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Protocol7 posted:considering this one basically killed my cat  what the gently caress?
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Jul 15, 2019 23:27
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Also, you're in a tough situation and your working through it and asking for help so you're already doing better than like 80% of dog owners! You're not a failure you're just in a rough spot. Either way you will get through this. Agreed, thank you for this post. This helped frame the entire situation in a reasonable way; better than the 'we have a responsibility to her, we're keeping her 100%' where we were and 'its just a dog' that some of my family went with. We haven't had any more accidents, but last night she displayed some food aggression with the cats. Which is actually easier than the house breaking thing. We said going in that any sustained aggression toward the cats was an instant deal breaker, which is why we looked for a dog that was evaluated as good with cats. If she continues with it, we're unwilling to risk the safety of our long time pets, full stop. Goobish posted:For what it's worth he is part blue heeler and part "pitbull mix." He tends to nip at the face though, not anckles. But enough of the sad posts about rough dog adoptions. Our girl was also listed as a heeler mix; we suspect some sort of bully breed cross because of her fur and some squareness in the head. Let's share pictures.   Here's Lady enjoying a cigar.
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Jul 15, 2019 23:30
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StrixNebulosa posted:
I mean, it’s conjecture on my part. But my cat had urinary issues and we took him in probably twice a week for almost 2 months and his kidneys failed. I strongly believe they should have altered treatment and checked kidneys sooner especially with a chronic urinary issue. I did everything I could, but I’m not at all convinced the vet did. I probably sound sour because he’s dead, and I might be, but urinary issues in cats should never result in death especially when we caught it as early as we did. (Every vet we went to said they wouldn’t have noticed his issues as soon as we did and gave us kudos for being so observant.)
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Jul 15, 2019 23:44
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Mind if I vent for a moment? We got a beautiful golden doodle puppy back in January. His name is Tater and he's pretty perfect. Except...he has allergies. Not just any allergies either. He is now almost 8 months old and has been on four courses of antibiotics to keep him from shredding his own skin. After taking him to a dermatologist, it turns out he is allergic to pretty much all trees (and we live in the PNW). His allergies cause him to get pretty nasty yeast infections all over. But wait, there's more! He's also allergic to yeast... 😓 We're just about to start another 3-week round of antibiotics and the vet has us testing for additional food allergies. I have to keep telling myself that this isn't my fault and its the best possible place he could be. We're doing everything that can be done. If I'm going to spend a metric poo poo ton money, he's the best thing I could choose. But I wish he could just be healthy for a few weeks. Just once. 
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Jul 16, 2019 00:40
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MistressMeeps posted:Mind if I vent for a moment? We got a beautiful golden doodle puppy back in January. His name is Tater and he's pretty perfect. Poor dog! I only have my own allergies to relate but my allergist said to wipe my pets off with Allerpet to get rid of the dander and pollen on them. It really works for my contact allergies so maybe it would help make him more comfortable. I’ve also used witch hazel or diluted tea tree oil on my own skin and that gets rid of the allergens too. Good luck with your doggo, he’s adorable!
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Jul 16, 2019 04:45
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My dogs have kennel cough. Or at least, one of my dogs has kennel cough, which means the other one is almost certainly going to get it. He's just so pitifully heartbreaking and I wish there was something I could do for him. I lucked out that my pregnant dog went to the breeder's place to whelp before he caught it, though. edit: obligatory proud mom picture 
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Jul 16, 2019 16:38
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Harley has been doing pretty good past couple of days now. No new incidents. I think for whatever reason he is extremely possessive of his crate and Also startled extremely easily while in his crate. Before, his crate was in my room facing the door and anyone coming by the door would set him off like crazy. Even when he wasn't crated it seemed to severely agitate him. Now his crate is in it's own room and away from the door. Absolutely no one but me and "grandpa" are allowed to go near his crate, ever. (My kid insists that HE is the dogs dad, therefor my partner is the grandpa.) So problem solved I guess? Maybe he'll calm down about it eventually? He has been much more chill since i moved the crate. Once grandpa trains him not to pull so much on the leash I would love to take him for runs, but this dog is so loving powerful I'm afraid at this point, if he wanted to, he could just drag me away like the helpless whispy fag I am. I had wanted a baby originally and honestly I think this dog is way more work than a loving baby anyday lol. Also he wants to eat babies sooooo looks like I'm done having kids if we're keeping him. The 4 year old is only here every other weekend so I just have to have Harley chill in his crate and/or in my room while she's downstairs (she mainly stays on the second floor which Harley seems not interested in going thankfully). Sorry if this comes off rambly I've just been exhausted mentally. But I think this is going a lot better and I hope it continues. His first appointment with a behavior specialist isn't until loving August 20th. His vet appointment is next week tho and I'll ask if they know of anyone qualified who can see him sooner. Hell I might even keep the other appointment for the sake of two different opinions, but I'm not sure if that's overkill. I phone post so not sure how to put pics up, maybe when I'm not lazy later I'll put some up so y'all can see who we're willing to pour 100s if not 1000s into and basically completely change our lives for.
