All About Our Pets(Pics, Advice, Etc)

[vetmedhead]

@vetmedhead any advice regarding Cheese and his crunchies obsession?

he's still as crunchy obsessed as ever

I did switch him to 50/50 dry/canned though and I think he's been enjoying that. Although he also flips his wet food bowl over a lot and then gets mad at me that he can't get to it like it's my fault somehow.

In terms of weight control - meal feedings are an absolute must. My mom insists on letting her own cats graze (because one is very shy and will stop eating as soon as anyone or any other cat comes into the room) so every time I take Cheese home he gains like 4 points to his BCS. This is especially true because he is a bully cat and I think will eat even past the point of satiety just to prove to the other cats that he is a big deal who can steal their food. This summer I had to insist on them either picking up their cats' food when they were done feeding them or them keeping Cheese locked up in my room all of the time so I could try to keep him at a manageable weight, so they eventually relented and picked up their cats' food every day.

He's not quite where I want him yet (he's currently about a 6/9) but he's getting closer every day. I think it's easier to manage since he lives with no other cats and doesn't get treats though.

As for switching to meal feedings from free feedings... it's not pretty. And it takes a lot of fortitude on the owner's part. I say this as someone who has both had to switch Cheese from free to meal AND had to adjust his meal feeding times to be less completely insane because I made the mistake this summer of feeding him whenever he complained in the mornings and that turned into attempts at 3 AM breakfast. It's doable. He submits to 7 am/6pmish meal times and only complains a little. I'd say it takes about a week or a week and a half for the cats to realize you mean business about their new feeding schedule and to learn to deal with it. In the meantime, invest in ear plugs or kicking the little jerks out of your room, lol.

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[PrincessButterCup]

I just ordered a clicker (or technically it’s a set of clickers) from Amazon! I’m really interested in clicker training Adenine.

I know that at the beginning it’s basically click-treat, click- treat, click-treat. But any suggestions from moving on with that? Any clicker training tips would be greatly appreciated. I have a very Mom-loving and a very very food loving Lab-Pointer mix and I can’t always throw food at her immediately after her doing something good.

I love clicker training! It has worked really well for Tali's learning style and she absolutely loves practicing new things.

The biggest thing is to make sure to time your clicks correctly. It's pretty easy to mess up tricks and behaviors because you click too soon or too late, and then what your dog thinks you are training isn't what you're intending to train. This happened to Tali and me when I was trying to train her to pick up a toy and carry it to her basket. She'd pick it up and quickly drop it, and then my click would happen just at the tail end of that, so instead of teaching her to pick up and hold a toy I was really teaching her to pick up and drop it. It took a long time to work through that. Timing can be really tricky, especially when first starting on a new trick!

 

[cowgirla]

Just a few more days! Please help us out and vote daily!

Ivy the Viking

 

[Doctor-S]

I set-up the same automatic cat feeder used by @kcoughli. My cat eats canned wet food - so the feeder will only be used to provide a small serving of dry kibble to my cat each day.

My cat has been going crazy-wild trying to liberate cat kibble from the feeder.

Cat has been tackling the feeder, body-slamming the feeder and clawing at the chute to get kibble.

Hope the feeder can survive its first night in our home!

Otherwise, the feeder will be DOA ... and the cat will be a feeder-defeater!

 

[Crayola227]

on the topic of cat food....

feed the little demons LID Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea, because early in life it was the only one they wouldn't harf up. Between the two the vets say they have allergies and chronic viral URI and casthma, the whole meal deal

Basically, the vet recommended I switch off the LID because it's not always hypoallergenic enough, and recommended a hydrolyzed diet. We didn't get further than the idea that the one cat (normal weight) maybe needed a new diet, as far as if it would be possible to do OTC vs Rx and cost.

mm, so right now paying $28 for 10 lb bag. I don't know how long that lasts, point is I can't afford to spend more than whatever I'm paying monthly now

if it's affordable and feasible to DIY I have more time than money when it comes to acquiring cat food, I'd be willing to make my own

TLDR:
need the cheapest hypoallergenic diet
OTC hydrolyzables? something I can try to make at home? Rx hydrolyzables?

