Pets - 10 September 2007

I took my cat to the ER last night because he was having diahrrea and a bit of vomiting. No fever or major lethargy though. After the exam they basically said they didn't know what was wrong with him: no parasites or worms, and no hard or painful abdomen, bloody stool, etc. Did not seem like anything major to them, they gave me an oral antibiotic to give him and see if it clears up. This was about 2am last night. this morning at 7am when I got up for work, I noticed he has been hiding behind the couch all night...I put a few bits of food in his dish (as the dr. at the ER said to feed him again, as normal). He trotted over to the dish, then had a few bites, was uninterested, and ran back under the couch. He is usually VERY social and it makes me very nervous that he's hiding under the couch and now has no appetite. Should I just wait a couple days to see if it changes, and if not take him back to my regular vet? Is this "hiding" behavior normal?

2007-09-10 04:29:00 · 6 answers · asked by Sarah 1 in Cats

My 8 year old cat has been diagnosed with Diabetes. Until recently, he seemed to be perfectly healthy but then we saw certain signs like change in energy level and urination habits that made us concerned.

Since we began suspecting diabetes we put him on an all canned, all wet food diet - mostly Fancy Feast. After only a few days he has shown considerable improvement. But we do still believe that he has a problem.

I have read a lot about pills vs. injections and there is a body of opinion that says injections are the way to go. Some people think pills can harm certain organs in your cat.

Our Vet reccomends pills, but she also said she would be fine if we chose to use injections instead.

What should we do?

I would love to hear what other cat lovers and experts here think. What has your experience been with diabetes and what do you think is the best treatment to start with?

Thanks!

2007-09-10 04:27:56 · 21 answers · asked by Zezo Zeze Zadfrack 1 in Cats

my family has an old black lab. he'sabout 10 years old. we bought him from a breeder at 4 because he developed cataracks (sp i know) he was great untill he started getting really really bad arthritus at 7. he started losing bladder control at 8 and now he hates being inside the house. its getting harder and harder to care for him... what should i advise my parents to do?

2007-09-10 04:26:08 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Dogs

Not with my family members, but occasionally with a few repeat visitors, the dog gets this honking sound, sort of a cross between a honk and a wheeze.

2007-09-10 04:25:17 · 5 answers · asked by Laurence W 6 in Dogs

2007-09-10 04:23:00 · 22 answers · asked by ? 3 in Cats

I'm spearheading a gift basket raffle for my local animal shelter, and I'm making about 5 bags to raffle off. They are all going to be animal-oriented baskets, and I need a few ideas to fill them up. I have some "goodies" with the shelter's name on them, like pens, dog leashes/collars, and little hand towels, etc.
I was thinking about putting in some bags and/or wallets, cell phone cases, that look like this:https://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/item.do?itemId=29096&siteId=310&sourceId=303&sourceClass=Category&index=14
Would that be corny? What are some other cute things I could put in the baskets?

2007-09-10 04:20:17 · 7 answers · asked by Bex 4 in Other - Pets

has anyone used an electric fence before... if so what brand, how much was it, and did you find it effective? Or if there are any other suggestions on what i should do to keep them contained

2007-09-10 04:20:06 · 12 answers · asked by bbevans2006 2 in Dogs

I want to get a pretty black lab while she is a pup. Just wandering is this a good dog.

2007-09-10 04:12:04 · 23 answers · asked by Latoya S 2 in Dogs

I have a 7 year old husky, about 2 years back she was diagnoised with chronic lung disease.. The only thing we can have her on is prednison, and albuteral, well is has gotten worse on us. She sounds so uncomfortable when she sleep's her breathing is bad, she has lost her appetite, her energy and so on. And now that she has been on pred for so long its affecting her kidneys.. We have the bloodwork and urine tests and x-rays done, but what i want to know is has anyone ever has this diagnoises, and have any other options. It is just getting worse, and it does become financial, and im sorry but dont tell me lower income people shouldnt have pets.. I am trying my hardest but her comfort is my main concern, when do you say enough is enough? And the vet has not been able to come up with any other meds to help her. And it seems like the warmer the better she does, and with winter coming, im dreading the affect it is gonna have on her. If anyone has any useful info for me i would appreciate it

2007-09-10 04:11:10 · 10 answers · asked by Against the <BSL> 3 in Dogs

My cat is having a general anesthetic in the morning at the vets but I have been told they may be complications because he has a heart murmer. He is only 2 1/2 and is generally fit. He is having broken teeth removed as they think he may of been clipped by a car. What are the complications and risks and whats the chances of the worse happening? Thanks x

2007-09-10 04:09:49 · 2 answers · asked by Gem Lou 3 in Cats

My son has asked, why is it that when you blow on a dogs nose, they recoil because they don't like it, but when they're in your car they can't wait to stick their head out of the windows at 60mph?

