All About Our Pets(Pics, Advice, Etc)

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Been trying to rehab my 9yo agility dog for about 5 months now - sartorius + iliopsoas strains, got those under control but then unmasked some thoracic spinal issues. Been doing weekly laser + ultrasound + underwater treadmill + balance balls and other physio exercises along with massage, compresses, passive ROM and stretching exercises. And various drugs of course, although she is now off of ALL meds except her supplements.

And today, for the first time in a long time, she instigated play with the pup. Play bows, mock growls, and all. And then she went and climbed the fence around the pond to go swimming. Maybe there is hope for getting her back to agility training after all!

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Jayna, she is sooo cute! Plus I totally have that same flirt pole, the BF's cat loves it.
 
Jayna, she is sooo cute! Plus I totally have that same flirt pole, the BF's cat loves it.
It's great for my grandma because she can sit on the couch and play with Lucy without having to lean over too much...kitten definitely loves it! Best $4 I spent in a long time!
 
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I love black cats but better to avoid if kitty will be outdoors at all. People are dinguses around Halloween to black kitties.

Very cute kitten!
 
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Simba doesn't quite understand why my face has ballooned into chipmunk form/ why he's not allowed to lick my face anymore, but he hasn't left my side since I got home from the hospital. Happy to have my Simba with me!!!! :):love:
 
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We just adopted a Papillon, either pure or part long hair Chihuahua. She is about 3 years old and was found roaming an apartment complex. She was chipped but the original owners did not return the call (the vet contacted the chip company and they tried twice to reach the owner and left messages both times). I have never had a small dog (9 lbs) before. The vet said she has a slight heart murmur which might be mitral valve disease but said she seemed fine now. She didn't say much more. I'm wondering what on earth I watch for? I have no idea what is normal or not normal with this breed. I wish the vet had more time to talk to me about it. I did work there but left recently to work for an equine vet. Anyway, she is cute and my parents will care for her when I leave for college. I wish the dorm took pets!
 
We just adopted a Papillon, either pure or part long hair Chihuahua. She is about 3 years old and was found roaming an apartment complex. She was chipped but the original owners did not return the call (the vet contacted the chip company and they tried twice to reach the owner and left messages both times). I have never had a small dog (9 lbs) before. The vet said she has a slight heart murmur which might be mitral valve disease but said she seemed fine now. She didn't say much more. I'm wondering what on earth I watch for? I have no idea what is normal or not normal with this breed. I wish the vet had more time to talk to me about it. I did work there but left recently to work for an equine vet. Anyway, she is cute and my parents will care for her when I leave for college. I wish the dorm took pets!
**This is just my personal experience and is in no way me saying what it 100% for sure always sounds or looks like or what your dog's signs would be**
But, my Papillon has a leaky mitral valve and a murmur and when she gets really excited, she sounds like a goose honking and occasionally will hack up clear liquid when she starts honking really badly. Your dog could definitely be different, but this is what happens with mine and the honking is actually what the cardiologist asked about when we first took her in (asked if the sound she was making but couldn't really describe sounded like a goose honking).
 
We just adopted a Papillon, either pure or part long hair Chihuahua. She is about 3 years old and was found roaming an apartment complex. She was chipped but the original owners did not return the call (the vet contacted the chip company and they tried twice to reach the owner and left messages both times). I have never had a small dog (9 lbs) before. The vet said she has a slight heart murmur which might be mitral valve disease but said she seemed fine now. She didn't say much more. I'm wondering what on earth I watch for? I have no idea what is normal or not normal with this breed. I wish the vet had more time to talk to me about it. I did work there but left recently to work for an equine vet. Anyway, she is cute and my parents will care for her when I leave for college. I wish the dorm took pets!
Call the vet and ask them to call you to discuss it more when they get a chance now that you've had time to think about it more and come up with questions. Or email if they do stuff like that, not all places do. Or make a second appointment to go in and discuss it again. Also posts about animals are incomplete without photos! :)
 
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Thanks, I appreciate the info. I'm going to talk to the vet when I take the big dog (my Avatar) in for her annual checkup. Harley does make some odd noises sometimes. I'm going to attempt to post a photo.
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The only way to know for sure what's causing a murmur is to get an echocardiogram done. And there's no such thing as a small or big murmur since loudness of murmur doesn't correlate to severity of disease.

Also ski, has your dog been checked for a collapsing trachea at all? Seems like something I would ask about since small breeds are over represented and it can make a honking cough as well (in addition to any valve disease)
 
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My cat is ridiculously friendly and meows at anyone who passes our window. She's very sweet and persistent, so people often meow back. This morning, someone was working on the neighbors' house and started singing to her in meows. It went something like this:

:cat:: Meow mrow!
:whistle:: ♪ Meooow meow meow meeooooow ♪
:cat:: Mrow?
:whistle:: ♪ Meooow meowww ♪
:cat:: ♪ Meow meow mroowww! ♪

They had quite a duet going. It was adorable :laugh:
 
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I went on vacation for a couple weeks and when I got back my cat had finally decided my housemate was okay to be around and had also gained some weight. I think she was weaseling extra food out of housemate, so now she gets to go on a diet and she has been vigorously registering her displeasure.