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Jul 16, 2019 22:43
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Is Purina Pro Plan good? We're feeding our 9 year old large mutt dog a boutique grain free salmon thing but it's getting increasingly hard to find and we also seem to have to bribe her to eat it more and more often (favourite trick: pretend to grab "special ingredients" from the fridge and sprinkle them on her bowl.) I always thought purina and other big brands were bad but now places online are saying they're good actually?
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Jul 17, 2019 04:25
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prom candy posted:Is Purina Pro Plan good? We're feeding our 9 year old large mutt dog a boutique grain free salmon thing but it's getting increasingly hard to find and we also seem to have to bribe her to eat it more and more often (favourite trick: pretend to grab "special ingredients" from the fridge and sprinkle them on her bowl.) This might be a talk to your vet situation. Do you need to feed salmon or grain free because of allergies? If not, does your vet recommend a senior dog food? One for large breeds? Is your dog just kind of picky?
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Jul 17, 2019 12:21
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GoodBee posted:This might be a talk to your vet situation. Do you need to feed salmon or grain free because of allergies? If not, does your vet recommend a senior dog food? One for large breeds? Is your dog just kind of picky? Our vet seems to really like to recommend the food they sell in their office The dog was having some stomach issues where she didn't want to eat her breakfast along with rumbling from her stomach and occasionally vomiting and so we cycled through a few different foods that our vet recommended looking for novel proteins, cutting out grains, etc. Eventually we just started splitting her two meals a day into three meals so that she eats right before bed and the problem mostly went away. She still turns her nose up at a meal now and then but the stomach noises and vomiting only seem to happen when she gets into something she shouldn't have. She went through a big phase of occasional stomach issues recently before we realized our neighbour's crab apple tree was dropping apples into our backyard that she was sneak-eating.
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Jul 17, 2019 13:49
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prom candy posted:Our vet seems to really like to recommend the food they sell in their office This is frustrating even though I know why they do it. quote:The dog was having some stomach issues where she didn't want to eat her breakfast along with rumbling from her stomach and occasionally vomiting and so we cycled through a few different foods that our vet recommended looking for novel proteins, cutting out grains, etc. Eventually we just started splitting her two meals a day into three meals so that she eats right before bed and the problem mostly went away. She still turns her nose up at a meal now and then but the stomach noises and vomiting only seem to happen when she gets into something she shouldn't have. She went through a big phase of occasional stomach issues recently before we realized our neighbour's crab apple tree was dropping apples into our backyard that she was sneak-eating. That sounds like you might be back to trial and error if you haven't eliminated specific proteins or grains. You can try comparing your current ingredient list to some other foods, then checking any additional ingredients to see if they were in foods you used before that were a problem? Or you may have already solved the problem by feeding three meals? Once you've found a food with an ingredient list you like and an appropriate protein/fat/carb ratio for your dog, the only things brand matters for is quality control and any preferences for ethical manufacturing you might have. Like sources of ingredients or location of manufacturing.
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Jul 17, 2019 14:37
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Thanks! Yeah our theory now is that the ingredient list was a red herring and meal frequency was the issue. I'm not sure if we want to stick all that closely to the food we're feeding now or not. The dog doesn't seem to like it all that much, she poops like 4x/day, shedding and dander are brutal (although we think she's GSD-ish so shedding is a fact of life) But yeah maybe it is back to trial and error to find something that works well for her. I guess the original reason for my question of "is Purina Pro Plan good" comes back to those questions of quality control and ethics. I know they're owned by Nestle which is ehhhhhhh in the ethics department but some info online said they have excellent quality control, good ingredients, treat their animals well etc. It's just hard to know who's getting paid to say that stuff vs saying it because they believe it.