2007-09-10 04:06:12 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Dogs

I dont get why people dont take the responsibility to train their dogs.... not just potty training, but i mean AKC / obedience training..... I absolutely cant stand it when a dog wont listen to its owner. DOGS NEED TO BE TAUGHT MANNERS TOO

and then they get neglectful towards the dog because it wont listen to them and they wonder why their dog is agressive :rolleyes:

2007-09-10 04:06:08 · 25 answers · asked by cyndia 2 in Dogs

We got a cat from the shelter and all my plants started to die, then i noticed they smelt like cat pee.

I haven't seen her pee on them, she must do it at night. But how can I get her to stop?

2007-09-10 04:03:50 · 6 answers · asked by Angel 2 in Cats

I have a very well established 20 gallon saltwater tank, about 15 lbs of live rock, various polyps, mushrooms, and some gorgonia. I have a sixline wrasse, a chromis, 2 hermits (small), a turbo snail, and a nassirius snail. Yesterday, around 12 pm. I added a sea hare and a Blue Regal Tang and the tang is still acting like she is in shock. I didnt acclimate her any differently than I do with all of my fish, but she is not happy!! No signs of Ick yet, but I dont want to lose her! Any ideas? Water has been tested and all things are well within good levels. Salinity is good. Not sure if she is just REALLY stresses out?

2007-09-10 03:59:36 · 7 answers · asked by haha2982 1 in Fish

If my dog was to get a lump removed from his face, near his mouth, the size of a quarter, how much would that cost?

I know that when we was little he got a hernia removed from his stomach for only $150.00 canadian, so I'm wondering how extreme this would be. It seems like a ten minute operation, but then again it's near his mouth so some complications could occur.

2007-09-10 03:57:28 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Dogs

hi i just got a beagle pup yesterday and all day yesterday he just sat in a corner shaking with his tail curled up in his backlegs today he keeps jumping on the stove where his reflection is and keeps wimpering and aperently he looks exactly like his mom. the person that owned him before just left him outside with his parents and a trof with food in it and water and we only got him because our friends bought the parents and the guy said all of them or nothing so they took all of them because he was just gonna shoot them all in the head is there anything i can do for him thanks

2007-09-10 03:55:53 · 15 answers · asked by tkerbag 4 in Dogs

I like little doggies I think they are so cute!
but can one be trained to use a liter box?

I have a cat now I was just wondering if little doggie can
be trained the same way as a cat is! Does anyone know or
has tained a little dog like this before??

2007-09-10 03:55:41 · 17 answers · asked by toenail 2 in Dogs

I don't mean if they can be caged together. I mean can they lay eggs & breed .........if not all species than what two species would............what should I get
& another thing would they get alone with my budgies.......
I mean they would have their own cage but would they play with my budgies if I left them together or would they fight

2007-09-10 03:47:04 · 8 answers · asked by zeido zeido 2 in Birds

He is about four months old now. He usually stays outside because we cant get him to use the box but we bring him to visit, eat some extra snacks and play with our other house cats. We really want him to be a house cat because he is just the sweetest kitten ever.
I don't know what to do. All of our other cats, we just show them the box and they know what to do.
My grandma says to get a crate, put a little shoe box with some litter in it and then lock him in the crate and then he will learn wear to go because he wont want to have it where he sleeps. Does this sound cruel to anybody else?

Please help! He is such a sweet kitten and we will be getting him fixed soon. I really want him to be trained by then because then we can get him declawed at the same time. He can't go outside if he's declawed.

2007-09-10 03:39:35 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cats

At christmas we bought an adorable little kitten as a playmate for our other cat.

When we bought her she was around the size or slightly larger than a tennis ball. Her previous owners said that she was 8 weeks old. However as the previous owners werent breeders and the poor mite stunk of sick I took her off to the vets the day after I got her just to be sure she was healthy.

