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Wonder Bra posted:Our vet also told us to avoid Wellness wet food with our cat who suffers from crystals. We wanted to supplement his Science Diet Rx with some quality wet food (not just the prescription stuff, which he isn't crazy for) because he was getting bored of kibble and snubbing it. I was under the impression that MOST wet food (low ash, non fish, etc) is OK, but she said she's seen people come back in with blockage problems from Wellness. I've seen a lot of posts online about cats on Wellness having crystals. I'm having a problem with one my mine right now. He had a blockage on Thursday and is recovering, but not well yet. I was feeding EVO Herring and Salmon dry (he refuses to eat any canned food). I do some canned with the rest of my guys in addition to dry. Not sure what my plan is after he gets better. I may just put them all on a prescription food. The one with the blockage is a picky eater in general, but seems to be liking the Royal Canin SO. I'm offering him the RC SO, SD s/d, and SD c/d right now. I don't want him to not eat on top of this other stuff.
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Mar 7, 2011 17:15
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I seriously doubt there is any link between Wellness specifically and struvite crystals. (And Pet Island probably isn't the best sample group for diets causing diseases since most posters feed premium foods.) If there is a link, the only explanation I can come up with is that it's due to increased mineral content, but this is going to be true of basically all premium foods, not just Wellness. There are dozens of factors that go into FLUTD, and mineral content of the diet is arguably pretty low on the list. Reducing these minerals certainly help cats with struvite crystals, but plenty of cats can eat diets with double the mineral content of Wellness and not develop blockages. Also a number of diet-related contributing factors for struvite crystals will favor a "premium" food like Wellness over the cheap stuff, for example 1) high meat content is good for urine acidification, 2) high protein diets are typically associated with increased water intake, which means more dilute urine and more soluble crystals, etc. I guess my point is that no one diet works for all individuals. If your cat is supposed to be eating a prescription diet, then don't feed Wellness (duh). But just because a cat develops a condition can be managed by a prescription diet, the problem is ultimately in the individual cat, not the original diet. daynip posted:Came here to post something about our male cat and noticed your post. I came across a lot of stories about wellness cat food giving their cats problems (usually wellness core). It usually just has to do with urinary blockage, I think it had something to do with high phosphorus. It saddens me to know that the good quality pet food you spend so much on might actually be the problem. I tried to see if there was anything on dogs developing problems, but it mostly just has to do with wellness core.
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Mar 7, 2011 19:13
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Any problem letting dogs chew on broccoli stalks? Mine has decided they are almost as good as pig ears.
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Mar 7, 2011 20:56
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Crooked Booty posted:I seriously doubt there is any link between Wellness specifically and struvite crystals. (And Pet Island probably isn't the best sample group for diets causing diseases since most posters feed premium foods.) If there is a link, the only explanation I can come up with is that it's due to increased mineral content, but this is going to be true of basically all premium foods, not just Wellness. I don't know much about pet nutrition (obviously) and I just wanted to share what I noticed after looking up reviews of the food. I never claimed that the high phosphorus did it, I pretty much regurgitated what they were saying. I did say the quality food might be the problem, but I'm sure there are several factors to be taken into consideration (basically, what you said). daynip fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Mar 7, 2011 |
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Mar 7, 2011 21:13
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Totally anecdotal, but I just realized that Rupert's crystals first showed up after we decided to stop feeding him basic Science Diet and were transitioning him to Wellness.  He was probably broken already, though, and the food switch just triggered it.
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Mar 7, 2011 21:21
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Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease is incredibly multifactorial, but in cases not involving a bacterial infection, environmental stress is thought to be a big part of the problem. No one has really figured out the mechanism, but I like to think of it like stressed people grinding their teeth or getting tense neck muscles and headaches--sometimes, stressed out cats get inflamed urinary tracts. I wonder if switching foods would be enough, in an animal that already has other factors contributing, to push the cat over the edge into showing clinical signs.
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Mar 7, 2011 22:04
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For everyone having issues with Wellness- their products were recalled recently. It's all over the news:quote:Wellpet has found potentially inadequate levels of thiamine in the food. This is a voluntary recall and includes Wellness Canned Cat of all flavors and sizes with best by dates from April 14, 2013 to September 30, 2013 and Wellness Canned Cat Chicken and Herring all sizes with best by date of November 10, 2013 and November 17, 2013. Maybe it's causing problems for some of you, maybe it isn't. In either case- it's probably not doing your cat any good, either.