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Jul 17, 2019 14:59
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GoodBee posted:This is frustrating even though I know why they do it. Me too. They always recommend Royal Canin as if it's food of the gods and I'm always like yeah, haha, he's just such a picky eater! In fairness, Sherlock is a picky eater. Feeding him raw EVER was a huge mistake, as he will never ever go back to commercial food. Even if he could, I doubt I would be able to get behind that brand. prom candy posted:It's just hard to know who's getting paid to say that stuff vs saying it because they believe it. Are people here fans of dogfoodadvisor?
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Jul 17, 2019 16:00
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With the DCM concerns a lot of vets are recommending only feeding foods that have gone through feeding trials or have a veterinary nutritionist on staff, such as purina, science diet, royal canin, etc. You can find more info on that here: https://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=53973 https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-fdas-grain-free-diet-alert/ http://www.websterlakevet.com/how_to_pick_a_good_pet_food.html If your dog looks like poo poo, no matter what they're eating, it's probably time to look for a new food. My dogs do well on purina foods and while Nestle is not really a company I like supporting it's important for me to have a food they both do well on that I can get regularly so I sort of choke it down. If 2007 me knew I was feeding corn filled purina products they'd have an aneurysm but they look good. My old dog looks better on the purina bright mind than he had for years on whatever high end grain free stuff I tried him on and it costs almost half as much. luscious posted:Are people here fans of dogfoodadvisor? That site really just ranks foods by their ingredients and not by their nutrition as a whole or factors about their production and formulation. It can be a useful tool but probably shouldn't be your sole food selection criteria.
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Jul 17, 2019 16:51
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After looking into this DCM thing, we've committed what feels like pet parent heresy and switched our puppy to Purina Pro Plan. My vet's office suggested avoiding the foods named in the FDA report as a precaution, as well as avoiding grain-free or any food that includes ingredients listed in the report. They don't make specific brand recommendations, but they did say that you can usually look up online and check to see if a brand you're interested in was formulated by a veterinary nutritionist or not. It actually shocked the poo poo out of me to learn that there's dog food on the market designed by people who don't have any formal background in animal nutrition, but apparently that isn't uncommon. The stuff I had been feeding was formulated by a guy who's credentials are listed on their website as "twenty years of experience in making dog food," and one of the foods I'd been considering, Fromm's, lists their "head chef" as having a chemical engineering degree. I learned a lot from the Petfoodology blog, which recommends considering these guidelines from a veterinary association. Some of the larger food companies do help sponsor that organization, but the questions all still seem like reasonable things to ask. One of the most interesting things I found out from Petfoodology is that the ingredient list, the thing most of us seem to go by, isn't necessarily the best way to choose a food. Looking at the options and going through with the switch has made me realize how much marketing has gone into pushing these grain-free, "healthy" foods. None of my locally owned pet stores even carry Purina or Royal Canin, and employees at three different shops have tried to downplay the FDA report to me and keep pointing out how few dogs it's affected, which is the same argument I keep seeing on the websites of foods mentioned in the report. It feels like they've been given a script for how to address the issue.
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Jul 17, 2019 17:04
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For what it's worth, my veterinarian mother-in-law no longer sells food at her practice, and used to really push the more boutique foods, but when we got our new puppy she told us we should definitely switch over to one of the bigger companies that do extended trials and put a lot of money into nutritional studies for their food. She personally uses Purina Pro Plan for her dogs, so that's what she switched to, but yeah she also said any of the bigger companies are probably a bit ahead of the curve than most when it comes to the emerging info on grain-free foods and dilated cardiomyopathy concerns. She said she only ever recommends Purina Pro Plan, Science Diet, and Royal Canin to clients these days, barring specific food allergies. We used to do Nutro, and she said she doesn't have any particular gripes with their food, though she strongly urged us to avoid their grain-free options. And yeah, Purina/Nestle has issues but their quality control is reportedly extremely rigorous. They're a big company, and by extension have put a lot of money into improving their food over the last couple of decades. I'm very happy with Purina Pro Plan so far.
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Jul 17, 2019 17:27
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After the FDA report I happily switched to kirkland from acana. 75c a lb vs 2$+
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Jul 17, 2019 17:33
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I'd consider changing to Purina Pro Plan but it doesn't seem like it's any cheaper or better than the Blue Buffalo I'm currently feeding the dogs. They get chicken and rice either way. On one hand, if it's not broke...
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Jul 17, 2019 17:38
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The one thing that my mom in law impressed really heavily on us was just to avoid grain-free until more information comes out about the DCM concerns (assuming your dog is fine with grains) and to be skeptical about broad claims made by smaller boutique food producers because apparently a lot of small dog food companies are, in her words, "big on heart and style but very light on science". I think if it's an established brand you probably don't have a lot to worry about, barring some new info.