She was already chubby. It's hard to get her to exercise and she has too many food allergies for diet food, so she just gets a little less of her normal food and she is not pleased. The poor dear.
 
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Any recommendations on dog bowls? I'm taking my 10 year old lab to ISU with me this fall and all we've had is stainless but I'm considering getting something different. Thanks!
 
So my male gpig is still hanging in there. He's the one that started to have a right sided nasal swelling back in the fall. Eventually it became bilateral and one ruptured about a month ago and a crap ton of purulent material came out. No bugs on cytology and possibly a few atypical cells.

Well we put abx beads in just in case and he's still been eating like a champ. The first night he looked rough but he must be feeling better cause he wheeks like nonstop now. And the swellings haven't returned.
 
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Since I've already showed off Tucker on the thread, I figured I'd post some photos of my other pets! They currently all reside at my mom's house. Sorry for largeness!


These are my and my sister's rabbits, Pumpkin and Primrose. I think it is fairly simple to tell which is which. :p Thinking about taking Pumpkin back to school with me this fall, as I really miss the fuzzy snuggles and having an animal to come home to at the end of the day.

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This is one of my mom's cats, Taylor. She is absolutely freaking gorgeous and super photogenic, too!

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Then there's Maddie... AKA Butterball.

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And Mickey!
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Yes, I will take them all. Thank you.
 
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Since I've already showed off Tucker on the thread, I figured I'd post some photos of my other pets! They currently all reside at my mom's house. Sorry for largeness!


These are my and my sister's rabbits, Pumpkin and Primrose. I think it is fairly simple to tell which is which. :p Thinking about taking Pumpkin back to school with me this fall, as I really miss the fuzzy snuggles and having an animal to come home to at the end of the day.

View attachment 221015
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This is one of my mom's cats, Taylor. She is absolutely freaking gorgeous and super photogenic, too!

View attachment 221017


Then there's Maddie... AKA Butterball.

View attachment 221018


And Mickey!
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@SandstormDVM ... your bunny and kitty family is super-adorable! :cat:
 
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Since I've already showed off Tucker on the thread, I figured I'd post some photos of my other pets! They currently all reside at my mom's house. Sorry for largeness!


These are my and my sister's rabbits, Pumpkin and Primrose. I think it is fairly simple to tell which is which. :p Thinking about taking Pumpkin back to school with me this fall, as I really miss the fuzzy snuggles and having an animal to come home to at the end of the day.

View attachment 221015
View attachment 221016


This is one of my mom's cats, Taylor. She is absolutely freaking gorgeous and super photogenic, too!

View attachment 221017


Then there's Maddie... AKA Butterball.

View attachment 221018


And Mickey!
View attachment 221019
May I please have Butterball?? I could add her to my orange cat collection
 
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Someone contacted my cat rescue/adoption group and asked about heart murmurs.

They claimed there is a *new* blood test that can actually detect a heart murmur in cats.

What? I have never heard of such a blood test (unless some amazing new blood test can now "listen" to heart sounds in cats).

Have any of your cat owners been asking for such a "new" murmur blood test for their cats?
 
Someone contacted my cat rescue/adoption group and asked about heart murmurs.

They claimed there is a *new* blood test that can actually detect a heart murmur in cats.

What? I have never heard of such a blood test (unless some amazing new blood test can now "listen" to heart sounds in cats).

Have any of your cat owners been asking for such a "new" murmur blood test for their cats?
Maybe they meant HCM? There is a known gene for that.
 
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Someone contacted my cat rescue/adoption group and asked about heart murmurs.

They claimed there is a *new* blood test that can actually detect a heart murmur in cats.

What? I have never heard of such a blood test (unless some amazing new blood test can now "listen" to heart sounds in cats).

Have any of your cat owners been asking for such a "new" murmur blood test for their cats?
they probably meant the BNP test?
 
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I promised pics:
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Mama is Black Widow and Daddy is Moon's Stunner. I typically try to mix names for babies. The bigger is a buckling. The lil is a doeling. Any name suggestions?

For reference:
2017-07-08 15.15.16.jpg

This is the baby girl out of "Look a Spider" by "Moon's Stunner" and I named her "Charlette's Web" (or Charlette)
 
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I promised pics:
View attachment 221142
Mama is Black Widow and Daddy is Moon's Stunner. I typically try to mix names for babies. The bigger is a buckling. The lil is a doeling. Any name suggestions?

