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El Gar posted:I was under the impression that most urine glows under black light. Also, the most surefire way to find dog pee in your house is to let the dog loose and see where they sniff/try to pee. Well, he's always loose, he lives here! He's a beagle so he sniffs EVERYTHING, and he only pees very rarely if we leave him home alone for 5+ hours. :/ I'll see where I can get a cheap blacklight then I guess!
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Dec 6, 2011 04:52
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Acquaintance was telling a story about a pit bull puppy she knew who would occasionally accidentally lock his jaws shut, and whimper because he couldn't figure out how to un-lock his own jaw. I feel like an idiot posting here to ask, but completely fabricated (unless some hosed up medical anomaly), yes?
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Jan 30, 2012 06:50
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Immortal Wombat posted:Ok so this is something I've always wondered. In my (pretty limited) experience you just hold the rodent (while standing) and let the cat look. If she's pretty disinterested, you let her sniff (you need a pretty friendly rodent through this process btw). You just have to gauge your cat's interest level through the whole process. If she's super interested, it may be a good idea to either abandon the idea or try again when she's calm. I wouldn't let an outdoor cat interact with my rodents, though. I think cats who have been able to practice their hunting instincts won't be making many domestic friendships, unlike the fat chill indoor ones who wouldn't know a gerbil if it crawled all over their fat asses (personal experience).
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Feb 4, 2012 15:42
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Your only noninvasive option is the Q-tip trick. Most people prefer not to dildo their cat every couple weeks, so you should probably just get her spayed. Get a different vet if your last one kept butchering your cats.
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Feb 5, 2012 17:04
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I have just learned that Nature's Miracle does not remove urine stains as shown by a black light. Anyone have any ideas? I'm afraid my apartment is going to charge me $1000 for a new carpet because of one little spot that isn't visible in natural light and doesn't smell and is otherwise unnoticable. 
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Feb 19, 2012 09:13
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The office manager told me she won't tell us if the carpet needs replaced in our final walk-through, and that she gets her "carpet guy" to determine that a little later. That makes me think he has a black light because I dunno what else he'd do. I reeeeeally really hope you're right though!
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Feb 19, 2012 15:08
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Follow-up to Nature's Miracle/Black light dilemma: I waited until night time again to turn on the black light and with my handy dandy gallon of NM, dumped it on anything that vaguely glowed, moved furniture around (goddamn dog peeing on the TV cart full of gaming consoles and cable box), and scrubby scrubbed. It is SO much more effective that way, than just guessing approximately where the spots are and dumping a splash of NM on it in daylight. Maybe my eyes are tired from using the black light for too long, but I can't see any more glowing spots; not even faded ones.   Gallon of nature's miracle: $25 Petsmart Eco-smart black lightbulb: $7 Grocery store So relieved. Recommend this to everyone with cat/dog piss problems in the future. (I know I'm treating this like some huge epiphany; I know it's simple I'm just happy)
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Feb 20, 2012 05:55
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Does anyone here hire a dog walker for the middle of the day? We hired one for $100/month - $50 on the 15th, and $50 on the last day of the month. It was a budget crunch but we're managing. The girl is 20 years old and we found her on sittercity.com (requires a membership - $35 for one month). She had a little icon that said something like "background check available" so I just assumed she was a good choice. She's been coming on weekdays at lunch since Feb 27th. Every day she sends me a text saying she's with Roger, or she just saw Roger, or twice she has sent a picture of him at the end of the leash sniffing around. But this week, things don't seem right. I left her money in an envelope right under the leash on Thursday. Got home, and it was still there. I figured "Well, maybe she wasn't sure that was for her. When in doubt, I wouldn't take money from my employers house either". So I wrote her name on it yesterday. Got home, and it was still there. There was poop upstairs. She did send me texts that she was with him both days. I'm wondering if she's lying about coming every day - after all, there's no way we'd know. But on the other hand, maybe she just let him out into the back yard these couple days and skipped the walk. (We just told her all we want is for him to potty before she leaves) I don't want to be accusing... but... evidence... How should I address this? Is it normal for dog walkers to have some sort of check-in system? (Was thinking dry-erase board next to the leash, she'd put an X next to each day or something). I don't want to upset the girl whose services I *really* need, don't want to pay for another membership to the website, and she has a key to my house. I didn't expect something like this to happen :/
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Mar 17, 2012 13:53
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Topoisomerase posted:I was thinking the same thing. Why would you be hesitant to make her accountable for actually showing up every day? If she's actually coming, putting an X on the dry erase board won't really be much of an inconvenience for her.. Just trying to figure out the least abrasive way to approach it. e: and filming someone without their knowledge may be legal, but I don't feel ethical doing it. Perhaps a piece of tape across the front door or something, but setting up a webcam is kind of creepy.