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Mar 7, 2011 22:10
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This thread is scaring me a bit... Are we only talking about wet food here? Because I feed my cat Wellness Indoor Cat dry food daily and I don't want her to get crystals 
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Mar 7, 2011 23:14
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physeter posted:Any problem letting dogs chew on broccoli stalks? Mine has decided they are almost as good as pig ears. Some broccoli is healthy for dogs, but too much can be toxic. I believe the percentage is something like 10% of their daily intake, but it's a bit mysterious. Best do a bit of research before you make it too regular of a thing. (Also broccoli usually gives dogs gas.)
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Mar 7, 2011 23:19
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Lackadaisical posted:This thread is scaring me a bit... Are we only talking about wet food here? Because I feed my cat Wellness Indoor Cat dry food daily and I don't want her to get crystals  Some cats are prone to crystals. Some people in this thread who have cats prone to crystals are saying "I was feeding Wellness when the symptoms first started, so Wellness must have caused it! " which makes no sense at all. They should probably stop talking about it because there is no connection between Wellness and crystals, and they're only scaring people. Since it seems like most of PI feeds their cats Wellness, it would be really easy to pretend Wellness causes every medical problem PI cats have, but that's not exactly logical.The recall has nothing whatsoever to do with crystals. Crooked Booty fucked around with this message at 00:02 on Mar 8, 2011 |
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Mar 7, 2011 23:58
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For those wanting to know about the latest recalls, I suggest this site (I apologize if this was posted already, I didn't find it in the forums). http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/
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Mar 8, 2011 00:31
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I dunno whether to make a new thread for this but I need advice on introducing a dog to a cat... I am about to have a kid (38 wks) and the friend who is supposed to take care of Sierra (2.5 yr old border collie mix) when I go to the hospital recently adopted a cat, Mycroft. Sierra is ok with cats in general but he haaaates her so far. The first time he saw her he puffed up and hissed, which we pretty much expected. This terrified the dog and she went and sat on the sofa for the entirety of the visit. The cat sat on the rug in front of her and just STARED - I swear if looks could kill I would have a dead dog. The next time he seemed more ok, just sat on the rug and watched her most of the time... but then he came up and just hissed at her out of nowhere, and swiped at her face (did not make contact). There were a couple subsequent visits that went about the same, then today... He hopped up on the couch next to her and seemed really chilled. He was sniffing her ear, and we thought maybe this was the beginning of tolerance... but then all of a sudden smacked her in the face twice while hissing. Thankfully he was wearing soft paws, so no one was hurt. The dog does not retaliate at all, just looks confused, sad and scared. :/ My dog is terrified of the cat though - won't come inside friend's house if the cat is in view, hides behind our legs if he comes near and will run to another room to avoid him if she can (sometimes he will block her in, seemingly on purpose), and is now developing a complex about cats in general. I do realize that bringing a dog in is tough on the cat, of course, but I'm not sure how else to go about this other than what we've been doing - small doses of dog, and whenever the cat snaps like this, my friend shuts him in the bedroom until he calms down. We don't need them to be BFFs but I'd prefer it if they weren't both stressed to the max for the one or two nights the dog would need to stay. We don't really have an alternative place to keep her as it will be pretty last minute, possibly in the middle of the night, etc. (so not great for getting her into a kennel)... We're already on our backup plan as the first person we had lined up to care for Sierra ended up in the hospital after a surgery went wrong, and is still recovering. Bonus pic... taken approximately 2 seconds before my dog got owned: 
Longpig fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Mar 8, 2011 |
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Mar 8, 2011 00:49
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Since I'm asking stupid questions already, I have another one. The neighbors dog keeps getting into my yard and this time it attacked my two chickens. There's a massive bite mark on one of their chest. As long as they're walking around, is it safe to assume they aren't in pain and will heal on their own or is there something I should do to help them get better?
Lackadaisical fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Mar 8, 2011 |
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Mar 8, 2011 02:49
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Is taking them to the vet an option? At the very least, they should probably be on some antibiotics if they got bit by a dog. Pain meds would probably be nice too.
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Mar 8, 2011 04:27
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Crooked Booty posted: (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Mar 8, 2011 04:32
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Well, no advice needed anymore. The damage was too severe so home euthanasia was performed.
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Mar 8, 2011 06:15
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Lackadaisical posted:Well, no advice needed anymore. The damage was too severe so home euthanasia was performed. that sucks. You should hit your dumb neighbor!
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Mar 8, 2011 06:22
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Lackadaisical posted:Well, no advice needed anymore. The damage was too severe so home euthanasia was performed. Edit: Ohh okay. If it's a escape that's different. Some people down here had sheep and goats killed because of a couple people who weren't willing to watch or leash their dogs. One person was so indifferent to getting their dog back they offered it to animal control to be euthed. It's sad all around.
