Pets chit chat thread

[magusphredde]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

ticks or fleas? ... big diff ... http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-pr.../tick-control/ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABA3kIAd8nI ... http://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/e...iting_your_dog ...

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

My poor little Boston Terrier's seizures have worsened. She had 3 today one after another, the most she's ever had in one day so I've spent most of my Sunday at the ER vet. They and my primary vet have decided to add potassium bromide along with the Kepra (in case it's liver related though the ultrasound shows normal liver and so do the chem values we are trying to save it from Phenobarb as a last result drug, Kepra doesn't affect the liver). She also gets 1/4 tsp of gelatin twice a day to protect her brain as well as milk thistle and a low carb/high protein diet. I really wish the vet field could adopt medical marajuana drops since it doesn't have the THC for dogs with seizures. I guess over Christmas break I will have to take her to the specialist for an MRI to see if it is truly idiopathic or if its a spinal or brain tumor causing them. She's only going on 8yrs and they started when she was 6yrs. It makes me sad that her life will be so much shorter because of this. I rescued her from a lady who's dog had puppies because she was the runt and malnourished. Best little pup ever! She's such a trooper!

There is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that EPA/DHA enriched foods can help with epileptic disorders. Considering EPA and DHA ALSO help protect joint function and improve skin barrier function, you pretty much can't go wrong putting an 8yr old Boston onto a EPA/DHA enriched food. You can use basic human fish oil supplements, but honestly, getting the dosage correct for a small breed dog is really tricky. It's better to either use a dog supplement (like Megaderm) or use a food that has it added (like a therapeutic food for Skin Support or Joint Support). Hills used to do a b/d diet but it's no longer available in Australia... I think you can still get it in US but it's in their Prescription range so you'll need to talk to your primary vet re getting the okay to use it. We used to use it for dogs with CCD (doggie dementia). My bosses have their epileptic dog on Hills j/d for her elbow dysplasia, and have found that while on it, she doesn't have seizures and was able to come of phenobarbitone. It's purely annectodal at this stage, but unless your dog has a history of pancreatitis, extra DHA/EPA shouldn't cause it any problems at all and can benefit several different areas. Your vet should be able to get hold of the foods or a supplement for you to use.

If adding the KBr doesn't improve the situation, definitely take her in for an MRI if you can afford it and have the option available nearby. We have one here in Adelaide, but so few people will take our option to refer for an MRI. Which is incredibly sad, because there's only so much you can do for epilepsy that isn't responding to meds.

Lexi has tics. What's the best way/stuff to get rid of them. They are pretty much under her armpits.

Can't help much with personal experience on this one as we don't have ticks in South Australia. But the products we tell people going to tick areas of Aus to use are Frontline Plus or Advantix. There's a new one called Bravecto that's supposed to be pretty good too, and is a tablet that lasts for three months rather than a monthly spot on product. But I'm only going by the company training here... not actual experience as my clients don't need to use them.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Pull them off - but this is tricky because you have to "unscrew" them, or you leave the head embedded which may cause infection.

There is a specific tool for this (see your vet), or you could burn them with a cigarette until they pull lose, then pick them off.

Then, use that stuff that goes on their back to prevent further attacks - can't remember the name, but the outrageously expensive one is the one that actually works.

[Kiesha'ra]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I think you mean Vectra 3D, Corbin. That stuff rocks it's about 20 dollars a dose for my small breed but it works better than Frontline

[Munin-Hugin]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Iterestingly,any medical sites say NOT to twist them at all, or burn them, or smother them. The thing is, you don't want to kill it while it's embedded. But yeah, pulling them off is the way to go but it's got to be done carefully. With tweezers, get as much of it as you can by pushing in a little around its head then pinching, but not so tightly that you crush it. Then pull slow and steady. If you leave anything inside, it can become infected.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Iterestingly,any medical sites say NOT to twist them at all, or burn them, or smother them. The thing is, you don't want to kill it while it's embedded. But yeah, pulling them off is the way to go but it's got to be done carefully. With tweezers, get as much of it as you can by pushing in a little around its head then pinching, but not so tightly that you crush it. Then pull slow and steady. If you leave anything inside, it can become infected.

Huh...

I guess that has changed since last time I looked.

I just checked, and, yup, you are right.

[anunitu]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I am a bit surprised ticks in the city,always think of them as a country problem. Like Jersey and the deer ticks here.

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Raeya, we are thinking about keeping one kitten. There are a lot of conditionsto be met though. One is that they all get along. I guess I just want to be sure they're well socialized.

[DragonsFriend]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Use soapy water on a Q-tip and work it around the tick and it's head. It will come out on its own so there is no need to worry about infection or surgery to get the rest of the head out.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Raeya, we are thinking about keeping one kitten. There are a lot of conditionsto be met though. One is that they all get along. I guess I just want to be sure they're well socialized.

Socialising cats is tricky, because their natural social structure is so different to dogs (and humans) and changes depending on the environment and resource availability. Cats living in colonies have a different social structure to those living in isolated pairs or trios. Cats who live in family groups have a different social structure to cats who aren't related, but unrelated cats can form similar social structure when living in colonies. So it's... complicated lol.

The greatest socialisation benefit that the kittens will get is from staying with their mum as long as possible. There is a benefit to socialising them with other adult cats in their early socialisation period, but it's also important to ensure that the other cat is amenable to that and is being a good role model. If the kittens have too many negative experiences of that adult cat, it will actually make them LESS likely to accept other cats, not more likely. The other thing to consider is what they are learning from mum... if mum is stressed about a social situation, the kittens will pick up on that. Their primary social learning is from mum, so it's important to make sure that she's teaching them the right lessons... we want her to be teaching them to be happy about new things, not scared or defensive. So if we put mum on the defensive, we'll put the kittens on the defensive.

Socialising fostered kittens is a bit different with mum than without mum. Without a mum in the mix (ie if you just have kittens), then the recommendations are pretty much to expose them to as much as you can in a safe and positive manner. Same if you have just one kitten that you've got at 8weeks of age. Cash in on their natural inquisitiveness during that early socialisation period and make everything positive, fun and rewarding. Mum's reactions can make things more complex, though. Yoshii's reactions might too. You wont know until you try it, but if he reacts to kittens negatively, then that can inform the kittens about how to interact with other cats. He will likely treat the kittens differently than mum... so it's possible to use him to socialise the kittens while keeping mum out of it... if he's amenable and mum doesn't get too upset about the kittens coming back with his smell about them.

Just take it slow and assess everyone's reactions carefully. I have an awesome PDF about Cat Behaviour if you want me to email it to you. It's got sections on kitten socialisation, preventing harmful stress and learning and environmental enrichment as well as heaps of other things. It's aimed at vets rather than laypeople, but it should be easy enough to understand and it's probably something that all cat owners should read anyway. You might be able to find it on the AAFP website, or I can email it to you. It's called "Feline Behavior Guidelines from the American Association of Feline Practitioners".

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Parrots really are like two year olds. Noodle's new favourite toy?

Yep. A cardboard box.

[magusphredde]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

sounds like a cat

[habbalah]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Both of my cats are shunning me. They're slightly damp, and have had a strange person trim their claws and butt hair.

[Munin-Hugin]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

So last night my youngest cat, the mighty calico hunter, struck again. She caught and made half-dead two mice that got it. It was a chore getting them away from her to toss their lifeless bodies outside.

[habbalah]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Took the kitties to the vet today. They're healthy, but have learned that going into the crate means bad things.