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Mar 18, 2012 17:04
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a life less posted:Also, I know you said your budget is already stretched really thin, but $100/month for a dog walker to visit every work day is pretty cheap, even for quick visits. This may be one of those "get what you pay for" type situations. Probably so... When I posted the job on that site, I got like 4 applications in 2 days and she seemed best. One was from a lady at training school who said she charged $16/day - in a month that's more than all my utilities and cable combined! I didn't think about asking her to give him a frozen something-or-other... We already give him a frozen PB Kong in the morning and ask that she give him a Greenie when she leaves - I could just switch those around. Might open the door for "Oh I forgot today"s though. Will probably just go with the dry-erase board. "I forgot"s will happen a lot less if pay depends on the number of Xs on the board.
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Mar 18, 2012 20:03
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Silver Nitrate posted:I had a walker do this to me. I figured it out when one day I left the leash in a weird place on accident and he didn't call/text to ask where it was. The second day, I put a note on top of the leash and it didn't move either. So, I fired his stupid lazy rear end and got one of my neighbor's kids to do it, which worked out great. There's tons of people who can walk a dog out there, so there's no need to have someone you can't rely on. Bummer. Anyone in DFW need an easy but crappily paid job? :/ e: My sittercity.com membership literally expired yesterday. YAY! Ugh. Damn Bananas fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Mar 20, 2012 |
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Mar 20, 2012 14:41
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I'm not sure if this is a can of worms or not, but... How much are you guys willing to give to a not-really-close friend with a pet at an emergency vet? This would be a dumb question in BFC, but PI are animal lovers like me, so... My boyfriend and I make pretty darn good money for our rent/bills situation. There's a girl he used to date in high school but is still friends with, and we've all hung out twice since I moved in with him, but she is flakey in returning our calls to hang out again. A few minutes ago, he gets a call from this girl who is on her way to the emergency vet with her cat that my boyfriend has "met" before. It's lethargic and she's crying and worrying that it's not going to make it through the weekend. The e-vet charges a $78 consultation, plus whatever tests/treatment. My boyfriend was put on the spot in the phonecall and agreed that he could help out a little bit at least, on the promise that she'd pay him back (with her own ER visit and her boyfriend's jailtime this past month, I'm not sure she'd be able to keep that promise). After he hung up, my boyfriend asked me what sort of limit he should set before we meet them at the vet. I told my boyfriend about my dad's cat who had a nice $1300 bill for hepatic lipidosis last month and he was completely shocked. I really have no idea what is reasonable to help... we're blessed to make good money, and I feel really bad for her poor cat, but she's not very close to us and I know he just dropped several grand on an engagement ring for me. I'm thinking a reasonable amount would be the office visit plus either bloodwork or euthanasia. Past that is her judgement and other friends to call... I feel like a jerk but I know I shouldn't. It just sucks because of her ER/jail thing (the jail part was total bullshit, the cops were idiots) - she very well may have had a responsible emergency fund before that happened. 