 

[SkiOtter]

if it's affordable and feasible to DIY I have more time than money when it comes to acquiring cat food, I'd be willing to make my own

TLDR:
something I can try to make at home?

No.

 

[CoffeeQuestionMark]

on the topic of cat food....

feed the little demons LID Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea, because early in life it was the only one they wouldn't harf up. Between the two the vets say they have allergies and chronic viral URI and casthma, the whole meal deal

Basically, the vet recommended I switch off the LID because it's not always hypoallergenic enough, and recommended a hydrolyzed diet. We didn't get further than the idea that the one cat (normal weight) maybe needed a new diet, as far as if it would be possible to do OTC vs Rx and cost.

mm, so right now paying $28 for 10 lb bag. I don't know how long that lasts, point is I can't afford to spend more than whatever I'm paying monthly now

if it's affordable and feasible to DIY I have more time than money when it comes to acquiring cat food, I'd be willing to make my own

TLDR:
need the cheapest hypoallergenic diet
OTC hydrolyzables? something I can try to make at home? Rx hydrolyzables?

Ugh those hydrolyzed diets are nasty.
Why does your vet think the diet needs to be changed?

 

[SkiOtter]

Also, besides that pretty much everyone on here will be saying homemade diets are generally not recommended (especially raw), this seems kind of in the realm of vet advice so I don’t know if it’ll get deleted

 

[Caiter92]

on the topic of cat food....

feed the little demons LID Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea, because early in life it was the only one they wouldn't harf up. Between the two the vets say they have allergies and chronic viral URI and casthma, the whole meal deal

Basically, the vet recommended I switch off the LID because it's not always hypoallergenic enough, and recommended a hydrolyzed diet. We didn't get further than the idea that the one cat (normal weight) maybe needed a new diet, as far as if it would be possible to do OTC vs Rx and cost.

mm, so right now paying $28 for 10 lb bag. I don't know how long that lasts, point is I can't afford to spend more than whatever I'm paying monthly now

if it's affordable and feasible to DIY I have more time than money when it comes to acquiring cat food, I'd be willing to make my own

TLDR:
need the cheapest hypoallergenic diet
OTC hydrolyzables? something I can try to make at home? Rx hydrolyzables?

Look at chewy.com. Often they can sell food a lot cheaper than a Vet office can. That’s what we always would recommend to clients for prescription diets to make it more affordable.

 

[JaynaAli]

I agree this borders on medical advice and should probably be discussed with your veterinarian.

Some generalities...
A true hydrolyzed diet is costly, but that is because of the development process and special handling associated with their production. The brand I feed reportedly only makes the diet like once a week in certain facilities which are completely cleaned prior to that type of food's production run to prevent cross-contamination with other allergenic diets. There is testing to determine molecular weight of the proteins within the diet and to monitor for contaminants and such. OTC 'limited ingredient' diets aren't produced as carefully and there really is no substitute for a patient that truly needs a hydrolyzed diet. My dog eats a hydrolyzed diet due to IBD. It's expensive, but it is enough to control all of his IBD signs so it's worth it to me. Homecooking can be an option, but only if a veterinary nutritionist is involved to make sure the diet is balanced. It often isn't really that much cheaper though because of the supplements needed and the specialty proteins you have to get for a 'novel' diet.

