Pets MEGA Cats VS Dogs - POLL!

[L2R]

^wow.

good news, kytn. thank fuck, aye.

 

[euphoria]

used to have a dog that would eat chocolate like a FIEND. not dark chocolate, just like the fake milk chocolate stuff. if any was in the house she would find it. we had to keep it seriously locked up. she also would dig through my purse, pull out my pack of gum, UNWRAP each piece, leave the wrappers and eat the gum. Gum was her favorite. Lol.

 

[shimazu]

my dog once at an entire batch of weed brownies and laid in the same spot for a day and a half before slowly coming back to normal.

she threw up a couple times and went to the bathroom fairly often but that was like 2 years ago and I havent noticed any lasting impact.

But that was a Labrador im not sure if smaller dogs would be more effected by it

 

[corinth113]

Good to hear your dog is fine. My ex's dog died because of doing the exact same thing. I'm always careful not to leave large amounts of chocolate lying around ever since I heard that because my dog will get into anything when I'm not looking.

 

[Mariposa]

Chocolate for dogs is dangerous in any quantity. Dark chocolate is worst.

The key is to keep it away from them, full stop.

Kytn and partner - there's not a lot you can do aside from being vigilant in putting your chocolate away where the dogs cannot access it. Don't break! Your little pup will grow up to be a healthy dog. Chocolate and caffeine is a total no-go for dogs. You can enjoy these as much as you like, but please keep it out of the dog's reach. Caffeine and xanthines are toxic to dogs. If your dog wishes for a treat, I recommend a spoon of soft peanut butter. That's not toxic to dogs, it satisfies their hunger with protein. I keep raw peanut butter around for my housemate's 2 elderly pugs and her young French Bulldog. They love it and it is healthy.

I'll recommend that you ask your veterinarian if this would be the right protocol for your puppy.

 

[HCandKROD]

^ Yeah, all I have to do is open a jar of peanut butter in the kitchen and my dog will come fast!! He smells that stuff. I can't feed him every time he wants peanut butter or he would be fat.

 

[BeckyLee]

Most natural way(s) to prevent TICKS on your canine buddies?

So, I take my dog for a run every day. Our FAVORITE route includes running along the railroad tracks (plus it's super easy to track your mileage that way!), but we have discovered that railroad tracks = TICK CITY.

She takes a pill every month which is flea, heartworm, AND tapeworm preventative. (As a sidenote, my first dog became infested with fleas one year, and tapeworm also b/c fleas are usually carriers of tapeworm and dogs BITE/EAT them as much as they can.)

Thus, my dogger has no problem with fleas, but TICKS are another story altogether. I have to do a thorough full-body search on her every time we come inside if we took a nature/railroad path. I've put the oily poison on her back (which I HATE), and it seems to have NO effect on ticks.

At this point, it seems the best solution is just weekly baths with toxic shampoo. I feel less bad about exposing her to it, because it gets washed off in a couple of minutes.

Also, this issue is EXTREMELY important to me, because a Lyme Disease-ridden tick DID indeed bite me last year. My Mom has the pics of the "bulls-eye" bite mark/rash which showed up the next week. I promptly went to the doctor and took my necessary round of antibiotics. I'm lucky I caught it early.

Anyone have any secrets for keeping your canine companion (and thus yourself, too) tick-free in a healthy way?

 

[badandwicked]

The back of the neck topical applications containing Fipronil will kill ticks within 48 hours, but they can't stop them attaching. You still need to remove them manually if you can, but don't think the treatment isn't working. If you're applying it with enough skin contact theres no need to use additional toxic shampoo.

As far as I know the only way to stop ticks attaching is avoid vegetation where they're present.

These are cheap and make tick removal really easy http://www.ticktwister.com/

 

[vet wanabee]

hi there!
i just had a kitten here (her first week with me) and went searching for do's and dont's in taking care of cats then luckily found this site.
i got inspired from you guys and i just decided to register in bluelight! ^^
learned my lesson: before i researched about cats, i didn't know how to discipline my cat (without knowledge, i "hit & throw" my kitten -not proud of doing it- whenever she does mistakes...) and i really wanted to thank you guys for the knowledge.
it's my first time to take care of my own kitten (whenever we have cats at home, my mom does the job) and i'm loving it 'cause she's soo damn sweet! just that she scratched me a dozen times... 8)

there's this one thing my mom told me: "don't feed your cat chocolates/choco drinks....
can anyone confirm it?? thanks!

 

[What 23]

Their digestive systems are adapted to deal with flesh... Which means no or little sugar. No sure if that is the reason for no chocolate but it is enough of one.

