great now!

 

[Trilt]

Help me SDN! My roomie is fostering this beast, and she is nameless! My normal attempts at getting her to be named something ridiculous and food related has (as always) failed and we would love suggestions.

She's very sweet, a youngish adult, and thinks ferrets are the coolest things ever to bark at. Otherwise we don't have any past history.