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Jun 9, 2012 03:37
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Enelrahc posted:I would not give more than I was willing to lose. While it is nice to think people will pay you back, that's less than a guarantee. If your bf goes in with the idea that it's a gift until proved otherwise, that will keep it in perspective. Does she not qualify for care credit? Apparently they don't offer any sort of payment plans, so that's why she called us. The illness is now, the treatment must be now, so the payment must be now, I guess - I don't think she'd be able to apply for and receive CareCredit on a Friday night. I'm a little confused that we haven't heard anything. He texted her to call him before they commit to anything, and she agreed. He said he could spot her the $78 plus another $400 if necessary and I'm wincing. But at the same time I know that doesn't go far at an E-vet. Rotten situation all around.
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Jun 9, 2012 04:33
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Enelrahc posted:I'd be very surprised if an emergency clinic didn't take Care Credit. No emergency clinic offers credit to people because people don't pay and they'd go out of business, but Care Credit is offered by an outside institution and is open 24/7. She can apply online or over the phone. I'm not sure, I got all of the info secondhand. It all worked out well though, it sounds like it was just a urinary issue (blockage or something) they caught super early, so they gave kitty a steroid shot and he was able to pee. Bill was only $170ish and the girl said her friend can pay us back Monday. Yay!
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Jun 9, 2012 13:09
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jgrrr posted:My girlfriend and I are trying to adopt our first dog (aside from dogs owned by our families that were adopted while we lived at our respective homes). Does anyone have advice on adoptions and applications? Be friendly and ask smart questions. Describe your lifestyle honestly and ask if they have one that will work with your needs. Ask about the dog's complete known history, if he/she is fixed, what vaccinations he/she has had, ask about any behavior issues like often getting into the trash or separation anxiety. Don't mention (or use, for that matter) choke chains, shock collars, dominance training, or breeding. Ask if you can take the dog outside on a leash for a brief walk around the building. Shelters and busy pet stores have a lot going on that makes a lot of dogs turn shy, and going outside away from it all will help gauge his/her true personality. Bring a milkbone or hot dog pieces and ask if you can give him/her a treat to get shy dogs' attention, too. Good luck!
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Jun 15, 2012 06:05
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2 questions: 1. My dog is on Revolution, the kind (if there is more than one) that is a liquid that you put on his back. When we bring out the med, he sulks over, gets all nervous, and then when we put it on he kind of flips out. He runs around the room, rolling on the carpet, but from body language mid-freakout it seems more playful "get-it-off" rather than painful "GET-IT-OFF" if that makes any sense. I thought it was just that it was, like, alcohol based or something similar and it was cold on his skin. Coworker said it might be that he's allergic to it. My googling says allergic reactions are the more typical hives etc. so I don't know what to think. Does this warrant a checkup/vet call? 2. Same coworker said that beagles tend to not eat much in the summer and then wolf food down in the winter. After our fist cold snap this year I believe it. But it also coincidentally happened when we were a few days late giving him his Revolution, which I've read can make them lose their appetite (though, I guess not for the whole month. right?) Any truth to drastic appetite changes across seasons?
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Oct 11, 2012 13:33
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I'm going to preface this with the fact that I love pitbulls as much as your average other big dopey dog, but: My dog (and I!) was bit by pit/lab(?) mix at the dog park 10 days ago. I keep telling everyone it was "some yellow mutt" because I hate the pit stereotype. But after several checkups for the bitten ear (we're up to our 4th vet visit as of today and had to schedule a 5th for next week), my vet asked me if I knew if it was a pitbull who bit my dog. I kind of played dumb and asked why, and he told me there's some research out there that pitbull bites tend to be worse than other breed bites because there's something either about their saliva or the bacteria in their mouths specifically that make wounds have a tough time healing. My little anecdote makes me want to say "Well that explains it!" but my Googling isn't turning up anything except people allergic to pitbull spit only. Not that peer-reviewed stuff is particularly easy to find in Google, but... Has anyone heard of this? For anyone following my thread, Roger's ear is slowly getting better but the vet took another microscope slide and noted that there's still a bit of white blood cells surrounding some bacteria (or something like that). He's getting another round of pain/anti-inflamatory meds and a new antibotic to take until his next checkup in 10 days. Still has to wear the cone, and hates it.