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Jul 17, 2019 17:54
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Submarine Sandpaper posted:After the FDA report I happily switched to kirkland from acana. 75c a lb vs 2$+ Kirkland foods are made by Diamond, which also makes at least 3 of the brands on the list named as being potentially related to DCM just fyi. Their response to the issue has been sort of lackluster which is disappointing.
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Jul 17, 2019 17:57
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Kirkland foods are made by Diamond, which also makes at least 3 of the brands on the list named as being potentially related to DCM just fyi. Their response to the issue has been sort of lackluster which is disappointing. Thanks, I just took a gander. I avoided the Nature's Domain label and give the Adult Formula Chicken, Rice and Vegetable since that's obviously not grain free. Next run I'll see how the Purina compares on cost.
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Jul 17, 2019 18:06
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Isn't the number of dogs reported with DCM exceedingly small?
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Jul 17, 2019 18:30
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I went to get an 8 month old Jindo mix at the shelter yesterday and someone grabbed him out from under me after the animal officer mistakenly told me I couldn't put a hold on him. I've never had a dog before...I found out the hard way not to get attached before signing the paperwork  It's really made us want to find another part-Jindo puppy though. I know they're not generally a first timer's dog but my wife has had a dog...am I still just asking for trouble? I've tried to read up a bunch and it seems like it would be a fine apartment dog as long as we exercise them and give them firm training.
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Jul 17, 2019 18:45
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It's kind of a crapshoot temperament wise if you're looking to adopt a mix, or I guess any dog that hasn't been well-bred for temperament for generations honestly. I don't think there's anything wrong with looking for adoptable dogs that fit some sort of aesthetic you like. Just remember sometimes shelters/rescues will pick a breed to "advertise" an adoptable dog as having an appearance or traits of a certain breed, regardless of if that breed is in any way related. Personally, I would stay away in general from any puppies advertised as being part an uncommon breed or uncommon breed for your area. But if you're looking for young adult dogs, I don't think there's any harm if searching around for a curly-tailed, fox-faced dog if that's what you like.
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Jul 17, 2019 20:32
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Isn't the number of dogs reported with DCM exceedingly small? That was my impression. Like, yes, there's a statistically large bump in dogs with DCM eating grain-free dogfoods, but it's nowhere near "your dog will get DCM if you give them these grain-free dogfoods" levels. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't switch foods if you have the freedom to do so, in case your dog is one of the few that has the relevant co-factor that triggers DCM (assuming it's a matter of environmental/genetic/etc. co-factors). But my dog is allergic to grain so I'm basically looking at this and shrugging. He probably takes a bigger statistical risk from walking across the street, on leash.
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Jul 17, 2019 21:18
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Yeah we do like the aesthetic but I like what I've read and how we interacted with that particular guy more than the look. I'm sure it's really a crapshoot since we're only going to be adopting from a shelter/rescue. Fortunately we're in LA where I guess there's a higher proportion of jindos than elsewhere probably owing to the Korean population.
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Jul 17, 2019 21:28
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My dog got attacked by another at the park yesterday and now we've got a $500 vet bill. Don't be a dumbass like me, get pet insurance if you can swing it. Any tips for reintroducing my dog to others after she's healed up? She did okay around other dogs at the vet today, but understandably cowered if they got too close to her wound. We have to board her for a few days next month and usually try to give her time with other dogs at dog parks and doggy day care, but I don't want to push her and create an anxiety issue.
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Jul 17, 2019 22:35
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right to bear karma posted:My dog got attacked by another at the park yesterday and now we've got a $500 vet bill. Don't be a dumbass like me, get pet insurance if you can swing it. I'm guessing you didn't get the info of the owner whose dog attacked yours?
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Jul 17, 2019 22:39
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Nope. I wasn't actually there for the attack as she was with my husband, but our dog went right back to playing and behaving normally after the attack and it was a couple of hours later that we actually found the laceration because it didn't bleed much. My understanding is that the other dog's owner dragged it out and took off pretty quickly. It wasn't a person or dog my husband had seen there before; I'm guessing it's either a newly acquired pet or one that doesn't get taken out very often. The park is a private HOA park, but people from other neighborhoods occasionally come around. We're keeping an eye out just in case. It's a lesson via pocketbook for us dense people.
