Pets chit chat thread

[anubisa]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

My dog, Trini Belle, finally got put on a nonsteroid medicine for her itching. She is doing much better and is going outside with my dad which she hadn't been doing when she was on the steroid. We're hoping she grows her hair back. Her hair is sparse unfortunately. She had blood work last week and i'm hoping that this will be the one drug to help her out.

[kalynraye]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Okay, so short answer 'cos I'm on my tablet lol.

The electric fence collar thing.. is it a sound one or a shock one? If it's a shock one then a) we don't like those, and b) it could be contributing to the sores. If it's a sound one thenit should only be contributing to the sores in the same wy any ollar would... by rubbinghis sweaty chubby neck and causing chafing.

Onto the sore themselves. Are they dry scabs or oozy crusty scabs? Dry scabs just need some fresh air and some aloe vera or pawpaw cream, which are both sfe to use on dogs. Oozy crusty ones are called 'hot spots' and are really common around collars in dogs tat have sensitive skin or are a bit chubby. They are a skin infection and need a bit more care. They need to have the hair shaved short over the sores, then an antibacterial shampoo wash just at that spot daily for weekor so (preferrably one tat's also antifungal, must be for dogs but you can get them at petstores... lather, LET SIT for 10 mins then rinse off, that is really really important), then you can aloe vera/pawpaw. They often need antibiotics too though so if it's all red and angry around the scabs you should go to the vet. If it's hotspots you MUST keep his collar off til they heal, there's no way around that.

Did he ever have issues before he was chunky? does he get itchy ears and/or chew his feet? Does he get itchy skin oterwise? If so then I'll chat to you about stuff you can do at home for skin allergies. If not then just carry on lol.

('Scuse the typos... my tablet is really awkward to post on... worse than my phone for some stupid reason)

No ooze, just scabs and it looks a little angry. Also we never had problems before his chunkiness came. He also doesn't have any other itch problems. I will pick up some aloe for him!! Thanks ma'am!!

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

We should just call this Ask Rae'ya...


I have one too...


Buddy (our orange tiger kitty) has lost a ton of weight since we moved in December (he weighed 13.9lbs at his last vet visit and looked like the "ideal weight" profile on the little chart* they have at the vet office, and is now down to 10.2 and looks more like he's a 1--he's 3 or 4 years old). He has so much hair, I didn't notice until I was giving him his bath this weekend. He's also started over-grooming (which at first I attributed to climate change--its hotter down here, and his coat is super thick) and gotten very needy (he's always been a people-person kind of cat, but now he's like a pet-me stalker). Otherwise there doesn't seem to be a change in health or behavior, though he seems to be eating less. We did have a brief flea infestation, but the behavior started before the fleas and has continued after. We've also dewormed all of the cats (because of the little cat).

We have an appointment for the vet this weekend, but I was wondering (before we go) what you might think about all this? Stress? If so, what can we do?


*le chart
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*

Definitely push for the vet to do a thyroid blood test, preferrably as part of a full panel that gets sent off to the lab. HyperT is unusual in young cats so the vet may or may not go straight to bloods, but it's REALLY common in older cats and those symptoms match pretty solidly for HyperT - except for his age and the lowered appetite, usually with HyperT appetite is good or even increased, unless it's well advanced (you get nauseous when your T4 is through the roof). It's not unheard of in younger cats, so I'd want a blood test to rule it out.

Over grooming is usually a sign of stress, but he would have to be REALLY stressed to get that amount of weight loss as well. It's possible, but if he was that stressed out you'd probably see other signs as well, like him hiding all the time, being really withdrawn, urinating outside of his litter tray or getting cranky with the other cat. Over grooming can be tricky to break, because the act of licking releases serotonin and makes them feel calmer. If you haven't refreshed your pheremone/calming diffuser lately then do it asap, and reassess the new house to make sure you don't need more than one. Remember that in closed-plan houses they will only cover 1-2 rooms, and they need to be in the room he spends the most time in.

Not to freak you out, but you CAN get gastro-intestinal weirdnesses and tumors in younger cats, which can be tricky to pick up on in the earlier stages. So if he doesn't improve with whatever the vet prescribes to start with and his bloods are all clear, then consider an ultrasound and/or xrays with a skilled vet as a second line of diagnostics.

Also, a 1 on the body score chart is 'emaciated' (think anorexic/bulemic people or really frail old people type thin)... you would feel all his bones sticking out and if that's his weight range then I'd be very concerned about him. It's hard to assess properly when they're fluffy 'cos you don't have the visual cues, but feel along his spine and hips... if they are all poking out harshly then he's very unwell. If they are just poking out a bit then he's too thin but not dangerously thin. If he's truly a 1 then be aggressive with your diagnostics and don't mess around... a young cat that thin has something significant going on.