For reference:
View attachment 221143
This is the baby girl out of "Look a Spider" by "Moon's Stunner" and I named her "Charlette's Web" (or Charlette)
They're super cute!!!
Moon The Widow? (I kid, I kid)
Dark Side of the Moon? Bc black and moon

I like Charlotte's Web for the other one!
 
They're super cute!!!
Moon The Widow? (I kid, I kid)
Dark Side of the Moon? Bc black and moon

I like Charlotte's Web for the other one!
As milking lines, the names do tend to get a little risqué.
 
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I promised pics:
View attachment 221142
Mama is Black Widow and Daddy is Moon's Stunner. I typically try to mix names for babies. The bigger is a buckling. The lil is a doeling. Any name suggestions?

This is the baby girl out of "Look a Spider" by "Moon's Stunner" and I named her "Charlette's Web" (or Charlette)
Widow + Stunner = MILF?
 
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Widow + Stunner = MILF?
Hubby just suggested we make that G.I.L.F. with a Granny, so her barn name becomes Nanna. (like nanny-goat, for those who haven't heard it):rofl:
 
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The little one looks so little
She is little. That is why I am so nervous about her. Mom is a first freshener (first time mama) and not all too pleased with these things that popped out her back side, though she has a giant udder full of milk. Funny thing is her twin sister took to Charlette right away, but only has a tiny udder.
 
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Well bnp does detect heart disease and they may not understand what a murmur is. I feel like there's a lot of misinformation on the client's part regarding murmurs. They immediately get concerned when they hear it's louder and I spend a lot of time explaining that loudness doesn't correlate to severity but you can tell it doesn't sink in
 
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Well bnp does detect heart disease and they may not understand what a murmur is. I feel like there's a lot of misinformation on the client's part regarding murmurs. They immediately get concerned when they hear it's louder and I spend a lot of time explaining that loudness doesn't correlate to severity but you can tell it doesn't sink in
Definitely agree with you.

This is the same thing in human medicine. Most human patients become anxious when they initially learn that a heart murmur has been detected, even if the murmur is an innocent murmur. Like veterinary doctors, we spend a fair amount of time explaining "murmurs" to our patients.
 
I have to say I have a pet peeve and it's vertebral heart scores. I've always been told they get to be subjective due to breed variations and aren't very reliable but I know a lot of people that rely on them heavily, my associate included. I said something about it and she totally scoffed at me and told me every cardiologist disagrees with me (though it was the cardio at utk that warned us against using them).
 
I have to say I have a pet peeve and it's vertebral heart scores. I've always been told they get to be subjective due to breed variations and aren't very reliable but I know a lot of people that rely on them heavily, my associate included. I said something about it and she totally scoffed at me and told me every cardiologist disagrees with me (though it was the cardio at utk that warned us against using them).

I hate VHS too. Too much variation in how each vet might calculate it...I mean like exactly where on the heart even just slight movement can change the score a bit. Any minor rotation in the patient can change it. Breed variations, etc. I just don't like it, besides it doesn't change what I'm going to recommend to the client, so I rarely calculate one.
 
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I have to say I have a pet peeve and it's vertebral heart scores. I've always been told they get to be subjective due to breed variations and aren't very reliable but I know a lot of people that rely on them heavily, my associate included. I said something about it and she totally scoffed at me and told me every cardiologist disagrees with me (though it was the cardio at utk that warned us against using them).
I had to look up "vertebral heart scores" and was quickly reminded how challenging it *is* to be a doctor for MANY vertebral patients (and not just the two-legged human kind). Seriously.
 
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So feeding the baby GILF every few hours is going ok. I came from an ok selenium area, so I didn't have any BoSe on hand, so I have a call out to maybe get some tomorrow. Her brother is starting to nurse without help.

Mama makes enough milk that I have already had to milk off extra and will need to again tomorrow. Her sister needs to start milking regularly by the time Charlette gets to 2 weeks old. My last doe due will pop any day (meaning probably another week out or whenever the next thunderstorm comes through) and she gave about 2 gallons a day as a FF, so I should be drowning in milk as my cow gives birth in the next month or 2.

Um, hubs is useless. Anybody wanna come hold kids and gorgeous goats for sale pictures?
 
So feeding the baby GILF every few hours is going ok. I came from an ok selenium area, so I didn't have any BoSe on hand, so I have a call out to maybe get some tomorrow. Her brother is starting to nurse without help.

Mama makes enough milk that I have already had to milk off extra and will need to again tomorrow. Her sister needs to start milking regularly by the time Charlette gets to 2 weeks old. My last doe due will pop any day (meaning probably another week out or whenever the next thunderstorm comes through) and she gave about 2 gallons a day as a FF, so I should be drowning in milk as my cow gives birth in the next month or 2.

Um, hubs is useless. Anybody wanna come hold kids and gorgeous goats for sale pictures?
Oh, and help make cheese, and yogurt and butter and... keifer and... what else do I normally make? More cheese...

Oh and fresh milk hot cocoa!!!!
 
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