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Apr 10, 2013 21:13
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Thanks... if it was a guy on the street I'd say the same as yall but I'm inclined to trust that an actual doctor with 30+ years experience isn't just making things up. It's possible it's research that has been debunked since he read it, I was just curious about the idea.
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Apr 10, 2013 21:22
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Three incredulous replies but still no serious discussion of why it is a "stupid" idea. Maybe I'm taking it too personally but I came to the tried-and-true animal questions thread instead of random nonsense thread because I was hoping I wouldn't get that kind of response. I've found one article that talks about how saliva varies in pH and mineral content across breeds - though it's all about dental disease and not, like, wound interaction or whatever I'm looking for. Is it unreasonable to think that something in one or more breeds' cocktails could aggravate tissue growth or harbor a specific type or higher concentration of bacteria?
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Apr 10, 2013 21:51
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Siochain posted:My basic stab at it comes down to that bacteria present in any living creature is more a result of its environment/diet than genetics (within a population of a like species). Its possible that this specific pit had a nasty mouth, or its possible that more dirt/grime/crap than normal got in the wound and made the infection worse. I think the main reason you are getting incredulous replies is that this is a line of reasoning that is so far out there from a critical scientific viewpoint that, well, its hard to respond to politely. Thank you for at least entertaining my question. But I guess I don't see it as an "out there" line of reasoning if it happens to be true for cats... Even if my reasoning is too basic or downright wrong (yet prompted by a medical professional!) I think there absolutely is a way to politely reply. My degree deals with rocks, but if someone without a background in it asks something I consider obvious based on my schooling I can certainly answer politely. Either way, nevermind, I will try to remember to ask my vet for specifics next Saturday.
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Apr 10, 2013 22:25
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Braki posted:I did a few searches for "pitbull saliva" and "wound healing" on Google Scholar and PubMed and haven't found anything. I have never heard anything about pit bulls having bad saliva at our teaching hospital or in our lectures. Firstly, I've gotten the opposite flack from a (human) med student for my ER doctor not stitching my own wound - the med student says they always stitch dog bites but do not stitch human bites. My doc said he doesn't stitch the dog bites so it allows them to drain. I think it probably comes down to both methods having pros and cons depending on the situation. Roger has big flappy ears that he likes to shake around, and since it was a jagged through-and-through, they didn't want his constant flapping to tear it open further. Or heck, maybe get a toenail stuck in the ear piercing and tear it all the way to the edge. That's just my guess, though. Secondly, Baytril was the second antibiotic, not the first, given by the emergency vet (not pitbull research vet) as treatment for the 104.5 fever he developed 24+ hours after the bite (and Clindomycin prescription apparently not being strong enough). Now that the infection is getting better, regular-vet is switching Roger to a week on Simplicef after the other two have now finished running their courses. However, if he does not show improvement by the time he's due for his (hopefully last) checkup in 10 days, then I will look into other vet options for second opinions. Siochain posted:I've got a minor in Geology, so I'll take a stab at an analogy: its akin to saying all sedimentary rocks are identical whether they are lacustrine, fluvial, oceanic etc. Totally different beasts.   . NEXT! ...I wouldn't have batted an eye.Anyway... someone ask another question or something because I think this conversation has run its course.