No ooze, just scabs and it looks a little angry. Also we never had problems before his chunkiness came. He also doesn't have any other itch problems. I will pick up some aloe for him!! Thanks ma'am!!

Try the aloe vera then and see how he goes. Just try to get one that doesn't have any additives, and DEFINITELY not the after sun gel that's got menthol in it. 'Cos OUCH!! If the angriness doesn't go out after a few days he may need antibiotics. You can do the aloe vera twice daily, or you can use a doggy oatmeal/aloe vera conditioner lotion. You can still give them a scrub with an antiseptic wash (for dogs), as it certainly wont hurt and it will get rid of any surface bacteria, just make sure you allow adequate contact time and rinse it off and dry afterwards.

[anunitu]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Wondering what would happen if I started referring to Rae'ya as the Cat lady,but you know then Gleb would be the Cat dude.(BTW where is Gleb,not posted in a while)

[Jembru]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

We're having trouble with Dolly (our cat). We noticed recently that she had bald patches on the inside of her legs and around her tail. We took her to the vet and she said Dolly is pulling out her fur. She said this is usually the result of stress. We don't know what could be stressing her out though. She doesn't live with any other pets, JP and I are rarely both out the home for more than 4 or 5 hours. She has a bed in every room besides the kitchen and toilet, and has places she can go to get away from us (although she tends to prefer to be near us). Nothing's changed. Our lifestyle is the same as ever and we're not fighting or stressed. The vet couldn't find any sign of fleas or anything (although we've treated her for fleas anyway just in case). We're completely stumped. Any ideas what might be causing her stress?

We've been advised to use a pheromone spray, although the vet didn't have any in, so I'm waiting for them to call me when they have it. I'm really worried in case that doesn't work though, or if the fur pulling has become a habit now.

We wondered if it could be boredom rather than stress. Dolly gets a lot of attention from us, and we're always doing different things like building blanket forts, moving furniture around, or camping in the livingroom. So there's often something different for Dolly to explore. However, we don't play with her as often as we did when she was younger. If we do play with her, it's usually because she's started biting us, so we play to redirect her biting. While we wait for the pheromone spray, we're making a point of playing with Dolly at least once a day to see if this helps.

I also wondered if she might benefit from cat grass? Being an indoor cat, she doesn't have access to grass outside and she always tries to steal lettuce off our plates. So maybe she's craving grass for whatever reason?

[habbalah]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Could it be the result of skin irritation, maybe?

[Jembru]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Could it be the result of skin irritation, maybe?

The vet didn't think so. I asked if it might be the cleaning products I use or something, but she said it would affect her feet and other parts of her body. She hasn't lost any weight and is apparently otherwise in good health. Her behaviour hasn't changed either. She still likes to sleep near (or on) us and is her usual friendly self.

She had a nasty accident on New Year's day (can't remember if I posted about it). I had taken the curtains down to wash and she saw a fly outside the window and launched herself at it. She fell and scraped her hind leg. She pulled the scab off a few times but otherwise healed just fine and the vet found no serious damage. I guess it's possible the over grooming started then, maybe because she was sore, and it became a habit after that.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

We're having trouble with Dolly (our cat). We noticed recently that she had bald patches on the inside of her legs and around her tail. We took her to the vet and she said Dolly is pulling out her fur. She said this is usually the result of stress. We don't know what could be stressing her out though. She doesn't live with any other pets, JP and I are rarely both out the home for more than 4 or 5 hours. She has a bed in every room besides the kitchen and toilet, and has places she can go to get away from us (although she tends to prefer to be near us). Nothing's changed. Our lifestyle is the same as ever and we're not fighting or stressed. The vet couldn't find any sign of fleas or anything (although we've treated her for fleas anyway just in case). We're completely stumped. Any ideas what might be causing her stress?

We've been advised to use a pheromone spray, although the vet didn't have any in, so I'm waiting for them to call me when they have it. I'm really worried in case that doesn't work though, or if the fur pulling has become a habit now.

We wondered if it could be boredom rather than stress. Dolly gets a lot of attention from us, and we're always doing different things like building blanket forts, moving furniture around, or camping in the livingroom. So there's often something different for Dolly to explore. However, we don't play with her as often as we did when she was younger. If we do play with her, it's usually because she's started biting us, so we play to redirect her biting. While we wait for the pheromone spray, we're making a point of playing with Dolly at least once a day to see if this helps.