 

[Mysterie]

dog training ideas?

soo

i live next door to a junior school with like 400 children who all play on the same oval and it creates a wall of noise "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" for 30 minutes at recess and an hour at lunch

and while i can live with the children scream by moving to a quieter area of the property, if my dog is not locked in the house it will go ballistic for that entire time running around the lawn and agitated barking at the kids. this part is what really gets to me, theres something about a loud continuous bark which is like chinese water torture

ive read briefly some things about closing the mouths but that seems related to a dog walk (also a problem, it goes into hyper mode trying to round up the other dog and i have to deal with the other dog-owner thinking its going to try bite off their dogs neck which I know isnt my dog's intent) also about high pitched whistles or distractions which you introduce to reduce the dogs concentration on its barking, but i cant see a tin can filled with beads getting my dogs attention and im not sadistic enough to blow out my dogs eardrums with a whistle

is the answer to train my dog at dog obedience school? i have the time so i could do it, its just i was wondering if anyone else had the same problem and if there is a simple way of teaching your dog to stop barking..

thanks its slowly tearing at my soul and driving me nuts

 

[placid space]

From my experience the deal with all dogs is that you have to be more stubborn than they are, relentless with what you want. A few times when those kids come out be with your dog outside. Sit on a chair and read or sth. If youre going to be nervous he will be too. Everytime he barks you remind him its not ok. Dont punch him, just touch him, a stronger tap. Ive grown up around dogs and around many owners. And often it drives me crazy how they think they cannot train their dog. But theyre all the same. Once, twice, three times they tell him something and then they make an exception. I know owners who went with their dogs to dog school and they thought they have a trained dog now. In a month it was back to as it was.
If you keep at it for a while it can be a simple solution. But again dont be nervous yourself, dog picks that up immediately. And like I said when he barks, a stronger tap. You dont have to say anything. If it takes an hour it takes an hour. But be persistent, no pause. It will be well spent. Thats my opinion.
And try checking out the Cesar Milan show sometimes, the guy has many great suggestions, I learned quite a few tricks there.

 

[Slum Survivor]

Cat's got a bum rear foot

So my lil buddy "Jams" has a boo boo on his foot.

its on the back of his right rear foot. kinda like on the back of the top end of his long rear foot. near the tarsals if u know any anatomy, or just google it quickly.

its like its a raw spot, maybe 1/2 - 2/3 the size of a us dime. and i noticed it because its bleeding a little...

he has a tendency to lick himself silly if u dont watch him, so im not even sure if he didnt do this to himself in the first place.

i was just curious what the cat people here on BL would do for a cat in a similar situation. plz dont flame cats or get nasty.

im also sry ahead of time if i am in the wrong spot in the forum for this. just wanted some opinions... thx

 

[Spoo]

If its bleeding I imagine it can be really rather painful as the tactile sensation in her paws is increased. You mentioned the tarsals, but the tarsals are actually forward of the hind paw, I believe which will prohibit running. Notice any thing different about the cats activity? Does your cat go outside? Can you think of anything around in your home which may have stuck Jams? Are you sure there is still nothing lodged in him?


Id be a little worried about it getting infected. If your cat goes outside or is especially active that particular spot can be aggravated not to heal as well. An injury like this sucks because even though your cat may not show it he may be in alot of pain and getting him still to clean the wounded area is nearly impossible.

If you were to see a vet he would do any exam to make sure the affected area is clear of debris and irrigate the wound, nothing is lodged in him, examine is walking posture, examine the depth of the injury to make sure that the cartalidge and claws are safe from injury and give him med's to prevent an infection. I dont know what you can do, man. I hope Jams feels better.

 

[nuttynutskin]

Take it to the vet obviously. I mean your cats bleeding, cmon.

 

[Artificial Emotion]

Dip it in wound disinfectant and bandage it if you can't afford a vet or don't have the time. I would go if it's that bad though.

 

[bronson]

First if it gets any worse I'd get to the vets straight away. Hydrogen Peroxide applied a few times a day with a cotton swab is usually fairly effective in my experience, but any cat I've ever used it to clean a wound on, was none too happy with me. I'd say keep your cat inside for the time being too if (s)he is normally an outdoor kitty.

 

[Mel22]

Hydrogen Peroxide is a bad idea, as it will actually damage the tissue.

Get a povidone iodine antiseptic from the pharmacy, and dilute it till it's the colour of a weak tea. Get a syringe to flush the wound with saline to clear it of any foreign nasties. Get some gauze too, and clean the wound with the diluted antiseptic - don't use cotton or anything like that.

You need to use the antiseptic and gauze to clean it daily. There is no need to dress the wound, unless your cat irritates it by licking etc. In that case, then obviously dress it to allow it to heal. Check the wound daily when cleaning, and the second you notice any puss, inflammation etc. take your cat to the vet. Monitor for signs of fever in your cat - ears hot to the touch, lethargy, etc.

Keep your cat inside till fully healed. Once healed, it should always be contained at night time, and only allowed to roam during daylight hours.

 

[nuttynutskin]

If you could have any exotic pet...

If you could own any exotic pet legally and be able to take care of it what would it be?

For me right now I think it would be a wombat because, well wombats are just awesome.

 

[Mysterie]

i was going to say something else but now i want a wombat