Gonktastic fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Mar 8, 2011 |
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Mar 8, 2011 06:48
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Gonktastic posted:If you're still in Santa Cruz, we've had all sorts of livestock killing stuff in the paper. You can take legal action. They can't just let their dogs kill your chickens with impunity! I'm not. I'm up north now. But I don't really blame the neighbors or their dog. They feel really bad and had offered to pay for vet bills. The only reason the dog was able to get to the chicken was because there was a hole in the fence and the neighbors stayed up late tonight fixing it so the other chicken would be safe. Still, poor chicken RIP Lenny.
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Mar 8, 2011 06:54
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When is the generally accepted time you can take dogs off of puppy food? 6 months?
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Mar 8, 2011 22:35
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Depends somewhat on the dog. General guidelines are a) by one year of age b) 1.5-2 years if a giant breed dog and c) 1 month post-neuter, since neutering pre-disposes to obesity edit: I should mention that all of these recommendations are based on discontinuing puppy food around the time of skeletal maturity, meaning the dog is adult-sized. With shelter mutts, it is sometimes hard to predict what that size will be, so the 1 month post-neuter guideline may be easier to follow. For a specific breed, it is easier to estimate when the dog is full grown and stop then. For very large/giant breed dogs, they don't reach full size for longer.
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Mar 8, 2011 22:42
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How worried should I be about my dog's change in bathroom habits? It's only been in the past day or so, but normally she pees 4 times a day and poops twice. Yesterday she only peed twice, and then this morning she didn't poop at all and it took her much longer to go pee than usual. She's been eating and drinking normal amounts, seems to have good energy, but I worry  I'm like an old jewish mother with my dog. Do they do this sometimes, is it something I should keep an eye on, or should I run her to the vet as a just in case?
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Mar 9, 2011 17:49
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That thing I sent posted:How worried should I be about my dog's change in bathroom habits? It's only been in the past day or so, but normally she pees 4 times a day and poops twice. Yesterday she only peed twice, and then this morning she didn't poop at all and it took her much longer to go pee than usual. She's been eating and drinking normal amounts, seems to have good energy, but I worry If you realllllly want peace of mind, then a vet call is in order. However, as long as she's still eating/drinking the same amount, I wouldn't worry. If she took longer to pee, but only peed twice, then perhaps she decided to hold it for a bit longer, thus having more to pee. Maybe she'll defecate later, and it'll be more. Usually the worry is if... A: They are drinking a lot more and peeing a lot more B: They are eating a lot more or really wanting to eat everything in the house (if they didn't want to before) C: If they are straining to urinate/defecate D: If the frequency increases by a significant amount
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Mar 9, 2011 19:26
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About a week plus ago, I noticed one of my dog's front paw pads was sort of peeled off in the front, not even 10% of the pad. This week, it's almost 50% gone He doesn't seem bothered when I touch it, but it is concerning as to how quickly it is disappearing. I have been putting some musher's wax on it to keep it moisturized. He's going in for a vet appointment tomorrow, I just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas? (I can try and get a better picture later with the help of an assistant if this isn't good enough, you can see the black on the bottom and the lighter, peeled off area on the top)
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Mar 9, 2011 23:16
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Jesus christ. That's kind of horrifying. I have no suggestions but please let us know what the vet says.
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Mar 9, 2011 23:26
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so over the past month, my cat Boomer has been acting really strange. She is spayed, and I am unsure of her age. I found her outside my backdoor with kittens so I took her in, found the kittens homes and got her fixed. She gets along pretty well with my other cat Starbuck. She used to be very sweet and affectionate. Lately she has been skittish, and anti social. The only time she seems to come out from under the bed is when I am sleeping or about to sleep. Then she will sit on me or my GF and purr like a maniac. What the hell is going on with her? As far as I can tell she is still eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom like normal. I have not noticed any change in behavior in my other cat, Starbuck. Starbuck is as aloof, but affectionate as she has always been.
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Mar 10, 2011 03:32
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After 2 years of hand-pulling weeds in my backyard, I'm ready to give up my grandiose notions of "going green." I want to spray Roundup over every loving inch...is this safe for my dog?
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Mar 10, 2011 03:41
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According to this, it's extremely safe. I'd let it dry for a couple of hours before letting the dog out in the yard, but after that it should be fine.
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Mar 10, 2011 04:00
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6-Ethyl Bearcat posted:According to this, it's extremely safe. I'd let it dry for a couple of hours before letting the dog out in the yard, but after that it should be fine. I hate when people refer to herbicide as pesticide. They are not the same thing. Edit: to clarify, I mean in the "arguments against Monsanto" box on that page you linked.