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Apr 10, 2013 23:29
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I took my 16-y-o cat in for her annual check up today, and asked to run blood work as well because I'm a worry wart and she is old. I got a call later to discuss her blood work and it sounds like everything was fine except for one thing. I missed what the lady said the particular measurement was for, but it is related to kidneys and "normal" level is up to 2.1, my kitty's was at 2.2 - so it was caught early and we are going to tackle this with a prescription food, monthly sub-Q fluids, and 6-month-ly blood work to check in on things. After I hung up I realized that I didn't catch the actual diagnosis. I am googling a little bit and see phrases like CKD, stage 2/3/4 kidney disease, etc. but those sound a bit more doom-and-gloom than the impression I got with mine. Does anyone with a little more vet-med knowledge know what my cat's diagnosis sounds like? Obviously I need to ask my vet for sure, but they are closed until Monday and I'd like to do some internet reading. I'm just looking for some key words to search with.
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Jan 3, 2016 03:55
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That could be it, I will read up on creatinine. No urinalysis, probably because I had no symptoms to report when we came in so nothing was suspect. I will ask if they think they need to do that when I go in with her on Monday for her first sub-Q session. Poor little old lady. I really hope that this all was just a fluke, like slightly dehydrated because we had house guests this weekend and she did a lot of hiding, and she's actually totally fine. I've had this old girl since I was 12. 
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Jan 3, 2016 04:40
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Thanks, I appreciate that.
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Jan 3, 2016 05:06
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This weekend I have started to walk my dog some decent distances for the first time in years, but I'm wondering if there's a such thing as pushing him too far, too fast. 6 year old beagle, healthy build, long legs, and loving loves walks and dog park trips/running with other dogs. Friday evening we walked 2.37 miles Saturday afternoon we walked 2.52 miles Today (Sunday) I'd like to walk him to the dog park, let myself rest/let him play, and then walk back home. It is 2.32 miles each way, or 4.64 miles total. I plan to take a water bottle and collapsible bowl, and it is about 70 degrees out and cloudy. Is this too much, too fast? If we get to the park and he is tired, we will kind of be stranded with no way home other than to walk it.
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Feb 21, 2016 19:44
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Thanks! It ended up raining about 30 minutes after I posted (4 hours earlier than the forecast said  ) so we didn't end up going yesterday. I will do more short walks throughout the week and then try for the long one next weekend.
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Feb 22, 2016 16:35
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Well I definitely didn't think he'd drop dead, but thought perhaps it could wear on his paw pads that are not used to pavement, or get him pretty winded, or somehow otherwise make him uncomfortable or not enjoy his time.
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Feb 22, 2016 21:09
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Can anyone recommend an e-collar/cone/equivalent that would prevent a 35lb beagle with long legs from licking his front paw? The one we got from the vet still allows him to reach when his legs are outstretched and he already looks like a satellite dish in it, so I'm not sure if we should go even bigger or look into alternate shapes.
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Mar 26, 2016 17:36
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Does anyone else's cat prefer to pee in the corner or against the back wall of the litter box so that the clumps practically spot-weld themselves to the plastic? Is there some way to prevent that from happening with other shapes of boxes, types of litters, etc? I currently use Arm & Hammer in the orange box. She has kidney disease so she pees a lot and I have snapped one scoop handle trying to get them off, and have come close to snapping another. Tl;dr: Help, concrete pee. 
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Dec 14, 2016 21:54
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Minister of Chance posted:There are those disposable plastic bags for litter boxes. In my opinion the litter doesn't stick to them as much as to the bin itself, but it may depend on the brand and you need a litter box with a detachable hood, or rim. I wondered about those, but wasn't sure if clumps would get stuck to them and I'd accidentally rip a hole trying to maneuver them off of the liner. It's worth a shot, though!
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Dec 16, 2016 22:47
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We've got a wild bird stuck in our warehouse at work. There ceilings are probably 30ft high but the dock door is only ~10ft tall. It keeps trying to fly out the unopenable skylight. Any ideas how to get it outside? I think it's some variety of dove. We thought about putting food on the ground by the door, but I would worry that would attract more birds inside. There are dumpsters nearby and birds like to hang out around them. Damn Bananas fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Feb 1, 2017 |
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Feb 1, 2017 18:27
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