 

[vetmedhead]

on the topic of cat food....

feed the little demons LID Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea, because early in life it was the only one they wouldn't harf up. Between the two the vets say they have allergies and chronic viral URI and casthma, the whole meal deal

Basically, the vet recommended I switch off the LID because it's not always hypoallergenic enough, and recommended a hydrolyzed diet. We didn't get further than the idea that the one cat (normal weight) maybe needed a new diet, as far as if it would be possible to do OTC vs Rx and cost.

mm, so right now paying $28 for 10 lb bag. I don't know how long that lasts, point is I can't afford to spend more than whatever I'm paying monthly now

if it's affordable and feasible to DIY I have more time than money when it comes to acquiring cat food, I'd be willing to make my own

TLDR:
need the cheapest hypoallergenic diet
OTC hydrolyzables? something I can try to make at home? Rx hydrolyzables?

I agree with other comments here to discuss this further with your vet since this is bordering on medical advice

Also, was the switch to a hydrolyzed diet suggested as part of a food trial or a permanent switch?

 

[Crayola227]

mmm, well, I didn't mean to step into the realm of advice. I get that.

I think more like a general discussion on the financial considerations of less allergenic diets.

I'm really coming here after just googling online to find a hydrolyzed diet, seeing that they say some people can make at home a better diet than the LIDs on the market (kangaroo being really hard to find, we used to raise rabbits here on our homestead actually....), and then realizing some diets are Rx, and the question just being, "what is the cheapest option for something less "allergenic" than NB LID? OTC and Rx?"

As far as TOS, as a general discussion topic I hope this is OK, unrelated to my own cat.

The one cat is scratching her ears like no one's business, that's not really new, but has been worse. More worrying to me is that she is puking her food up more lately. No blood, no hair balls, etc, just food. Vet said the cat looked great overall, so she didn't even want to treat her ears with anything, didn't think the vomiting was anything too serious, but likely was the result of allergies. She wanted better flea control (done) and said I should try a hydrolyzed protein diet, since the switch from normal to LID had helped in the past, maybe she needed a switch again. She said it was expensive and I asked about money and she told me I could look it up online.

The context I'm giving there, is to where I am asking how the hell I can afford a different cat diet.

I looked it up online, and decided you guys might be more informative (but not advice giving) on the topic of $$$ and special cat diets.

 

[Crayola227]

Also I would never make a home diet without the blessing of a good vet. I know it's not a DIY. I also know not to feed them anything raw.

 

[Crayola227]

Also, was the switch to a hydrolyzed diet suggested as part of a food trial or a permanent switch?

To me it sounds like it was to see if a diet change would help. But I guess I don't think of that as a trial, because if it worked, wouldn't that suggest I continue feeding that to the cat?

So this isn't bordering on advice, I think the question is what are affordable options for hydrolyzed or novel or "less allergenic" diets? I'm not asking whether or not they're indicated or what for.

Purely, what can I buy and for how much?

 

[SkiOtter]

So this isn't bordering on advice, I think the question is what are affordable options for hydrolyzed or novel or "less allergenic" diets? I'm not asking whether or not they're indicated or what for.

Purely, what can I buy and for how much?

Chewy.com

 

[SkiOtter]

The one cat is scratching her ears like no one's business, that's not really new, but has been worse.

Also, as a person who occasionally has itchy af ears from their environmental allergies, I can tell you it’s uncomfortable.

 

[Crayola227]

Also, as a person who occasionally has itchy af ears from their environmental allergies, I can tell you it’s uncomfortable.

I can imagine. I've always done what I can for her. It's not that I didn't think it mattered before, it's just gotten worse, which is why she's gone back in and I've moved heaven and earth over it.

 

[orca2011]

Making progress with foster kitty (yes, I haven't decided on a name) and my dog. Less hissing and just bought a baby gate with a cat door as we're at the 4th week of crate restriction and I want to let her start exploring her bedroom throughout the day. She's also adorable and drinks water by dipping her paw into her bowl and licking it off.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

Look at chewy.com. Often they can sell food a lot cheaper than a Vet office can. That’s what we always would recommend to clients for prescription diets to make it more affordable.

Okay, but this is AWESOME. I've never worked for a vet who recommended buying products elsewhere to help clients save money.