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Jul 17, 2019 23:34
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oh poo poo, ive been meaning to get pet health insurance, any recommendations? pup is only 6mo old edit: is laser surgery for a spay a bunch of woo bullshit? OBAMNA PHONE fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Jul 17, 2019 |
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Jul 17, 2019 23:36
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If you can manage it, you're better off putting money aside every month. Otherwise PetPlusUs is probably the best company.
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Jul 17, 2019 23:50
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I figured pet insurance was bullshit and never even looked into it. But I'm borderline insane about saving money so I figure that's just as good. I suppose if suddenly something costed thousands though that'd be a different story.
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Jul 17, 2019 23:56
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I think that's a better argument for an emergency credit card than it is for pet insurance.
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Jul 17, 2019 23:56
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Mummy Xzibit posted:Yeah we do like the aesthetic but I like what I've read and how we interacted with that particular guy more than the look. I'm sure it's really a crapshoot since we're only going to be adopting from a shelter/rescue. There are some broad personality traits that are more likely to show up in dogs of similar ancestry and you can use that to narrow down individual dogs to meet. Then it comes down to finding the one that meshes with you. BraveUlysses posted:oh poo poo, ive been meaning to get pet health insurance, any recommendations? pup is only 6mo old An alternative to pet insurance can be Care Credit. It's a medical credit card that many vets take. It has an interest free period depending on the size of the charge. I opted for that just because I don't think I'll ever come out ahead on insurance, especially because I just can't figure out what it will actually pay for. At least I'll be able to spread out any vet bills over $100 over at least 6 months and I can use it for routine expenses, like heartworm treatments and regular vet appointments. I've also heard about Banfield at Petsmart offering a monthly plan but I don't know the details. It might be worth looking into.
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Jul 17, 2019 23:57
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I have PetsBest and I’ve been pretty happy with it so far. It’s around $55 a month total for both of my dogs which is by far the lowest cost I was able to find when researching insurance. That’s with a $500 deductible but that can get eaten up fast if you have an accident. I had to take my girl in 2 weeks ago for a burst cyst on her paw and I walked out of the vet’s office $250 poorer which is already half the deductible. I’m actually kicking myself for waiting to get it because she also has a pre-existing condition that she’ll take medication for the rest of her life which would have been covered if I’d had the insurance earlier.
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Jul 18, 2019 00:13
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BraveUlysses posted:edit: is laser surgery for a spay a bunch of woo bullshit? I don't know that it's necessary or what the price difference is but my pet laser surgery is pretty funny and I like telling it. About 20 years ago I had pet rats. One of them grew a couple of enormous tumors, she was like 25%+ tumors and I asked my vet about it. They were super excited because they had just gotten their first laser scalpel and they hadn't used it on anything alive yet. They offer to charge me a very small fee, just for anesthesia for a rat and laser time, to have my rat be their first laser patient. It worked out really well and she healed up nicely and quickly. It was pretty cool all around. I've been going to that vet's office for my cats and dogs ever since. I don't remember how my cat was spayed since that was 16 years ago and my girl dogs were both spayed at shelters before I got them. Theoretically, laser is supposed to offer a shorter healing time but I don't have any comparisons.
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Jul 18, 2019 00:16
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DarkSoulsTantrum posted:That’s with a $500 deductible but that can get eaten up fast if you have an accident. That's another thing Care Credit can be used for, covering the deductible interest free. Plus you can use it for yourself if you need to.
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Jul 18, 2019 00:20
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Awesome, I wondered if Care Credit was still a thing and good. That's the route I'll take. Is Taste of the Wild one of the brands people are flipping their poo poo about? It's news to me that the "healthy" foods are actually maybe bad.
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Jul 18, 2019 02:03
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Goobish posted:Awesome, I wondered if Care Credit was still a thing and good. That's the route I'll take. Yeah I’m pretty sure it is. Most of the “premium” grain-frees are on it. It sucks and is a little scary because obviously we all want to feed our dogs what’s best for them.
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Jul 18, 2019 02:13
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Holy poo poo yeah i just scrolled back and read the articles. Well looks like I'll be talking to the vet about it next week. At least Taste of the Wild seems to care this is happening unlike some of the other companies. Harley update: he is doing so loving good today. It's like he's a new dog after I gave him his own room. I did not loving plan on a dog having his own room but whatever. Maybe it won't be forever. He has just been so good today it's unbelievable. The only thing that is strange now is that he has an absolute lust for art supplies. Any kind of art supply, he will hunt it down and destroy it. I'm still keeping my appointment with the behaviorist though. I still have plenty of questions and want everyone to be safe and happy.
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Jul 18, 2019 02:31
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