The vet said that she wasn't 8 weeks old but in fact she was four weeks old. As I hadn't had any experience with young kittens I fed her on warm dry kitten food mixed with water.

She's now 10 months old and shes about the size of a four month old kitten. Shes very healthy and happy. But whenever she is on my bed she paws the bed and licks it as she would when feeding off mother. our 14 month old cat towers over her and doesnt act like hes looking for milk.

Is she small because she may have been the runt of a litter or do you think its because the irresponsible owners gave her away far too young?

2007-09-10 03:37:05 · 8 answers · asked by the troll 3 in Cats

My beta fish keeps turning and swirling at the top of the fish bowl and then he sits at the bottom on his back

2007-09-10 03:30:10 · 6 answers · asked by Louise 2 in Fish

i have a 7 month old dogue de bordeaux, i want to get another dog, which dog would be best to get??

2007-09-10 03:24:43 · 40 answers · asked by Bobby 1 in Dogs

I understand and have heard 12 weeks to be the youngest they can go home, but that already seems rather old to me; the kitten isn't anylonger small, but already medium sized.

I have two cats already, both six years old, as well as two dogs, both of whom are very good with their counter parts.

I'm told that if I want to introduce this new family member, I need to get it while it's still small.

2007-09-10 03:19:47 · 23 answers · asked by Julia 4 in Cats

I live in a neighborhood with 3 or 4 registered cats that are allowed to roam freely, day and night. I came home yesterday to find one of these cats hiding by my bird feeder, looking to catch a free meal. I'm indifferent about cats, but as a bird fan, this really ticks me off.

The cats all have ID tags, but they run when approached. I was considering using a live animal trap to catch the cat and return it to the owner, but I doubt they'll get the message without a fine. If allowing a cat to roam freely isn't a finable offense, then I welcome your suggestions. Calling the animal wardon isn't an option - they won't come unless the cat is hostile towards humans. Seems to me that someone allowing a dog to roam the neighborhood wouldn't get the same blind eye.

2007-09-10 03:13:46 · 14 answers · asked by Billy Bob 1 in Cats

My aunts neighbors cat had kittens and there giving them away for free, but the think is i have my own dog and i take care of the family-dog too, and my mom let me get a rat last month but i really want a kitten and trust me when i say i can take care of it.

How do i convince my parents to let me get a kitten?

2007-09-10 03:12:30 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cats

put down. had him since a pup!!!

isnt it amazing how attached we get to our pets.

2007-09-10 03:11:29 · 28 answers · asked by Special Little Girl xxx 1 in Dogs

I read up on all the birds I bought prior to purchase. I own 4 parakeets (one passed yesterday,husband left his window open and I think he froze to death while I was away), a love bird that is under 3 months old, 2 paroletts, 2 sun conures, and a cockatoo. I read up on each bird on the internet through numerous sites as well as bought books to go along with each so I knew better how to care and what to expect from each of the little guys. However I read here on yanswers many ppl that claim to be "vets" saying that pet birds do NOT need gravel-grit- or oyster shell in their diets. Everything I read says they do need it that it aids in digestion and in reducing hyperactivity. What is right all the books or the "vets" on here I give all my birds gravel mixed with oyster shell and have been for yrs without problems. Please clear this up for me thanks...

2007-09-10 03:08:18 · 10 answers · asked by **Damn its cold up here** 3 in Birds

My dog had a mast cell tumor removed a few weeks ago. Her stitches burst and were re-sewn. The vet told me if they burst again, there will not be enough skin to re-sew and to leave it open. It is now a 3" diameter wound and you can see the muscle underneath. I don't feel like I am getting good advice...any suggestions? Please, I'm desperate!

2007-09-10 02:52:59 · 27 answers · asked by tngal 2 in Dogs

2007-09-10 02:49:22 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Dogs

I live in a one bedroom flat, which although is one bedroom is fairly big and I have room enough for a dog to have its own bed etc in the lounge but it would be quiet for him/her. Im not aiming for a great dane or anything, a small scottie or something of that size. It has its own garden and I work within 10 mins of home so I plan to take it out at lunch etc would others feel that a dog would be happy or is this still unfair on the dog?

2007-09-10 02:38:57 · 18 answers · asked by andy58982000 1 in Dogs