 

[SkiOtter]

Okay, but this is AWESOME. I've never worked for a vet who recommended buying products elsewhere to help clients save money.

Mine does too for food! AND it’s shipped directly to your door so you don’t have to come into the clinic. They still recommend buying medications through us because then you know 10000% it was properly stored and meds won’t be sitting out in a hot mailbox for hours and everything, but food they definitely tell people to go to chewy because it’s cheaper and the clinic doesn’t really make much off food because they have to store it

 

[Gwenevre]

We’re on day 4 of regular feeding intervals. Marcy has attempted to suffocate me in my sleep. Coincidence?

 

[vetmedhead]

We’re on day 4 of regular feeding intervals. Marcy has attempted to suffocate me in my sleep. Coincidence?

Cheese did this to me too. Although I also think he had murderous intentions to start with

 

[Caiter92]

Making progress with foster kitty (yes, I haven't decided on a name) and my dog. Less hissing and just bought a baby gate with a cat door as we're at the 4th week of crate restriction and I want to let her start exploring her bedroom throughout the day. She's also adorable and drinks water by dipping her paw into her bowl and licking it off.

Her name is Pumpkin!

 

[orca2011]

Her name is Pumpkin!

Haha. Nope. It's going to be Pocket (kit for short) or Allagash. Just can't decide on which. And definitely just bought her a sushi collar and new bed. She's currently making muffins and purring in the dog's bed so I'm hoping that means she'll get used to him. I bought her some calming collars too to see if it helps a little as shes definitely nervous outside her cage.

 

[awesomenessity]

My horse is the most photogenic creature on the planet

 

[that redhead]

Some teenage boys brought us a baby mouse they found. The local wildlife center doesn’t want it. My technician pleaded with me not to kill it so here we are...I’m not expecting it to survive but I guess we’ll see.

 

[Gwenevre]

As an animal research technician, I prescribe wet feed and a heating pad. That typically perks mice up unless they're actively ill.

 

[that redhead]

As an animal research technician, I prescribe wet feed and a heating pad. That typically perks mice up unless they're actively ill.

Definitely my go-to from my lab days He’s getting KMR every few hours and has a warm glove water balloon that he loves to snuggle. Doing surprisingly well today.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Does anyone have any websites/individuals they recommend working with for things like paw print necklaces (mini version of the actual paw print, not just a generic pawprint stamp)?

 

[JustPaws]

Put my favorite kitty down this morning. Feeling heartbroken and guilty that I couldn't afford to do more for her. She was my baby for the last 14 years

 

[Animal Midwife]

Put my favorite kitty down this morning. Feeling heartbroken and guilty that I couldn't afford to do more for her. She was my baby for the last 14 years

I'm so sorry Paws.

 

[that redhead]

Put my favorite kitty down this morning. Feeling heartbroken and guilty that I couldn't afford to do more for her. She was my baby for the last 14 years

I truly believe the mark of the best owners isn't how much they spend on diagnostics or treatment, but how compassionate and selfless they are at the end. Far too many people hang on for too long; it takes a special kind of love to let them go when you know it's time. She was lucky to have you

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Put my favorite kitty down this morning. Feeling heartbroken and guilty that I couldn't afford to do more for her. She was my baby for the last 14 years

I'm so sorry

 

[WildZoo]

Sorry for your loss paws, sending you all the love <3

 

[SkiOtter]

I’m so sorry, paws<3

 

[JustPaws]

Thanks all. She was the best kitty. One of the chin rubbing cuddle types

 

[PrincessButterCup]

Thanks all. She was the best kitty. One of the chin rubbing cuddle types

I'm so sorry Paws. I know how hard saying goodbye is. You should know how lucky your kitty was to be loved and cared for by you for so long. I'm sure she knew how loved she was.

 

[Crayola227]

Paws I'm so sorry.