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Mar 10, 2011 04:05
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I've just moved my cat into a new house (3 hour drive which freaked her out, longest trip she's ever done in the car was 20 minutes) I've let her out and she is now hiding out under the sink unit in the kitchen area, she worked her way in there after sniffing and crawling around on her belly for a while. (I can access the area easily enough if I need to) I've put food and water close to her, should I just leave her there for now? She's lived in the same house for 5 years so she is probably very confused at the moment. Any tips on how to get a cat used to living in a new house?
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Mar 10, 2011 17:37
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Rondette posted:I've just moved my cat into a new house (3 hour drive which freaked her out, longest trip she's ever done in the car was 20 minutes) This is very normal, cats don't respond well to changes in environment. She'll eat/drink if she has too, and just give her a lot of time to get used to the new place. She will eventually, might take a few weeks or so. Until then just make sure she has fresh food/water/litter available.
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Mar 10, 2011 23:47
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RurouNNy posted:About a week plus ago, I noticed one of my dog's front paw pads was sort of peeled off in the front, not even 10% of the pad. This week, it's almost 50% gone Just got back from the vet's office, and his vet was kind of baffled by it. He said it doesn't seem concerning, but to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't worsen.  This vet charges out the friggin nose though. I have asked the trainer I take my dog to for other vet recommendations and she gave some, noting that a lot of people complain about our vet's prices. We will definitely be switching. The vet tech said they'd do a complimentary nail trim for me if I'd like, and I said sure, though he didn't really need one (which she confirmed ...) Yea, definitely charged me $12 for it /sigh I mean I am all for paying vets a good chunk, but $400 for his routine annual physical? What made up for all of it however is that his snap test came back negative for heart worms  (he tested positive this time last year and went through treatment last May), so that made up for it. I should make a heart worm free cake or something for him 
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Mar 11, 2011 00:39
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Armacham posted:so over the past month, my cat Boomer has been acting really strange. trip report: she also has no response to catnip. at all. My other cat is drooling like a heroin addict, but Boomer is like whatever
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Mar 11, 2011 01:45
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RurouNNy posted:but $400 for his routine annual physical? UM WHAT. I never pay more than $80 for annual physical INCLUDING booster shots, worming, and HW test. Granted that's in the south where everything is cheaper but $400 gently caress THAT.
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Mar 11, 2011 02:23
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Superconsndar posted:UM WHAT. I never pay more than $80 for annual physical INCLUDING booster shots, worming, and HW test. Granted that's in the south where everything is cheaper but $400 gently caress THAT. I'm guessing she had a blood panel done (I'm hoping anyway, that bill is ridiculous)
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Mar 11, 2011 03:00
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Superconsndar posted:UM WHAT. I never pay more than $80 for annual physical INCLUDING booster shots, worming, and HW test. Granted that's in the south where everything is cheaper but $400 gently caress THAT. Fatty Patty posted:I'm guessing she had a blood panel done (I'm hoping anyway, that bill is ridiculous) Yea, he did have a blood panel, urinalysis, and fecal, plus he had a slight ear infection in one ear. All this stuff (besides the ear thing) have been what we do every year =\ $80 makes me giddy though, I can't even comprehend that.
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Mar 11, 2011 03:29
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A typical annual exam will consist of a physical exam + vaccinations. If the pet is old, they will do a blood panel. Usually, they do not come with a blood panel, urinalysis, and fecal for a healthy young cat. For me, a physical exam + vaccinations is about $100-$110. Throw in all that other stuff and I could see it getting close to $400. Edit: Nevermind, I talked to some people and $400 is probably still too expensive even with all that stuff. I don't know what the hell. Braki fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Mar 11, 2011 |
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Mar 11, 2011 03:39
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Uhh...my cat went to the vet last week for an abscessed ear (long story), got a ton of booster shots, and a few medications and the bill only rounded out to $270. This is also the expensive place which doesn't take the spay coupon from the local humane society. I would say $400 sounds pretty exorbitant and I would have contested with the person doing the billing if they told you some services would be complimentary.
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Mar 11, 2011 10:35
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When I had a general exam and a blood panel for my oldie, it was about $230. That's including a course of tramadol as well, which was about $40 I believe. A general exam at my vet is $40-$60 depending on how long it takes, I have had cheaper for the same quality of care but I pay for the convenience of having a great vet, 5 mins away, who can fit me in on any day of the week.
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Mar 11, 2011 14:57
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Armacham posted:trip report: she also has no response to catnip. at all. My other cat is drooling like a heroin addict, but Boomer is like whatever It's definitely time for a vet trip, ASAP. Any change in behavior can indicate something wrong healthwise, but hiding and being more affectionate (sitting with your gf) are both strong indicators that something is wrong. How long has it been since her last vet visit?
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Mar 12, 2011 02:00
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