I also wondered if she might benefit from cat grass? Being an indoor cat, she doesn't have access to grass outside and she always tries to steal lettuce off our plates. So maybe she's craving grass for whatever reason?

Symmetrical hair loss in the groin is almost always stress... think of it like a person chewing their nails. What could she be stressed about...the only other thing I can think of that you haven't mentioned is that there's a cat in the neighbourhood that she's seeing through the windows. That can be enough for them to be stressed. The other thing is noise... as cats are quite sensitive to that. If you've got construction work, or the garbage truck, or the neighbour making lots of noise, some cats get stressed about that.

As to what else you can do... keep doing what you're doing and get the pheramone stuff in. Sometimes they need tablets, but try the pheramones first as that's often successful on it's own. I like the diffuser rather than the spray, because the spray only lasts a few hours so you need to go around the house twice a day and spray it all around the room at cat height, whereas a few diffusers plugged in will keep the house full for 4 weeks. Cat grass is good for environmental enrichment but it's unlikely to have much effect on stress levels - it certainly wont hurt to give her access though.

ETA: the only other thing I'd suggest is a blood screen if nothing seems to be working, one that also does a thyroid level. Hypothyroid or cortisol balance issues are really rare in cats, but they can cause symmetrical hair loss (usually on the back rather than the groin though). So a blood test wouldn't hurt, and you should have one done before starting on any antianxiety medication anyway so if it doesn't settle with the pheramones that would be the next step.

[kalynraye]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

While on vacation, my MIL bought a super sonic egg that emits a high pitch noise when the dogs bark to keep them from barking outside... Well there wasn't any training given no showing of anything it was just hung outside and when they barked it would emit the noise. Well now I've got a border collie who is TERRIFIED to go outside. I have to carry him out there while he shakes and has a panic attack because he is afraid of that damn egg. I understand you didn't want the barking to bother the neighbors but they are dogs and the WHOLE neighborhood has dogs that bark.

[Jembru]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Thanks for the reply Rae'ya. You might have helped shed some light actually. There are 2 cats that we call the 'ginger kids', that Magpie, our last cat, was friends with. We've seen the female in our garden watching Dolly through the window a few times, so she could be stressing Dolly out.

The noise thing too.. I use a dehumidifier when I have to sleep during the day for night shift to block out sounds from outside. Dolly always sleeps next to me so will be hearing it too. It's quite a gentle hum, but to her it might be annoying and causing the stress. I use it because ear plugs hurt my ears but maybe I need to try to find another solution. I've been using it for over a year now, and she's never shown signs of stress before, but maybe it's been cumulative.

Thanks for giving us some leads to go on!

The diffuser is better? The vet had one in stock but advised us to get the spray because Dolly moves around from room to room depending on where we are. We'd need a few and she thought that could work out expensive compared to the spray.

Maybe I'll try both. The plug in for the bedroom because she spends most time in there and that's where the window is that she watches the ginger kids at. Then we can use the spray in the other places she sleeps.

So much to think about...

[Jembru]

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Enjoying kitty cuddles right now. My jittery cat has gone from hating being touched to sitting on my lap and purring on a daily basis.

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

So. We decided to get a belly band diaper for our Boston. He has issues with going inside and has a lot of accidents and we think he's leaking at night now too. Problem is he's such a barrel shaped dog he doesn't have any hips to hold the diaper up. Any ideas for getting it to stay? Also, he is a little overweight, but only by a pound or so. It's mostly just his shape.

[anunitu]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Are you describing a Boston terrier? My Mom had one and he was the smartest dog I have ever known. We moved my mom,and in the confusion he got lost,BUT he showed up half a city away at her new place. He would have had to cross a bridge or go through a tunnel under the estuary to do this. If I remember you are in the SF Bay area so you would know Alameda to Oakland. It was amazing that he did this. But like I said smartest dog I ever met.

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Sorry,I think it was DEZ who is SF bay area..

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Are you describing a Boston terrier? My Mom had one and he was the smartest dog I have ever known. We moved my mom,and in the confusion he got lost,BUT he showed up half a city away at her new place. He would have had to cross a bridge or go through a tunnel under the estuary to do this. If I remember you are in the SF Bay area so you would know Alameda to Oakland. It was amazing that he did this. But like I said smartest dog I ever met.

I'm actually in iowa so I don't know that area, but yeah. He's a Boston terrier/french bulldog mix. My parents had him first and he's almost 6 now. Everyone I've talked to had said his life expectancy is going to be about 8, but I'm hoping the mix in him will extend that a little.