 

[orca2011]

I've decided on Pocket for my "foster" cat's name. And she's 99.9% likely staying with me as I've been looking at insurance plans for her. Haha. Unfortunately think her hernia site broke down as I've noted a soft swelling in the area where he original hernia was and I'm fairly certain I palpated intestines in there. She's not bothered by it and is acting fine (a little quiet today and yesterday but she just got a vaccine so not worried). Going to talk to the surgery department when I'm next in on Tuesday about seeing if they can fit her in this week. Fully expecting to have to pay for the sx out of pocket since her insurance won't take effect for like 15 days anyway and it's technically pre-existing.

 

[Doctor-S]

Put my favorite kitty down this morning. Feeling heartbroken and guilty that I couldn't afford to do more for her. She was my baby for the last 14 years

@StayingPositive2017 ... very sorry for the loss of your sweet kitty! Very glad she had you as her loving Mom for 14 years!

 

[Bkr0202]

So, speaking of pets.

I have a lot. I've got two dogs (a shepherd/chow mix and a springer spaniel), two kittens that I raised from 10 days old when they were brought to my shelter after they were found with their dead mother, a rabbit, a hedgehog, and four rats.

I'm sure you all can understand that these guys are my world and I can't imagine life without them! So here's my predicament: I'm trying to go to vet school, and I know I'm not the first vet student to have pets (in fact I would imagine the vast majority of vet students do have pets), but I don't know how easy it is to find housing that will allow me to have all of these animals? Does anyone have experience with this and can give me some advice? These guys are my inspiration and my heart and soul, I can't even fathom not being able to bring them wherever I end up!

 

[SkiOtter]

So, speaking of pets.

Your pictures didn’t work

 

[Bkr0202]

Your pictures didn’t work

just fixed them!

 

[SkiOtter]

just fixed them!

Yaaaasssss they’re all precious.
And I don’t really have much advice to give you because my dog stayed with my parents (better situation for her) but I think generally people have more luck with pet rules in a house versus an apartment complex. Sometimes landlords are even more willing to bend their regular rules for vet students.

 

[Bkr0202]

Yaaaasssss they’re all precious.
And I don’t really have much advice to give you because my dog stayed with my parents (better situation for her) but I think generally people have more luck with pet rules in a house versus an apartment complex. Sometimes landlords are even more willing to bend their regular rules for vet students.

Thank you!! They're the best I should add that we all currently live in a condo so the dogs are leash-walked and we go for daily walks to get them plenty of exercise. I'm not worried about having a yard or anything for them (although it would be wonderful), just to find somewhere that will allow them all! My other concern is places often have size restrictions of under 40-50# which Toby doesn't fit in...I just want to find somewhere we can all live that isn't going to be a long commute to school and really if I'm lucky enough to have a choice of schools to go to that's going to be a deciding factor

 

[SkiOtter]

Thank you!! They're the best I should add that we all currently live in a condo so the dogs are leash-walked and we go for daily walks to get them plenty of exercise. I'm not worried about having a yard or anything for them (although it would be wonderful), just to find somewhere that will allow them all! My other concern is places often have size restrictions of under 40-50# which Toby doesn't fit in...I just want to find somewhere we can all live that isn't going to be a long commute to school and really if I'm lucky enough to have a choice of schools to go to that's going to be a deciding factor

Cost should also be a deciding factor
An extra 50-100k of debt just to be able to have all of your animals with you for all four years isn’t worth it IMO.

 

[WildZoo]

Thank you!! They're the best I should add that we all currently live in a condo so the dogs are leash-walked and we go for daily walks to get them plenty of exercise. I'm not worried about having a yard or anything for them (although it would be wonderful), just to find somewhere that will allow them all! My other concern is places often have size restrictions of under 40-50# which Toby doesn't fit in...I just want to find somewhere we can all live that isn't going to be a long commute to school and really if I'm lucky enough to have a choice of schools to go to that's going to be a deciding factor

I would agree with Skiski that you'll probably have better luck renting a house than an apartment. Of course it is highly dependent on where you go, but a lot of apartment buildings have two pet limits and breed or weight restrictions.

 

[Bkr0202]

Cost should also be a deciding factor
An extra 50-100k of debt just to be able to have all of your animals with you for all four years isn’t worth it IMO.

Very true of course! Most of the schools I've applied to are right around the same ticket price, cost of living and travel costs are the variables...Since I'm from New England where everything is more expensive and the closest vet school is one of the more expensive in the country, moving across (or out of) the country is going to rack up costs assuming I want to be able to come home for holidays or anything

 

[MixedAnimals77]

So, speaking of pets.

I have a lot. I've got two dogs (a shepherd/chow mix and a springer spaniel), two kittens that I raised from 10 days old when they were brought to my shelter after they were found with their dead mother, a rabbit, a hedgehog, and four rats.

I'm sure you all can understand that these guys are my world and I can't imagine life without them! So here's my predicament: I'm trying to go to vet school, and I know I'm not the first vet student to have pets (in fact I would imagine the vast majority of vet students do have pets), but I don't know how easy it is to find housing that will allow me to have all of these animals? Does anyone have experience with this and can give me some advice? These guys are my inspiration and my heart and soul, I can't even fathom not being able to bring them wherever I end up!

I will say it really does depend on where you end up for school as to what options are available. Some places finding pet friendly housing is easier than others. Personally, I brought a dog with me that my fiance and I adopted 2 weeks before we moved here. However our complex does have a number limit of 2. Others do have size, weight ,and breed restrictions. I left my pack for 4 dogs at home with my parents and my horse. I left the pack because not all of them were mine and they're older and need more attention than I can afford them during school. Plus it'd be cruel to break them up at this point. I left the horse at home which my parents are caring for because although it is possible to find housing up here for horses it comes with its own set of problems. Don't get me wrong I really miss my pets at home probably more than the people I left, but the time commitment and price makes it ok and I will see them during breaks. I don't know if that's an option for you to leave some at home with family, but you might think about it. I have a classmate that has a zoo and she left most of her animals with her husband at home while she has a room up here with the few animals she brought while she is doing school.

I would agree with ski that you'll pry generally have better luck with a house considering the number and diversity of pets you have. With that though, houses are normally more expensive. I know some places it's double the price of an apartment if not more. If you do get a house, to be able to realistically afford it, think about roomates. Granted most vet students in my experience end up rooming with other vet students so it normally isn't a problem, but it can become a point of contention with roomates if standards aren't clear about pet care. Also remember the time commitment school is. I'm gone anywhere from 8-12+ hours a day at school most days. The only reason I have a dog currently is because I have my fiance that we work it out to meet our dog's needs. It is possible to take care of especially dogs yourself, but that also means skipping lunch lectures or elective classes you may have really wanted to take. FYI I miss having a dog door and back yard and so does my dog. Don't forget about finding critter sitters while you're gone on breaks as well. Just throwing everything out there as far as pets and housing goes during school

 

[Crayola227]

So the little barfer went to the vet. I won't go into what I'm currently having to do to afford these things. Blood work came back and she doesn't have hyperT, DM, kidney failure, or UTI. Her eosinophils are the only thing up.

She's doing better than I thought as far as hydration and weight goes. Hydrolyzed diet comes tomorrow and she's starting steroids for probable IBD or that other word I'm trying not to think about. But the vet says these things tend to go better in cats than in people.

In any case, I will be calling the vet about what I do to manage 2 cats who were free fed to having 2 different diets, and how to transition from one food to a new one. The internet is overly annoying to use for this sort of thing.

Not vet advice, but I got a lot of out reading what you guys were saying about how you feed your cats. If anyone wants to share anything they know about feeding cats as an educational topic....

In any case, you guys helped me process all this stuff, so thanks.